US 6,659,142 B2 · Apparatus and method for preparing fluid mixtures

Abstract

A system and method for preparing and dispensing fluid mixtures is provided. Fluid wells are positioned below a plurality of fluid dispensing devices, such as syringes configured to dispense fluid into the individual fluid wells. The fluid dispensing devices are configured to be positionable relative the fluid wells to enable different fluid dispensers to be sequentially positionable over a particular fluid well. A controller controls the relative movement between fluid wells and the fluid dispensing devices. In a preferred embodiment, the controller selectively moves multi-well vessels in one direction and moves the fluid dispensing devices in a second direction so that when directed by the controller, a selected fluid dispensing device is enabled to deposit a determined quantity of a fluid into a selected individual well of the multi-well vessels.

Claims60

Dependent claims

An apparatus for preparing fluid mixtures in a plurality of multi-well vessels, each of the multi-well vessels having a plurality of wells, the apparatus comprising:

a multi-well vessel moving apparatus configured to receive and move the plurality of multi-well vessels in a first direction;
a plurality of tubes, each tube configured to dispense a fluid into individual wells of the multi-well vessels, where the tubes have a footprint in the column direction, where each of the multi-well vessels has a footprint in the column direction, where the footprint of the tubes in the column direction is longer than the footprint of any single one of the multi-well vessels in the column direction;
a tube mover configured to move the plurality of tubes in a second direction;
and
a controller communicating with the vessel moving apparatus, the plurality of tubes and the tube mover, the controller programmed to selectively move the multi-well vessels and the tube mover and dispense fluid into individual wells of the multi-well vessels.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for preparing fluid mixtures

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for preparing fluid mixtures

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims60