Cartridge loader and methods

Abstract

A device for transporting cartridges comprises a housing for holding a plurality of cartridges in a temperature controlled environment. A transport system is also provided and has a grasping mechanism for grasping one of the cartridges. The transport system is further used to remove the cartridge from the housing and to place the cartridge into a scanner.

1 - 35 . (Cancelled).  
   
   
       36 . A holder for an array unit having a planar substrate and an array of chemical moieties on a surface of the substrate, the holder comprising: a body with a retaining mechanism which releasably retains an array unit in a seated position, such that an array unit can be repeatedly inserted into and removed from the seated position in which it is retained in the holder; a machine readable holder identifier which includes data on a characteristic of the holder or seated array.  
   
   
       37 . A holder according to  claim 36  wherein the holder identifier includes data on a spatial characteristic of the holder or seated array.  
   
   
       38 . A holder according to  claim 37  wherein the holder identifier includes data on a position or dimension of an array unit seated in the holder.  
   
   
       39 . A holder according to  claim 38  wherein the holder identifier includes data on the position or dimension of the substrate of an array unit seated in the holder unit.  
   
   
       40 . A holder according to  claim 38  wherein the position or dimension data includes data on the x, y, or z positions or dimensions of the seated array unit, where x and y are the directions along the length and width of the substrate and z is the direction perpendicular to the substrate plane.  
   
   
       41 . A holder according to  claim 38  wherein the position or dimension data includes data on the z position of the seated array unit.  
   
   
       42 . A holder according to  claim 38  wherein the position data includes data on the angular orientation of the seated array unit.  
   
   
       43 . A holder according to  claim 38  wherein the holder identifier comprises a bar code.  
   
   
       44 . A holder according to  claim 38  wherein the holder additionally comprises a magnetic or solid state memory attached to the body and the identifier is carried by the memory.  
   
   
       45 . A holder according to  claim 38  additionally comprising a seated array unit.  
   
   
       46 . A holder according to  claim 45  wherein the seated array unit additionally includes an array unit identifier.  
   
   
       47 . A holder according to  claim 46  wherein the array unit identifier is a machine readable identifier.  
   
   
       48 . A holder according to  claim 47  wherein the array unit identifier comprises a bar code or is carried in a memory attached to the remainder of the array unit.  
   
   
       49 . A holder according to  claim 38  which has a maximum length and width each no greater than 50 cm, and a thickness no greater than 10 cm.  
   
   
       50 . A method of reading an array of chemical moieties on a substrate of an array unit, the method comprising: seating the array unit in a holder, which holder carries a holder identifier; mounting the holder with seated array unit into an array reader; reading the holder identifier and retrieving data on a position or dimension of the seated array unit based on the read holder identifier; and reading the array.  
   
   
       51 . A method according to  claim 50  wherein the position or dimension data includes data on the x, y, or z positions or dimensions of the seated array unit, where x and y are the directions along the length and width of the substrate and z is the direction perpendicular to the substrate plane.  
   
   
       52 . A method according to  claim 50  wherein the position or dimension data includes data on the z position of the seated array unit.  
   
   
       53 . A method according to  claim 50  wherein the position data includes data on the angular orientation of the seated array unit.  
   
   
       54 . A method according to  claim 50  additionally comprising reading an array unit identifier carried by the array unit.  
   
   
       55 . A holder according to  claim 54  wherein the array unit identifier is machine read.  
   
   
       56 . A holder according to  claim 47  wherein the holder identifier comprises a bar code or is carried in a memory attached to the remainder of the holder.  
   
   
       57 . A method according to  claim 50  wherein the reading of the array comprises scanning an interrogating light over the array.  
   
   
       58 . A method according to  claim 57  wherein the interrogating light is a spot scanned across the array in an x and y direction, where x and y are the directions along a length and width of the array.  
   
   
       59 . A method according to  claim 57  wherein a position or dimension of an area over which the interrogating light is scanned is based on data retrieved using the read holder identifier.  
   
   
       60 . A method comprising forwarding data representing a result of a reading obtained by the method of  claim 50 .  
   
