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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
First Claim
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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.

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