HK1107540B - Drop catcher - Google Patents

Description

Droplet catcher

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for capturing droplets from a pipette mechanically attached to a pipetting device in the field of nucleic acid purification and amplification.

The invention further relates to a method for pipetting liquids with a reduced possibility of contaminating an analysis instrument and liquids or/and samples placed on said analysis instrument.

Furthermore, the invention relates to an analytical instrument comprising at least a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets from a pipette mechanically attached to said pipetting device, wherein the movement of the device for capturing droplets is coupled to the movement of said pipetting device.

In addition, the invention relates to the use of a passive guide for mechanically linking the movement of the apparatus for capturing droplets to the movement of the pipetting apparatus, which positions said apparatus for capturing droplets below the opening of said pipetting apparatus when said pipetting apparatus is in a rest position.

Background

Devices for capturing droplets for a variety of applications are known in the art. WO200071330 describes a semi-automated lamination process and apparatus for laminating spherical and cylindrical powered ophthalmic lens blanks with appropriately taken self-aligned lens blanks. Here, the instrument may include a drip tray with removable inserts for capturing hardenable liquid adhesive from syringes located at different operating positions on the frame below the syringe applicator. In particular, when the syringe is subjected to a priming step to reduce the occurrence of bubbles, the drip tray is actively carried under the syringe to receive the consumed liquid adhesive. In this case, the drip plate is not intended to prevent contamination of the device by inadvertent discharge of liquid, but rather serves as a reservoir for consumed liquid during filling of the syringe. Furthermore, the movement of the drip tray is not mechanically linked to the vertical movement of the syringe.

In the field of accounting research and sample preparation, droplet catchers have been used in instruments such as MagNAPure Compact or MagNA PureLC (both manufactured by Roche applied science) to prevent inadvertent liquid discharge from pipetting devices. Both instruments include an oval droplet catcher carried by the upper side of the magnet unit. As long as the pipetting device is moved by the first actuator above the reagent/sample stage, the liquid droplet catch is actively placed by the second actuator below the pipetting device to prevent possible droplets from dripping from the pipetting device onto the instrument and thus from contaminating the reagent/sample stage, the reagent or other sample.

EP 1110609 discloses a multi-chamber assembly and a pipette assembly for processing a fluid sample comprising nucleic acids, comprising contamination prevention means for preventing fluid taken from a first chamber from being dispersed into a second chamber. The pipette assembly has a movement action along the line of the rows of sample chambers, wherein the up-and-down movement action is performed by the first movement unit and the second movement unit moves the contamination prevention device with respect to the sample chambers. In a particular embodiment, a contamination shield may also be attached to the pipette assembly. This embodiment has the disadvantage that the opening of the pipette assembly is not covered by the contamination prevention device when the pipette assembly is moved and therefore cannot receive and incorporate liquid escaping from the opening of the pipette assembly or dripping from the outer wall of the pipette assembly when the pipette assembly is withdrawn from the multi-chamber assembly.

EP 1508809 discloses a sample analyzer for nucleic acid detection, the analyzer comprising a droplet removal member. The movement of the small liquid removal member is not mechanically linked to the movement of the dispensing unit and therefore two separate actuators need to be used to drive these movements.

With integrated systems, droplet catchers as used for MagNA Pure Compact, MagNA PureLC instruments or as disclosed in EP 1110609 and EP 1508809 have the common disadvantage that the active movement of the droplet catcher is performed by the second actuator independently of the movement of the pipetting device performed by the first actuator. However, integrating a second actuator on the pipetting head is very space consuming and also expensive. Furthermore, a droplet catch as described before is useless when more than one pipetting device is mounted on the pipetting head and when these pipetting devices should be operated independently of each other without increasing the possibility of contaminating the instrument.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for capturing droplets and a method for pipetting liquids without applying a second actuator to move the apparatus for capturing droplets and thus accomplish the task of minimizing the possibility of contamination of the analytical instrument.

