Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With conveying means to supply successive receivers – Sampler type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-17
2004-02-17
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With conveying means to supply successive receivers
Sampler type
C422S091000, C422S105000, C436S047000, C073S864110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06691748
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a container transfer and processing system. The present invention relates to fields which require a variety of chemical reaction processing such as the engineering field, the agricultural field of the food industry, agricultural products industry and marine products industry, etc., the pharmaceutical field, the medical field of hygienics, health, immunization, disease, genetics, etc., being the so called fields of science such as chemistry or biology and the like. The present invention particularly relates to a container transfer and processing system which has high processing ability (high-throughput) by loading plate-shaped containers each having a specified quantity of storage parts, in order to efficiently and rapidly perform processing for DNA, immunization, chemical reactions and the like.
BACKGROUND ART
Heretofore, as shown in
FIG. 12
, there has been a sets of container working devices
200
for processing a large quantity of containers, while the containers are being transferred in-line using only robots.
This apparatus
200
as shown in the figure, has an elongate mounting part
201
for mounting plate-shaped containers
11
, a robot
202
which is movable along the mounting part
201
, and which grasps a container
11
which is mounted on the mounting part
201
, and which is able to transport the container
11
within the mounting part
201
while following along the longitudinal direction of the mounting part, and to outside the mounting part
201
while following perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a number of various types of work devices
203
,
204
,
205
,
206
,
207
,
208
and
209
for performing various operations on the containers, which are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the mounting part
201
.
The above-mentioned robot
202
has a movable part
211
which moves on a rail
201
laid along the longitudinal direction of the mounting part
201
, a polar coordinate type arm
212
, and the holding part
213
which is connected to the arm
212
.
Reference symbol
204
denotes a plate stacker for stacking plate-shaped containers, reference symbols
205
and
206
denote dispensers, reference symbol
207
denotes a thermal cycler, reference symbol
208
denotes a dispenser and reference symbol
209
denotes a plate reader.
Moreover, heretofore there has been a transferring device for transferring a large number of mounted containers all together in line in one direction, and a processing apparatus (not shown) with various work devices aligned along the route of the transferring device, which does not use a robot capable of transferring containers between optional locations.
Incidentally, in the former apparatus of the processing apparatus related the above described prior art, one robot can only individually transfer one container at a time. Therefore this has a problem in that while a robot is transferring a container to a certain processing apparatus, the transfer process for the other containers cannot be performed. Hence, no matter how high the processing ability for the various kinds of processing apparatus, the processing ability or the processing speed for the whole apparatus is limited by the transfer ability of the robot, so that the operation overall cannot be performed rapidly or efficiently.
On the other hand, with an apparatus which transfers a number of containers all together by a linearly aligned transferring device, with various kinds of work devices arranged along the transfer device, since this transfers the containers in only one direction, the construction is such that once a container has passed through the various types of working devices it cannot return. Therefore the construction must be such that the container is not advanced until the process for transfer to the various types of working devices has been completed.
Furthermore, in transferring the containers all together, the time required for each kind of operation generally varies. Therefore in the method of transferring all containers at once, the transfer must be synchronized with each operation. Hence this has a problem in that the transfer is limited by the operation taking the longest time, so that the overall operation cannot be performed rapidly or efficiently.
Especially, if there is a process such as incubation which requires an exceptionally long time compared to other operations, the line is held up at that place, so that wasteful waiting time is increased which can have a large influence on process ability. Furthermore this has a problem in that once an accident such as a failure occurs at a process, subsequent processing becomes impossible, and the overall operation is stopped, resulting in a loss of reliability.
Moreover there is a problem in that both of these apparatus are difficult to control automatically, because operation times are not constant but changeable, and hence scheduled process time cannot be defined. Furthermore, both apparatus have a problem in that total process time is a summation of the process times at each process location, and hence the total process ability decreases rapidly with increasing processing quantity.
Therefore transfer control for both apparatus, which takes into consideration complete processes where continuous consistent steps are not allowed any lack of correspondence, as well as the output and input timing, becomes necessary. Therefore, extremely complicated software and hardware is required.
The present invention is for solving the above-mentioned technical problems, with a first object being to provide a container transfer and processing system which can simplify the total construction and control, does not increase time and cost in manufacturing and use, which is easy to use, and which runs efficiently, by skillfully combining; standardized, uniform or regular transport of large quantities along a set route, individual, arbitrary or irregular transport, and free selection of operations inside or outside the route.
A second object is to provide a container transfer and processing system for which respective operations can be easily scheduled and controlled and easily handled, with minimal influence between operations due to the amount and operation time of other operations, by skillfully combining; standardized, uniform or regular transport of large quantities along a set route, individual, arbitrary or irregular transport, and free selection of operations inside or outside the route.
A third object is to provide a highly reliable container transfer and processing system which, even in the case where an accident such as a failure occurs, can keep the influence thereof to a minimum, and immediately take measures to deal with the accident, and which can reliably handle operations, by skillfully combining; standardized, uniform or regular transport of large quantities along a set route, individual, arbitrary or irregular transport, and free selection of operations inside or outside the route.
A fourth object is to provide a flexible, extendable and general-purpose container transfer and processing system which can be modified such as by simply increasing the processing apparatus, without performing basic modification of the construction, by skillfully combining; standardized, uniform or regular transport of large quantities along a set route, individual, arbitrary or irregular transport, and free selection of operations inside or outside the route.
A fifth object is to provide a container transfer and processing system having diversity which can perform processing of objects in a variety of ways and for which various processes are possible, by skillfully combining standardized, uniform or regular transport of large quantities along a set route, individual, arbitrary or irregular transport, and free selection of operations inside or outside the route.
A sixth object is to provide a container transfer and processing system which can perform a large amount of processing rapidly and easily, by skillfully combining; standardized, uniform or regular transpor
Douglas Steven O.
Haynes and Boone LLP
Precision System Science Co., Ltd.
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