Reaction container control system

• US 10,822,646 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Issued: 11/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Bio Research Co., Ltd (Precision System Science Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Universal Bio Research Co., Ltd (Precision System Science Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Tajima, Hideji
• Primary Examiner(s): Whatley, Benjamin R
• Application Number:
  US15/263,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20170058323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1805 Conductive heating, heat from thermostatted solids is conducted to receptacles, e.g. heating plates, blocks
• 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 7/54 using spatial temperature gradients
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6848 characterised by the means for preventing contamination or increasing the specificity or sensitivity of an amplification reaction
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/686 Polymerase chain reaction [PCR]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6421 Measuring at two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6439 with indicators, stains, dyes, tags, labels, marks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00366 Several different temperatures used
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00376 Conductive heating, e.g. heated plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/103 using disposable tips
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1076 plurality or independently movable heads
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/13 Moving of cuvettes or solid samples to or from the investigating station handling materials for automatic analysis G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/08 Optical fibres; light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0226 High temperature; Heating means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0098 involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/10 Devices for transferring samples or any liquids to, in, or from, the analysis apparatus, e.g. suction devices, injection devices G01N35/0099 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1065 Multiple transfer devices

Abstract

A reaction container control system including a reaction container, a sealing lid, a temperature control block, and a heater. The reaction container includes a lower side wall section, an upper side wall section, and an aperture. The sealing lid seals the reaction container by fitting to the aperture of the reaction container. When the sealing lid is fitted to the aperture, light based on an optical state within the reaction container is receivable by a measuring device via the sealing lid. The temperature control block contacts or extends adjacent the lower side wall section, and includes a temperature source operable to increase or decrease a temperature inside the reaction container. The heater contacts or extends adjacent the upper side wall section, and includes a heat source operable to heat the reaction container to prevent condensation on the sealing lid fitted to the aperture.

Claims

1. A reaction container control system comprising:

a reaction container, including a lower side wall section, an upper side wall section positioned above the lower side wall section, and an aperture providing access to an interior of the reaction container, the reaction container including a wide-mouthed piping part defining an upper portion of the reaction container and having a diameter greater than the upper side wall section, the wide-mounted piping part including a vertically extending portion and a horizontally extending portion, the vertically extending portion having a length greater than the horizontally extending portion;

a sealing lid having transparency for sealing the reaction container by fitting to the aperture of the reaction container, the sealing lid having an upwardly extending sidewall with an outer surface and an inner surface and a bottom surface, wherein the outer surface of the sealing lid is fitted to the vertically extending portion of the wide-mouthed piping part of the reaction container and the outer surface of the sealing lid engages substantially all of the vertically extending portion of the wide-mouthed piping part of the reaction container, wherein the bottom surface of the sealing lid engages the horizontally extending portion of the wide-mouthed piping part of the reaction container, and wherein the inner surface of the sealing lid surrounds a coupling end optically connected to a wavelength measuring device, the coupling end engaging the sealing lid to facilitate wavelength measurements in the reaction container;

a temperature control block contacting and extending adjacent the lower side wall section of the reaction container, the temperature control block including a temperature source operable to control a temperature inside the reaction container;

a heater contacting and extending adjacent to the upper side wall section of the reaction container, the heater including a heat source operable to heat the upper side wall section, wherein the upwardly extending side wall of the sealing lid is located in a manner that prevents condensation on the sealing lid when the sealing lid is fitted to the aperture of the reaction container; and

an insulating plate located between the temperature control block and the heater, the insulating plate contacting and extending adjacent the reaction container at a location between the upper side wall section and the lower side wall section, the insulating plate operating to thermally separate the upper side wall section from the lower side wall section.

2. The reaction container control system according to claim 1, wherein the reaction container comprises a narrow-mouthed piping part in which liquids are housable located below the wide-mouthed piping part and connected to the wide-mouthed piping part, the narrow-mouthed piping part being formed narrower than the wide-mouthed piping part, wherein the narrow-mouthed piping part is defined by the lower side wall section and the upper side wall section of the reaction container.