Patent ID: 7219567

Claim:
A hand-held, adjustable combinatorial device for the collection of at least one sample, said device being adapted for use with microtiter plates of different sizes, comprising; (a) an upper plate comprised of a first half and a second half, wherein each of said halves is independently movable between at least an upper position and a lower position; (b) a lower plate having a plurality of tip connectors coupled thereto for facilitating attachment of at least one collecting tip; (c) a plurality of sample collector members each having a proximal end and a distal end; (d) a mechanism for moving at least one of said first half and said second half of the upper plate between said upper position and said lower position; wherein the proximal ends of said sample collector members are held by said first and second halves of said upper plate and wherein the distal ends of the said sample collector members are adapted for being engaged by said lower plate such that when adjusted according to the number and position on a microtiter plate of one or more samples, at least one half of said upper plate is moved from said upper position to said lower position, causing the corresponding sample collector members to become lowered with respect to said lower plate, thereby facilitating collection of at least one sample into a collecting tip attached to one of said connectors.