System for dispensing a known volume of fluid
US5316179A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 20, 1992 |
| Grant date | May 31, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 20, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF04F1/06
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system for delivering measured amounts of liquid, such as reagents used in chromatography. Liquid is first moved under gas pressure from a reservoir, such as a reagent bottle, through a valve into a narrow pipe. It reaches a detector which, detecting its presence, closes the valve thus trapping an amount of liquid between the valve and the detector, this amount of liquid then constituting a `unit` or `pulse` of liquid. The movement of the valve is used to connect a gas supply which drives the `unit` or `pulse` out of the pipe to an ultimate destination, such as a chromatographic column. A further `unit` or `pulse` can then be moved into the pipe and this repeated so that delivery to the destination is made in a series of such `units` or `pulse`. By timing the delivery of one `unit` or `pulse`, an amount less than one `unit` or `pulse` can be delivered by passing liquid into the pipe for less than the time taken to deliver one `unit`. This can be used to make up a delivery which is not a unitary multiple of one `unit` or to deliver a small amount of less than one `unit`. No moving parts are involved and delivery of accurately measured amounts is achieved.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.