Contact pin printhead for microarray spot printing
OwnerMax Marcel Shulaker, Alicia Ann Coto +1inventors
InventorsMax Marcel Shulaker, Alicia Ann Coto, Graham E. McGrath
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A contact pin printhead for microfluidic array spot printing can include a printhead chassis with a plurality of micro-pins insertable within respective sockets in the printhead chassis. An individual micro-pin can include a micro-pin tip that can be individually biased in a distal direction toward a target substrate via an elastic mechanical biaser associated with the micro-pin. An individual micro-pin can deposit fluid carried within a cavity therein and onto a target substrate during physical contact therewith at a micro-pin tip. Also, an individual micro-pin can retain fluid carried within the cavity, without depositing, absent physical contact at the micro-pin tip.
Claims20
A contact pin printhead for microfluidic array spot printing, the printhead comprising:
- plurality of micro-pin sockets;
- a plurality of micro-pins, each comprising a cavity configured to carry a fluid and configured to be at least partially received within a respective one of the micro-pin sockets;
- deposit the fluid carried by the cavity onto a target substrate at times of physical contact therewith, and to retain the fluid carried by the cavity without depositing the fluid at times of no physical contact with the target substrate.
A micro-spotting apparatus comprising:
- a reservoir;
- a contact pin printhead including:
- a printhead chassis comprising a plurality of micro-pin sockets;
- and
- a plurality of micro-pins, wherein individual micro-pins of the plurality of micro-pins are configured to be at least partially received within respective micro-pin sockets of the plurality of micro-pin sockets, wherein an individual micro-pin of the plurality of micro-pins includes an internal cavity configured to carry a fluid and a micro-pin tip;
- wherein the contact pin printhead is configured to deposit the fluid carried within the internal cavity onto a target substrate during physical contact between the micro-pin tip and the target substrate, and configured to retain the fluid carried within the internal cavity without depositing the fluid absent physical contact between the micro-pin tip and the target substrate;
- and
- a plurality of intermediate chambers fluidly connected in a series arrangement between the reservoir and a cavity of an individual micro-pin, wherein fluid communication between at least two of the plurality of intermediate chambers is controllable by at least one actuatable valve.
A method for microfluidic array spot printing onto a target substrate, the method comprising:
- positioning a printhead chassis with respect to the target substrate for spot printing thereon, the printhead chassis comprising a plurality of micro-pin sockets and a plurality of micro-pins respectively insertable therein;
- retaining fluid carried by a cavity of an individual micro-pin, without depositing onto the target substrate, absent physical contact at a micro-pin tip;
- and
- depositing fluid carried by the cavity of an individual micro-pin onto the target substrate at times of physical contact therewith.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.