Fluid-processing system

Claim 2

Apparatus of claim 2 further comprising means for biasing the blade toward displacement from the platen whereby the line is normally open.

Claim 3

Apparatus of claim 2 further comprising means for biasing the blade toward line sealing engagement with the wall portions of the line and with the platen and further comprising means for displacing the blade from the platen to open the line.

Claim 4

Apparatus of claim 4 wherein the platen comprises a portion of a block pivotally mounted in a frame, the block having a pair of legs which intersect each other at an angle, the movable wall portions of the lines lying along the legs within the angle formed by the intersection of the legs, wherein the blade comprises a blade member disposed within the angle formed by the intersection of the legs and having a pair of faces each adapted to compress one of the lines against a leg of the block, and wherein the means for displacing the blade from the platen includes cam means on the frame and corresponding cam means on the blade member for displacing individual faces of the blade member from their corresponding leg in response to pivotal motion of the block in the frame.

Claim 5

Apparatus useful for metering fluids comprising a pipet tube having first and second ends; a first fluid-conducting line selectively communicating with the first end of the pipet tUbe; a second fluid-conducting conducting line selectively communicating with the first end of the pipet tube and with the first line, and forming a three-way intersection therewith, each of the first and second lines having wall portions thereof which are movable with respect to each other between a relative position in which the wall portions of a line releasably seal the line and another relative position in which the wall portions of a line are displaced to open the line; means for introducing a fluid to be metered into the first line; means at the second end of the pipet for selectively applying suction to draw fluid into the pipet, sealing the second end of the pipet and applying fluid pressure to discharge the pipet; and a transport conduit having opposed wall portions thereof adapted to move relative to each other, conduit sealing means for moving a selected plurality of said wall portions in a manner effective to establish a plurality of releasable movable seals in the conduit thereby dividing the conduit into a plurality of chambers, the sealing means, seals and chambers being movable along the conduit; and a second conduit communicating with the first conduit and adapted to communicate with an individual chamber when the position thereof corresponds to the position of the second conduit, the second conduit selectively communicating with the pipet through the second line, and means responsive to the position of the chambers for moving wall portions of the second line to open said second line when the position of an individual chamber corresponds to the position of the second conduit, thereby providing communication between the pipet and the chamber.

Claim 6

Apparatus useful for metering fluids comprising: a pipet tube having first and second ends; first and second fluid-conducting lines communicating with each other and forming a first three-way intersection with the first end of the pipet tube; third and fourth fluid-conducting lines communicating with each other and forming a second three-way intersection with the second end of the pipet tube; means for selectively forming a releasable seal in each of the lines immediately adjacent the intersections, whereby the releasable seals in the lines, the pipet tube and the intersection define a pipet chamber of predetermined volume, said means including movable wall portions of each line adapted to move between a relative position in which the wall portions form a releaseable seal in the line and another relative position in which the wall portions are displaced from each other to open the line; means for coupling the first line to a source of fluid to be metered; means for providing reduced pressure in the third line sufficient to draw a fluid to be metered from the first line into the pipet tube to the third line; means for providing a pressure difference between the second and fourth lines sufficient to discharge fluid from the pipet tube; first sealing means for simultaneously engaging the movable wall portions of the first and third lines to move said wall portions and seal the first and third lines; and second sealing means for simultaneously engaging the movable wall portions of the second and fourth lines to move said wall portions and seal the second and fourth lines.

Claim 7

Apparatus of claim 7 wherein at least one of said lines communicates with a second pipet.

Claim 8

Apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a housing and a platen in the housing, the lines being mounted in the housing against the platen so that the movable wall portions of the first and third lines are aligned in a plane and the movable wall portions of the second and fourth lines are aligned in another plane, and wherein the first and second sealing means comprise first and second blade members movably disposed in the housing for movement toward and away from sealing engagement with the first and third lines and second and fourth lines, respectively.

Claim 9

Apparatus of claim 9 further comprising actuator means operably engaged with the first and second blades for moving said blades in a predetermined cycle of operation having a phase in which the second and fourth lines are sealed by compression between the second blade and the platen while the first blade member is displaced to open the first and third lines, a phase in which all the lines are sealed by compression between their respective blade members and the housing, and a phase in which the first and third lines are sealed by compression between the first blade and the platen while the second blade member is displaced to open the second and fourth lines.

