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US 8,506,813 B2Granted
Bidirectional transfer of an aliquot of fluid between compartments
OwnerBeno Alspektorinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention concerns a method, devices, instrument and program for extraction an ingredient from a liquid sample by bidirectional transfer of an aliquot of fluid between compartments, the method can be applied to a wide variety of laboratory techniques such as; solid phase extraction by filter disc, column chromatography, magnetic separation, diagnostic tests and others, the system is suitable for single or multi sample handling, manual operation or integrated into an automated system, can be used in a lab or in field.
Claims9
An apparatus adapted to extract an ingredient from a liquid by bi-directional transferring of an aliquot of fluid therein, said apparatus comprising:
- an open compartment having a bottom end, an open end, and wherein said open compartment is adapted to apply reagents and remove purified liquid, wherein said open compartment is operable at a substantially constant ambient pressure;
- a closed compartment having a closed pressure and having a closed end, a communicating end, said closed compartment having a bottom zone adapted to at least temporarily retain a fraction of said aliquot of fluid, and an upper zone containing an air pocket adapted to generate internal positive and negative pressure;
- an intermediate transferring-retaining compartment having an intermediate compartment volume, a first end communicating with said open compartment, and a second end communicating with said closed compartment, said intermediate compartment is adapted to at least temporarily retain a fraction of said aliquot of fluid,
- wherein said open compartment is reversibly communicating with at least one of said temporary retained fluid fractions;
- and
- a flow barrier member, configured between said open and closed compartments and operable with said closed compartment and adapted to inhibit a flow of said aliquot of fluid when said closed pressure is substantially equal to said ambient pressure and to allow said flow of fluid when said closed pressure is substantially different from said ambient pressure, the pressure differential controllable by an external thermo member adapted to alternately change the closed pressure by a cool and a heat cycle, wherein at least one aliquot of fluid is alternately transferrable back and forth said open compartment in response to changes of the closed pressure.
3 more elements
A method for extracting an ingredient from a liquid sample comprising the steps of:
- providing an apparatus comprising:
- an upper open compartment and a lower closed compartment;
- an intermediate communication- retention compartment extending from the bottom end of said open compartment, where the opposite end of said intermediate communication- retention compartment communicating with said closed compartment and adapted to rest above a specified volume adapted to serve as a waste collection zone in said closed compartment;
- a flow barrier positionable in the path of fluid flow;
- an extraction zone positionable approximately at the upper section of said intermediate compartment, where said intermediate compartment is adapted to have a specified volume and where said air pocket rests above said waste volume, wherein said barrier member together with said closed compartment are adapted to prevent the flow of fluids through said barrier member under conditions of substantially equal pressure between said closed and open compartments and allowing said flow under conditions of pressure differential (dP), which dP controlled by an external source member, wherein said open pressure is constant and equivalent to an ambient pressure, which external source member comprises an external thermo member zone adapted for heating and cooling said air pocket,
- wherein the volume of the transferred fluid correlates with the change in temperature dT and to the volume of the air pocket in said thermal zone,
- generating an internal dP by either heating or cooling said air pocket zone;
- applying a positive differential pressure by heating said air pocket zone to a higher preferred temperature where the pressure in said closed compartment becomes higher than the ambient pressure, thereby forcing fluid, be it liquid or air, to flow out of said closed compartment;
- or
- applying a negative differential pressure by cooling said air pocket zone to a preferred lower temperature, wherein the pressure in said closed compartment become lower than the ambient pressure, whereby fluid is forced into said closed compartment;
- or
- applying a sequence of said positive dP and said negative dP to define a heating cycle to force fluid flow out of the closed compartment and then force said fluid in the opposite direction;
- or a sequence of said negative dP and said positive dP to define a cooling cycle to accomplish a bi-directional fluid transfer;
- and further including the steps of:
- I extraction:
- a) inserting said air pocket zone into the said thermo member zone preheated to an elevated T,
- b) charging sample into said open compartment,
- c) applying a stepwise cooling cycle by first cooling to temperature T5, whereby the liquid is force into the extraction zone,
- d) incubating at T5 and then applying further cooling temperature T4 to suck the sample further into said waste collection zone;
- II washing:
- a) charging washing buffer into said open compartment,
- b) cooling to T3 to suck the washing buffer into waste collection zone;
- and,
- III eluting:
- a) charging elution buffer into said open compartment,
- b) applying a moderate cooling cycle;
- by cooling to T2 so that the liquid will pass the active extraction zone only to remain in said intermediate tube, and avoid dropping into said closed compartment, and
- c) heating to T3 whereby the liquid in said intermediate tube is forced back and the eluent is collected in said upper open compartment.
25 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.