Microplate washer

Claim 1

An apparatus for the alternate filling and evacuation of all wells simultaneously of a multiwell microplate, said apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber defined by two parallel plates designated an upper plate and a lower plate, respectively, said plates separated by peripheral spacing means, said lower plate having affixed therein a plurality of tubes spaced apart from each other, each said tube passing through said lower plate and perpendicular thereto, said tubes forming a rectangular array such that, when said chamber is superimposed over said microplate, a pair of said tubes is aligned with each well of said microplate, the portions of each tube of said pair which extend below said lower plate being of unequal length, the tube with the shorter portion below the lower plate being designated a filling tube and the tube with the longer portion below the lower plate being designated an evacuation tube, said filling tube extending upward through said chamber and said upper plate, and said evacuation tube terminating within said chamber above the lower plate, a support for said microplate, said support comprising a substantially flat horizontal surface containing guide means adapted to secure said microplate in a predetermined position on said support surface, means for maintaining said vacuum chamber in vertical alignment with said support with said upper and lower plates of said vacuum chamber and said support surface in parallel relation, and for narrowing and widening the distance between said vacuum chamber and said support surface while substantially maintaining said parallel relation, stop means for setting a minimum spacing distance between said vacuum chamber and said support surface such that when said distance is at said minimum, the exposed end of each said evacuation tube is sufficiently close to the bottom of the corresponding well in said microplate to permit evacuation of substantially all liquid from said well, means for applying a vacuum to said vacuum chamber, and means for supplying pressurized fluid to each said filling tube at the upper end thereof.

Claim 2

An apparatus for the alternate filling and evacuation of all wells simultaneously of a multiwell microplate, said apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber defined by two parallel plates designated an upper plate and a lower plate, respectively, said plates separated by peripheral spacing means, said lower plate having affixed therein a plurality of tubes spaced apart from each other, each said tube passing through said lower plate and perpendicular thereto, said tubes forming a rectangular array such that, when said chamber is superimposed over said microplate, a pair of said tubes is aligned with each well of said microplate, the portions of each tube of said pair which extend below said lower plate being of unequal length, the tube with the shorter portion below the lower plate being designated a filling tube and the tube with the longer portion below the lower plate being designated an evacuation tube, said filling tube extending upward through said chamber and said upper plate, and said evacuation tube terminating within said chamber above the lower plate, a support for said microplate, said support comprising a substantially flat horizontal surface containing guide means adapted to secure said microplate in a predetermined position on said support surface, means for maintaining said vacuum chamber in vertical alignment with said support with said upper and lower plates of said vacuum chamber and said support surface in parallel relation, and for narrowing and widening the distance between said vacuum chamber and said support surface while substantially maintaining said parallel relation, stop means for setting a minimum spacing distance between said vacuum chamber and said support surface such that when said distance is at said minimum, the exposed end of each said evacuation tube is sufficiently close to the bottom of the corresponding well in said microplate to permit evacuation of substantially all liquid from said well, means for applying a vacuum to said vacuum chamber, and means for supplying pressurized fluid to each said filling tube at the upper end thereof.