US 11,867,460 B2
Method and apparatus for freezing dispensed droplets of liquid
Reza Bashar, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to GEN-PROBE INCORPORATED, San Diego, CA (US)
Appl. No. 15/734,935
Filed by GEN-PROBE INCORPORATED, San Diego, CA (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 14, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/037230
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 3, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/245906, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/687,562, filed on Jun. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0190403 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. F25D 3/11 (2006.01); A01N 1/02 (2006.01); B01J 2/06 (2006.01)
CPC F25D 3/11 (2013.01) [A01N 1/0252 (2013.01); B01J 2/06 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a fluid chamber containing a freezing liquid;
a liquid dispenser disposed above a surface of the freezing liquid contained in the fluid chamber and configured to dispense a droplet of liquid onto the surface of the freezing liquid contained in the fluid chamber;
a gas injector disposed above the surface of the fluid contained in the fluid chamber and configured to inject a stream of gas transversely to the surface of the freezing liquid contained in the fluid chamber; and
a transporter configured to transport the fluid chamber between a first position below the liquid dispenser and a second position below the gas injector, and wherein the liquid dispenser is configured to dispense the droplet of liquid onto the surface of the freezing liquid contained in the fluid chamber when the fluid chamber is in the first position, and the gas injector is configured to inject the stream of gas transversely to the surface of the freezing liquid contained in the fluid chamber when the fluid chamber is in the second position.