Thermal cycler having an automatically positionable lid

• US 6,197,572 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Corporation (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Schneebeli, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US09/302,713
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 435/286.1, 435/286.2, 435/287.2, 435/287.3, 435/288.4, 435/288.7, 435/303.1, 435/305.3, 435/305.4, 435/809, 422/63, 422/65, 422/68.1, 422/102, 422/104
• US Class Current: 435/286.2
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00376 Conductive heating, e.g. heated plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes

Abstract

This invention involves a thermal cycler capable of performing amplification of nucleic acids. This thermal cycler provides for the fully automatic positioning of its movable lid, which can be placed in two positions. The lid is also suitable for heating a plurality of reaction vessels and for shielding them from light from the environment. In addition, the thermal cycler also includes a thermal block having a plurality of chambers each of which receives the lower part of a reaction vessel. Finally, the thermal cycler has a lid carrier for moving the lid from the first position to the second position and vice versa.

Claims

1. A thermal cycler for performing amplification of nucleic acids, said thermal cycler comprising:

(a) a thermal block having a plurality of chambers each of which can receive the lower part of a reaction vessel;

(b) a movable lid having heating means positioned within it, said lid having a surface that can cover said thermal block and said reaction vessels positioned in said chambers thereof so that said lid fully shields said vessels from light in the environment of said thermal cycler, said lid being positionable at a first position at which it covers said thermal block and said reaction vessels positioned in said chambers thereof, and at a second position at which said lid does not cover said thermal block and said reaction vessels positioned in said chambers thereof, and

(c) transport means for moving said lid from said first position to said second position and vice versa, said transport means being so configured and dimensioned that the path followed by said lid as it is moved from said second position to said first position comprises

a first path segment which lies above and at a predetermined distance from said thermal block and along which said lid is moved towards a stopper until it abuts against said stopper, and

a second path segment along which said lid is moved downwards until it is vertically aligned with said thermal block and exerts a predetermined pressure on said reaction vessels positioned in said chambers of said thermal block.

2. A thermal cycler according to claim 1, wherein said transport means comprises:

said stopper positioned in said first path segment of movement of said lid, said stopper having a plane surface which is substantially perpendicular to said first path;

a motor driven lid carrier having a front end wall which is substantially in the face of said plane surface of said stopper, a rear end wall, and side walls extending between said front and rear walls, said lid carrier having means for holding the lid within it when said lid is in said first position; and

a first plate fixed on the inner surface of said side wall of said lid carrier and a second plate fixed on the inner surface of said other side wall of said lid carrier, each of said first and second plates having a pair of guiding slots for guiding the movement of said lid along said second path segment.

3. A thermal cycler according to claim 2, wherein said lid has an inner and an outer top surface, a front end wall which is substantially in face of said plane surface of said stopper, a rear end wall, and side walls extending between said front and rear walls and parallel to the side walls of said lid carrier, said side walls of the lid including outwards projecting pins which can fit into and to slide in said guiding slots.

4. A thermal cycler according to claim 3, wherein said transport means further comprises a tension spring one end of which is attached to the front end of the inner top surface of said lid carrier, whereas the other end of said spring is attached to the rear part of said top surface of the lid.

5. A thermal cycler according to claim 1, wherein said transport means further includes ejector means for removing the lower part of said reaction vessels from said chambers of said thermal block when the transport means move the lid from said second position to said first position.

6. A thermal cycler according to claim 2, wherein said transport means further includes ejector means for removing the lower part of said reaction vessels from said chambers of said thermal block when the transport means move the lid from said second position to said first position.

7. A thermal cycler according to claim 3, wherein said transport means further includes ejector means for removing the lower part of said reaction vessels from said chambers of said thermal block when the transport means move the lid from said second position to said first position.

8. A thermal cycler according to claim 4, wherein said transport means further includes ejector means for removing the lower part of said reaction vessels from said chambers of said thermal block when the transport means move the lid from said second position to said first position.