Claim 10

Apparatus useful for metering fluids comprising: a plurality of pipet tubes, each pipet tube having a pair of opposed ends for conducting fluid therethrough, means for charging the pipet tubes with a plurality of fluids to be metered by pressure difference between the ends of the pipet tubes, said means including a plurality of fluid supply lines and suction lines, each fluid supply line and each suction line being in communication with opposed ends of each pipet tube; means for discharging the pipet tubes by pressure difference between the ends of the pipet tubes, said means including a plurality of pressure supply lines and fluid discharge lines, each pressure supply line and each fluid discharge line being in communication with opposed ends of each pipet, and at least one of the pressure supply lines communicating with an end of one of the pipets also being the discharge line communicating with an end of another pipet; means for operating the charging means including means for releaseably sealing the pressure line and the discharge line communicating with each pipet to provide releasable seals in the pressure and discharge lines corresponding to each pipet during charging thereof and means for providing communication between each fluid supply line and a corresponding source of a fluid to be metered in the pipet communicating with the fluid supply line; means for terminating the charging of the pipets including means for releasably sealing the fluid supply line and the suction line communicating with each of the pipets; and means for operating the discharging means including means for releasing the releaseable seals in the pressure lines and the discharge lines, and means for supplying fluid pressure in at least one of the pressure lines for discharging metered fluids from the pipets; each of the lines having wall portions which are movable with respect to each other between a relative position in which said wall portions releasably seal the line and another relative position in which the wall portions are displaced to open the line, the operating means including means for moving the wall portions of the line between said relative positions.

Claim 11

Apparatus of claim 11 wherein the means for forming a releasable seal in each of the lines includes a blade and platen adapted for relative movement with respect to each other, the wall portions of a line being moved together to seal the line by compression between a blade and a platen.

Claim 12

Apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for applying suction in a suction line independently of the operation of the charging means and discharging means.

Claim 13

Apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means including a surge chamber for supplying a predetermined volume of fluid under pressure in a pressure line during the operation of the discharging means.

Claim 14

Apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a transport conduit having opposed wall portions thereof capable of movement relative to each other, conduit sealing means for moving a selected plurality of said conduit portions in a manner effective to establish a plurality of releasable movable seals in said conduit thereby dividing the transport conduit into a plurality of chambers, the sealing means being movable along the transport conduit while maintaining releasable seals and chamBers therein so that the seals and chambers are movable along the conduit, and a second conduit communicating with the transport conduit and adapted to communicate with individual chambers when the position of a chamber corresponds to the position of the second conduit; and wherein at least one of the discharge lines communicates with the second conduit.

Claim 15

In an apparatus for transporting fluids along a transport conduit in separate movable chambers formed therein, the apparatus comprising a transport conduit having opposed wall portions thereof capable of movement relative to each other, conduit-sealing means for moving a selected plurality of said conduit portions in a manner effective to establish a plurality of releasable movable seals in said conduit thereby dividing the transport conduit into a plurality of chambers, the sealing means being movable along the transport conduit while maintaining releasable seals and chambers therein so that the seals and chambers are movable along the conduit, and a second conduit communicating with the transport conduit and adapted to communicate with individual chambers when the position of a chamber corresponds to the position of the second conduit; the improvement which comprises: a plurality of pipets selectively communicating with the second conduit, means for charging each pipet with a first fluid, said charging means including a source of the first fluid and a source of suction, discharge means including a source of a second fluid under pressure for discharging the first fluid from the pipets through the second conduit, pipet-operating means including a plurality of fluid-conducting lines providing selective communication between the pipets and the first fluid source, the suction source, the second fluid source and the second conduit, first line-sealing means for selectively sealing a first plurality of said lines so that the first fluid is drawn into each pipet from the source by suction and second line-sealing means for sealing a second selected plurality of said lines so that the first fluid is discharged from the pipets through the second conduit.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising means responsive to the position of the conduit-sealing means along the transport conduit for actuating the first and second line-sealing means for discharging fluid from the pipets to a chamber of the transport conduit when the chamber communicates with the second conduit.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein an individual chamber of the transport conduit is adapted to contain a volume of fluid in excess of the volume of the pipets and the means for actuating the second line-sealing means are adapted to discharge the first fluid from the pipets and a portion of the second fluid, whereby the pipets and lines are washed with said portion of the second fluid.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising means disposed along the conduit for mixing the fluid contents of a chamber, said means including a plurality of members adapted alternately to compress together and release wall portions of the transport conduit forming an individual chamber thereby driving the contents thereof alternately from one portion of the chamber to another.

