US 12,072,343 B2
Reagent mixing system and methods
Johanna L. Whitacre, San Diego, CA (US); Steven S. Phelps, San Diego, CA (US); Bradley Kent Drews, Poway, CA (US); Debra Sue Bryan, II, San Diego, CA (US); Michael A. Niziolek, San Diego, CA (US); Joshua A. Darland, Pleasanton, CA (US); Umberto Ulmanella, San Diego, CA (US); Michael Dai Wang, San Diego, CA (US); Michelle L. Alvarez, Encinitas, CA (US); and Stephen Wayne Clark, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 2, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/062,288.
Application 17/062,288 is a division of application No. 15/846,885, filed on Dec. 19, 2017, granted, now 10,830,784.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/442,647, filed on Jan. 5, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 1704747 (GB), filed on Mar. 24, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0018527 A1, Jan. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 35/10 (2006.01); B01F 23/40 (2022.01); B01F 23/45 (2022.01); B01F 25/10 (2022.01); B01F 25/433 (2022.01); B01F 31/65 (2022.01); B01F 33/84 (2022.01); B01F 35/53 (2022.01); B01F 35/71 (2022.01); B01F 35/75 (2022.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); B01L 3/02 (2006.01); C12Q 1/6874 (2018.01); G01N 35/00 (2006.01); B01F 101/23 (2022.01)
CPC G01N 35/1016 (2013.01) [B01F 23/45 (2022.01); B01F 23/49 (2022.01); B01F 25/103 (2022.01); B01F 25/4331 (2022.01); B01F 31/651 (2022.01); B01F 33/84 (2022.01); B01F 35/53 (2022.01); B01F 35/7176 (2022.01); B01F 35/7544 (2022.01); B01L 3/0293 (2013.01); B01L 3/502 (2013.01); B01L 3/527 (2013.01); C12Q 1/6874 (2013.01); G01N 35/00584 (2013.01); G01N 35/1002 (2013.01); G01N 35/1097 (2013.01); B01F 2101/23 (2022.01); B01L 2200/0621 (2013.01); B01L 2200/16 (2013.01); B01L 2300/06 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0867 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0883 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0487 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0622 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0633 (2013.01); B01L 2400/086 (2013.01); G01N 2035/1058 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
reagent reservoirs containing different reagents;
a mixing reservoir to receive one or more of the reagents;
multiple sippers including a nozzle sipper and multiple reagent sippers, the reagent sippers respectively extending into the reagent reservoirs such that respective distal tips of the reagent sippers contact the reagents in the reagent reservoirs, and the nozzle sipper extending into the mixing reservoir;
a cache channel positioned upstream of the mixing reservoir and extending between a pump end and a reservoir end, the pump end of the cache channel operatively connected to a pump;
a reagent selector valve fluidly connected to the reservoir end of the cache channel and fluidly connected to each of the sippers through corresponding fluid channels;
one of:
an inlet of the mixing reservoir for pre-loading of a sample template; or
a template reservoir containing a sample template and fluidly connected to the reagent selector valve through an other sipper and corresponding fluid channel;
a control circuitry operatively connected to the pump and the reagent selector valve, the control circuitry implementing a mixing protocol by controlling the pump and the reagent selector valve to automatically aspirate the reagents through the corresponding reagent sippers into the cache channel at designated amounts of the corresponding reagents based on the mixing protocol to pre-mix the reagents, the control circuitry subsequently i) controlling the pump and the reagent selector valve to discharge the reagents from the cache channel through the nozzle sipper into the mixing reservoir and mix the reagents with the sample template pre-loaded within the mixing reservoir to form a reagent mixture or ii) controlling the pump and the reagent selector valve to discharge the reagents from the cache channel through the nozzle sipper into the mixing reservoir and to discharge the sample template from the template reservoir directly to the mixing reservoir to form a reagent mixture.