System for dosing liquids

• US 5,747,350 A
• Filed: 05/07/1997
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Sattler, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): LUDLOW, JAN M
• Application Number:
  US08/852,572
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 422/100, 422/102, 422/81, 422/75, 436/180, 436/54, 73/864.13, 73/864.16, 73/864.21, 73/864.81, 73/864.87
• US Class Current: 436/180
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/021 of the piston type G01F11/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/029 provided with electric controlling means G01F11/022 and G01F11/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/119163 with aspirator of claimed structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

A system for dosing liquids includes a dosing device, a device for operating the dosing device, a device for entering data and a unit for calculating the dosing displacement. Data are allocated to a dosing device according to the invention which are characteristic for the inside diameter of the dosing device and thus enable precise dosing. In addition the invention concerns a method for dosing using the system according to the invention.

Claims

1. A system for dosing liquids, comprising:

dosing device means for containing a liquid and displacing a predetermined amount of liquid therefrom, said dosing device means having a rigid tube-shape with a specific inner diameter, a plunger moveable along the inner diameter to displace liquid, and information corresponding to the specific inner diameter of the dosing device means provided on the dosing device means, said specific inner diameter being specifically measured for said dosing device means;

said system further comprising

plunger moving means for moving the plunger a desired distance;

reading means for reading said information; and

electronic means coupled to the reading means and the plunger moving means, for receiving the information from the reading means, calculating the desired distance for the plunger to move to displace the predetermined amount of the liquid, and causing the plunger to move the desired distance to displace the predetermined amount of the liquid.

2. System of claim 1, wherein the specific inside diameter information is attached to the dosing device means.

3. System of claim 1, wherein the specific inside diameter information is provided in a form suitable for being conveyed to the reading instrument and spatially separated from the dosing device means.

4. System of claim 1, wherein the specific inside diameter information is stored on a bar code, in the form of a magnetic strip or in a storage chip.

5. System of claim 1, wherein the dosing device means is filled with liquid and sealed.

6. System of claim 5, further including an opening device to open the seal of the dosing device means.

7. System of claim 1, wherein the dosing device means is provided in a package, and the specific inside diameter information is located on the package.

8. System of claim 1, wherein the dosing device means is disposable.

9. System of claim 1, further including an input device coupled to said electronic unit for the manual or automatic input of data for one or more dosages.

10. System of claim 1, further comprising:

a first assembly containing the dosing device means therein; and

a second assembly containing the specific inside diameter information thereon in a form which is suitable for being conveyed to the reading instrument,

wherein instructions are provided which contain correlation information between the dosing device means and the specific inside diameter information, said instructions being provided on the second assembly.

11. System for dosing liquids as recited in claim 10, wherein said first assembly includes a plurality of dosing device means, and said second assembly includes specific inside diameter information for each of said plurality of dosing device means, wherein the instructions include correlation information which describes the relationship between the plurality of dosing device means and the specific inside diameter information.

12. Process for dosing a liquid, comprising the steps of:

reading in diameter data for a specific inner diameter of an individual dosing device containing the liquid to be dosed, said individual dosing device having a rigid tube-shape with said specific inner diameter being measured for the individual dosing device;

reading in specific dosage data for a dosage to be conducted;

calculating at least one dosing displacement from the diameter and dosage data read in; and

conducting the at least one dosing displacement of liquid from the dosing device, thereby displacing a predetermined amount of liquid.

13. Process of claim 12, wherein the liquid is a reagent solution.

14. Process of claim 12, wherein the dosing device is discarded after being emptied.

15. Process of claim 12, wherein the diameter and dosage data for the dosing device and any data relating to the liquid in the dosing device are read once after installation of the dosing device in a dosing system.

16. Method of analysis using a system for dosing liquids, said method comprising the steps of:

reading in diameter data for a specific inner diameter of a dosing device containing the liquid to be dosed, said dosing device having a rigid tube-shape with said specific inner diameter being measured for said dosing device,

reading in specific dosage data for a dosage to be conducted;

calculating a dosing displacement from the diameter and dosage data read in;

conducting said dosing displacement of liquid from the dosing device to introduce a predetermined amount of liquid into a sample, and detecting at least one signal resulting therefrom; and

evaluating the analysis using the amount of liquid displaced from the dosing device and the detected signal.

17. Process of claim 16, wherein the liquid is a reagent solution.

18. Process of claim 16, wherein the dosing device is discarded after being emptied.

19. Process of claim 16, wherein the diameter and dosage data for the dosing device and any data relating to the liquid in the dosing device are read once after installation of the dosing device in the dosing system.

20. A process for dosing liquids with a liquid dosing system, comprising the steps of:

measuring the inside diameter of a dosing device within the system, said dosing device containing the liquid to be dosed;

reading in specific data for the dosage to be conducted;

calculating at least one dosing displacement from the inside diameter measurement and the data which have been read in; and

conducting at least one dosing displacement of liquid in accordance with the calculation.

21. Process of claim 20, wherein the liquid is a reagent solution.

22. Process of claim 20, wherein the dosing device is discarded after being emptied.

23. Process of claim 20, wherein the data for the dosage and any data relating to the liquid in the dosing device are read once after installation of the dosing device in the dosing system.

24. System for dosing liquids, comprising:

a dosing device suitable for containing a liquid, having a specific inside diameter and having information corresponding to a desired dosage thereof, said individual dosing device having a plunger to displace liquid;

a plunger moving device operably connected to the plunger and capable of moving the plunger a desired distance;

a reading instrument capable of reading said information; and

an electronic unit coupled to said reading instrument and said plunger moving device, said electronic unit for receiving data from the reading instrument, calculating from the desired dosage and specific inside diameter the desired distance for the plunger to move, and causing the plunger to move the desired distance, said system further including a measuring device coupled to said electronic unit, said measuring device measuring the specific inside diameter of the individual dosing device.

25. A system for dosing liquids, said system comprising:

an individual dosing device for containing a liquid, said dosing device having a rigid tube-shape and having a plunger to displace liquid;

a plunger moving device operably connected to the plunger and capable of moving the plunger a desired distance;

a measuring means for measuring a specific inside diameter of the individual dosing device, said measuring means generating data corresponding to the specific inside diameter of the individual dosing device;

an electronic unit coupled to the measuring means and to the plunger moving device, said electronic unit for receiving data from the measuring device and for calculating the desired distance for the plunger to move, said electronic unit also for causing the plunger to move the desired distance, thereby dosing a desired amount of the liquid.

26. A process for dosing liquids with a liquid dosing system, comprising the steps of:

measuring the inside diameter of a dosing device, said dosing device having a rigid tube-shape containing the liquid to be dosed;

reading in specific data for the dosage to be conducted;

calculating at least one dosing displacement from the measurement and the data which have been read in; and

conducting at least one dosing displacement of liquid in accordance with the calculation.