Well plate and suction device provided with well plate

• US 9,862,918 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Saburo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Lydia
• Application Number:
  US14/372,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20150072405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 4352884
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00414 using suction
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00468 by manipulation of individual beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0657 Pipetting powder
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0668 Trapping microscopic beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0684 Venting, avoiding backpressure, avoid gas bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0858 Side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/021 Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5085 for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/12 Well or multiwell plates C12M25/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1011 Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device

Abstract

A well plate is formed with a well for holding a subject to be sucked by a suction nozzle on an inner bottom part and storing liquid and, a clearance forming member for forming a clearance to allow the liquid to flow in a state where a tip part of the suction nozzle is inserted into and held in contact with the well is provided in the well. According to the present invention, the clearance enabling the liquid to flow is formed even in the state where the tip part of the suction nozzle is inserted into and held in contact with the well in sucking the subject held in the well by the suction nozzle. The suction nozzle can suck the liquid around through the clearance and the subject held in the well is efficiently sucked through the suction port along the flow of the sucked liquid.

Claims

1. A well plate comprising

a well for holding a subject to be sucked by a suction nozzle including a suction port on an inner bottom part and storing liquid,

a clearance forming member for forming a clearance to allow liquid to flow in a state where a tip part of the suction nozzle including the suction port is inserted into and held in contact with the well is provided in the well;

the well having a cylindrical shape and including a tapered part for reducing an opening area of the well from an opening of a top surface of the well toward the inner bottom part;

the tapered part being a wall having no openings, and the clearance forming member being at least one groove formed on the tapered part.

2. The well plate according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of grooves formed on the tapered part.

3. The well plate according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the wells are formed in a matrix.

4. The well plate according to claim 1, wherein the subject is a bio-based cell.

5. The well plate according to claim 4, wherein the subject is a bio-based cell aggregate.

6. A suction device, comprising:

a well plate according to claim 1, and

a suction nozzle including a suction port for sucking the subject held in the well.

7. The suction device according to claim 6, further comprising a container for storing the liquid, wherein the well plate is immersed in the container.

8. The suction device according to claim 6, further comprising a vibration generator device for vibrating the well plate in a state where the tip part of the suction nozzle including the suction port is inserted into and held in contact with the well.

9. The suction device according to claim 7, further comprising a determiner device for observing the subject held in the well plate from above or below the well plate.