External material accession systems and methods
First Claim
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1. A method of sampling fluid, comprising:
- (a) dipping an open end of an open ended capillary element comprising a capillary channel disposed therethrough, into a source of second fluid the capillary channel being filled with a first fluid;
(b) withdrawing the capillary element from the second fluid;
(c) permitting an amount of the second fluid remaining on the open ended capillary to spontaneously inject into the capillary channel;
(d) dipping the capillary element into a third fluid after a first selected time period, the first selected time period being controlled to control the amount of the first fluid permitted to spontaneously inject into the open ended capillary channel.
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Abstract
Methods, apparatus and systems are provided for introducing large numbers of different materials into a microfluidic analytical device rapidly, efficiently and reproducibly. In particular, improved integrated pipettor chip configurations, e.g. sippers or electropipettors, are described which are capable of sampling extremely small amounts of material for which analysis is desired, transporting material into a microfluidic analytical channel network, and performing the desired analysis on the material.
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Citations
88 Claims
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1. A method of sampling fluid, comprising:
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(a) dipping an open end of an open ended capillary element comprising a capillary channel disposed therethrough, into a source of second fluid the capillary channel being filled with a first fluid; (b) withdrawing the capillary element from the second fluid; (c) permitting an amount of the second fluid remaining on the open ended capillary to spontaneously inject into the capillary channel; (d) dipping the capillary element into a third fluid after a first selected time period, the first selected time period being controlled to control the amount of the first fluid permitted to spontaneously inject into the open ended capillary channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of introducing a first fluid into a microfluidic device, comprising:
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providing a microfluidic device having a body structure with at least first and second intersecting microscale channels disposed therein, and a capillary element extending from the body structure, the capillary element having first and second ends and a capillary channel disposed therethrough the capillary channel being open at the first end, and in fluid communication with at least one of the first and second intersecting microscale channels in the body structure at the second end of the capillary element; dipping the first end of the capillary channel into a source of the first fluid; withdrawing the first end of the capillary channel from the source of first fluid; permitting an amount of the first fluid on the first end of the capillary channel to spontaneously inject into the capillary channel; and transporting the amount of first fluid injected into the capillary channel into the at least one of the first and second microscale channels disposed in the body structure. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A microfluidic device, comprising:
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a body structure having disposed therein an integrated channel structure that includes at least first and second intersecting microscale channels, at least the first channel terminating in a substantially rectangular opening in the body structure; a capillary element having a capillary channel disposed therethrough, and at least one end of the capillary element that is substantially rectangular, the substantially rectangular end of the capillary element being inserted into the substantially rectangular opening in the body structure and positioned such that the capillary channel in the capillary element is in fluid communication with at least first microscale channel in the body structure. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A method of joining a capillary element to a microfluidic device having an integrated channel network disposed therein, comprising:
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providing a microfluidic device having a body structure with at least first and second intersecting microscale channels disposed therein, and having a substantially rectangular opening disposed in the body structure, at least one of the first and second microscale channel terminating in and being in communication with the opening; providing a substantially rectangular capillary element having first and second ends and a capillary channel disposed through the capillary element from the first end to the second end, and wherein the second end has a substantially rectangular shape; and inserting the second end of a capillary element into the opening, the capillary channel in the capillary element being positioned to be in fluid communication with the at least one of the first and second microscale channels that is in communication with the opening.
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53. A method of joining a capillary element to a microfluidic device incorporating an integrated channel network, comprising:
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providing first and second substrates each having at least first planar surfaces, the first planar surface of the first substrate having at least a first microscale groove fabricated therein, and each of the first planar surfaces of the first and second substrates having a first notch fabricated in the first planar surfaces along one edge of the first and second substrates; mating the first planar surface of the first substrate to the first planar surface of the second substrate whereby the notch in the first substrate corresponds with the notch in the first surface of the second substrate; inserting a first end of a capillary element into an opening defined by the notch in the first and second substrates, the capillary element having a capillary channel disposed therethrough, the capillary channel being placed in fluid communication with the first microscale groove when the capillary element is inserted into the opening. - View Dependent Claims (54)
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55. A method of introducing a fluid material into a microfluidic device, comprising:
providing a microfluidic device, comprising; a body structure having disposed therein an integrated channel network that includes at least first and second intersecting microscale channels, at least the first channel terminating in a substantially rectangular opening in the body structure; a capillary element having first and second ends and a capillary channel disposed therethrough from the first to the second end, the second end of the capillary element being substantially rectangular, the second end of the capillary element being inserted into the substantially rectangular opening in the body structure and positioned such that the capillary channel in the capillary element is in fluid communication with at least first microscale channel in the body structure; placing the first end of the capillary element into a source of the fluid material; drawing an amount of the fluid material into the capillary channel; transporting the amount of the fluid material through the capillary channel into the at least one of the first and second microscale channels. - View Dependent Claims (56)
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57. A microfluidic device comprising:
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a body structure having at least first and second channel segments disposed therein, the first and second channel segments each having first and second ends, the first end of the first channel being in fluid communication with the first end of the second channel at a first fluid junction; and a capillary element attached to and extending from the body structure, the capillary element comprising a capillary channel disposed therethrough, the capillary channel being in fluid communication at one end with the first and second channel segments at the first fluid junction. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73)
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74. A method of introducing a first fluid material into a microfluidic system, comprising:
providing a microfluidic device comprising; a body structure having at least first and second channel segments disposed therein, the first and second channel segments each having first and second ends, the first end of the first channel being in fluid communication with the first end of the second channel at a first fluid junction; and a capillary element attached to and extending from the body structure, the capillary element comprising a capillary channel disposed therethrough, the capillary channel being in fluid communication at one end with the first and second channel segments at the first fluid junction; introducing an amount of the first fluid material into the capillary channel; transporting the amount of first fluid material through the capillary channel and through the first fluid junction into the first channel segment; and flowing a second fluid material into the first channel segment from the second channel segment during the transporting step. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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85. A method of transporting materials from a first microscale channel segment to a second microscale channel segment, wherein the first and second channel segments are in fluid communication at a corner having a dead zone, comprising:
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transporting a discrete volume of material from the first channel segment into the second channel segment around the corner; simultaneously directing a flow of fluid through the dead zone into the second channel segment from a third channel segment that is in fluid communication and collinear with the second channel segment at the corner.
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- 86. A microfluidic device, comprising a body structure having at least first, second and third channel segments disposed therein, the first, second and third segments in communication at a first intersection, the second and third channel segments being collinear, and the third channel segment having a depth at the intersection that is less than 50% a depth of the second channel segment.
Specification