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US 2011/0296931 A1Published application
Pipette Tip Positioning For Manually-Directed, Multi-Channel Electronic Pipettor
AssigneeIntegra Biosciences Corp. (Formerly Viaflo Corporation)
InventorJulian Warhurst
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A manually directed, multi-channel electronic pipettor includes a software biasing mode to assure proper alignment over wells in the 96-well plate and the 384-well plate. The system also includes manual repositioning levers for nesting receptacles which are customized for 96 well-plates and 384 well-plates respectively.
Claims22
In a manually directed electronic pipetting system comprising:
- a multi-channel pipetting head carried in a movable carriage, the multiple channels in the pipetting head being arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns;
- a deck having at least two wellplate nesting receptacles adapted to hold a multi wellplate or reservoir;
- a motorized Z-axis drive mechanism for raising and lowering the pipetting head with respect to the deck;
- a motorized X-axis drive mechanism for moving the pipetting head laterally with respect to the deck;
- and
- a control handle mounted such that the multi-channel pipetting head moves in response to force applied to the control handle and the speed of the pipetting head in a given direction is generally proportional to the amount of detected force exerted on the control handle in said given direction;
- a method of aligning the multi-channel pipetting head comprising the steps of:
- exerting force on the control handle in a given direction to move the pipetting head in the given direction in order to move the channels on the pipetting head into approximate alignment with wells in a wellplate set within one of the wellplate nesting receptacles on the deck;
- and
- biasing the X-axis position of the pipetting head to a predetermined X-axis position.
7 more elements
A method of aligning a multi-channel pipetting head in a manually directed electronic multi-channel pipetting system as recited in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:
- repositioning the nesting receptacle in the Y-axis direction into the 384-well B position in order to align the 96-channels in the pipetting head with a third set of 96 wells in the 384-well plate set in the nesting receptacle.
A manually directed electronic multi-channel pipetting system comprising:
- a multi-channel pipetting head carried in a movable carriage, the multiple-channels being arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns;
- a deck having at least two wellplate nesting receptacles adapted to hold a multi wellplate or reservoir;
- a motorized Z-axis drive mechanism for raising and lowering the pipetting head with respect to the deck;
- a motorized X-axis drive mechanism for moving the pipetting head laterally with respect to the deck;
- a control handle mounted to the movable carriage;
- means for moving the movable carriage and the pipetting head in response to the force applied to the control handle such that the speed of the pipetting head in a given direction is generally proportional to the amount of detected force exerted on the control handle in said given direction;
- and
- means for biasing the X-axis position of the pipetting head towards a predetermined position selected to align the multiple channels in the pipetting head over wells in a wellplate located on the wellplate nesting receptacle on the deck.
5 more elements
In a manually directed electronic pipetting system comprising:
- a multi-channel pipetting head carried in a movable carriage, the multiple channels in the pipetting head being arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns;
- a plurality of disposable pipette tips mounted to the pipetting head in order to aspirate and dispense liquid;
- a deck having at least one wellplate nesting receptacles adapted to hold a multi wellplate or reservoir;
- a wellplate set within the wellplate nesting receptacle on the deck for receiving in its respective wells liquid dispensed from the disposable pipette tips;
- a motorized Z-axis drive mechanism for raising and lowering the pipetting head with respect to the deck;
- a motorized X-axis drive mechanism for moving the pipetting head laterally with respect to the deck;
- and
- a control handle mounted such that the multi-channel pipetting head moves in response to force applied to the control handle and the speed of the pipetting head in a given direction is generally proportional to the amount of detected force exerted on the control handle in said given direction;
- a method of dispensing liquid in the disposable pipette tips into corresponding wells in the wellplate comprising the steps of:
- a) aligning the disposable pipette tips over the respective wells in the well-plate;
- and
- b) simultaneously dispensing the liquid in the respective pipette tips into the corresponding wells;
- c) exerting force on the control handle in order to move the pipette tips simultaneously towards the wall of the corresponding wells in order to touch off the respective pipette tips against the well sidewalls;
- and
- d) biasing the X-position of the pipetting head to a predetermined X-axis position during step c).
12 more elements
In a manually directed electronic pipetting system comprising:
- a multi-channel pipetting head carried in a movable carriage, the multi-channels in the pipetting head being arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns;
- a deck having at least two wellplate nesting receptacles adapted to hold a multi wellplate or reservoir;
- a motorized Z-axis drive mechanism for raising and lowering the pipetting head with respect to the deck;
- and
- a control handle mounted such that the multi-channel pipetting head moves in response to force applied to the control handle and the speed of the pipetting head in a given direction is generally proportional to the amount of detected force exerted on the control handle in said given direction;
- a method of vertically aligning the multi-channel pipetting head at a desired height comprising the steps of:
- exerting force on the control handle in a given direction to move the pipetting head up or down towards the desired vertical position;
- and
- biasing the Z-axis position of the pipetting head to a predetermined Z-axis position.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.