Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Processes – Plural materials
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-21
2004-06-01
Jacyna, J. Casimer (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Processes
Plural materials
C141S100000, C141S102000, C141S104000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06742549
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing each of two or more feeds into a plurality of vessels.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many industrial and laboratory applications, it is common to combine two or more ingredients during the course of processing or fabrication operations. In laboratory applications, the ingredients are typically combined in receiver (e.g., flask, test tube, wells in a microtitre plate, etc.) in precise proportions and under selected conditions.
In some applications, such as in the development of polymers, the manner in which the ingredients are combined is important. For example, it is often desirable or necessary for the ingredients to be simultaneously added to the receiver. In some cases, this is necessary to prevent undesired reactions from occurring.
In the development of polymers, as well as many other products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, etc.), a preference exists for delivery systems that are capable of rapidly and efficiently producing and/or screening samples. This high-speed capability, which hastens development efforts, is commonly referred to as “high-throughput screening,” “high-throughput experimentation,” or “high-throughput testing,” or by the respective acronyms “HTS,” “HTE,” or “HTT” (these monikers are synonymous). An HTE-capable ingredient delivery system must be able to provide multiple copies or multiple permutations of a sample.
FIG. 1
depicts a typical HTE-capable delivery system for creating mixtures of ingredients for the development of polymers or other products. System
100
is able to simultaneously combine three ingredients, in specific proportions, to produce a mixture F (or permutations thereof) in each of three receivers
112
-A,
112
-B, and
112
-C (collectively “receivers
112
”). A HTE-capable system more typically includes a minimum of eight, and more likely 12, 16 or 24 receivers. But for the purpose of simplifying FIG.
1
and the accompanying discussion, only three receivers are depicted.
System
100
includes reservoirs
102
-
1
,
102
-
2
, and
102
-
3
(collectively “reservoirs
102
,”) which contain respective ingredients I-
1
, I-
2
, I-
3
(collectively “ingredients I”). The reservoirs are maintained under positive pressure, via pressurized gas source
104
, so that the ingredients I can be delivered to receivers
112
.
Each reservoir
102
has three conduits
106
that lead to three valves
108
. The three valves, in turn, feed the three receivers
112
. With this arrangement, the ingredient I in a given reservoir
102
can be delivered to each of the three receivers
112
-
1
,
112
-
2
, and
112
-
3
.
More particularly, and with respect to reservoir
102
-
1
, one of conduits
106
-
1
connects that reservoir to valve
108
-A
1
, another of conduits
106
-
1
connects reservoir
102
-
1
to valve
108
-B
1
, and the third conduit
106
-
1
connects reservoir
102
-
1
to valve
108
-C
1
. With respect to reservoir
102
-
2
, one of conduits
106
-
2
connects that reservoir to valve
108
-A
2
, another of conduits
106
-
2
connects that reservoir to valve
108
-B
2
, and the third conduit
106
-
2
connects reservoir
102
-
2
to valve
108
-C
2
. And, with respect to reservoir
102
-
3
, one of conduits
106
-
3
connects that reservoir to valve
108
-A
3
, another of conduits
106
-
3
connects that reservoir to valve
108
-B
3
, and the third conduit
106
-
3
connects reservoir
102
-
3
to valve
108
-C
3
.
As follows from the foregoing description, and as indicated in
FIG. 1
, each receiver
112
is served by three valves. Specifically, valves
108
-A
1
,
108
-A
2
,
108
-A
3
control the flow of respective ingredients I-
1
, I-
2
, I-
3
into receiver
112
-A. Similarly, valves
108
-B
2
,
108
-B
2
,
108
-B
3
control the flow of respective ingredients I-
1
, I-
2
, I-
3
into receiver
112
-
8
and valves
108
-C
1
,
108
-C
2
,
108
-C
3
control flow of respective ingredients I-
1
, I-
2
, I-
3
into receiver
112
-C.
Valves
108
, which can be proportional valves, or which are otherwise time or flow controlled, are capable of providing precise control over parameters such as flow pressure, flow rate and the like. Open or closed-loop control systems are typically associated with each valve to ensure that the proper amount of each ingredient is delivered to each receiver
112
.
System
100
depicts a classic, combinatorial-type, liquid-dispensing arrangement. The combinatorial-type arrangement enables all ingredients I (i.e., I-
1
, I-
2
, I-
3
) to be delivered simultaneously to all receivers
112
(i.e.,
112
-
1
,
112
-
2
, and
112
-
3
).
A drawback of the combinatorial-type of arrangement is that for a delivery system having n reservoirs (for I ingredients, where I≦n) and m receivers, n×m valves are required. For example, a system having five reservoirs and sixteen receivers requires eighty valves, which is an expensive proposition. Furthermore, the large number of valves can cause reliability issues—a problem with any one of the eighty valves will require shutdown of the system. Furthermore, the large number of intermediate valves and fluidic channels increases the likelihood of cross-contamination (e.g., due to inadequate cleaning between uses, etc.), precipitation of solids within the valves and channels, and other problems.
So, a problem presents itself. When creating mixtures in which all ingredients must be combined at substantially the same time, or in which multiple copies of the mixture or variations of it must be created at the substantially the same time, how can the equipment-intensive arrangements of the prior art be avoided?
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A HTE-capable delivery system and method for combining ingredients that solves the problem that is posed above and that avoids some of the drawbacks of the prior art is disclosed.
In accordance with the invention, and unlike prior-art combinatorial-type systems, ingredients are delivered in pulses to receivers. Each pulse contains only a minor portion of the total amount of ingredient to be dispensed. In the illustrative embodiment, ingredients are delivered individually (not pre-mixed with any other ingredient), although this is not a requirement of the method or the system.
In some embodiments, the pulses are sequenced so that each ingredient is added to all the receivers in a very short period of time. As a consequence of this sequencing:
any one ingredient is added to all of the receivers at nearly the same time;
when multiple ingredients are added to a receiver, they are added at nearly the same time;
mixtures formed in each receiver are formed at about the same time; and
successive drops of a particular ingredient are dispensed into a particular receiver at nearly the same time.
This provides a capability of forming mixtures for which all ingredients must be added at nearly the same time. And because the dispensing operation is pulsed and sequenced, the dispensing system that is used to dispense the ingredients can have conduits that do not directly couple to a receiver (unlike prior-art combinatorial-type delivery systems; see FIG.
1
). A system in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention can, therefore, be substantially less equipment intensive than prior-art combinatorial-type delivery systems.
In particular, some variations of the illustrative system have only one dispensing element (e.g., valve, nozzle, orifice, tube, etc.) per ingredient dispensed, irrespective of the number of receivers in the system. Consequently, a five-reservoir dispenser in accordance with the illustrative embodiment that dispenses into sixteen receivers uses only five dispensing elements, as compared to eighty for some prior-art arrangements.
An ancillary benefit of pulsed dispensing is that since each pulse of ingredient delivered to a receiver contains substantial kinetic energy, some degree of mixing occurs without using an external mixer.
In some embodiments of a delivery system in accordance with the illustrati
Feygin Ilya
Newsam John M.
DeMont & Breyer LLC
fqubed
Jacyna J. Casimer
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