Field of technology

The present invention relates to a pipette intended for use in the dosage of liq- uids and comprising an electronically operating control system with a user interface comprising an electronic display.

Technological background

Pipettes used for liquid dosage in laboratories comprise a piston movable in a cylinder for aspiration of liquid into a tip container connected with the cylinder. The volume is usually adjustable. There are also electronic pipettes whose piston is actuated by means of an electric motor and a control system associated with it. However, there are also electronic pipettes whose pistons are actuated by manual force and which comprise an electronic display only. Electronic pipettes have a user interface for selection of the desired pipette function (e.g. direct or reverse pipetting), setting of the volume and for giving commands for performing operations. The user interface has the necessary switches for input of the necessary settings and performance of the functions. The user interface is connected to a display, by means of which the volume and other necessary data can be displayed. The display can also show menus allowing data input in the control system.

Examples of known electronic pipettes are disclosed in publications WO 2005079989 and WO 2005079987, for example.

Patent publication US 8,033,188 discloses an electronic pipette, which comprises menu driven software for controlling the information displayed on the user interface display, for inputting information to program the pipettor and for controlling the operation of the pipettor. In this solution the user interface also comprises a circular touch pad for navigating the user interface display and for operating the pipette. Summary of the invention

An electronic controllable pipette in accordance with the present invention is equipped with one or more touch screens by which the pipetting operations of the pipette are operated. The term "touch screen" within context of this description means an electronic visual display that displays information and that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area.

The touch screens may be used as modifiable function keys or buttons by which the pipetting operations of pipette are controlled. The touch screens may be equipped with pre-programmed icons for different operations of the pipette, whereby the icons define the active pressing areas of the touch screen for activating the related functions of the pipette. These icons may be moved to different places on the touch screen and/or on different touch screens of the pipette. The size of the icons, or the active area of the touch screen for receiving a touch to activate selected operation, may also be adjustable. Some areas of the touch screen or whole touch screen may also be adjusted to be inactive, so they may be used as a support surfaces when operating the pipette.

Examples for pipetting operations to be covered with pre-programmable icons include ejecting the tip of the pipette, filling of the tip container, dispensing the tip container, and mixing action of the pipette, for example.

The touch screens may also be equipped with sliding functions, whereby for example the pipetting motion can be carried out by moving finger along the surface of the touch screen, which corresponds to a similar type of motion in manual pipettes. In this sliding function the piston of the pipette follows the movement of the finger in real time. Alternatively this sliding function can be used to activate pipette's mixing function, for example.

The touch screens of the electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention may also be curved, so that they may follow the curved surfaces of the pipette. With an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention it is possible to change locations of areas registering pressing or touching for operating the pipette to be suitable for different users and for different hands, thereby minimizing the stress caused to the hand when operating the pipette. The present invention also makes it possible to easily switch the locations of the pressing or touching areas, for example for different fingers, during the use of the pipette, which makes it possible to minimize further the stresses caused by pi- petting.

The electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention may also be equipped with a programmable feature for monitoring the physical stresses caused by the use of the pipette, and based on the monitoring, for suggesting modifications or changes to the placements of pressing or touching areas in order to lower the physical stresses. This programmable feature is advantageously part of the control software of the electronic pipette.

The present invention also allows a method for operating an electronic pipette, wherein the pipetting operations of the pipette are carried out by touching or pressing a touch screen, which touch screen is part of the user interface of the pipette.

Further, the present invention also allows a use of a touch screen as a part of a user interface of an electronic pipette for operating pipetting operations of the pipette.

The features of the electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention are presented more precisely in the independent claim 1 . A method for operating an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention is described in the independent claim 10. The invention also relates to a use of a touch screen in an electronic pipette as described in independent claim 1 1 . The dependent claims define further advantageous features and embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the figures

Exemplifying embodiments of the invention and its advantages are explained in greater detail below in the sense of an example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, where figure 1 shows an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention, figure 2 shows the main touch screen areas of the pipette of figure 1 , figure 3 shows a functional diagram of an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention, figures 4A-4F shows an example of operating an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention, figures 5A-5E shows an example of changing positions of operations in setting mode of an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention, and figure 6 shows examples of programmable icons for an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Figure 1 shows an example of an electronic pipette 1 in accordance with the present invention. When the pipette 1 is used, a tip container (not shown) is attached to the lower end 2 on the pipette. Inside the pipette 1 is located a piston movable in a cylinder in order to aspire liquid into the tip container. The piston of the pipette 1 is actuated by electric motor located within the pipette. The pipette 1 is operated with a control system that have a user interface comprising, in this example, three touch screens 3, 4 and 5.

