Patent ID: 7374720
Filing Date: 2008-05-20
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An automatic liquid handling system comprising: a first dispensing tip container; a second dispensing tip container, each of the first and second dispensing tip containers having a plurality of holding portions for holding dispensing tips, each of the holding portions being arranged in a matrix form defined by rows and columns; a dispensing head having attachment portions to which the dispensing tips are attached, wherein when the dispensing tips are attached to the attachment portions, the dispensing head is capable of performing sucking and expelling operations for sucking liquid in or expelling the liquid out from the dispensing tips; a moving mechanism that moves the dispensing head; a first reagent container; a second reagent container, each of the first and second reagent containers having a plurality of container portions arranged side-by-side, wherein the plurality of container portions of the first reagent container extend in a direction of rows and the plurality of container portions of the second reagent container extend in a direction of columns; a microplate formed with a plurality of wells for holding specimen, the wells being arranged in a matrix form defined by rows and columns; a control device that controls the sucking and expelling operations performed by the dispensing head and also controls the moving mechanism to control movements of the dispensing head, wherein the control device includes an input portion for inputting a process to be executed, the process including at least one of information regarding reagent to be used, information of a dispense volume per well of the microplate, information of the number of wells in which the reagent is to be dispensed and information regarding dispensing direction, a first determining unit that determines an arrangement of dispensing tips to be set at the holding portions of the first and second dispensing tip containers based on the input information, and second determining unit that determines an arrangement of reagent to be stored at the container portions of the first and second reagent containers based on the input information; and a display that indicates the arrangement of the dispensing tips to be set at the holding portions and the arrangement of the reagent to be stored at the reagent container portions.