Rapid multi-material sample input system
OwnerKris S. Buchananinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Material transfer technology that apportions discrete amounts of material (1) and introduces the apportioned material into a selectably engaged flow path (17) to provide a plurality of separate materials within a continuous fluid stream that can be delivered to numerous material differentiation technologies (3) for analysis.
Claims137
A material transfer apparatus, comprising:
- a. at least one material, having material location coordinates;
- b. a material locator system;
- c. a material transfer element responsive to said material locator system;
- d. a selectably engaged flow path responsive to said material transfer element;
- and
- e. a material differentiation system responsive to said selectably engaged flow path.
A method of transferring material, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing at least one material each of said at least one material having material location coordinates;
- b. locating said material at said material location coordinates;
- c. transferring said material from said location coordinates;
- d. selectably engaging a flow path responsive to said material;
- and
- e. differentiating materials in said flow path.
A selectably engaged flow path, comprising:
- a. a stationary surface;
- b. a rotational surface rotatably engaged to said stationary surface;
- c. at least one rotational surface recess element, wherein said at least one rotor surface recess element and said stationary surface define at least one enclosed rotor volume;
- and
- d. a first pair of apertures, wherein said at least one enclosed rotor volume rotatably aligns with said first pair of apertures to engage a first flow path.
A selectably engaged flow path as described in claim 70, wherein said third fluid stream comprises a wash fluid.
A method of selectably engaging a flow path, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a rotatable surface with at least one recess element;
- b. engaging a stationary surface with said rotatable surface to generate at least one enclosed rotatable volume;
- d. perforating said stationary surface with at least one pair of aperture elements;
- e. rotating wherein said at least one enclosed volume rotatably aligns with said at least one pair of apertures to selectably engage a first fluid path.
A selectably engaged flow path, comprising:
- a. a stationary surface;
- a. a rotatable surface having at least one pair of rotatable surface recess elements, wherein said at least one pair of rotatable surface recess elements and said stationary surface define at least one pair of rotatable enclosed volumes;
- and
- d. at least one stationary surface recess element, wherein said at least one stationary surface recess element and said rotational surface define at least one stationary enclosed volume, and wherein said at least one pair of enclosed rotor volumes rotatably align with said stationary enclosed volume.
A method of selectably engaging a flow path, comprising the steps of:
- a. sequestering an amount of a first material;
- b. sequestering an amount of a second material;
- c. fluidicly coupling said amount of said first material and said amount of said second material to a fluid stream;
- d. introducing said first material into said fluid stream at a first location;
- introducing said second material into said fluid stream at a second location;
- f. entraining said first material and said second material within said fluid stream;
- and
- g. mixing said amount of said first material with said amount of said second material to a substantially homogeneous mixture in a fluid path having a volume of less than five microliters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.