   
       61 . A method according to  claim 60  wherein the data is communicated to a remote location.  
   
   
       62 . A method comprising receiving data representing a result of a reading obtained by the method of  claim 50 .  
   
   
       63 . A method of reading an array of chemical moieties on a substrate of an array unit, the method comprising: seating the array unit in a holder, which holder carries a holder identifier; reading the holder identifier and retrieving a characteristic of the holder or seated array based on the read holder identifier; and when the retrieved characteristic does not meet a predetermined condition, rejecting the seated array unit for reading or generating an operator alert.  
   
   
       64 . A method according to  claim 63  wherein the retrieved characteristic of the holder or seated array comprises a spatial characteristic.  
   
   
       65 . An apparatus for reading an array of chemical moieties on a substrate of an array unit, the apparatus comprising: a receptacle into which is mountable a holder carrying a seated array unit, which holder carries a holder identifier; a reader system to read the holder identifier and data from different chemical moieties of the array; and a processor which retrieves data on a characteristic of the holder or seated array based on the read holder identifier.  
   
   
       66 . An apparatus according to  claim 65  wherein the processor retrieves data on a spatial characteristic of the holder or seated array based on the holder identifier.  
   
   
       67 . An apparatus according to  claim 66  wherein the processor retrieves data on a spatial characteristic which comprises data on a position or dimension of an array unit seated in the holder.  
   
   
       68 . An apparatus according to  claim 67  wherein the reader system comprises a first identifier reader to read the holder identifier, and an array reader to read the data from different chemical moieties of the array.  
   
   
       69 . An apparatus according to  claim 67  wherein the processor retrieves data which includes data on the x, y, or z positions or dimensions of the seated array unit, where x and y are the directions along the length and width of the substrate and z is the direction perpendicular to the substrate plane.  
   
   
       70 . An apparatus according to  claim 67  wherein the reader system also reads an array unit identifier carried by a seated array unit in the mounted holder.  
   
   
       71 . An apparatus according to  claim 68  additionally comprising a second identifier reader to read an array unit identifier carried by a seated array unit in the mounted holder.  
   
   
       72 . An apparatus according to  claim 67  wherein the reader system comprises a light system which provides and scans an interrogating light over the array.  
   
   
       73 . An apparatus according to  claim 72  wherein the light system provides a light spot which is scanned in an x and y direction across the array of the seated array unit in the mounted holder, where x and y are the directions along a length and width of the array.  
   
   
       74 . An apparatus according to  claim 72  wherein the processor controls a position or dimension of an area over which the interrogating light is scanned based on data retrieved using the read holder identifier.  
   
   
       75 . An apparatus according to  claim 65  wherein the processor retrieves data on a spatial characteristic of the holder and compares this with a predetermined condition in a memory and when the retrieved spatial characteristic does not meet the retrieved condition generates a user alert or inhibits reading of data from different chemical moieties of the array.  
   
   
       76 . An apparatus according to  claim 70  wherein: the reader system comprises a light system which provides and scans an interrogating light over the array; the processor controls a position or dimension of an area over which the interrogating light is scanned based on data retrieved using the read holder identifier; and a position or dimension of the area over which the interrogating light is scanned is also based on data retrieved using the read array unit identifier.  
   
   
       77 . An apparatus according to  claim 67  wherein the array reader comprises a detector having a focal plane, wherein the position of the focal plane is adjusted relative to an array based on the data retrieved using the read holder identifier.  
   
   
       78 . A computer program product for use with an apparatus of  claim 67 , comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon for reading the holder identifier and retrieving data on the position or dimension of the seated array unit based on the read holder identifier.  
   
   
       79 . A computer program product according to  claim 78  wherein the program additionally reads an array identifier carried by a seated array unit in the mounted holder and retrieves data on the position or dimension of the array also based on the read array identifier.  
   
   
       80 . A computer program product according to  claim 79  wherein the program additionally controls a position or dimension of an area on the array of the seated array unit in the mounted holder, over which an interrogating light is scanned.