According to a first aspect of the invention, this problem is solved by an apparatus for capturing droplets from a pipette, said apparatus for capturing droplets being mechanically attached to a pipetting apparatus and being movable to a position below an opening of said pipette, and the motion of said apparatus for capturing droplets being mechanically linked to the motion of said pipetting apparatus, wherein said apparatus for capturing droplets comprises at least:

a frame comprising a passive guide for attaching said apparatus for capturing droplets to said pipetting apparatus, said pipetting apparatus comprising a spike for linking said pipetting apparatus and said passive guide, and

a droplet catcher container adapted to receive and merge liquids when the device for catching droplets is positioned below said opening of said pipette.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved by a method for pipetting liquids, which method minimizes the possibility of contaminating an analysis instrument, the liquid and/or a sample placed on said analysis instrument, which method comprises at least:

providing a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets mechanically attached to said pipetting device on said instrument,

moving said pipetting arrangement at the end of the pipetting process, and

moving said means for capturing droplets to a position below and thereby shielding said opening of said pipetting means, which permits said means for capturing droplets to receive and merge liquid emerging from said pipetting means after the end of the pipetting process and thereby prevents inadvertent discharge of liquid onto said analytical instrument and/or onto liquids and samples placed on said analytical instrument,

in which a device for capturing droplets according to the invention is used.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the above object is fulfilled by an analytical instrument comprising at least:

an apparatus for capturing droplets according to the present invention, and

a pipetting device mechanically attached to said apparatus for capturing droplets, the pipetting device comprising a pipette and a spike for linking said pipetting device to a passive guide of said apparatus for capturing droplets,

wherein said means for capturing droplets is movable to a position below said opening of said pipette and wherein the motion of said means for capturing droplets is mechanically linked to the motion of said pipetting means.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the above object is met by using a passive guide for mechanically linking the movement of an apparatus for capturing droplets to the movement of a pipetting apparatus, which positions said apparatus for capturing droplets below an opening of said pipetting apparatus when said pipetting apparatus is in a rest position, wherein an apparatus for capturing droplets according to the invention is used.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the above intention in the field of nucleic acid purification and/or amplification is accomplished by using an analytical instrument comprising at least a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets from a pipette mechanically attached to said pipetting device, wherein said means for capturing droplets is passively movable to a position below said opening of said pipette and thereby shields said opening of said pipetting means, this allows the device for capturing droplets to receive and combine liquid emerging from the pipetting device and thus prevents inadvertent discharge of liquid onto the analytical instrument and/or onto liquids and samples placed on the analytical instrument, the movement of the device for capturing droplets is mechanically linked to the movement of the pipetting device and the device for capturing droplets is a device according to the invention.

The main advantage of the present invention is that since the movement of the device for capturing droplets is mechanically linked to the movement of the pipetting device, there is no need to mount a second actuator to move the device for capturing droplets to a position below the opening of said pipetting device, which is very space-and cost-saving. Furthermore, in fully automated analytical instruments, this leads to reduced complexity and reduced effort to monitor the reliability of the movement of the device for capturing droplets by means of the sensor, since it is possible to monitor only two movements with one sensor, namely the movement of the pipetting device and the movement of the device for capturing droplets. The invention thus contributes to a simplified composition of the analytical instrument without the need for a second sensor for monitoring the movement of the second actuator. One sensor and one actuator can control two different but linked functions (movement of the pipetting device and movement of the device for capturing droplets).

A further advantage of the present invention is that each pipetting device mounted on the pipetting head is coupled to a device for capturing droplets. It is thus possible to operate each pipetting device independently of the other without increasing the possibility of contaminating the instrument. The pipetting head is moved in such a way that one pipetting device is located in the desired position for the pipetting process. Movement of the pipetting device results in movement of a device for capturing droplets positioned below the opening of the pipetting device. The opening of the pipetting device is thus unprotected and liquid can be dispensed from the pipetting device into the vessel. At the end of the pipetting process, the pipetting device is moved again, thus again shielding the opening of the pipetting device, and after the end of the pipetting process this permits the device for capturing drops to receive and merge the liquid emerging from the pipetting device. During the pipetting process, the openings of the other pipetting devices mounted on the pipetting head remain covered. Thus, this configuration minimizes the possibility of contamination during the pipetting process and the pipetting head movement.

Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a view of a first embodiment of the invention from a first perspective view (a) and a second perspective view (B), wherein a disc carrier (22) is fixed to an apparatus for capturing droplets by means of fixing means (23) and the position of a removable disc (24).

