Device for cleaning pipette probes or stirrers

• US 7,300,525 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Jansen, Paul, Weber, Peter, Jäck, Thomas, Fürst, Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): Gakh; Yelena G.
• Application Number:
  US10/183,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20020185161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 134/24, 134/22.12, 134/22.14, 134/22.18, 436/49
• US Class Current: 134/24
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/04 Cleaning involving contact with liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/00 Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1004 Cleaning sample transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/114998 with treatment or replacement of aspirator element [e.g., cleaning, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/119163 with aspirator of claimed structure

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for cleaning pipette needles or stirrers, the device comprising a trough which holds cleaning fluid and whose lower region has a fluid duct for filling and/or emptying purposes and whose upper region has at least one feed pipe which leads into at least one nozzle directed into the trough interior. Advantageously, the device has a cylindrical trough and in insert with nozzles which is screwed into the trough. The invention further concerns a method of cleaning pipette needles or stirrers, the material to be washed being introduced into the trough interior and sprayed with a washing fluid. The device can also be used to flush the interior of a pipette needle.

Claims

1. A method of washing an outside and a tip portion of a pipette probe between the uptake of at least two fluids such that a first fluid inside the pipette probe does not contaminate a reservoir holding a second fluid, the method comprising:

uptaking the first fluid into the pipette probe;

inserting the pipette probe into an interior cavity of an apparatus containing a cavity for holding wash fluid that has a fluid duct in its lower region for filling and/or emptying the cavity, at least one inlet tube in an upper region that is connected to at least one nozzle that is directed towards the interior of the cavity, and at least one discharge duct that enters the interior of the cavity above the fluid duct and below the inlet tube;

spraying the outside of the pipette probe with a wash fluid ejected through at least one nozzle;

moving the pipette probe to a position where the wash fluid is wiped off the probe;

drawing a separating fluid or a separating air bubble into the pipette probe, wherein the separating fluid is one selected from a group consisting of the wash fluid in the interior of the cavity and a separating fluid in a separate reservoir;

inserting the pipette probe into the reservoir containing the second fluid; and

uptaking the second fluid into the pipette probe after the separating fluid or air bubble is drawn into the pipette probe.

2. Method according to claim 1 in which a separating fluid or an air bubble of a volume equal to only a portion of the pipette probe tip is drawn up.

3. Method for cleaning pipette probes between the uptake of at least two fluids according to claim 1, wherein both a separating fluid and an air bubble are drawn into the pipette probe after the pipette is moved to a position where the wash fluid is wiped off the probe and before a second fluid is drawn into the pipette probe after the separating fluid.

4. Method according to claim 3 in which a separating fluid and an air bubble of a volume equal to only a portion of the pipette probe tip are drawn up.

5. Method according to claim 1 in which the separating fluid is wash fluid, which is drawn from a droplet that remains on the pipette probe after the spraying step.

6. Method according to claim 1 further comprising inserting the pipette probe into a reservoir containing a separating fluid after moving the pipette to a position where the wash fluid is wiped off the probe, from which reservoir, the separating fluid is drawn.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wash fluid is wiped off the pipette probe by

inserting the pipette probe into the wash fluid contained in the cavity and then slowly removing the pipette probe from the wash fluid at a speed sufficiently slow to ensure that all the wash fluid covering the pipette probe is wiped off and does not form droplets on the pipette probe.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising leading wash fluid through the pipette probe while it is immersed in the wash fluid in order to wash the interior of the probe.

9. A method of washing an outside and a tip portion of a pipette probe between the uptake of at least two fluids such that a first fluid inside the pipette probe does not contaminate a reservoir holding a second fluid, the method comprising:

drawing the first fluid into the pipette probe;

inserting the pipette probe into an interior cavity of an apparatus containing a cavity for holding wash fluid that has a fluid duct in its lower region for filling and/or emptying the cavity, at least one inlet tube in an upper region that is connected to at least one nozzle that is directed towards the interior of the cavity, and at least one discharge duct that enters the interior of the cavity above the fluid duct and below the inlet tube;

spraying the outside of the pipette probe with a wash fluid ejected through at least one nozzle;

during the spraying step, drawing the wash fluid into the pipette probe as a separating fluid, wherein the wash fluid is either drawn from a drop of wash fluid that remains on the tip of the pipette probe or from a clean surface of the wash fluid in the interior cavity of the apparatus;

moving the pipette probe to a position where the wash fluid is wiped off the probe;

inserting the pipette probe into the reservoir containing the second fluid; and

drawing the second fluid into the pipette probe.

