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Apparatus for Aspirating and Dispensing Liquids in an Automated Analyzer

  • US 20080098828A1
  • Filed: 10/26/2006
  • Published: 05/01/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A liquid-sampling valve operatively connectable with an aspiration probe and a pump to aspirate liquid from a container and to dispense a plurality of discrete liquid aliquots of the aspirated liquid through said aspiration probe, said liquid-sampling valve comprising:

  • a shear valve assembly comprising a plurality of confronting and contiguous valve pads arranged side-by-side, at least one of said valve pads being movable with respect to the other of said valve pads to change the relative positions of said valve pads, and each of said valve pads having flow path-defining structure that cooperates with flow path-defining structure of an adjacent valve pad to define at least first, second and third liquid flow paths within said shear valve assembly as the relative positions of said valve pads change, said at least one of said valve pads being movable with respect to the other of said valve pads to define (a) a loading configuration in which a first aliquoting chamber within said shear valve assembly is positioned within said first liquid flow path and becomes filled with a liquid aspirated through said aspiration probe by said pump, and (b) a segmenting/dispensing configuration in which (i) liquid within said first aliquoting chamber is positioned to be acted upon by an external force, whereby such liquid is dispensed from said first aliquoting chamber along said second liquid flow path, and (ii) liquid can be either aspirated or dispensed through said aspiration probe and along said third liquid flow path within said valve assembly by said pump.

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