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AssigneeIT-IS International Limited
InventorsJames Richard Howell, Benjamin Masterman Webster
Estimating the term…
An apparatus (40) for a PCR reaction includes an array (41) of reaction vessels (42) is mounted on a thermal mount (43). The thermal mount (43) is positioned on a on a heater/cooler (45), such as a Peltier module. The array (41) is covered by a sealing film (44), which is sealed to the upper rims (49) of the vessels (42) to keep the reagents and reaction products within each vessel (42). A heated lid (50) is used to heat the underside of the sealing film to reduce condensation thereon of reagents vaporised during the reaction. The reaction vessels (42) are formed of an upper, thermally insulating part (25) and a lower, thermally conducting part (21) so as to facilitate accurate temperature control within the vessels but so as to reduce the amount of thermal energy conducted from the heated lid to the vessels, which would reduce the accuracy of the temperature control. The heated lid (50) may include a conformal layer (51) on its lower surface to conform to any variations in the configuration of the upper rims (49) of the vessels (42). The apparatus may include a thermal barrier between the lower portion (21) of the reaction vessels (42) and the heated lid (50).
A reaction vessel for a chemical or biochemical reaction, the vessel comprising a lower receptacle portion of a thermally conductive polymer, and an upper portion of a thermally insulating polymer.
3-4. (canceled)
7-10. (canceled)
A reaction vessel for a chemical or biochemical reaction, the vessel comprising at least a lower, receptacle portion of a thermally conductive polymer, and an upper portion having a rim defining an aperture allowing access to the lower portion, the lower portion having at least a pair of opposite substantially flat side walls parallel to a transverse axis of the reaction vessel for thermally contacting a heat mount for thermally controlling an interior of the reaction vessel.
12-18. (canceled)
(canceled)
An apparatus for a chemical or biochemical reaction, the apparatus comprising at least one reaction vessel having a lower receptacle portion of a thermally conductive polymer for receiving, in use of the reaction vessel, chemical and/or biochemical reactants for the chemical or biochemical reaction, and an upper portion having a rim defining an aperture allowing access to the lower portion, a seal having an internal and an external surface for covering the rim when the reactants have been loaded into the receptacle portion, and a heated lid to be applied over the external surface of the seal to heat the seal to thereby reduce condensation on the internal surface of the seal, wherein a thermal barrier is provided between the lower portion of the reaction vessel and the heated lid.
30-32. (canceled)
An apparatus for a chemical or biochemical reaction, the apparatus comprising at least one reaction vessel having a lower receptacle portion of a thermally conductive polymer for receiving, in use of the reaction vessel, chemical and/or biochemical reactants for the chemical or biochemical reaction, and an upper portion having a rim defining an aperture allowing access to the lower portion, a seal having an internal and an external surface for covering the rim when the reactants have been loaded into the receptacle portion, and a heated lid to be applied over the external surface of the seal to heat the seal to thereby reduce condensation on the internal surface of the seal, wherein the heated lid is controlled so as to produce sufficient heat and pressure on the seal as to heat seal the seal to the rim of the reaction vessel.
(canceled)
44-54. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.