US 11,898,997 B2Granted

Sample injector

AssigneeRoche Diagnostics Operations, Inc.

InventorIndranil Mitra

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Abstract

A liquid chromatography (LC) system comprises an LC switching valve comprising a sample input port, aspiration pump port, needle seat port, waste port leading to a waste, LC pump port and an LC column port. A sample aspiration needle is fluidically connected to the sample input port via a sample receiving conduit, an aspiration pump is fluidically connected to the aspiration pump port. The LC system includes a needle seat fluidically connected to the needle seat port via a needle seat conduit, an LC column fluidically connected to the LC column port, and an LC pump fluidically connected to the LC pump port, for injecting the sample into the LC column when the sample aspiration needle is seated into the needle seat and when the LC pump port is fluidically connected to the needle seat port and the sample input port is fluidically connected to the LC column port.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A liquid chromatography (LC) system comprising:

an LC switching valve comprising a sample input port, an aspiration pump port, a needle seat port, a waste port, an LC pump port and an LC column port,
a sample aspiration needle fluidically connected to the sample input port via a sample receiving conduit,
an aspiration pump fluidically connected to the aspiration pump port for aspirating a sample via the sample aspiration needle when the sample aspiration needle is inserted into a sample container and when the aspiration pump port is connected to the sample input port,
a needle seat fluidically connected to the needle seat port via a needle seat conduit,
an LC column fluidically connected to the LC column port, and
an LC pump fluidically connected to the LC pump port, for injecting at least part of the sample aspirated in the sample receiving conduit into the LC column when the sample aspiration needle is seated into the needle seat and when the LC pump port is fluidically connected to the needle seat port and the sample input port is fluidically connected to the LC column port,
wherein in use of the LC system, the LC pump is configured to inject the at least part of the sample via the sample receiving conduit into the LC column such that the at least part of the sample is not injected into the LC column via the needle suit conduit when the sample aspiration needle is seated in the needle seat.

4 more elements

A liquid chromatography (LC) method involving the use of an LC switching valve comprising a sample input port, an aspiration pump port, a needle seat port, a waste port, an LC pump port and an LC column port, the method comprising:

aspirating from a sample container a volume of sample via a sample aspiration needle into a sample receiving conduit fluidically connected to the sample input port by an aspiration pump fluidically connected to the aspiration pump port by connecting the aspiration pump port to the sample input port,
injecting at least part of the sample aspirated in the sample receiving conduit into an LC column fluidically connected to the LC column port by an LC pump fluidically connected to the LC pump port, by seating the sample aspiration needle into a needle seat fluidically connected to the needle seat port via a needle seat conduit, and by connecting the LC pump port to the needle seat port and the sample input port to the LC column port,
wherein injecting the at least part of the sample into the LC column by the LC pump comprises injecting the at least part of the sample via the sample receiving conduit into the LC column such that the at least part of the sample is not injected into the LC column via the needle suit conduit when the sample aspiration needle is seated in the needle seat.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.