Fig. 2 shows a view of a first embodiment of the invention, wherein the device for capturing droplets is mechanically attached to the pipetting device (13) by spikes for the first passive guide (12) and the second passive guide (32).

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention illustrating a method for pipetting liquids minimizing the possibility of contamination of the analytical instrument, wherein the device for capturing droplets is mechanically attached to the pipetting device and the pipetting device is in the pipetting position (a), the movement at the end of the pipetting process (B) and the opening of the pipetting device are shielded by the device for capturing droplets (C).

Fig. 4 shows a view of a specific embodiment of the invention, where the apparatus for capturing droplets is mechanically attached to the pipetting apparatus (13) by spikes for the first passive guide (12) and the second passive guide (32), and the opening of the pipetting apparatus is shielded (a) by the apparatus for capturing droplets and the pipetting apparatus is in the pipetting position (B).

Fig. 5 shows a view of another embodiment of the invention, where the apparatus for capturing droplets is mechanically attached to the pipetting apparatus (13) by spikes for the first passive guide (12) and the second passive guide (32), and the opening of the pipetting apparatus is shielded (a) by the apparatus for capturing droplets and the pipetting apparatus is in the pipetting position (B).

Fig. 6 shows a view of another embodiment of the invention, where the apparatus for capturing droplets is mechanically attached to the pipetting apparatus (13) by a spike for the first passive guide (12) and the opening of the pipetting apparatus is shielded (a) by the apparatus for capturing droplets and the pipetting apparatus is in the pipetting position (B).

Fig. 7 shows a view of another embodiment of the invention, where the apparatus for capturing droplets is mechanically attached to the pipetting apparatus (13) by spikes for the first passive guide (12) and the second passive guide (32), and the opening of the pipetting apparatus is shielded (a) by the apparatus for capturing droplets and the pipetting apparatus is in the pipetting position (B).

Detailed Description

As used herein, the term "analytical instrument" refers to an instrument that is capable of automated manipulation and processing of a sample. In a preferred embodiment, the analytical instrument may be used for fully automated sample preparation and/or nucleic acid amplification and/or amplification product detection.

In this regard, a "pipetting device" includes an integrally constructed pipetting module having an inlet/outlet that can be connected to or integrally constructed with a removable "pipetting tip" and can be used to aspirate or dispense liquids. During pipetting, liquid will be aspirated to or dispensed from the "pipette tip". In a preferred embodiment, the "pipette tip" may be a disposable "pipette tip" made of one or more plastic materials (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene). In another preferred embodiment, the "pipetting tip" may be a needle or a steel needle.

In a preferred embodiment, the "pipetting device" is considered to be part of the analytical instrument. The "pipetting device" is mounted on the "mounting surface" in such a way that the "pipetting device" can be moved relative to the "mounting surface". In another preferred embodiment, the "pipetting device" may be mounted on the "pipetting head". The "pipetting head" may be controlled by a control unit of the analytical instrument and moved in a horizontal plane, thereby providing a liquid transfer from a first position in the analytical instrument to a second position in the analytical instrument.

The device for capturing droplets according to the invention consists of a "frame", an "adjustable mount" and a "droplet catcher container". In a preferred embodiment, the "frame" comprises at least one "passive guide" and is made of stainless steel, aluminum, hard plastic or composite material. A "composite" is an engineered material composed of two or more components. One component is often a strong fiber such as glass, quartz, Kevlar, Dyneema or carbon fiber, which imparts tensile strength to the material, while the other component (referred to as the matrix) is often a resin such as polyester or epoxy, which bonds the fibers together, transferring loads from broken fibers to those that are unbroken and between fibers that are not oriented along a line of tension. Unless the chosen matrix is particularly flexible, it also prevents the fibers from forming buckles in compression. In terms of stress, any fiber is used to resist tension, the matrix is used to resist shear, and all materials present are used to resist compression. The "passive guide" forms a means for mechanically coupling the apparatus for capturing droplets to the pipetting apparatus. An "adjustable mount" is located at a first and upper end of the apparatus for capturing droplets and serves as a means for securing the apparatus for capturing droplets to a mounting surface carrying a pipetting apparatus. The frame comprising the passive guide may form a crank or cam disc which, when used in conjunction with the adjustable mounting, may serve as a mechanical drive, in particular a cam mechanism. The main function of such a drive is to change the motion and kinetic energy. In particular embodiments, vertical motion of the device may be converted to rotational motion through the use of such a mechanism.

