Beckman Instruments, Inc.

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

David B Helphrey

Peter J Coassin

Jack D McNeal

Charles A Keenan

Roger Winer

Jiunn-Jye Dih

A system for detecting the presence of a target biomolecule in a sample where there is a robotic arm to move a pipette adaptor to the desired reagent locations to facilitate the detection.

Analytical biochemistry system with robotically carried bioarray

The present invention makes use of a single detector to monitor several process functions, e.g. reaction efficiency, reagent flow rates, the presence of empty reagent reservoirs, the absence of a chemical reactor column in the system, blockage of flow system, etc., at a single location in the flow system. In accordance with the detection scheme of the present invention, only one detector is required to accomplish the same, if not more, functions as many detectors in the prior art instruments. In the described embodiment, an optical detector is positioned downstream of a chemical reaction chamber. This detector monitors the effluent from the reaction chamber to monitor the reaction efficiency. It also monitors the system functions upstream of the reaction chamber. System flow rate is monitored by detecting the presence of a gas bubble which has been introduced into the system at a known instance. Depletion of reagents in the reservoirs can be detected by monitoring the absence of the reagents at the detector at times when the reagents are expected. The flow system may be periodically diagnosed to check for flow blockage or missing flow component, by monitoring the flow past the detector which corresponds to a predetermined succession of reagents introduced into the system. Any deviation from a predictable succession of changes in the flow monitored by the detector indicates possible blockage of the flow delivery system or missing flow components.

On-line process flow and reaction monitor

Spectrophotometer purge apparatus comprising a sample compartment including a plurality of walls defining a first sample purge volume. The apparatus may further include a volume reducing wall and fastening means for removably fixing the volume reducing wall within the sample compartment to thereby define a second sample purge volume smaller than the first sample purge volume. A purge gas inlet introduces purge gas into the sample purge volumes. Further the apparatus may comprise a movable partition forming one of the plurality of walls and the volume reducing wall. In such an embodiment, the fastening means may further include means for removably fixing the movable partition to thereby define the first sample purge volume. The apparatus advantageously enables the sample purge volume to be adjusted as required to thereby optimize purge efficiency in a spectrophotometer.

Spectrophotometer purge apparatus

A method of identifying an operating position of a multiple-position filter changing mechanism situated in an optical path of a spectrophotometer by detecting and measuring a spectral characteristic(s) of light passed along the optical path to the spectrophotometer detector for one or more operating positions of the filter mechanism and comparing the measured spectral characteristic(s) with stored spectral characteristic information for one or more operating positions of the filter mechanism.

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Santa Ana, CA, United States of America

David B Helphrey