Liquid specimen transfer apparatus and method

A method of transferring an aqueous liquid specimen from a sealed non-deformingly expandable container containing gas and a liquid without invasively contacting liquid inside the container, such container having a bottom portion including at least one nozzle portion dependent therefrom, said nozzle having a duct opening into the container and a closure closing said duct remotely from said duct opening, said method comprising:

• (a) placing said liquid specimen container and a receptacle for the liquid specimen so that the container is in a dispense station above said receptacle,
• (b) non-deformingly volumetrically expanding said container sufficiently to reduce pressure therein below ambient pressure outside the container,
• (c) applying heat selectively to a locus on said duct closure to non-invasively create a hole in the closure having a diameter effective to equilibrate the pressure inside the container with said ambient pressure without loss of liquid from the container, and
• (d) non-deformingly reducing the volume of said container to expel liquid from the container through said hole into said receptacle.

A method of transferring to a receptacle an aliquot of an aqueous liquid specimen from a sealed non-deformingly expandable container containing gas and a liquid,

• said container having a bottom portion including at least one nozzle portion dependent therefrom, said nozzle having a duct opening into the container and a closure closing said duct remotely from said duct opening,
• said container having a readable identification code on the exterior thereof and being one of a plurality of containers in a rack, said rack having a readable identification code and including a code structure adjacent each container for identification of the location of the container in the rack,
• said receptacle having a readable identification code on the exterior thereof and being one of a plurality of receptacles in a holder,
• said method comprising:
• (a) feeding a first said holder for advancement in a first direction to place a first said receptacle below a dispense station,
• (b) reading said code of said first receptacle,
• (c) reading the rack code identification, for correlating the code identification of the rack to said code identification of the receptacle in said holder
• (d) feeding a first said rack in a second direction transverse to said first direction to place said first container at said dispense station above said first receptacle,
• (e) rotating said first container past (i) a code reader and reading said code of said container, for correlating the code identification of the container at the dispense station to the code identification of said first receptacle below the dispense station, and past (ii) a nozzle detecting sensor for determining the position of a said nozzle,
• (f) determining the position of a said nozzle on said first container and rotating said container at said dispensing station to position said nozzle at a nozzle opening position,
• (g) non-deformingly volumetrically expanding said first container sufficiently to reduce pressure therein below ambient pressure outside the container,
• (h) applying heat selectively to a locus on said closure to non-invasively create a hole having a diameter effective to equilibrate the pressure inside the container with said ambient pressure without loss of liquid from the container,
• (i) rotating said first container at said dispensing station to position said nozzle above said first receptacle,
• (j) elevating said first receptacle from said holder so that the bottom of said nozzle is below the top of said receptacle,
• (k) non-deformingly reducing the volume of said first container to expel liquid from the container through said hole into said first receptacle,
• (l) lowering said first receptacle to said holder so that the bottom of said nozzle is above the top of said receptacle,
• (m) rotating said first container at said dispensing station to position said nozzle at a nozzle hole closing position,
• (n) applying heat selectively to the periphery of said locus to melt close said hole,
• (o) advancing said holder in said first direction and said rack in said second direction to place another container in said rack in said dispense station and another receptacle below said dispense station,
• (p) conducting said steps (b), (c) and (e)-(n) on said other container and other receptacle,
• (q) after predetermined receptacles in said holder receive liquid, advancing said holder in said first direction from said dispense station to an output position.

An apparatus for transferring to a receptacle an aliquot of an aqueous liquid specimen from a sealed non-deformingly expandable container containing gas and a liquid,

• said container having a bottom portion including at least one nozzle portion dependent therefrom, said nozzle having a duct opening into the container and a closure closing said duct remotely from said duct opening,
• said container having a readable identification code on the exterior thereof and k-ring one of a plurality of containers in a rack, said rack having a readable identification code and including a code structure adjacent each container for identification of the location of the container in the rack,
• said receptacle having a readable identification code on the exterior thereof and being one of a plurality of receptacles in a holder,
• said apparatus comprising in operative combination:
• (a) means for feeding a first said holder for advancement in a first direction to place a first said receptacle below a dispense station,
• (b) means for reading said code of said first receptacle,
• (c) means for reading the rack code identification to provide a signal for use for correlating the code identification of the rack to said code identification of the receptacle in said holder,
• (d) means for feeding a first said rack in a second direction transverse to said first direction to place said first container at said dispense station above said first receptacle,
• (e) means for reading said code of said first container for correlating the code identification of the container at the dispense station to the code identification of said first receptacle below the dispense station,
• (f) means for sensing and determining the position of a said container nozzle at said dispense station,
• (g) means for rotating said first container past (i) said means for reading said code of said container and past (ii) said means for sensing the position of a said nozzle, for rotating said container at said dispensing station to position said nozzle at a nozzle opening position, for rotating said first container at said dispensing station to position said nozzle above said first receptacle, and for rotating said first container at said dispensing station to position said nozzle at a nozzle hole closing position,
• (h) means for non-deformingly volumetrically expanding and constricting said sealed container to vary volume therein, upon expansion to reduce pressure therein below ambient pressure outside the container, and upon constriction to expel liquid from the container through a hole formed in said closure,
• (i) means for applying heat selectively to a locus on said closure to non-invasively create a hole in the closure having a diameter effective to equilibrate the pressure inside the theretofore sealed container with said ambient pressure without loss of liquid from the container and for applying heat selectively to the periphery of said locus to melt close said hole, and
• (j) means for elevating said first receptacle from said holder so that the bottom of said nozzle is below the top of said receptacle and for lowering said first receptacle to said holder so that the bottom of said nozzle is above the top of said receptacle.