Agitating – By movement of support for removable mixing chamber – Mixing chamber secured to support
Patent
1990-10-26
1993-03-23
Hornsby, Harvey H.
Agitating
By movement of support for removable mixing chamber
Mixing chamber secured to support
366110, 494 19, 494 84, B01F 1100, B04B 502
Patent
active
051958252
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The following invention relates to a device for mixing at least one aqueous fluid substance contained in a vessel having an open upper end and a closed bottom end, said device comprising a support plate adapted for receiving at least one vessel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the field of bio-medical analyses to use a rotating disc having a plurality of vertical holes for receiving sample tubes. The disc is surrounded by processing stations and transfers the same tubes sequentially in order to process the samples contained therein for analysis. Generally, a sample to be analyzed is brought into reaction with one or more appropriate reagents. For obtaining good and reproducible results, it is very important that the different substances put into reaction be first thoroughly mixed together. Such mixing operation is difficult to achieve in certain circumstances. Sample-to-sample carryover via any mixing device must also be avoided.
The volumes of samples used in bio-medical analyses become smaller as miniaturization of apparatuses progresses, i.e. of the order of microliters, so that the liquid surface tension becomes high with respect to the liquid weight. To ensure measurement accuracy and to avoid contamination risks, it is usually not possible to use an agitator which is brought into contact with the liquid. Ultrasonic mixing has already been proposed but is not necessarily adapted to each kind of biomedical analysis. Indeed, when used in immuno-assay techniques, for example, ultrasonic energy generates cavitation which may break the complexes formed between antigens and specific antibodies, thus introducing source of error.
GB-A-2,124,102 already discloses a shaker for vessels supported at intervals around the peripheral portion of a turntable attached to a vertical axis. The shaker is supported by a board fitted below the turntable and comprises a motor, a crank fitted to a vertical shaft of the motor and an eccentric member pivotally attached to the crank, An elevator is disposed below the board in order to engage the eccentric member with the bottom of the vessel and further, the eccentric member is rotatively driven by the motor. The drawback of such an apparatus is to necessitate two motors one for the shaker and another for lifting the board supporting the shaker, which are to be controlled from a central monitoring device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to provide a solution to the problem of mixing, in a vessel two or more substances of which at least one is a liquid phase. The vessel preferably comprises a container having an open upper end, advantageously surrounded by a rim and a closed bottom end. The mixing device most preferably comprises a support plate adapted to receive the container and to allow engagements therewith by a rotating cylinder.
A single rotational movement e.g. from a drive motor acting through a drive cylinder, causes the rotating cylinder to simultaneously engage the sample container and drive the bottom of the container in a circular motion around a vertical axis in order to generate a vortex in the substances to be mixed. Very effective automated mixing of the substances is thereby effected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Other advantages of the device will become evident from the following description and from the accompanying drawing.
FIG. 1 shows a vertical sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the mixing device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a partial plan view of the turntable of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to the figures, the device comprises a horizontal support plate 1 which represents, by way of an example, the turn table of an automatic analyser and which would normally be rotated around a vertical axis (not shown). This plate 1 contains at least one but most preferably a number of vertical axis recessed holes 2 a recess 3 which forms a support surface for a rim 4 extending, about the peri
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Gene-Trak Systems
Hornsby Harvey H.
Till Terrence R.
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