Automated centrifuge and method of using same
First Claim
1. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
- a rotor;
a cavity located in the rotor;
a tube structured to be insertable into the cavity;
a transport coupled to the tube; and
a controller communicating with the transport, the controller directing the transport to insert the tube into the cavity.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated centrifuge comprising a rotor having a plurality of cavities located in the rotor. A tube is structured to be insertable into any one of the cavities and a controller is configured to insert the tube into the cavity. The cavities located in the rotor are grouped in clusters, and the cavities of each cluster are substantially parallel.
Also, an automated centrifuge system comprising a rotor including a plurality of clusters of holes, each hole including a longitudinal axis, with the longitudinal axes of each cluster of holes being substantially parallel. A plurality of moveable tubes are arranged in at least two groups, with each group of tubes configured to be received into adjacent clusters of holes. A rotor position member is structured to determine the position of each cluster of holes. A controller directs the tubes into the adjacent clusters of holes, and directs the rotor position member to rotate the rotor to another cluster of holes.
13 Citations
132 Claims
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1. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
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a rotor;
a cavity located in the rotor;
a tube structured to be insertable into the cavity;
a transport coupled to the tube; and
a controller communicating with the transport, the controller directing the transport to insert the tube into the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 131)
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7. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
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a cluster of holes located in a rotor;
a group of tubes configured to be received into the cluster of holes;
a transport operably coupled to the group of tubes; and
a controller that directs the transport to insert the group of tubes into the cluster of holes. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. An automated centrifuge comprising:
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a group of movable tubes, each tube structured to transport a liquid;
a cluster of rotor holes located in a rotor, the cluster of rotor holes arranged to receive the group of movable tubes; and
a transport holding the movable tubes and constructed to substantially simultaneously move the group of tubes into the cluster of rotor holes. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of automated centrifugation, the method comprising the steps of:
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placing a vessel in a centrifuge rotor cavity;
substantially isolating a majority of a component located in the vessel by centrifugation; and
re-suspending a majority of the component while the vessel is located in the centrifuge rotor cavity. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 132)
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31. A method of automated centrifugation comprising the steps of:
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arranging a cluster of cavities on a centrifuge rotor, each cavity configured to receive a sample;
inserting a set of elongated tubes into the cluster of cavities, wherein each tube holds a liquid and is inserted into a corresponding cavity; and
centrifuging the liquid and the sample. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A centrifuge rotor comprising a cluster of holes located in the centrifuge rotor, each hole including a longitudinal axis;
- wherein the longitudinal axes of the cluster of holes are substantially parallel.
- View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A centrifuge rotor comprising a cluster of holes located in the centrifuge rotor;
- wherein the cluster of holes is arranged to substantially simultaneously receive a group of movable tubes held by a transport, wherein each of the movable tubes is structured to transport a liquid.
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43. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
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a rotor including a plurality of clusters of holes, each hole including a longitudinal axis, each cluster having holes with substantially parallel longitudinal axes;
a plurality of tubes arranged in at least two groups, with each group of tubes configured to be received into an adjacent cluster of holes;
a transport operably coupled to the groups of tubes; and
a controller that directs the transport to insert the groups of tubes into the adjacent clusters of holes. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A method of automated centrifugation, the method comprising the steps of:
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placing a plurality of vessels in a plurality of centrifuge rotor cavities;
substantially isolating a majority of a component located in each vessel by centrifugation;
re-suspending the majority of the component in a first group of vessels; and
substantially simultaneously dispensing a substance into a second group of vessels. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57)
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58. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
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a rotor including a plurality of clusters of holes, each hole including a longitudinal axis, each cluster having holes with substantially parallel longitudinal axes;
a plurality of tubes arranged in at least two groups, with each group of tubes configured to be received into adjacent clusters of holes;
a rotor position member structured to determine the position of each cluster of holes;
a transport operably coupled to the groups of tubes; and
a controller that directs the transport to insert and remove the groups of tubes into the adjacent clusters of holes, and directs the rotor position member to rotate the rotor to another cluster of holes. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. An automated centrifuge comprising:
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means for placing a plurality of vessels in a plurality of centrifuge rotor cavities;
