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US 6,927,400 B2Granted
Sample manipulation system
AssigneeAscend Instruments, LLC
InventorJørgen Rasmussen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sample manipulator that includes a shaft, a proximal end, a distal end that includes a sample holder and a support arm having both a retracted position and a deployed position. The support arm is configured to support a sample associated with the sample holder when the support arm is in the deployed position.
Claims22
A microsample manipulator, comprising:
- a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;
- a microsample holder coupled to the distal end, wherein the microsample holder includes a microsample platform and a clamp configured to reversibly affix the microsample platform to the shaft.
A sample manipulation system, comprising:
- a microsample manipulator that includes a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, a planar microsample platform, and a clamp removably affixed to the distal end of the shaft, the clamp being configured to reversibly affix the planar microsample platform to the distal end of the shaft;
- and
- a housing at least substantially enclosing the microsample manipulator, wherein the housing permits access to the microsample platform.
A microsample manipulator, comprising:
- a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;
- and
- a microsample holder removably coupled to the distal end;
- wherein the microsample holder includes a microsample platform and a clamp configured to reversibly affix the microsample platform to the shaft;
- and
- wherein the microsample holder is configured to be coupled to a plurality of distinct microsample manipulators.
3 more elements
A method of using a microsample manipulator that includes a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;
- the method comprising:
- coupling a removable microsample holder to the distal end of the shaft;
- clamping a microsample platform to the microsample holder reversibly affix the microsample platform to the shaft, the microsample platform including a disk with an aperture and a sample tip extending from the disk;
- associating a microsample with the sample tip of the microsample platform;
- and
- folding the sample tip toward the disk to bring the microsample into alignment with the aperture.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.