# US 2014/0197028 A1 · Efficient dilution method, including washing method for immunoassay > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197028 A1 - Document ID: US20140197028A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/742,564 - Filed: 2013-01-16 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-16 - Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Adrian Marc Simon Jacobs; Jason Roderick Hector; Hywel Morgan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197028A1 ## CPC - B01L 3/502792: {for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension} - B01L 3/502761: {specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules} - B01L 2200/0668: Trapping microscopic beads - B01L 2300/0645: Electrodes - B01L 2400/0427: Electrowetting - B01L 2400/043: magnetic forces - B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE ## Abstract A method of droplet manipulation utilizing a droplet manipulation device includes activating elements of the device to bring a first droplet into proximity of a second droplet, controlling the elements of the device to alter the shape of at least one of the first and second droplets, and further controlling the elements of the device to move at least one of the first or second droplets until the droplets are in contact about an aggregate area. The elements are controlled in a manner so as to control the area of contact and the degree of mixing of the fluid between the first and second droplets. The method may be employed to move particles of a particulate suspension from the first droplet to the second droplet. The droplet manipulation device may be an electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) device, which includes shaping electrodes activated to shape droplets, and a bridging electrode activated to join the droplets to transfer fluid between the shaped droplets ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of droplet manipulation utilizing a droplet manipulation device comprising the steps of: activating elements of the droplet manipulation device to bring a first droplet into proximity of a second droplet; controlling the elements of the droplet manipulation device to alter the shape of at least one of the first and second droplets; and further controlling the elements of the droplet manipulation device to move at least one of the first or second droplets until the droplets are in contact about an aggregate area in a manner so as to control the area of contact and the degree of mixing of the fluid between the first and second droplets. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 1, wherein the device elements are controlled to alter the shape of at least one of the droplets to have a non-circular cross section. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 2, wherein the altered shape has a first cross sectional area in the vicinity of the aggregate area, and a second cross sectional area not in the vicinity of the aggregate area, and the first dimension is smaller than the second direction to minimize the aggregate area of contact between the first and second droplets. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 3, wherein the device elements are controlled so as to minimize the area of contact and minimize the degree of mixing of fluid between the droplets. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 4, wherein the altered shape of the first and second droplets is triangular, and the aggregate area is a contact area between apexes of the triangular shapes of the first and second droplets. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 4, wherein the altered shape of the first and second droplets is hexagonal, and the aggregate area of contact is a contact area between minor sides of the hexagonal shapes of the first and second droplets. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 1, wherein the first droplet contains a particulate suspension, and particles of the particulate suspension are transferred from the first droplet to the second droplet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 7, wherein the second droplet is moved to be in contact with the first droplet while the first droplet is held stationary. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising, after particles of the particulate suspension are transferred from the first droplet to the second droplet, controlling the elements of the droplet manipulation device to move the first droplet out of contact with the second droplet. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 7, wherein the particles of suspension comprise antibody complex particles. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of droplet manipulation of claim 1, wherein the droplet manipulation device is an electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) device. ### Claim 12 An electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) device comprising: a first shaping electrode that has a shape to shape a first droplet when activated; a second shaping electrode that has a shape to shape a second droplet when activated; and a bridging electrode which when activated joins the first droplet to the second droplet at an aggregate area of contact, wherein the electrodes are controlled in a manner so as to control the area of contact and the degree of mixing of the fluid between the first and second droplets. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The EWOD device of claim 12, wherein each shaping electrode comprises a plurality of shaping electrode sections that are independently controllable to alter the shape of the first and second droplets. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The EWOD device of claim 13, wherein the bridging electrode comprises a plurality of bridging electrode sections, wherein the shaping electrode sections and the bridging electrode sections are activated and de-activated in a sequence to move particulates between the first droplet and the second droplet. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The EWOD device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the shaping electrode sections of the first shaping electrode, or at least one of the electrode sections of the second shaping electrode, have the same area of at least one of the bridging electrode sections. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The EWOD device of claim 12, wherein each of the shaping electrodes has a hexagonal shape. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The EWOD device of claim 12, wherein a shape of the first shaping electrode differs from a shape of the second shaping electrode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The EWOD device of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of mixing electrodes, wherein the shaping electrodes and mixing electrodes are configured to be activated and de-activated in a sequence to move fluid of at least one of the first droplet or the second droplet. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The EWOD device of claim 12, wherein the first droplet contains a particulate suspension, and further comprising a magnet that generates a magnetic field to transfer particles of the particulate suspension from the first droplet to the second droplet. ### Claim 20 A droplet manipulation device comprising: a plurality of electrode elements; and control circuitry configured to activate and de-activate the plurality of electrode elements to perform the steps of: activating the plurality of electrode elements to bring a first droplet into proximity of a second droplet; controlling the plurality of electrode elements to alter the shape of at least one of the first and second droplets; and further controlling the plurality of electrode elements to move at least one of the first or second droplets until the droplets are in contact about an aggregate area in a manner so as to control the area of contact and the degree of mixing of the fluid between the first and second droplets.