Patent ID: 6331277
Filing Date: 2001-12-18
Classification: B01L,B03C,G01N,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for performing inspection comprising:a pipette device having a smaller diameter section inserted into a container, a large diameter section, and an intermediate diameter section being cylindrically shaped therebetween, for drawing a mixture of liquid to be inspected, labeling material and magnetic material from the container through the smaller diameter section and the intermediate diameter section to the large diameter section and discharging it to the container or another container through the intermediate diameter section and the smaller diameter section, a magnetic device being removably disposed adjacent only a substantially central portion of the intermediate diameter section for applying a magnetic field to the intermediate diameter section, and means for repeatedly and controllably sucking and discharging a liquid between a container and the large diameter section through the intermediate diameter section and the smaller diameter section to agitate and homogenously mix a mixture of a liquid and a magnetic material or to clean a surface of the liquid section line using a cleaning liquid to prevent cross contamination,wherein said magnetic device is configured to apply the magnetic field to accumulate the magnetic material in a mixture of a liquid and a magnetic material on an inside wall of the intermediate diameter section and is configured to remove the magnetic field to allow the magnetic material to be transferred to the container or a further container, andwherein said means for repeatedly and controllably sucking and discharging a liquid is configured to draw the mixture of a liquid and a magnetic material through the intermediate diameter section of the pipette and into the large diameter section so that a lower end of a liquid level (x) comes near to or higher than the lower end of the magnet device (M).