Cetus Corporation

Richard A Leath

Joseph T Widunas

Louis M Mezei

Timothy J Wennberg

Roy Merrill

Kari Salomaa

Richard W Reeves

An improved liquid handling device used for transferring a selected quantity of liquid from one receptacle to another. The device includes a meniscus tracking feature which minimizes mixing in a liquid sample and contact between the sample and a sample-handling pipette during a liquid-transfer operation. Further included is a volume-correcting feature for improving the accuracy of volume withdrawn into or dispensed from the pipette during a liquid handling operation.

Liquid handling device and method

An automatic liquid transfer system includes a horizontally translatable table and a vertically translatable set of pipettes. The table accommodates a titer tray having a multiplicity of receptacles to be filled, or holding liquid samples to be diluted, and a rack housing plural rows of disposable tips. During each cycle in a serial dilution process, a fresh set of tips are picked up by the pipettes and used to transfer liquid in a sterile manner from a sample or diluent source to a row of wells in the titer tray, or from one row to a succeeding row of wells where it is mixed with diluent. Thereafter, the tips are discharged back into the rack to maintain sterile conditions during the process. A sensor is provided on the machine to detect whether all of the tips in each set are disengaged and another set successfully picked up.

Liquid sample handling system

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Richard A Leath