Gen-Probe, Inc.

Gary D Lair

Byron J Knight

James P Light, Ii

Haitao Li

Christopher B Davis

Robert E Heinz

Robert F Scalese

Thanh N Nguyen

Jerzy A Macioszek

Florence Li

James M Carrick

Florence F Li

James P Light

Christopher Brandon Davis

George T Walker

Matthias Merten

Haito Li

A laboratory automated system includes a conveyor assembly, a dock that that is movable between first and second positions, a drive assembly for moving the dock between the first and second positions, and a diverter for diverting a sample receptacle carrier from the conveyor assembly to the dock. The dock includes a first carrier support portion having a planar surface for supporting the sample receptacle carrier as the dock moves between the first and second positions. The dock includes an upwardly extending second carrier support portion situated adjacent the first carrier support portion. The second carrier support portion has a contoured side surface. The dock includes one or more magnets fixedly contained within or disposed on the second carrier support portion to magnetically couple with a magnetic portion of the sample receptacle carrier.

Laboratory automated systems for transporting sample receptacle carriers

A laboratory automated system can include a host conveyor assembly configured to transport a plurality of carriers and receptacles coupled thereto between at least a sample processing instrument and at least one assay instrument. The system includes an intermediate conveyor assembly configured to transport a plurality of carriers and receptacles coupled thereto from within sample processing instrument to the host conveyor assembly. The system also includes an intermediate conveyor assembly for each assay instrument configured to transport a plurality of carriers from host conveyor assembly to a respective processing position within the assay instrument. The intermediate conveyor assembly coupled to the assay instrument can include a buffer conveyor subassembly configured to receive carriers from the host conveyor assembly, and a spur conveyor assembly configured to transport a carrier to the processing position of the assay instrument.

Apparatus for transporting sample receptacle carriers

A conveyor assembly for transporting a carrier coupled to a receptacle to a processing station located within a housing of an instrument. The conveyor assembly includes a spur conveyor subassembly and a buffer conveyor subassembly for transporting the carrier from a host conveyor assembly to the spur conveyor subassembly. The spur conveyor subassembly includes (i) a rotatable diverter having at least one recess for receiving and moving the carrier between the buffer conveyor subassembly and the spur conveyor subassembly and (ii) a gripper configured to grasp the carrier and move it from the diverter to the processing position located within the housing of the instrument.

Conveyor assembly

A device for releasably holding an elongated object, such as a test tube, in a predetermined orientation includes a gripping element configured for circumferential expansion and contraction with respect to the object. An actuator element coupled to the gripping element is configured to effect circumferential expansion of the gripping element to an expanded configuration able to receive an end of the elongated object. A locking mechanism coupled to the actuator element is configured to lock the actuator element in a position holding the gripping element in the expanded configuration. A lock release mechanism is configured to be triggered by an elongated object inserted into the expanded gripping element and to release the locking mechanism, thereby allowing the biased gripping element to return to a contracted configuration gripping a portion of the object. The device and an object held thereby can be conveyed on a conveyor.

Device for releasably holding an elongated object in a predetermined orientation and system for transporting an elongated object disposed in a predetermined orientation

A continuous process for performing multiple nucleic acid amplification assays, where at least a portion of a second subset of reaction mixtures are transferred to a heater while a first subset of reaction mixtures are being subjected to conditions for performing a nucleic acid amplification assay. During the process, a plurality of reaction mixtures from the first and second subsets of reaction mixtures are simultaneously subjected to conditions sufficient to perform multiple nucleic acid amplification assays in the reaction mixtures. The presence or absence of a target nucleic acid in the first subset of reaction mixtures is determined while the reaction mixtures are in the heater.

Continuous process for performing multiple nucleic acid amplification assays

An automated analyzer for performing multiple diagnostic assays simultaneously includes multiple stations in which discrete aspects of the assay are performed on fluid samples contained in sample vessels. The analyzer includes stations for automatically preparing a sample, incubating the sample, preforming an analyte isolation procedure, ascertaining the presence of a target analyte, and analyzing the amount of a target analyte. An automated receptacle transporting system moves the sample vessels from one station to the next. A method for performing an automated diagnostic assay includes an automated process for isolating and amplifying a target analyte, and, in one embodiment, a method for real-time monitoring of the amplification process.

Method for continuous mode processing of the contents of multiple reaction receptacles in a real-time amplification assay

System for performing multi-formatted assays

Method for continuous mode processing of multiple reaction receptacles in a real-time amplification assay

Signal measuring system for conducting real-time amplification assays

Method for performing multi-formatted assays

An automated analyzer for performing multiple diagnostic assays simultaneously includes multiple stations in which discrete aspects of the assay are performed on fluid samples contained in reaction receptacles. The analyzer includes stations for automatically preparing a sample, incubating the sample, preforming an analyte isolation procedure, ascertaining the presence of a target analyte, and analyzing the amount of a target analyte. An automated receptacle transporting system moves the reaction receptacles from one station to the next. A method for performing an automated diagnostic assay includes an automated process for isolating and amplifying a target analyte, and, in one embodiment, a method for real-time monitoring of the amplification process.

Signal measuring system having a movable signal measuring device

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Gary D Lair