A "droplet catcher vessel" is positioned at the second and lower end of the device for catching droplets and is adapted to receive and merge liquids. Herein, "droplet catcher container" includes "disc carrier", "fixture", and removable disc. The "disc carrier" is preferably made of plastic or stainless steel and can be permanently or reversibly fixed to the "frame" by "fixing means". Such "securing means" include, but are not limited to, screws, rivets, pins, nails, spikes, glue or other adhesives and accomplish the task of permanently or reversibly attaching the "disk carrier" to the "frame". The "removable tray" is sized and formed to fit easily into the "tray carrier" and may be disposable or may be produced from an autoclavable material. In a particular embodiment, the dimensions of the "droplet catcher vessel" are chosen such that it can incorporate the total volume of the "pipetting tip", which is advantageous in that even a malfunction of the "pipetting device" does not lead to contamination of the analysis device.

In the sense of the present invention, a "spike for a passive guide" is a pin which is dimensioned in such a way that it fits into and can slide along the "passive guide". In a particular embodiment, the pin may be a ball socket pin. In a preferred embodiment, the spike may include a head and/or a notch at one end of the pin that allows the "spike" to be deployed and secured to the "passive guide" without allowing the "spike" to escape from the "passive guide". In the field of the present invention, a "pipetting process" is considered to comprise a pipetting and dispensing step, wherein liquid can be pipetted from or dispensed from a device for receiving liquid into or out of a pipetting device.

Fig. 1 shows a detailed depiction of a first preferred embodiment of a device for capturing droplets from a first (a) and a second (B) perspective view. The frame 21 comprises a first passive guide 27 and a second passive guide 28 for attaching the device for capturing droplets to a pipetting device. The first preferred embodiment of the device for capturing droplets further comprises an adjustable mount 26 at the upper end and a droplet catcher container 25 at the lower end. The droplet catcher vessel 25 preferably comprises a tray carrier 22 and a removable tray 24, the tray carrier 22 being fixed to the frame 21 by fixing means 23. In a preferred embodiment, the frame 21 and the drop trap container 25 form substantially a right angle. The removable tray 24 may be disposable or may be made of an autoclavable material. The use of a disposable tray as a removable tray has the advantage that the liquid in the droplet catcher container can be removed and easily discarded. On the other hand the use of an autoclavable removable tray has the advantage that it can be reused after cleaning, reducing the amount of waste.

Fig. 2 shows a first preferred embodiment of the device for capturing droplets mechanically attached to a pipetting device 13. The device for capturing droplets can be moved to a position below the opening of the pipetting tip 11 and this movement of the device for capturing droplets is mechanically linked to the movement of the pipetting device. The coupling of the two movements is first accomplished by hooking the device for capturing droplets in the pipetting device by engaging the spikes of the first passive guide 12 for the pipetting device with the first passive guide 27 of the device for capturing droplets. Secondly, the upper end of the apparatus for capturing droplets is connected to a mounting surface 31 carrying the pipetting apparatus 13 by a flexible and movable adjustable mount 26. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting surface 31 may carry a second spike 32, and the second spike 32 may engage with the second passive guide 28 of the frame 21. In a more preferred embodiment, the second passive guide 28 is generally perpendicular to the first passive guide 27.

Fig. 3 depicts different stages of a pipetting process using an embodiment of an apparatus for capturing droplets mechanically attached to a pipetting apparatus, as outlined in (a-C) above. During the pipetting process, the pipetting device 13 is moved relative to the mounting surface 31. The starting position of the pipetting process is shown in fig. 3A. The droplet catcher vessel 25 of the device for catching droplets is positioned below the opening of the pipetting tip 11 of the pipetting device 13. Because of the mechanical coupling of the pipetting device with the device for capturing droplets, the movement of the pipetting device 13 in the first direction causes a movement of the device for capturing droplets, which results in a backswing of the droplet catcher receptacle transferred by the interaction of the second passive guide 28 and the second spike 32 and thus in an exposure of the opening of the pipetting device, as shown in fig. 3B. Further movement of the pipetting device 13 allows the pipette tips 11 to reach a position for aspirating and/or dispensing liquids (see fig. 3C). After aspirating and/or dispensing the liquid, the pipetting device 13 is moved in a second direction (opposite to the first direction) to move the pipetting device back to the position shown in fig. 3A and thus passively place again the droplet catcher receptacle of the device for catching droplets below the opening of the pipetting device 13 and allow the device for catching droplets to receive and consolidate the liquid emerging from the pipetting device 13. In a preferred embodiment, the movement of the pipetting device is a vertical movement and the movement of the device for capturing droplets is a horizontal movement.

