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AssigneeCell Therapy Catapult Limited
InventorsStuart Milne, Alex Nancekievill, Christopher Creasey, Stephen Lamb, Rupert Rutledge
Estimating the term…
A sample heating/cooling device comprises a plurality of members operable in use to heat and/or cool one or more samples. Each member has a sample contact surface and is biased towards a resting position under the operation of a biasing means. The members are movable independently of one another against said bias under the application of a force on the sample contact surface and so are able to conform to the shape of a sample placed on the members to provide a uniform heating/cooling profile. The members may be mounted in a heating/cooling element and adapted to conduct thermal energy between the sample and the element. The device is particularly suitable for thawing frozen sample bags having an irregular shape. A corresponding method is also described.
A device for heating or cooling one or more samples, the device comprising a heat source or a cold source, a plurality of members operable in use to heat and/or cool one or more samples, each of the plurality of members comprising a sample contact surface and a biasing means, wherein, in use:
A method of heating or cooling one or more samples comprised within a container, the method comprising contacting the container with one or more of a plurality of members, wherein said one or more of the plurality of members in contact with said sample provide a source of heat energy to the container to heat the sample contained therein, or conduct heat energy from the container to cool the sample contained therein, wherein each of the plurality of members are biased towards a resting position and are independently moveable with respect to one another against said bias to a position wherein two or more members are provided in a first dimension of a plane and aligned to move perpendicular to the plane and two or more of the members are provided in a second dimension of the plane and aligned to move perpendicular to the plane, wherein the plurality of members are provided (i) in a horizontal plane onto which a sample or sample container may be placed, in use, with one or more of the plurality of members being aligned so as to move vertically with respect to the horizontal plane, or (ii) in a vertical plane against which a sample may be placed, in use, with one or more of the plurality of members being aligned so as to move horizontally with respect to the vertical plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.