Determination of the boundaries between fractions and extraction of selected fractions in a fractionated sample
OwnerWilliam Maroney, Simon Sheard +1inventors
InventorsWilliam Maroney, Simon Sheard, David Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for determining boundaries between fractions in a fractionated sample. The method includes the steps of providing the fractionated sample in a receptacle, the receptacle having a transparent window, positioning the receptacle in a known position relative to datum means, capturing an image of the receptacle and datun means, and processing the image to determine the position of boundaries between the fractions in the sample relative to the datum means. An apparatus and method for extracting a selected fraction of a fractionated sample are also disclosed.
Claims36
A method of determining boundaries between fractions in a fractionated sample, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing the fractionated sample in a receptacle, the receptacle having at least a transparent window;
- providing a datum means;
- positioning the receptacle in a known position relative to the datum means;
- capturing an image of the receptacle and datum means;
- and
- processing the image to determine the position of boundaries between the fractions in the sample relative to the datum means.
A method of extracting a selected fraction of a fractionated sample, comprising:
- providing the fractionated sample in a receptacle, the receptacle having at least a transparent window;
- providing a datum means;
- positioning the receptacle in a known position relative to the datum means;
- capturing an image of the receptacle and datum means;
- processing the image to determine the position of boundaries between the fractions in the sample relative to the datum means;
- calculating the volume of each fraction in the receptacle from the determined positions of the boundaries between the fractions and the dimensions of the receptacle;
- and
- inserting a pipette means into the selected fraction and operating the pipette means so as to aspirate a volume substantially equal to the calculated volume of the selected fraction.
An apparatus for determining the boundaries between fractions in a fractionated sample, comprising:
- a receptacle for holding a fractionated sample, the receptacle having at least a transparent window;
- a datum means;
- positioning means for positioning the receptacle in a known position relative to the datum means;
- imaging means for capturing an image of the receptacle and datum means;
- and
- processing means for processing the image to determine the position of the fraction boundaries relative to the datum means.
An apparatus for extracting a selected fraction of a fractionated sample, comprising:
- a receptacle for holding a fractionated sample, the receptacle having a transparent window;
- a datum means;
- positioning means for positioning the receptacle in a known position relative to the datum means;
- imaging means for capturing an image of the receptacle and datum means;
- and
- processing means for processing the image to determine the position of the fraction boundaries relative to the datum means and for calculating the volume of each fraction of a fractionated sample from the determined positions of the boundaries between the fractions and the dimensions of the receptacle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.