Patent ID: 7976793

Claim:
A device for aspirating and for dispensing liquid, the device comprising: a sampling tube; a piston assembly, the piston assembly mounted to the sampling tube and comprising a piston rod that fits within the sampling tube; a piston drive mechanism, the piston drive mechanism comprising a control rod having a surface that contacts the piston assembly, the piston drive mechanism configured to move the piston rod of the piston assembly within the sampling tube thereby causing regulation of a liquid in the sampling tube; a speed increase button; a speed decrease button; an aspirate/dispense button configured to cause aspiration or dispensation of liquid within the sampling tube when depressed; an inversion button configured to cause, when depressed, operation of the aspirate/dispense button to invert from aspirate to dispense, or from dispense to aspirate; a wireless communication interface, the wireless communication interface configured to receive electronic signals from a computing device that is not integral with the device; a memory; computer-executable instructions stored on the memory; a microprocessor coupled to the wireless communication interface and operatively connected to the piston drive mechanism, the speed increase button, the speed decrease button, the aspirate/dispense button, and the inversion button, wherein the microprocessor is configured to process the received electronic signals and to: control movement of the control rod responsive to the speed increase button to increase a speed selected to regulate the liquid, control movement of the control rod responsive to the speed decrease button to decrease a speed selected to regulate the liquid, and control movement of the control rod responsive to the aspirate/dispense button to cause the device to aspirate or dispense liquid; a first operational mode button operatively connected to the microprocessor and configured to allow selection of one of a plurality of modes for operating the device; a second operational mode button operatively connected to the microprocessor and configured to allow selection of one of the plurality of modes for operating the device; and a display, wherein simultaneous depression of the first operational mode button and the second operational mode button causes the display to present a menu, wherein the computer-executable instructions stored on the memory comprise instructions for each of the plurality of modes for operating the device, wherein one of the plurality of modes for operating the device is a program operational mode, and wherein, when the program operational mode is selected, the microprocessor executes stored computer-executable instructions and thereby causes the device to perform a sequence of pipette operations that have been organized on and communicated from the computing device not integral with the device.