Further embodiments of the apparatus for capturing droplets mechanically attached to the pipetting apparatus 13 by at least one spike are shown in fig. 4, 5, 6 and 7. In the illustration (a) of fig. 4, 5, 6 and 7, the opening of the pipetting device is shielded by the device for capturing droplets, whereas in the illustration (B) of fig. 4, 5, 6 and 7, the pipetting device is in the pipetting position and the device for capturing droplets is moved to uncover the opening of the pipetting tip 11, which movement is caused by the mechanical coupling of the movement of the pipetting device and the pipetting device. This coupling of the two movements in these embodiments is in particular done by hooking the device for capturing droplets into the pipetting device by engaging the spikes of the first passive guide 12 for the pipetting device with the first passive guide 27 of the device for capturing droplets. Furthermore, the upper end of the device for capturing droplets is connected to a mounting surface 31 carrying the pipetting device 13 by means of a flexible and movable adjustable mount 26. As shown in the embodiment of fig. 4 and 5, the pivot point of the passive guide 27 and the structure of the adjustable mount 26 may vary. Preferably, the mounting surface 31 of the embodiment shown in fig. 4 and 5 may carry a second spike 32, the second spike 32 being engageable with the second passive guide 28 of the frame 21. Fig. 6 shows an embodiment in which the pipetting device comprises one spike 12, which spike 12 hooks into the passive guide 27 of the device for capturing droplets. The frame 21 of the device for capturing droplets is flexibly fixed to the mounting surface 31, preferably by linear rails. In this embodiment, the larger part of the passive guide 27 is positioned substantially perpendicular to the movement of the pipetting device 13, which results in a linear movement of the device for capturing droplets and thus uncovering the opening of the pipetting tip 11. Fig. 7 depicts a particular embodiment of the device for capturing droplets shown in fig. 6, wherein the mounting surface 31 additionally comprises spikes for the second passive guide and wherein the linear trajectory is the second passive guide 32. This assembly permits linear horizontal movement of the apparatus for capturing droplets coupled to vertical movement of the pipetting apparatus, thus freeing the opening of the pipetting apparatus from being shielded to allow pipetting operation of the pipetting apparatus.

In other preferred embodiments, the pipetting device may be mounted on a pipetting head which can be controlled by the control unit of the analysis apparatus and moved in a horizontal plane. This embodiment has the advantage that a liquid transfer from a first position within the analysis instrument to a second position within the analysis instrument can be provided without the possibility of contaminating the analysis instrument, the liquid placed thereon and/or the sample.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the pipetting head comprises more than one pipetting device. In particular between 2 and 24, preferably 2 to 16, more preferably 2 to 8, even more preferably 2 to 4, individual pipetting devices can be mounted on the pipetting head. In another preferred embodiment, each pipetting device comprises a separate device for capturing droplets, which allows for independent pipetting processes without increasing the probability of contaminating the analysis instrument and/or the entity placed on the analysis instrument. Furthermore, such an embodiment has the advantage that more than one pipetting process can be performed independently at a first position within the analysis instrument without moving the pipetting head.

Another preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for pipetting liquids which minimizes the possibility of contaminating the analysis instrument, the liquid and/or the sample placed on the analysis instrument. In a first step, a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets mechanically attached to the pipetting device are provided on the analytical instrument. At the end of the pipetting process, the pipetting device is moved relative to the device for capturing droplets. Because the apparatus for capturing droplets is mechanically coupled to the pipetting apparatus, moving the pipetting apparatus results in movement of the apparatus for capturing droplets below and thus shields the opening of the pipetting apparatus, which permits the apparatus for capturing droplets to receive and consolidate liquid emerging from the pipetting apparatus. Inadvertent discharge of liquid onto the analytical instrument and/or onto liquids and samples placed on the analytical instrument is thus prevented.

