LIQUID DISPENSING FOR HIGH-THROUGHPUT EXPERIMENTATION
First Claim
1. A method for mixing liquid components, comprising:
- providing a plurality of source reservoirs, each of the source reservoirs containing a liquid component;
pressurizing one or more of the plurality of source reservoirs;
transferring a quantity of a first liquid component from a first pressurized reservoir of the plurality of source reservoirs to one or more destination locations by means of a fluid outlet comprising a dispense valve, the fluid outlet being positionable to dispense the first liquid component through the dispense valve into each of the one or more destination locations;
transferring a quantity of a second liquid component from a second pressurized reservoir of the plurality of source reservoirs to the one or more destination locations through the dispense valve; and
mixing the first and second liquid components in each of the one or more of destination locations to create a plurality of fluid mixtures.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing techniques for mixing liquid components. Quantities of two or more liquid components are transferred from pressurized source reservoirs to one or more destination locations by means of a fluid outlet that includes a dispense valve, and the two or more liquid components are mixed in the destination locations to create a plurality of fluid mixtures. Two or more dispensing technologies can be combined to provide for increased efficiency in the dispensing of high volume liquid components. The amounts of liquid components being dispensed can be monitored during the dispensing to provide feedback control of the dispensing.
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Citations
79 Claims
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1. A method for mixing liquid components, comprising:
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providing a plurality of source reservoirs, each of the source reservoirs containing a liquid component; pressurizing one or more of the plurality of source reservoirs; transferring a quantity of a first liquid component from a first pressurized reservoir of the plurality of source reservoirs to one or more destination locations by means of a fluid outlet comprising a dispense valve, the fluid outlet being positionable to dispense the first liquid component through the dispense valve into each of the one or more destination locations; transferring a quantity of a second liquid component from a second pressurized reservoir of the plurality of source reservoirs to the one or more destination locations through the dispense valve; and mixing the first and second liquid components in each of the one or more of destination locations to create a plurality of fluid mixtures.
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2-28. -28. (canceled)
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29. A system for dispensing liquids, comprising:
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a plurality of pressurizable source reservoirs, each of the pressurizable source reservoirs containing a liquid component and being operable to maintain an elevated pressure for forcing the corresponding liquid component to exit the source reservoir; one or more destination substrates having one or more destination locations for receiving liquid components to prepare one or more liquid mixtures; a conduit network comprising a plurality of inlets, each of the plurality of inlets being associated with one of the plurality of pressurizable source reservoirs, the conduit network defining a flow path from each of the plurality of inlets; a first fluid outlet for receiving liquid components through the flow path from each of the plurality of inlets, the first fluid outlet comprising a common dispense valve and being positionable to dispense the received liquid components through the common dispense valve into any of the one or more destination locations; and a control system operable to control the first fluid outlet and the common dispense valve to position the first fluid outlet and activate the common dispense valve for dispensing liquid components at the one or more destination locations. - View Dependent Claims (30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 52, 53)
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31. (canceled)
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42-51. -51. (canceled)
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54. A system for dispensing fluids, the system comprising:
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a liquid handling robot having one or more robotic arms; a plurality of source reservoirs, each of the plurality of source reservoirs containing a liquid component; one or more conduit networks defining one or more flow paths from one or more of the plurality of source reservoirs; one or more destination substrates having one or more destination locations for receiving liquid components to prepare one or more liquid mixtures; a plurality of fluid outlets mounted on the one or more robotic arms, each of the fluid outlets being configured to receive liquid components from one or more of the source reservoirs, the fluid outlets comprising a first fluid outlet configured to dispense the received liquid components into one or more of the destination locations according to a high-volume dispensing technology and a second fluid outlet configured to dispense the received liquid components into one or more of the destination locations according to a low-volume dispensing technology; and a control system operable to control the liquid handling robot and the first and second fluid outlets to cause the system to dispense the liquid components at the one or more destination locations. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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59. (canceled)
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61-62. -62. (canceled)
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69-77. -77. (canceled)
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78. A method for dispensing liquid components in a system comprising one or more source reservoirs, a conduit network comprising one or more inlets, and a dispense valve, each of the inlets being associated with one of the source reservoirs, each of the source reservoirs containing a liquid component, the conduit network defining a flow path from each of the inlets to the dispense valve, the method comprising:
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(a) determining a range of volumes of a first liquid component; (b) performing a plurality of dispenses of the first liquid component, including, for each of the plurality of dispenses, activating the dispense valve for a time period corresponding to a volume in the determined range of volumes; (c) measuring a quantity of the first liquid component dispensed in each of the plurality of dispenses; (d) calculating a calibration curve for the first liquid component based on the time periods and the measured quantities of the first liquid component for each of the plurality of dispenses; and (e) storing the calibration curve in a memory.
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79-82. -82. (canceled)
Specification