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US 2004/0002164 A1Published application
Delivery of metered amounts of liquid materials
AssigneesThe Public Health Research Institute of the City of New York, Inc., New Jersey Institute of Technology
InventorsTimothy Chang, Peter Tolias
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques for the delivery of metered amounts of liquid material include the use of a pin, such as an optical fiber. A sample of the liquid material may be placed on the tip of the pin for delivery to a target area, such as a specific location on a microarray, in a contactless manner. Light transmitted through the pin may be detected to facilitate accurate measuring of the pin's position.
Claims55
A liquid delivery apparatus comprising:
- a housing including a bore;
- a pin including a tip, the pin movably disposed within the bore;
- a reservoir including a port with an opening adjacent a side of the bore, the reservoir for holding a liquid material for delivery to the opening;
- a first actuator coupled to the reservoir to dispense a metered amount of the liquid material from the reservoir to the opening;
- and
- a second actuator coupled to the pin to provide controlled movement of the pin within the bore, wherein during operation the dispensed liquid material adheres to the tip of the pin as the tip passes the opening, the second actuator for providing controlled vibration of the pin to separate the dispensed liquid material from the tip of the pin at a determined position.
3 more elements
A liquid dispensing system comprising:
- a positioning stage;
- and
- a liquid delivery apparatus coupled to the positioning stage to move the liquid delivery apparatus, the liquid delivery apparatus comprising:
- a housing including a bore,
- a pin including a tip, the pin movably disposed within the bore,
- a reservoir including a port with an opening adjacent a side of the bore, the reservoir for holding a liquid material for delivery to the opening,
- a first actuator coupled to the reservoir to dispense a metered amount of the liquid material from the reservoir to the opening, and
- a second actuator coupled to the pin to provide a controlled movement of the pin within the bore, wherein during operation the dispensed liquid material adheres to the tip of the pin as the tip passes the opening, the second actuator for providing controlled vibration of the pin to separate the dispensed liquid material from the tip of the pin at a determined position.
5 more elements
A method of delivering a liquid comprising:
- moving a pin toward a target area;
- causing a metered amount of liquid material to adhere to a tip of the pin as the pin move toward the target area;
- sensing when the tip of the pin is approximately a predetermined distance above the target area;
- and
- vibrating the pin to separate the liquid material onto the target area.
2 more elements
An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to:
- move a pin toward a target area;
- cause a metered amount of liquid material to adhere to a tip of the pin as the pin move toward the target area;
- sense when the tip of the pin is approximately a predetermined distance above the target area;
- and
- vibrate the pin to separate the liquid material onto the target area.
2 more elements
A liquid delivery system comprising:
- a positioning stage;
- a liquid delivery apparatus coupled to the positioning stage to move the liquid delivery apparatus in one or more dimensions, the liquid delivery apparatus comprising:
- a housing including a bore,
- a pin including a tip, the pin movably disposed within the bore,
- a reservoir including a port with an opening adjacent a side of the bore, the reservoir for holding a liquid material for delivery to the opening,
- a first actuator coupled to the reservoir to dispense a metered amount of the liquid material from the reservoir to the opening, and
- a second actuator coupled to the pin to provide controlled movement of the pin within the bore, wherein during operation the dispensed liquid material adheres to the tip of the pin as the tip passes the opening, the second actuator also for providing controlled vibration of the pin to separate the dispensed liquid material from the tip of the pin at a determined position;
- and
- a controller coupled to the liquid delivery apparatus, the controller including a memory for storing instructions that when executed cause the controller to:
- move the pin toward a target area,
- cause the metered amount of liquid material to adhere to a tip of the pin as the pin moves toward the target area,
- sense when the tip of the pin is approximately a predetermined distance above the target area, and
- vibrate the pin to separate the liquid material onto the target area.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.