In another embodiment, the method for pipetting liquids further comprises providing a mounting surface on the analytical instrument to which the apparatus for capturing droplets is attached. Initially, the apparatus for capturing droplets is positioned below the opening of the pipetting apparatus. Because of the mechanical coupling of the device for capturing droplets to the pipetting device, a movement of the pipetting device relative to and proportional to the mounting surface before the pipetting process starts causes a movement of the device for capturing droplets and thus exposes the opening of the pipetting device. The pipetting process is performed after exposing the opening of the pipetting device.

In a particular embodiment of the method for pipetting liquids, the device for capturing droplets is attached to the pipetting device by a passive guide. In a preferred embodiment, the pipetting device is moved vertically at the end of the pipetting process and the device for capturing droplets is moved horizontally. In another embodiment, the pipetting device is mounted on the pipetting head and the pipetting head may comprise between 1 and 24, preferably between 1 and 16, more preferably between 1 and 8, even more preferably between 1 and 4 pipetting devices. The pipetting head may be controlled by a control unit of the analysis instrument and may be moved in a horizontal plane. This embodiment has the advantage that a liquid transfer from a first position within the analysis instrument to a second position within the analysis instrument can be provided without the possibility of contaminating the analysis instrument, the liquid placed on the analysis instrument and/or the sample. In a further preferred embodiment, the device for capturing droplets comprises a removable tray, which may be a disposable tray, or made of an autoclavable material.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an analysis instrument comprising at least a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets from a pipette mechanically attached to the pipetting device, wherein the movement of said device for capturing droplets is mechanically coupled to the movement of said pipetting device. In a further embodiment, the analytical instrument further comprises an actuator for moving the pipetting device. In a preferred embodiment, the movement of the pipetting device is a vertical movement. In a particular embodiment, the analytical instrument may comprise a device for capturing droplets according to any of the embodiments described above. In another embodiment, the aspiration and dispense processes will not occur at the same location within the analytical instrument. Thus, during this movement of the pipetting device, the possibility of contamination of the analytical instrument is reduced by the device for capturing droplets.

Such analytical instruments may be used in the fields of sample preparation and purification of biological materials (e.g., antibody antigen assays, urinalysis), but may also be used for nucleic acid assays (NAT), purification, amplification and/or detection.

A further aspect of the invention relates to the use of a passive guide for mechanically linking the movement of the apparatus for capturing droplets to the movement of the pipetting apparatus, which positions the apparatus for capturing droplets below the opening of the pipetting apparatus when the pipetting apparatus is in the rest position. The use of such a passive guide has the advantage that it couples the movements of two different devices (e.g. a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets). The two devices may be moved by one actuator, where the actuator actively moves the first device (e.g., a pipetting device) and the second device (e.g., a device for capturing droplets) passively moves to a desired location to allow the second device to complete its designated task. Thus, no second actuator and a second sensor for controlling the action of the second actuator are required for moving the second device, which saves space and costs and furthermore leads to increased reliability. Furthermore, the passive guide serves as a reduction. When the passive guide mechanically links the motion of the apparatus for capturing droplets to the motion of the pipetting apparatus, the fast vertical motion that moves the actuation of the pipetting apparatus causes a smooth and relatively slow horizontal motion of the apparatus for capturing droplets. In certain embodiments, the frame 21 including the passive guide 27 may further include a second passive guide 28, the second passive guide 28 being positioned radially to the adjustable mount 26. Thus, when the pipetting device is moved vertically, liquid that may be present in the removable tray 24 of the device for capturing droplets will not be agitated and splashed out.

Legend for the numbers used in the drawings

11 pipette tip

Spike 12 for a first passive guide

13 pipetting device

21 frame

22 disc carrier

23 fixing device

24 removable disk

25 droplet catcher vessel

26 Adjustable mounting

27 first passive guide

28 second passive guide

31 mounting surface

32 spike for a second passive guide

Claims (19)

1. An apparatus for capturing a droplet from a pipette, said apparatus for capturing a droplet being mechanically attached to a pipetting apparatus and movable to a position below an opening of said pipette and the motion of said apparatus for capturing a droplet being mechanically linked to the motion of said pipetting apparatus, wherein said apparatus for capturing a droplet comprises at least:

a frame comprising a passive guide for attaching said apparatus for capturing droplets to said pipetting apparatus, said pipetting apparatus comprising a spike for linking said pipetting apparatus and said passive guide, and

a droplet catcher container adapted to receive and merge liquids when the device for catching droplets is positioned below said opening of said pipette.

