High density plate filler

• US 9,492,820 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Carrillo, Albert L., Reed, Mark T., Harding, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEVKOVICH, NATALIA A
• Application Number:
  US14/677,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20150273469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 436/180, 422/503, 422/552
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/021 Adjust spacings in an array of wells, pipettes or holders, format transfer between arrays of different size or geometry
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/025 Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0605 Metering of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0642 Filling fluids into wells by specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0689 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/142 Preventing evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/021 Identification, e.g. bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/044 pierceable, e.g. films, membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/046 Function or devices integrated in the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0809 rectangular shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0851 Bottom walls
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/087 Multiple sequential chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1883 using thermal insulation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0409 centrifugal forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/082 Active control of flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0293 : for liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 : characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 : specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50853 : with covers or lids
• 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: B01L 9/523 : for multisample carriers, e.g. used for microtitration plates

Abstract

A filling apparatus for filling a microplate. The microplate can comprise a plurality of wells each sized to receive an assay. A substrate can comprise a first surface and an opposing second surface, a first assay input port for receiving the assay disposed on the first surface, a plurality of staging capillaries extending through the substrate, and a first plurality of microfluidic channels fluidly coupling the first assay input port with at least one of the plurality of staging capillaries. Each of the plurality of staging capillaries can comprise an inlet and an outlet and be sized to receive the assay.

Claims

1. A method of filling a microplate, comprising:

providing a filling apparatus including;

a microplate comprising a plurality of openings for receiving one or more solutions, the openings disposed along a surface and defining a plurality of groups of openings, each group of openings including a two-dimensional array of openings from the plurality of openings;

a first substrate comprising a plurality of input ports configured to receive the one or more solutions; and

a second substrate disposed between the first substrate and the microplate, the second substrate comprising groupings of channels, each grouping of channels disposed in a two-dimensional pattern along a plane parallel to the surface of the microplate, each grouping of channels disposed over only one of the groups of openings and below only one of the input ports;

wherein the second substrate is disposed such that each group of openings is in fluid communication with only one of the input ports and such that each input port is in simultaneous fluid communication with the openings of only one of the groups of openings; and

introducing a solution into at least one of the input port.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising introducing the solution into the at least one input port such that the solution flows from the first substrate to the openings of the microplate via the second substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising introducing a plurality of solutions into respective ones of the input ports such that each solution flows from the first substrate to a respective one of the groups openings of the microplate via the second substrate.

4. A method of filling a microplate, comprising:

providing a microplate comprising a plurality of openings, the openings disposed along a surface and defining a plurality of groups of openings, each group of openings including a two-dimensional array of openings from the plurality of openings;

placing a first substrate above the microplate, the first substrate comprising groupings of channels, each grouping of channels disposed in a two-dimensional pattern along a plane parallel to the surface of the microplate and disposed over only one of the groups of openings;

placing a second substrate above the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of input ports; and

locating the first substrate such that each group of openings is in fluid communication with only one of the input ports and each of the input port is in simultaneous fluid communication with the openings of only one of the groups of openings.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing a solution into at least one of the input ports such that the solution flows from the second substrate to the openings of the microplate via the first substrate.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing a plurality of solutions into respective input ports such that each solution flows from the second substrate to a respective one of the groups openings of the microplate.

7. A method of filling a microplate, comprising:

providing a microplate comprising a plurality of openings, the openings disposed along a surface and defining a plurality of groups of openings, each group of openings including an array of openings from the plurality of openings;

placing a first substrate above the microplate, the first substrate comprising groupings of channels, each grouping of channels disposed in a pattern along a plane parallel to the surface of the microplate and disposed over only one of the groups of openings;

placing a second substrate above the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of input ports; and

locating the first substrate such that each group of openings is in fluid communication with only one of the input ports and each of the input port is in simultaneous fluid communication with the openings of only one of the groups of openings.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising placing a solution into at least one of the input ports such that the solution flows from the second substrate to the openings of the microplate via the first substrate.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising placing a plurality of solutions into respective input ports such that each solution flows from the second substrate to a respective one of the groups openings of the microplate.