Vacuum manifold for both multi-well plate and individual columns

An adapter plate transforms a vacuum manifold designed for standard multi-well plates that are commonly used in biochemical laboratories into one that can be used for columns such as chromatographic columns, filtration columns, and the like. The plate contains an array of male-female-type complementary connectors, each connector fitted with a removable plug that seals the connector off when not in use. The plate thus allows the manifold to be used for as few as one column or any number up to the total number of connectors in the plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While this invention is susceptible to a variety of configurations, arrangements and embodiments, the following discussion will focus on a specific example, the structural and functional aspects of which will serve to provide an understanding of the invention as a whole. FIG. 1 depicts three components that together constitute a representative vacuum manifold and adapter plate in accordance with the invention. The lowermost of these components is a base 11 which is a generally rectangular plate with a rectangular depression 12 at its center to form the floor 13 of the vacuum chamber and to receive the hollow rectangular shell 14 which forms the side walls of the chamber. The shell 14 is open at the top and bottom, and its bottom edge fits snugly into the depression 12 in the base plate and establishes a gasketed, air-tight interaction when vacuum is applied. One side of the shell contains a port with a vacuum tubing connection 15 . Extending around the inside wall of the shell is a gasketed shoulder or ledge 16 which supports either a multi-well plate (such as a 96-well sample plate, filtration plate or microtitration plate) or an adapter plate 17 . The adapter plate 17 is shown at the top of FIG. 1 , and has the same dimensions as the multi-well plate so that it can rest snugly on the shoulder 16 inside the shell 14 and yet is easily removed by hand. Embedded in the adapter plate are a series of female portions 18 of male-female LUER-type connectors to mate with the male portions that are designed into the lower ends of syringes and chromatographic cartridges and columns. Each of the female connector portions passes through the adapter plate to form a through-passage communicating with the vacuum chamber formed by the base plate 11 as the floor of the chamber, the shell 14 as the side walls, and the adapter plate 17 as the roof. Each embedded female connector portion is enclosed by a plug 19 when not in use. The number and arrangement of these connectors embedded in the adapter plate are not critical to the invention and can vary widely. The plate shown in the drawing contains 18 such connectors, thereby accommodating any number of columns ranging from one to 18. Other arrays with higher or lower numbers of connectors can also be used. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a section of the adapter plate 17 showing a single connector portion 18 . The connector passes through a threaded hole 21 in the plate and is secured in place by a faceted protrusion or nut-like extension 22 which abuts the upper surface 23 of the plate. The female LUER-type connector 24 is supported by a hollow shaft 25 extending upward. Poised above the connector is a plug 26 with a protruding post 27 that fits inside the connector 24 and extends into hollow shaft. The post 27 is solid and thereby blocks flow through the connector and holds a vacuum in the underlying vacuum chamber when the connector is not in use. The interior of the plug (not visible in the Figure) has the same connecting features as the male LUER-type connector that is included at the tip of a column or syringe. The outer surface 28 of the plug may be ridged or knurled to facilitate gripping and twisting by the user's thumb and forefinger. This invention also extends to adapters for manifolds that are designed to accommodate two or more multi-well plates in a side-by-side arrangement. Some or all of the multi-well plates can be replaced by adapters. The materials of construction are not critical to the invention and can vary widely, provided that they are inert to the reagents and other substances that are placed in contact with the manifold, and that they are sufficiently sturdy and solid to hold a vacuum. Transparent materials, particularly plastic, are convenient and allow monitoring of the procedures. The foregoing is offered primarily for purposes of illustration. Further alternatives as well as modifications and variations of the configurations, systems, materials, and procedural steps described above, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification, are included within the scope of this invention.