10. Method according to claim 9, in which a of separating fluid of a volume equal to only a portion of the pipette probe tip is drawn up.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the wash fluid is wiped off the pipette probe by

inserting the pipette probe into the wash fluid contained in the cavity and then slowly removing the pipette probe from the wash fluid at a speed sufficiently slow to ensure that all the wash fluid covering the pipette probe is wiped off and does not form droplets on the pipette probe.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising leading wash fluid through the pipette probe while it is immersed in the wash fluid in order to wash the interior of the probe.

13. A method of washing an outside and a tip portion of a pipette probe between the uptake of at least two fluids such that a first fluid inside the pipette probe does not contaminate a reservoir holding a second fluid, the method comprising:

uptaking the first fluid into the pipette probe;

drawing a separating fluid or a separating air bubble into the pipette probe;

inserting the pipette probe into an interior cavity of an apparatus containing a cavity for holding wash fluid that has a fluid duct in its lower region for filling and/or emptying the cavity, at least one inlet tube in an upper region that is connected to at least one nozzle that is directed towards the interior of the cavity, and at least one discharge duct that enters the interior of the cavity above the fluid duct and below the inlet tube;

spraying the outside of the pipette probe with a wash fluid ejected through at least one nozzle;

moving the pipette probe to a position where the wash fluid is wiped off the probe;

inserting the pipette probe into the reservoir containing the second fluid; and

uptaking the second fluid into the pipette probe after the separating fluid or air bubble is drawn into the pipette probe.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein both a separating fluid and an air bubble are drawn into the pipette probe before the probe is inserted into the interior cavity of the apparatus.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein an air bubble is drawn into the pipette before the probe is inserted into the interior cavity of the apparatus and further comprising drawing a separating fluid into the pipette probe before uptaking the second fluid into the pipette probe.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein a separating fluid is drawn into the pipette probe before the probe is inserted into the interior cavity of the apparatus and further comprising drawing an air bubble into the pipette probe before uptaking the second fluid into the pipette probe.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the wash fluid is wiped off the probe by

inserting the pipette probe into the wash fluid contained in the cavity and then slowly removing the pipette probe from the wash fluid at a speed sufficiently slow to ensure that all the wash fluid covering the pipette probe is wiped off and does not form droplets on the pipette probe.

18. A method of washing an outside and a tip portion of a pipette probe between the uptake of at least two fluids such that a first fluid inside the pipette probe does not contaminate a reservoir holding a second fluid, the method comprising:

uptaking the first fluid into the pipette probe;

inserting the pipette probe into an interior cavity of an apparatus containing a cavity for holding wash fluid that has a fluid duct in its lower region for filling and/or emptying the cavity, at least one inlet tube in an upper region that is connected to at least one nozzle that is directed towards the interior of the cavity, and at least one discharge duct that enters the interior of the cavity above the fluid duct and below the inlet tube;

spraying the outside of the pipette probe with a wash fluid ejected through at least one nozzle;

inserting the pipette probe into a clean, top layer of wash fluid contained in the interior cavity of the apparatus;

drawing clean wash fluid into the pipette probe as a separating fluid;

moving the pipette probe to a position where the wash fluid falls off the probe;

inserting the pipette probe into the reservoir containing the second fluid; and

uptaking the second fluid into the pipette probe after the separating fluid or separating air bubble is drawn into the pipette probe.

19. A method of washing an outside and a tip portion of a pipette probe between the uptake of at least two fluids such that a first fluid inside the pipette probe does not contaminate a reservoir holding a second fluid, the method comprising:

uptaking the first fluid into the pipette probe;

inserting the pipette probe into an interior cavity of an apparatus containing a cavity for holding wash fluid that has a fluid duct in its lower region for filling and/or emptying the cavity, at least one inlet tube in an upper region that is connected to at least one nozzle that is directed towards the interior of the cavity, and at least one discharge duct that enters the interior of the cavity above the fluid duct and below the inlet tube;

inserting the pipette probe into a clean, top layer of wash fluid contained in the interior cavity of the apparatus;

drawing clean wash fluid into the pipette probe as a separating fluid;

spraying the outside of the pipette probe with a wash fluid ejected through at least one nozzle;

moving the pipette probe to a position where the wash fluid is wiped off the probe;

inserting the pipette probe into the reservoir containing the second fluid; and

uptaking the second fluid into the pipette probe after the separating fluid or air bubble is drawn into the pipette probe.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the wash fluid is wiped off the pipette probe by

inserting the pipette probe into the wash fluid contained in the cavity and then slowly removing the pipette probe from the wash fluid at a speed sufficiently slow to ensure that all the wash fluid covering the pipette probe is wiped off and does not form droplets on the pipette probe.