Method for intensifying the optical detection of samples that are held in solution in the through-hole wells of a holding tray
US6798520B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 2002 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/0346
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system and method for optically detecting samples held in a solution requires the use of a holding plate that has as many as one-thousand through-hole wells, or more. The solution is suspended in these through-hole wells under surface tension between opposed surfaces of the holding plate. A pneumatic pump is then engaged with the plate to establish a differential pressure (&Dgr;p) between the upper and lower surfaces of the solution that is equal to approximately two tenths of a pound per square inch (0.2 psi). The result is the formation of a convex meniscus on a surface of the solution that causes light passing into the solution to converge and concentrate. This concentration of light, in turn, facilitates optical detection of samples in the solution.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.