Patent ID: 8409531
Filing Date: 2013-04-02
Classification: B01J,B01L,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for dispensing reagent beads, the apparatus comprising: a bead storage device comprising a bead carrier having two ends along its longitudinal axis and comprising a plurality of wells between the two ends; a plurality of reagent beads disposed in the plurality of wells; and a cover tape releasably attached to the bead carrier to cover the plurality of wells and retain the plurality of reagent beads in the plurality of wells, wherein two ends of the bead carrier are placed in a close proximity and the bead carrier is configured in a circular shape with the cover tape on the outside of the circular shape; a clutch located outside of the perimeter defined by the circular shape and connected to a leading end of the cover tape; and a housing enclosing the bead storage device with the cover tape facing a stripping wall of the housing; wherein the stripping wall is a continuous wall having a first end (a stripping edge) and a second end (an opposite edge), which are located in a close proximity to each other defining a stripping gap between the stripping edge and the opposite edge, and a dispense opening provided adjacent the opposite edge on a side of the stripping wall opposite from the stripping edge, the leading end of the cover tape is inserted through the stripping gap, wherein the clutch is configured to pull the leading end of the cover tape against the stripping edge to peel the cover tape from the bead carrier to move the plurality of wells of the bead carrier toward the dispense opening and expose the plurality of wells individually to dispense the plurality of reagent beads from the plurality of wells through the dispense opening.