means for substantially isolating a majority of a component located in each vessel by centrifugation;
means for re-suspending a majority of the component in a first group of vessels; and
means for substantially simultaneously dispensing a substance into a second group of vessels. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66)
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67. A centrifuge rotor comprising:
a rotor body defining a plurality of cavities into which vessels containing material to be centrifuged may be removeably positioned, the plurality of cavities being positioned in two of more clusters about the rotor body, each cluster comprising at least two cavities which are oriented relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the cavities in the cluster are parallel with each other. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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75. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
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a centrifuge rotor for use with a centrifuge, the centrifuge rotor comprising a rotor body defining a plurality of cavities into which centrifuge vessels containing material to be centrifuged may be removeably positioned, the plurality of cavities being positioned in two of more clusters about the rotor body, each cluster comprising at least two cavities which are oriented relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the cavities in the cluster are parallel with each other; and
a robot capable of positioning a plurality of the centrifuge vessels into a plurality of cavities in a same cluster of the centrifuge rotor at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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85. An automated centrifuge system comprising:
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a centrifuge rotor for use with the centrifuge, the centrifuge rotor comprising a rotor body defining a plurality of cavities into which centrifuge vessels containing material to be centrifuged may be removeably positioned, the plurality of cavities being positioned in two of more clusters about the rotor body, each cluster comprising at least two cavities which are oriented relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the cavities in the cluster are parallel with each other; and
a robot capable of positioning a plurality probes into a plurality of cavities in a same cluster of the centrifuge rotor at the same time, the probes being capable of performing a function upon a plurality of samples in the centrifuge vessels in the cavities at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99)
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100. An automated method for introducing a plurality of centrifuge vessels into a centrifuge head comprising:
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having a robot attach a plurality of centrifuge vessels to an arm of the robot;
having the robot move the plurality of centrifuge vessels adjacent a centrifuge rotor, the centrifuge rotor comprising a rotor body defining a plurality of cavities into which the centrifuge vessels may be removeably positioned, the plurality of cavities being positioned in two of more clusters about the rotor body, each cluster comprising at least 2 cavities which are oriented relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the cavities in the cluster are parallel with each other; and
having the robot position the plurality of centrifuge vessels into a plurality of cavities in a same cluster of the centrifuge rotor at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106)
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107. An automated method for introducing a plurality of centrifuge vessels into a centrifuge head comprising:
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taking a centrifuge rotor comprising a rotor body defining a plurality of cavities into which centrifuge vessels are removeably positioned, the plurality of cavities being positioned in two of more clusters about the rotor body, each cluster comprising at least 2 cavities which are oriented relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the cavities in the cluster are parallel with each other;
having a robot position a plurality probes into a plurality of cavities in a same cluster of the centrifuge rotor at the same time; and
having the probes perform a function upon a plurality of samples in the centrifuge vessels in the cavities at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116)
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117. An automated method for processing a sample comprising:
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having a first robot attach a plurality of centrifuge vessels to an arm of the first robot, each centrifuge vessel containing a sample to be processed;
having the first robot move the plurality of centrifuge vessels adjacent a centrifuge rotor, the centrifuge rotor comprising a rotor body defining a plurality of cavities into which the centrifuge vessels may be removeably positioned, the plurality of cavities being positioned in two of more clusters about the rotor body, each cluster comprising at least 2 cavities which are oriented relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the cavities in the cluster are parallel with each other;
having the first robot position the plurality of centrifuge vessels into a plurality of cavities in a same cluster of the centrifuge rotor at the same time;
repeating the first robot attachment and positioning steps until centrifuge vessels are positioned in multiple clusters of cavities in the centrifuge head;
centrifuging the samples in the centrifuge vessels in the centrifuge head; and
processing the centrifuged samples in the centrifuge vessels by having a second robot position a plurality probes into a plurality of cavities in a same cluster of the centrifuge rotor at the same time, and having the probes perform a function upon a plurality of samples in the centrifuge vessels in the cavities at the same time, repeating the second robot positioning and function performing steps for the samples in the centrifuge head. - View Dependent Claims (118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130)
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Specification