WASH THROUGH PIPETTOR

• US 20160016161A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LGC Genomics Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Douglas Scientific LLC
• Inventors: Schoeneck, Richard J., Wagner, Paul H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,415,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0689 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/141 Preventing contamination, tampering
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0861 Configuration of multiple channels and/or chambers in a single devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0217 of the plunger pump type medical syringes A61M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0234 Repeating pipettes, i.e. for dispensing multiple doses from a single charge
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/023 Cleaning the external surface B08B9/021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/0323 Arrangements specially designed for simultaneous and parallel cleaning of a plurality of conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1004 Cleaning sample transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1065 Multiple transfer devices

Abstract

A pipettor includes a wash chamber between an upper plate, a lower plate, an upper seal, and a lower seal. The upper and lower seal retain each other and are located between the upper and lower plates. The pipettor includes a gasket located below the lower plate, a pipette tip retained by the gasket, and a piston with a tapered tip that passes through the plates, seals, and gasket into the pipette tip. The upper and lower seal isolate the piston from the wash chamber. The pipettor includes a channel defined by the piston, extending into the pipette tip, and an actuator that advances and retracts the piston. When the actuator retracts the piston such that the piston loses sealing contact with the lower seal and the wash chamber is supplied with wash fluid and pressurized, wash fluid passes through the groove in the upper seal and into the channel.

Claims

1. A pipettor comprising:

an upper plate;

a lower plate;

a wash chamber defined by a space between the upper plate and the lower plate;

an upper seal with a groove and a lower seal, the upper seal located below the upper plate and retained by the lower seal, and the lower seal located above the lower plate and retained by the upper seal;

a gasket located below the lower plate;

a pipette tip retained by the gasket;

a piston with a tapered tip that passes through the upper plate, the upper seal, the lower seal, the lower plate, and the gasket into the pipette tip;

wherein the upper seal and the lower seal isolate the piston from the wash chamber;

a channel defined by the piston and extending into the pipette tip; and

an actuator for advancing and retracting the piston;

wherein, when the actuator retracts the piston such that the piston loses sealing contact with the lower seal and the wash chamber is supplied with a wash fluid and pressurized, the wash fluid passes through the groove in the upper seal and into the channel defined by the piston.

2. The pipettor of claim 1, wherein the lower seal is a check valve.

3. The pipettor of claim 1, wherein the pipettor comprises a plurality of pipette tips, pistons, and channels;

each pipette tip retained by the gasket, each piston passing through the upper plate, the upper seal, the lower seal, the lower plate, and the gasket into one of the pipette tips; and

each channel defined by one of the pistons.

4. A method of operating a pipettor, the method comprising:

retracting a piston with a tapered tip such that the piston passes through a lower plate and a lower seal and loses sealing contact with the lower seal, the lower seal retaining an upper seal with a groove and the upper seal retaining the lower seal;

supplying a wash chamber surrounding the lower seal and the upper seal with wash fluid;

pressurizing the wash chamber such that the wash fluid passes through the groove of the upper seal into a channel defined by the piston, the channel passing through a lower plate below the lower seal, through a gasket below the lower plate, and into a pipette tip retained by the gasket; and

advancing the piston such that the wash fluid flows through the channel, filling the pipette tip and such that the piston seals off the channel from the wash chamber.

5. The method of claim 4, and further comprising:

retracting the piston to aspirate an air gap in the pipette tip below the wash fluid;

dipping the pipette tip into a sample; and

further retracting the piston to aspirate the sample.

6. The method of claim 5, and further comprising advancing the piston to dispense the sample.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the pipettor comprises a plurality of pistons, channels, and pipette tips.