# US 11,028,438 B2 · Windowed sequencing

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,028,438 B2
- Document ID: US11028438B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/866,653
- Filed: 2020-05-05
- Published: 2020-10-22
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2013-05-09
- Assignees: Life Technologies Corporation
- Applicants: Life Technologies Corporation
- Inventors: Todd Rearick; Mark Milgrew; Jonathan Schultz; Chris Papalias; Kim Johnson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028438B2

## CPC

- C12Q 1/6874: involving nucleic acid arrays, e.g. sequencing by hybridisation
- G16B 30/00: ICT specially adapted for sequence analysis involving nucleotides or amino acids
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
- G16B: BIOINFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR GENETIC OR PROTEIN-RELATED DATA PROCESSING IN COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

## Abstract

In one implementation, a method is described. The method includes determining an operational characteristic of sensors of a sensor array. The method further includes selecting a group of sensors in the array based on the operational characteristic of sensors in the group. The method further includes enabling readout of the sensors in the selected group. The method further includes receiving output signals from the enabled sensors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
determining an operational characteristic of each sensor of a plurality of sensors located at a portion of a sensor array, the determining occurring prior to introducing known nucleotides to at least some of the plurality of sensors;
selecting a first group of sensors from the plurality of sensors located at the portion of the sensor array, wherein the selecting is based on determining that each sensor in the first group of sensors has a similar operational characteristic;
enabling readout of the sensors in the first group of sensors;
bypassing readout of other sensors of the sensor array that are not included in the first group of sensors, wherein the other sensors have a different operational characteristic than the first group of sensors; and
receiving output signals from the first group of sensors, the output signals received after introducing known nucleotides to the at least some of the plurality of sensors located at the portion of the sensor array.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the operational characteristic is a bead loading quality of the sensors of the sensor array.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the operational characteristic is a noise spectrum of the sensors of the sensor array.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are arranged in rows and columns and the selecting includes selecting sensors disposed in contiguous rows of the sensor array.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the output signals indicate an incorporation of the introduced known nucleotides into primers hybridized to template nucleic acids disposed proximate to the sensors.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the output signals are analog signals and the method further includes converting the output signals into digital signals and the receiving output signals further includes receiving the converted digital signals.

### Claim 7

A method for nucleic acid sequencing, comprising:
providing template nucleic acids to at least some of a plurality of locations coupled to sensors of an array;
analyzing output signals of the sensors of the array to identify which locations in the plurality of locations contain the template nucleic acids and which locations in the plurality of locations do not contain the template nucleic acids;
selecting a first group of sensors from the sensors in the array, wherein sensors in the first group of sensors are selected based on the locations containing the template nucleic acids;
introducing known nucleotides within at least some of the plurality of locations to cause a reaction between the template nucleic acids and the known nucleotides;
enabling readout of the sensors in the first group of sensors in the sensor array including the locations containing the template nucleic acids, and bypassing readout of other sensors of the sensor array, wherein the other sensors are in the locations not containing the template nucleic acids; and
measuring the output signals of the first group of sensors to detect incorporation of the introduced known nucleotides into primers hybridized to the template nucleic acids, wherein the first group of sensors is selected prior to the reaction between the template nucleic acids and the known nucleotides.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising determining at least a portion of sequences of at least a portion of the template nucleic acids based on the introduced known nucleotides and further based on the measured output signals.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the locations are within respective reaction chambers.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the measured output signals are analog signals and the method further includes converting the measured output signals into digital signals.

### Claim 11

A system comprising:
a sensor array including a plurality of sensors; and
a processor, communicatively coupled to the sensor array, the processor configured to:
determine an operational characteristic of each sensor of a plurality of sensors located at a portion of the sensor array prior to introducing known nucleotides to at least some of the plurality of sensors,
select a first group of sensors from the plurality of sensors located at the portion of the sensor array based on determining that each sensor in the first group of sensors has a similar operational characteristic,
enable readout of the sensors in the first group,
bypass readout of other sensors of the sensor array that are not included in the first group of sensors, wherein the other sensors have a different operational characteristic from the first group of sensors, and
receive output signals at the processor from the first group of sensors, the output signals received after introducing known nucleotides to the at least some of the plurality of sensors located at the portion of the sensor array.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the operational characteristic is a bead loading quality of the sensors of the sensor array.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the operational characteristic is a noise spectrum of the sensors of the sensor array.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the sensors are arranged in rows and columns and the selecting includes selecting sensors disposed in contiguous rows of the sensor array.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the output signals indicate an incorporation of the introduced known nucleotides into primers hybridized to template nucleic acids disposed proximate to the sensors.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert analog output signals from sensors of the sensor array into digital output signals, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the digital output signals.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is implemented in a field programmable gate array (FPGA).