Patent ID: 6245297
Filing Date: 2001-06-12
Classification: B01J,B01L,C40B,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for spotting a reagent on one or more substrates, comprising in operative condition:a base adapted to hold such a reagent;a conveyor having a surface with a plurality of spaced, tandemly-arranged substrate-support regions, each adapted to support such a substrate, said conveyor being operable to advance such substrates along a transport pathway over said base; said conveyor surface defining an opening between each adjacent pair of substrate-support regions;a transfer head having a spotting tip, said tip being mounted for movement along an axis, toward and away from a raised position at which the tip is disposed above the conveyor surface;an actuator operatively connected to said tip for moving the same along said axis; anda control unit operatively connected to the conveyor and actuator, operative, for one or more selected substrates on the conveyor surface, to (i) shift said tip away from its raised position through a selected opening in said conveyor surface to contact reagent in said base, (ii) withdraw said tip from the reagent and through the opening by shifting the tip toward its raised position, and (iii) shift said tip away from its raised position toward a selected substrate upstream of the selected opening, to transfer a selected amount of reagent from said tip to a selected region of the selected substrate.