Heating specimen carriers
AssigneeBjs
InventorIan Alan Gunter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for heating specimens in wells of a metallic specimen carrier. The specimen carrier is heated by applying resistive heating directly to the carrier. An AC source and transformer may be used where the specimen carrier is in series with a single turn secondary winding of the transformer. A magnet may be placed in each well and excited by the heating current to provided a stirring effect.
Claims37
A method of heating a specimen carrier of the kind comprising a plurality of specimen sites, in which said carrier is in the form of a metallic sheet and the method comprising applying a current to said sheet so as to provide resistance heating of said sheet so as to heat specimens carried by said carrier.
A method of heating a specimen carrier in the form of a metallic sheet and in which a matrix of sample wells is incorporated in the sheet,
- which method includes applying an alternating current to said sheet to provide heating of the samples in the wells, and
- wherein a magnet is loosely contained within at least one well and is arranged to be agitated by the alternating current so as to provide a stirring action during the heating.
A method according to 22 in which the sample wells are arranged to carry one of sample pots and test tubes shaped to closely fit within the wells.
Apparatus for thermally cycling and stirring samples, the apparatus comprising, a specimen carrier in the form of a metallic sheet, in which sheet a matrix of sample wells is incorporated,
- a power supply arrangement for applying an alternating current to said sheet to provide heating of the samples in the wells, and
- a magnet loosely contained within at least one well which magnet is arranged to be agitated by the alternating heating current so as to provide a stirring action during heating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.