2. An apparatus for capturing droplets according to claim 1, wherein the droplet catcher vessel includes at least a tray carrier mounted to the frame.

3. An apparatus for capturing droplets according to claim 2, wherein the droplet catcher vessel further comprises a fixing means for reversibly or permanently fixing the disk carrier to the frame.

4. An apparatus for capturing droplets according to any of claims 2 and 3, wherein the droplet catcher vessel further comprises a removable tray.

5. An apparatus for capturing droplets of liquid as in claim 4, wherein the removable disk is disposable.

6. An apparatus for capturing droplets of liquid as in claim 4, wherein the removable disk is made of an autoclavable material.

7. An apparatus for capturing droplets of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable mount connecting an upper end of the apparatus for capturing droplets to a mounting surface carrying a pipetting apparatus.

8. A method for pipetting liquids, which method minimizes the possibility of contaminating an analysis instrument, a liquid and/or a sample placed on said analysis instrument, which method at least comprises:

providing a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets mechanically attached to said pipetting device on said instrument,

moving said pipetting arrangement at the end of the pipetting process, and

moving said means for capturing droplets to a position below and thereby shielding said opening of said pipetting means, permitting said means for capturing droplets to receive and merge liquid emerging from said pipetting means after the end of a pipetting process, and thereby preventing inadvertent discharge of liquid onto said analytical instrument and/or onto liquids and samples placed on said analytical instrument,

in which a device for capturing droplets according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is used.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a mounting surface on said analytical instrument, said means for capturing droplets being attached to the mounting surface,

positioning said device for capturing droplets below an opening of said pipetting device,

moving said pipetting device relative to said mounting surface before the pipetting process starts, causing movement of said means for capturing droplets and thereby exposing an opening of said pipetting device,

the pipetting process is carried out.

10. An analysis instrument, comprising at least:

apparatus for capturing droplets according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and

a pipetting device mechanically attached to said apparatus for capturing droplets, the pipetting device comprising a pipette and a spike for linking said pipetting device to a passive guide of said apparatus for capturing droplets,

wherein said means for capturing droplets is movable to a position below said opening of said pipette and wherein the motion of said means for capturing droplets is mechanically linked to the motion of said pipetting means.

11. The analytical instrument of claim 10, further comprising an actuator for moving the pipetting device.

12. An analysis apparatus according to any one of claims 10 and 11, wherein said pipetting device is mounted on a pipetting head.

13. An analysis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the movement of the pipetting device is a vertical movement and the resulting movement of the means for capturing droplets is a horizontal movement.

14. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said pipetting head comprises between 1 and 24 separate pipetting devices.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each pipetting device is mechanically coupled to the device for capturing droplets.

16. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said pipetting head is movable vertically and horizontally within the analysis apparatus.

17. Use of a passive guide for mechanically linking the movement of an apparatus for capturing droplets to the movement of a pipetting apparatus, said apparatus for capturing droplets being positioned below an opening of said pipetting apparatus when said pipetting apparatus is in a rest position, wherein said apparatus for capturing droplets is an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

18. The use of a passive guide according to claim 17, wherein the passive guide is used as a deceleration.

19. Use of an analytical instrument in the purification and/or amplification of nucleic acids, the analytical instrument comprising at least a pipetting device and a device for capturing droplets from a pipette mechanically attached to said pipetting device, wherein

Said means for capturing droplets being passively movable to a position below the opening of said pipette and thereby shielding the opening of said pipetting means, permitting said means for capturing droplets to receive and merge liquid emerging from said pipetting means and thereby preventing inadvertent discharge of liquid onto said analytical instrument and/or onto liquids and samples placed on said analytical instrument,

the movement of the device for capturing droplets is mechanically linked to the movement of the pipetting device, an

The device for capturing droplets is a device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.