During the use of the pipette 1 , the pipette is gripped with hand from handle portion 6, which handle portion also comprises at its upper end a finger support 7. The touch screens 4 can be operated with the index finger of the gripping hand and the touch screens 3 and 5 can be operated with the thumb of the gripping hand. Alternatively the touch screens 3, 4 and 5 can be operated with the fingers of the other hand. As can be seen from figure 2, the touch screen 3 on the pipette 1 is divided to several areas 8-12 each of which can be set to either purely present information, register pressing or touching and carry out certain action, or combination of these two. Further, each of the areas 8-12, as well as the touch screens 4 and 5 or parts or these touch screens, can also be set to be inactive, for ex- ample to be used as support surfaces. Touch screens 3, 4 and 5 or parts of them can also be set to register sliding functions, whereby for example the pipetting motion can be carried out by moving finger along the surface of the touch screen. In this sliding function the piston of the pipette follows the movement of the finger in real time. Alterna- tively this sliding function can be used to activate pipette's mixing function, for example.

Touch screens 3, 4 and 5 also comprise pre-programmed icons for different pipetting operations, such as ejecting the tip of the pipette, filling of the tip container, dispensing the tip container, and mixing action of the pipette, for exam- pie. These icons advantageously identify the operation of the pressing or touching area as well as the active area related to this action.

Figure 3 shows an example of a functional diagram of an electronic pipette, like the pipette 1 of figure 1 . The operations of the pipette are controlled with a central processing unit (CPU), which is equipped with memory for storing preprogrammed operations and functions. The user gives commands to the CPU through touch screens A-D of which in this example there are four. The CPU is supplied with operating power by a battery and a voltage regulator, which can be recharged with a changer through charging connections when the pipette is placed in its stand. The CPU of the pipette can also be connected to external databases through data interface. The CPU receives information from and controls the pipette's piston reference position detector. In accordance with instructions received from the user through the touch screens A-D, the CPU controls the motor of the pipette through a motor driver. The dashed line on figure 3 presents boundary surface between the pipette itself and the stand of the pipette in which the pipette is placed when not in use.

Figures 4A-4F shows an example of operating an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention. In this example the touch screens of the pipette are used to change the pipetting volume.

In this operation the user first touches the area of touch screen A showing the present pipetting volume, as shown in figure 4A. This action activates the touch screen A to change its view to a numeric touchpad, where the present pipetting volume (235 μΙ) is shown near the upper edge of the touch screen A over the numeric touchpad, and below the numeric touchpad is an area for a new pipetting volume. By touching the numbers of the numeric touchpad the user inputs the new pipetting volume, as is shown in figure 4B. After correct new pipetting volume has been typed, the user accepts the new pipetting volume by touching the area showing the newly input pipetting volume, as shown in figure 4C. After the new pipetting volume is accepted, the touch screen A re- turns to the previous view where the pipetting volume has now changed to the new pipetting volume (73 μΙ), as shown in figure 4D. By touching or pressing the area of the touch pad A identified with word "FILL", as shown in figure 4D, the user fills the tip of the pipette with set pipetting volume of 73 μΙ. Since the tip of the pipette now contains liquid, the area of the touch screen A previously identified with word "FILL" is changed to be identified with word "Dispense" by the control system of the pipette automatically and the operation activated by touching or pressing that area is changed correspondingly. Now, when the area with word "Dispense" is touched or pressed by the user, as is shown in figure 4E, the liquid volume of 73 μΙ, which previously was filled in the tip of the pipette, is dispensed from the tip of the pipette. In order to remove the used tip of the pipette, the user touches or presses a separate touch screen B, as shown in figure 4F, which touch screen B is set to activate the tip ejecting operation. The user is informed of this operation with a word "EJECT" located in the touch screen B. Figures 5A-5E shows an example of changing positions of operations in setting mode of an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention.

When pipette is in setting mode, the selected "EJECT" tab in touch screen B can be moved by activating it with a touch, as is shown in figure 5A. After activating the selected tab it can then be moved out of the area of the touch screen B by moving finger along the touch screen B to the edge of the touch screen, as is shown in figure 5B. After the selected "EJECT" tab is moved out of the touch screen B, a touch screen where the tab is to be moved, in this case touch screen A, is activated by touching or pressing the touch screen, as is shown in figure 5C. Then the selected "EJECT" tab can be dragged to a se- lected location within touch screen A, as is shown in figure 5D. By releasing the tab a new position for it within the touch screen B is set, as shown in figure 5E.

Figure 6 shows examples with pre-programmable icons for operations of an electronic pipette in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen from the figure, these icons advantageously also contain clarifying words relat- ing to the operations activated by touching the icon in question in the touch screen of the pipette.