公开(公告)号：US11846644B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-19

申请号：US15931282

申请日：2020-05-13

Applicant: GEN-PROBE INCORPORATED

Inventor： George T. Walker ,  Matthias Merten ,  Gary D. Lair

IPC: G01N35/10 ,  G01N35/04 ,  C12Q1/6806 ,  G01N35/00

CPC classification number: G01N35/1011 ,  C12Q1/6806 ,  G01N35/00732 ,  G01N35/00871 ,  G01N35/04 ,  G01N35/1065 ,  G01N2035/00742 ,  G01N2035/00782 ,  G01N2035/00801 ,  G01N2035/0406 ,  G01N2035/046 ,  G01N2035/047 ,  G01N2035/0462 ,  G01N2035/0465 ,  G01N2035/0467 ,  G01N2035/0472

Abstract: A conveyor assembly for transporting a carrier coupled to a receptacle to a processing station located within a housing of an instrument. The conveyor assembly includes a spur conveyor subassembly and a buffer conveyor subassembly for transporting the carrier from a host conveyor assembly to the spur conveyor subassembly. The spur conveyor subassembly includes (i) a rotatable diverter having at least one recess for receiving and moving the carrier between the buffer conveyor subassembly and the spur conveyor subassembly and (ii) a gripper configured to grasp the carrier and move it from the diverter to the processing position located within the housing of the instrument.

公开(公告)号：US10386381B2

公开(公告)日：2019-08-20

申请号：US15431053

申请日：2017-02-13

Applicant: GEN-PROBE INCORPORATED

Inventor： Gary D. Lair

IPC: B01L9/06 ,  G01N35/04

Abstract: A device for releasably holding an elongated object, such as a test tube, in a predetermined orientation includes a gripping element configured for circumferential expansion and contraction with respect to the object. An actuator element coupled to the gripping element is configured to effect circumferential expansion of the gripping element to an expanded configuration able to receive an end of the elongated object. A locking mechanism coupled to the actuator element is configured to lock the actuator element in a position holding the gripping element in the expanded configuration. A lock release mechanism is configured to be triggered by an elongated object inserted into the expanded gripping element and to release the locking mechanism, thereby allowing the biased gripping element to return to a contracted configuration gripping a portion of the object. The device and an object held thereby can be conveyed on a conveyor.

公开(公告)号：US10006862B2

公开(公告)日：2018-06-26

申请号：US15600245

申请日：2017-05-19

Applicant: GEN-PROBE INCORPORATED

Inventor： Gary D. Lair ,  Thanh N. Nguyen ,  Haitao Li ,  Florence Li ,  Byron J. Knight ,  Robert E. Heinz ,  Jerzy A. Macioszek ,  Christopher B. Davis ,  Robert F. Scalese

IPC: B01L3/00 ,  G01N21/00 ,  G01N21/64 ,  G01N35/00 ,  G01N35/02 ,  G01N35/04 ,  G01N35/10 ,  G01N21/76 ,  C12Q1/6851

Abstract: A continuous process for performing multiple nucleic acid amplification assays, where at least a portion of a second subset of reaction mixtures are transferred to a heater while a first subset of reaction mixtures are being subjected to conditions for performing a nucleic acid amplification assay. During the process, a plurality of reaction mixtures from the first and second subsets of reaction mixtures are simultaneously subjected to conditions sufficient to perform multiple nucleic acid amplification assays in the reaction mixtures. The presence or absence of a target nucleic acid in the first subset of reaction mixtures is determined while the reaction mixtures are in the heater.