Mixing liquids using an automated liquid handling system
AssigneeRevvity Health Sciences, Inc.
InventorsAdam Snider, Andrew Brodsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for mixing liquids using an automated liquid handling system includes: aspirating liquid volumes of a first liquid and a second liquid from alternating ones of a first liquid supply and a second liquid supply into a mixing volume such that the aspirated liquid volumes form a liquid stack including a series of alternating, interfacing layers of the first and second liquids in the mixing volume; permitting the interfacing layers of the first and second liquids to mix with one another by diffusion in the mixing volume to form a mixture liquid; and dispensing the mixture liquid from the mixing volume.
Claims25
A method for mixing liquids using an automated liquid handling system, wherein the automated liquid handling system comprises a probe module including a plurality of tubular probes mounted on a module base for movement therewith via a probe module positioning system and a pressure control mechanism including a plurality of pumps and a pump actuator, each tubular probe having a probe inlet and is fluidly coupled to a respective pump by respective tubing, the method comprising:
- positioning and inserting the plurality of tubular probes into a first liquid supply using the probe module positioning system;
- aspirating liquid volumes of a first liquid from the first liquid supply into the plurality of tubular probes through the respective probe inlets through generation of a negative pressure in each tubular probe by the respective pump;
- positioning and inserting the plurality of tubular probes into a second liquid supply using the probe module positioning system;
- aspirating liquid volumes of a second liquid from the second liquid supply into the plurality of tubular probes through the respective probe inlets through generation of a negative pressure in each tubular probe by the respective pump;
- alternating aspirating liquid volumes from the first and second liquids into a mixing volume in each tubular probe through the respective probe inlets via the respective pumps such that the aspirated liquid volumes form a liquid stack in each tubular probe including a series of alternating, interfacing layers of the first and second liquids in the respective mixing volumes in each tubular probe;
- permitting the interfacing layers of the first and second liquids to substantially mix with one another by diffusion in the respective mixing volumes to form a mixture liquid in each tubular probe;
- dispensing a first volume of the mixture liquid from each tubular probe through the respective probe inlets through generation of a positive pressure in each tubular probe by the respective pump into a first reservoir;
- dispensing a second volume of the mixture liquid from each probe through the respective probe inlets through generation of a positive pressure in each tubular probe by the respective pump into a second reservoir;
- positioning and inserting the plurality of tubular probes into the first reservoir using the probe module positioning system;
- aspirating liquid volumes of the mixture liquid from the first reservoir into the plurality of tubular probes through the respective probe inlets through generation of a negative pressure in each tubular probe by the respective pump;
- positioning and inserting the plurality of tubular probes into the second reservoir using the probe module positioning system;
- aspirating liquid volumes of the mixture liquid from the second reservoir into the plurality of tubular probes through the respective probe inlets through generation of a negative pressure in each tubular probe by the respective pump to form interfacing layers of the mixture liquid from the first and second reservoirs;
- and
- permitting the interfacing layers of the mixture liquid from the first and second reservoirs to substantially mix with one another by diffusion to achieve a more complete and uniform physical mixing of the first and second liquids.
A method for mixing liquids using an automated liquid handling system, wherein the automated liquid handling system comprises a probe module including a first tubular probe and a second tubular probe, the method comprising:
- inserting the first tubular probe into a first liquid supply;
- aspirating a liquid volume of a first liquid from the first liquid supply into the first tubular probe;
- inserting the first tubular probe into a second liquid supply;
- aspirating a liquid volume of a second different liquid from the second liquid supply into the first tubular probe;
- alternating aspirating the first liquid supply and the second different liquid supply into a mixing volume in the first tubular probe such that the aspirated liquid volumes form a liquid stack in the first tubular probe including a series of alternating, interfacing layers of the first and second liquids in the mixing volume;
- permitting the interfacing layers of the first and second liquids to substantially mix with one another by diffusion in the mixing volume to form a mixture liquid in the first tubular probe;
- dispensing a first volume of the mixture liquid from the first tubular probe into a first reservoir;
- dispensing a second volume of the mixture liquid from the first tubular probe into a second reservoir;
- inserting the second tubular probe into the first reservoir;
- aspirating a liquid volume of the mixture liquid from the first reservoir;
- inserting the second tubular probe into the second reservoir;
- aspirating a liquid volume of the mixture liquid from the second reservoir;
- alternating aspirating liquid volumes of the mixture liquid from the first and second reservoirs into a mixing volume in the second tubular probe such that the aspirated liquid volumes of the mixture liquid form a second liquid stack in the second tubular probe including a series of alternating, interfacing layers of the mixture liquid in the mixing volume in the second tubular probe;
- permitting the interfacing layers of the mixture liquid to substantially mix with one another by diffusion in the mixing volume in the second tubular probe to form a second mixture liquid;
- and
- dispensing the second mixture liquid from the mixing volume in the second tubular probe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.