Claim 19

Apparatus for pipetting of fluids comprising: a housing, portions of the housing being adapted to receive opposed ends of a pipet; a plurality of fluid-conducting lines carried on the housing and forming three-way fluid-conducting intersections with the pipet end-receiving portions, each of said lines having wall portions movable with respect to each other between a relative position in which the line is sealed and a relative position in which the line is open; means mounted on the housing for selectively moving predetermined wall portions of a first plurality of lines to seal said lines thereby forming two-way intersections between a second plurality of lines and the pipet end receiving portions; means mounted on the housing for selectively moving predetermined wall poRtions of the second plurality of lines to seal the second plurality of lines, thereby forming two-way intersections between the first plurality of lines and the pipet end-receiving portions.

Claim 20

Apparatus of claim 20 further comprising means for actuating the line-sealing means in a predetermined cycle of operation which includes a first phase in which the first plurality of lines is open and the second plurality of lines is sealed, a second phase in which all the lines are sealed and a third phase in which the first plurality of lines is sealed and the second plurality of lines is open.

Claim 22

The method of claim 22 wherein the steps of moving the wall portions comprises the step of compressing the wall portions together to form the seals.

Claim 23

The method claim 22 wherein the second end of the pipet tube comprises one arm of a three-armed intersection of the second end of the pipet tube with a fluid supply line and a discharge line, the fluid supply line communicating with a source of the first fluid under a pressure sufficiently greater than the pressure obtaining in the suction line to permit the first fluid to be drawn through the supply line and pipet tube to the suction line, both of said lines having wall portions capable of movement relative to each other, and wherein charging further comprises the steps of moving wall portions of the discharge line so as to establish a releasable seal therein, and moving the wall portions of the fluid supply line so as to maintain the fluid supply line in an open state; wherein terminating said charging further comprises moving wall portions of the fluid supply line in such a manner as to establish a releasable seal therein so that a pipet chamber of predetermined volume is formed by the pipet tube, the intersections and the seals; and wherein discharging further comprises moving wall portions if the discharge line in such a manner as to release the seal therein and open the discharge line.

Claim 24

The method of claim 24 wherein the discharge line communicates with a conduit having opposed portions capable of movement relative to each other, the discharge line communicating with the conduit at a location along the length thereof; and further comprising the steps of moving a selected plurality of said conduit portions in a manner effective to establish a plurality of spaced releasable seals forming chambers in the conduit, moving the seals relative to the conduit to cause the chambers to move progressively along the conduit thereby causing the chambers to be successively presented at the location along the conduit at which the conduit communicates with the discharge line, and discharging the pipet when a chamber is presented at such location, thereby enabling fluid metered in the pipet chamber to be added to a chamber independently of other such chambers.

Claim 25

The method of claim 24 wherein the discharge line forms one arm of three-armed intersection of the discharge line with a first end of a second pipet tube and with a second suction line adapted to have pressure maintained therein sufficiently below the pressure at a second end of the second pipet tube to draw a third fluid through the second pipet tube from the second end thereof, the pressure line being adapted to provide the second fluid under sufficient relative to the pressure at the second end of the second pipet to discharge the third fluid from the second pipet tube through the second end thereof and to discharge the first fluid from the first pipe tube through the discharge line and through the second pipet tube at the second end thereof, both of said discharge and second suction lines having wall portions capable of movement relative to each other, the method further comprising: charging the second pipet tube, including the steps of moving wall portions of the discharge line in such manner as to establish a releasable seal therein adjacent the intersection with the first end of the second pipet tube, moving the wall portions of the second suction line to displace said wall portions from each other so as to maintain the second suction line in an open state and in communication with the second pipet tube, supplying a third fluid to be metered at the second end of the second pipet tube, and applying suction in the second suction line sufficient to draw the third fluid into the second pipet tube; thereafter terminating said charging, including the step of moving wall portions of the second suction line in such a manner as to establish a releasable seal therein adjacent the intersection with the first end of the second pipet tube so that a pipet chamber of predetermined volume is defined by the pipet tube, the intersection and the seals; and discharging the second pipet, including the step of moving wall portions of the discharge line and the pressure line in such a manner as to release the seal therein and open the pressure line, and supplying the second fluid under pressure in the pressure line sufficient to discharge the third fluid through the second end of the second pipet tube.

Claim 26

The method of claim 26 wherein the step of moving the wall portions comprise the step of compressing the wall portions together to form the seals.

Claim 27

The method of claim 26 wherein discharging the second pipet tube is carried out subsequent to charging of the first pipet tube and wherein the second fluid is supplied under pressure sufficient to discharge both the first and third fluids through the second end of the second pipet tube.

Claim 28

The method of claim 26 wherein sufficient third fluid is supplied to wash the discharge line and the first and second pipet tubes therewith, and wherein suction is applied in the second suction line in such a manner as to draw a portion of the third fluid through the second pipet and into the second suction line, said portion being sufficient to prewash the second pipet.