Abstract: It has been hard to suck the high viscosity sample by using the syringe and to stop the suction of the sample. A sample sucking-discharging device in the invention comprises an injector provided with a cylinder and a piston installed in the cylinder so as to move up and down; a main body for holding the cylinder of the injector; a gear or a pair of gears held in the main body so as to rotate on an axis right-angled to the moving direction of the piston; a first rack, of which one end is connected with the piston, for moving with meshing to the gear or the pair of gears; and, a second rack held in the main body so as to move in the direction opposite to or crossing with the moving direction of the first rack.

Abstract: An improvement on the standard bi-directional liquid sample handling system mechanism is provided. The improvement comprises a mechanism for sealing 24 pipettes arranged in a row. When the industry went from 12 wells to 24 wells, the construction of the pipettes, plungers and seals and the means for locating the pipettes had to be changed. This improvement comprises stainless steel plungers and pipettes that are much smaller in diameter, as well as an external sealing mechanism comprising an O-ring, a flange, and a biasing spring. Another improvement comprises replacing the rack-and-pinion table drive mechanism with a belt and pulley mechanism for more precisely locating the 24 pipettes over the corresponding 24 microtitre wells.

Abstract: The invention provides multichannel pipette heads and autopipettors for loading, measuring, transporting and dispensing, particularly from one micro-plate to another. An exemplary multichannel pipette head comprises a pump housing, pistons, a drive plate, an aspiration drive and bearing rails, wherein the pump housing comprises chambers adapted to receive the pistons, the pistons each comprise a shaft, the drive plate retains the pistons and translocates the piston shafts through chambers, the aspiration drive translocates the drive plate along the bearing rails which pass through the drive plate and attach to the pump housing.

Abstract: A method and device for storing and dispensing specified subsets from a collection of tens, hundreds or thousands of different reagents to specified locations within microtitre trays or microarray substrates or the like. The reagents of interest are stored in racks of syringe-like dispensers. These dispensers and/or substrates and/or actuators are controllably moved by automated means to a dispensing position where a single action, vibration and weighing system transfers a controlled quantity to a specified location in a microtitre tray or the like. Deficits of the prior art, such as evaporation, cross-contamination, oxidation, waste of reagents and lab-ware, and human operator non-reliability are overcome.

Abstract: A micropipetter a plurality of hollow needles to deliver fluid, the needles being anchored in a sample block; a needle guide assembly with a plurality of needle guide shafts and compression springs attached at one end to the sample block and at the other end to a needle guide plate, each spring surrounding a needle guide shaft, and the needle guide plate controlling the spacing of the needles; a sample block having a plurality of hollow, tapered spaces, each of which connect with the hollow needle; a displacement volume block having a plurality of hollow spaces, each being occupied by a piston pin, each piston pin being sealed with a stationary seal assembly; a stationary sheet seal located between the sample block and the displacement volume block, the sheet seal having a plurality of holes corresponding to and separating the spaces in the sample block and the displacement volume block, such that precise volume displacement is provided; a seal constraint plate located above the displacement volume block, the

Abstract: A distribution head 14 is provided with nozzles 17. A tip holder 5 is placed on a platform 53 which is supported on a rod 52 of a cylinder 51. The tip holder 5 holds a number of distribution tips 15 upright. The nozzles 17 are fitted to the top portion of the distribution tips 15 by lowering the distribution head 14. As the platform 53 is elastically supported on the rod 52 of cylinder 51 so that it can move slightly up and down, the distribution tips 15 may be surely fitted to the nozzles 17 without suffering from damage. Air pressure given to the cylinder 51 is adjusted in accordance with the total number of tips 15, or other factors.

Abstract: A pipette tip having at least two separate dispensing channels for dispensing liquid simultaneously into a corresponding number of micro titration wells or other container. The tip has a tubular body with one open end for mounting on a pipette. At the other end of the body, at least two spaced legs extend away from the body, each having a central channel communicating with the tip interior and an end opening. The tips are stored in a rack having an alignment arrangement, such as a ridge on each tip cooperating with a notch in the rack, to assure that all tips are aligned the same. The leg channels can be configured so that different amounts of liquid are dispensed into different micro titration wells in a predetermined pattern. The tip may also be used to transfer liquid from one micro titration plate to another, or any suitable container.

Abstract: A pipette station is described for use in the field of sample analysis. The pipette station increases the rate and ease with which a liquid may be manipulated into and out of sample carriers such as microwell plates. The pipette station includes shafts in the X, Y, and Z direction which possess ball screws which are integrated with motor shafts thus improving accuracy and eliminating the need for a coupling apparatus thereby reducing the space required for the pipette station. The pipette station may be interfaced with an automated laboratory system.

Abstract: A pipette dispensing block has an improved piston seal and lift plate engagement/disengagement means. In a pipette dispensing block where a piston is used to create a pressure differential to aspirate or extract and dispense or eject fluid material, the maintenance of a vacuum or increased pressure is enhanced by a pair of O-ring seals engaging the piston. A reservoir separates the O-rings and is filled with a low vapor pressure lubricant such as silicone oil or grease. The lubricant is maintained in the reservoir by the O-rings and serves to enhance the vacuum seal while maintaining the O-rings in a pliable and resilient manner. The heads of the pistons are engraved or grooved to leave a circular central pillar surrounded above and below by the piston head and a lower intermediate piston pillar section.

Abstract: A fluid metering and measuring device is provided and which is particularly adapted to regulate ratios of oil and gasoline in a mixture of oil and gasoline used, for example, in a two-stroke engine. The device has a filling chamber with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. One-way check valves are disposed in both the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet to prevent backflow. A plunger stem comprising a piston disposed within the chamber. When the stem and attached piston are pulled upwardly, a vacuum is created in the chamber to cause a fluid, e.g. oil to flow into chamber and when depressed causes outflow. Gradations or indicia indicate the amount of oil drawn into the chamber to ensure proper fluid ratios. The metering device may be incorporated into any suitable container including a two compartment container wherein the compartments are in fluid communication.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a multichannel pipetting system that can be used with a plurality of well plates used for medical, biological or biochemical research involving liquid materials. The system includes a multichannel pipettor and novel pipette tips having a crown that can be fitted over the opening of more than one channel. The multichannel pipettor may optionally be provided with an array of air pressure channels placed among the array of pipetting channels and enables the pipettor to aspirate and dispense a crude large volume of liquid material through the novel pipette tips of the present invention.

Abstract: A pipetting system having a plurality of tip fittings whose spacing can be simultaneously, quickly, and accurately adjusted so that the spacing between each adjacent tip fitting is substantially identical. The tip fittings are attached one to another by a linkage such as a pantographic linkage. The spacing is limited by an adjustable, slidable stop. Uniformly increasing and decreasing the spacing is accomplished by pulling and pushing a rod attached to one tip fitting.