Patent ID: 7466908

Claim:
A device for thermal cycling of a reaction mixture contained within a reaction vessel, said vessel including a side wall, said device comprising: (a) at least two heating blocks in spaced apart generally opposing relation, each of said blocks including a substantially vertical wall, said walls each including at least one generally vertical groove recessed therein open towards the opposing grooved wall of said blocks to receive said at least one vessel such that said vessel may be placed into said groove with said groove only partly surrounding said sidewall with the remainder of said sidewall being exposed to ambient conditions; (b) a holder for holding said reaction vessel between said blocks, said holder for retaining said vessel such that when engaged within one of said grooves the exposed portion of said sidewall is exposed to ambient conditions; (c) means for maintaining said at least two heating blocks at set temperatures different from each other, for carrying out a thermal cycling chemical reaction; (d) drive means for imparting relative motion between said vessel and said blocks such that generally opposing sides of said vessel sequentially contact said heating blocks, such that said vessel is partially enclosed within a selected one of said grooves when in contact with each said block, and laterally displaceable between said grooves, wherein said motion comprises a linear and unidirectional horizontal path followed by said vessel relative to said blocks.