Nanoliter pipetting device
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A nanoliter pipette assembly, comprising:
- a housing having a working fluid chamber, the working fluid chamber being configured to contain a working fluid therein;
a tip portion having a diaphragm disposed therein, an adjustable interior cavity defined by a volume disposed between the diaphragm and a distal interior wall of the tip portion, and an orifice for aspirating and dispensing fluid, the orifice being located at and distal of the distal interior wall; and
a piston moveable within the housing to apply a force to a working fluid contained in the working fluid chamber to selectively move the diaphragm towards and away from the distal interior wall of the tip portion,wherein the assembly is configured to operate to cause the diaphragm to contact fluid disposed at a location outside of the tip portion and subsequently draw the diaphragm away from the distal interior wall of the tip portion to draw at least a portion of the contacted fluid through the orifice and into the adjustable interior cavity, andwherein the assembly is further configured to operate to advance the diaphragm towards the distal interior wall of the tip portion to displace at least a portion of the fluid previously passed into the adjustable interior cavity to a dispensing location outside of the tip portion, the at least a portion of the fluid previously passed into the adjustable interior cavity that is advanced to the dispensing location being as small as one nanoliter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Nanoliter pipette assembly. The assembly includes a housing containing a working fluid in a working fluid chamber therein and includes a moveable piston within the housing, the piston moveable by a linear actuation mechanism for contact with the working fluid. A tip portion is provided that includes a diaphragm deformable to engage an inner portion of the tip. It is preferred that the diaphragm have a projecting three-dimensional structure for direct contact with a liquid.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A nanoliter pipette assembly, comprising:
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a housing having a working fluid chamber, the working fluid chamber being configured to contain a working fluid therein; a tip portion having a diaphragm disposed therein, an adjustable interior cavity defined by a volume disposed between the diaphragm and a distal interior wall of the tip portion, and an orifice for aspirating and dispensing fluid, the orifice being located at and distal of the distal interior wall; and a piston moveable within the housing to apply a force to a working fluid contained in the working fluid chamber to selectively move the diaphragm towards and away from the distal interior wall of the tip portion, wherein the assembly is configured to operate to cause the diaphragm to contact fluid disposed at a location outside of the tip portion and subsequently draw the diaphragm away from the distal interior wall of the tip portion to draw at least a portion of the contacted fluid through the orifice and into the adjustable interior cavity, and wherein the assembly is further configured to operate to advance the diaphragm towards the distal interior wall of the tip portion to displace at least a portion of the fluid previously passed into the adjustable interior cavity to a dispensing location outside of the tip portion, the at least a portion of the fluid previously passed into the adjustable interior cavity that is advanced to the dispensing location being as small as one nanoliter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A nanoliter pipette assembly, comprising:
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a housing having a working fluid chamber, the working fluid chamber being configured to contain a working fluid therein; a tip portion having a diaphragm disposed therein, an adjustable interior cavity defined by a volume disposed between the diaphragm and a distal interior wall of the tip portion, and an orifice located at and distal of the distal interior wall; and a piston moveable within the housing to apply a force to a working fluid contained in the working fluid chamber to selectively move the diaphragm towards and away from the distal interior wall of the tip portion, wherein the diaphragm is configured to move from a first rest position to a second displacement position as the piston is advanced towards the tip portion such that fluid disposed in the adjustable interior cavity is displaced out of the adjustable interior cavity to a location outside of the tip portion via the orifice, wherein the diaphragm is further configured to move from the second displacement position to a third position as the piston is retracted away from the tip portion to draw fluid disposed at a location outside of the tip portion through the orifice and into the adjustable interior cavity, the third position being disposed between the first rest position and the second displacement position and being a designated position such that the diaphragm is configured to stop and rest at the third position without any external forces being supplied by a user of the nanoliter pipette assembly, and wherein the diaphragm is further configured to move from the third position towards the second displacement position as the piston is advanced towards the tip portion to displace at least a portion of the fluid previously passed into the adjustable interior cavity to a dispensing location outside of the tip portion, the at least a portion of the fluid previously passed into the adjustable interior cavity that is advanced to the dispensing location being as small as one nanoliter. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A pipette assembly, comprising:
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a housing having a working fluid chamber, the working fluid chamber being configured to contain a working fluid therein; a tip portion having a diaphragm disposed therein, an adjustable interior cavity defined by a volume disposed between the diaphragm and a distal interior wall of the tip portion, and an orifice located at and distal of the distal interior wall; and a piston moveable within the housing to apply a force to a working fluid contained in the working fluid chamber to selectively move the diaphragm towards and away from the distal interior wall of the tip portion, wherein the diaphragm is configured to move from a first rest position to a second displacement position as the piston is advanced towards the tip portion such that fluid disposed in the adjustable interior cavity is displaced out of the adjustable interior cavity to a location outside of the tip portion via the orifice, and wherein the second displacement position is such that the diaphragm conforms to the distal interior wall of the tip portion, resulting in a volume of the adjustable interior cavity being zero. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification