Patent ID: 11911767
Assignee: METTLER-TOLEDO RAININ, LLC
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  A | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A pipette system having syringe identification functionality, comprising:
a handheld powered positive displacement pipette comprising:
a color sensor located within and at a side of a distal end of the pipette, said color sensor operable to differentially recognize reflected visible light of at least a group of various colors and provide color identification data to the controller; and
a syringe retention mechanism;

a controller in communication with the color sensor and configured to receive data signals therefrom including the color identification data; and
a syringe configured for use with, and installation at, the pipette to form a unitary device, said syringe comprising: a syringe retention element and a color coding provided at a surface of the syringe retention element having a given color of the group of various colors, said surface extending at an angle between 30 degrees and 60 degrees from a longitudinal axis of the syringe, said color coding provided at a location on the surface that resides within a field of view of the color sensor when the syringe is installed to the pipette, the given color of the color coding indicating at least one distinct characteristic of the syringe from other syringes of a group of syringes, each having the color coding with a different respective color of the group of various colors;
wherein the controller is programmed to use the color identification data received from the color sensor to differentially identify the syringe installed to the pipette from the other syringes of the group of syringes and to automatically set or adjust one or more operating parameters of the pipette based on the differential identification;
wherein the syringe retention mechanism temporarily secures the syringe from removal from the pipette by way of at least the syringe retention element when the pipette is sufficiently inserted axially at the distal end of the pipette.