Seiko Instruments Inc

Munechika Sakabe

Osamu Segawa

Kiyoshi Kobayashi

Shigeki Yagi

Tomoo Yamamoto

An automatic infinitesimal liquid reactor equipped with a pipetter for dispensing reagents employs two stages which are capable of sliding horizontally. A microplate which has a plurality of recesses in rows is placed in one stage and reagent bottles are placed on the other stage. The pipetter is supported on a horizontal guide rail operating slidably horizontally and along an axis perpendicular to the direction in which the two stages slide. The horizontal guide rail is supported on a vertical guide rail so as to operate slidably in a vertical direction. Thus the pipetter can be moved in a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the two stages slide. When reagents are sucked from reagent bottles, the second stage is slid so that a reagent bottle is superposed below the pipetter and the pipetter is moved downwardly into the reagent bottle to draw in a reagent. When the reagent is discharged, the first stage is slid so that the microplate is superposed below the pipetter and the pipetter is moved downwardly into a recess to discharge the reagent, thereby dispensing a reagent efficiently and minimizing the space required for the reactor.

Infinitesimal liquid reactor

A thermal reaction apparatus for sealing liquid within cavities includes a tray having cavities for storing therein liquid. The cavities have openings arranged at varying levels in thickness direction of the tray. A planar sealing member is disposed on the tray to cover the openings and is comprised of a pair of flexible sheets and viscous fluid filled between the flexible sheets. A pressure plate is disposed on the planar sealing member for applying thereto pressure effective to locally flow the viscous fluid to enable the sealing member to seal the varying levels of the cavity openings to thereby prevent evaporation of the liquid stored in the cavities. Alternatively, the elastic sealing member is comprised of an elastic sheet and projections arranged in registration with the respective cavities, and the pressure plate is disposed in contact with the projections for applying there to pressure effective to deform locally the sealing member through the projections to enable the sealing member to fittably seal the cavity openings. Or, the pressure plate may have projections, instead of the sealing member, in contact with the planar sealing member in registration to the respective cavities.

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Tokyo, Japan

Munechika Sakabe