Object-holding device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10138452-B2
Application number	US-201415323892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2014
Priority date	Aug 5, 2014
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

An object-holding device includes a container, a plate, and a dispersing mechanism. The container is configured to store a liquid, and includes an upper opening for charging an object into the stored liquid, and a bottom wall. The plate has an upper surface and a lower surface and is immersed into the liquid in a state in which the lower surface is spaced away from the bottom wall of the container, with this plate including: one or a plurality of holding portions arranged on the upper surface side and configured to carry the object; and a through hole passing through the holding portion from the upper surface to the lower surface. The dispersing mechanism is configured to form, in the through hole, a liquid flow which flows from the lower surface side toward the upper surface side to raise the object carried on the holding portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An object-holding device, comprising:
a container configured to store a liquid and having an upper opening for charging an object into the stored liquid, and a bottom wall;
a plate having an upper surface and a lower surface and immersed into the liquid in a state in which the lower surface is spaced away from the bottom wall of the container, the plate including one or a plurality of holding portions arranged on the upper surface side and configured to carry the object, and a through hole formed at a position at which, the holding portion is arranged, and passing through the holding portion from the upper surface to the lower surface; and
a dispersing mechanism configured to form, in the through hole, a liquid flow which flows from the lower surface side toward the upper surface side to raise the object carried on the holding portion, wherein
the container includes:
a tubular inner peripheral wall including an upper end portion configured to define the upper opening, and a lower end portion configured to hold a peripheral edge of the plate;
a tubular outer peripheral wall including an upper edge portion continuously provided to the inner peripheral wall and a lower edge portion continuously provided to the bottom wall; and
a closed region that the inner peripheral wall, the outer peripheral wall, the bottom wall, and the plate form, and in a state in which the container stores the liquid so that a liquid surface of the liquid is positioned above the plate, the through hole is closed by the liquid retained on the plate such that the closed region becomes a sealed region; and

wherein
the dispersing mechanism forms the liquid flow by generating a pressurization force to the liquid surface in the closed region,
the closed region is formed with a space in which air is retained, and
the dispersing mechanism includes a pressure regulator configured to pressurize the space.

2. The object-holding device according to claim 1 , wherein
the holding portion is a recess opened upward; and
an opening of the through hole on the upper surface side is arranged on a bottom surface of the recess.

3. The object-holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulator further has a function of depressurizing the space, and performs the depressurization after the pressurization.

4. The object-holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the dispersing mechanism includes a bulging member capable of changing a state thereof between a bulging state, in which the bulging member bulges in the liquid which is present in the closed region and a retreating state, in which the bulging no longer exists.

5. The object-holding device according to claim 1 , further comprising a partition wall configured to partition the closed region into a plurality of segments, wherein
the dispersing mechanism is provided for each of the segments of the closed region.

6. The object-holding device according to claim 1 , wherein the object is a biological cell.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ito Saburo

Classifications

• C12M47/04

  Cell isolation or sorting (purging biological preparations of unwanted cells C12N5/0081, determining the presence or kind of microorganism C12Q1/04) · CPC title

• C12M29/14

  Pressurized fluid · CPC title

• C12M23/34

  Internal compartments or partitions · CPC title

• C12M41/40

  of pressure · CPC title

• C12M23/12 Primary

  Well or multiwell plates (C12M25/04 takes precedence) · CPC title