Electronic pipette

Abstract

An electronic pipette comprising a piston actuated in a cylinder by a motor, a control system for carrying out pipette operations, and a user interface for operating the pipette, wherein the user interface comprises at least one touch screen for operating the pipetting operations of the pipette, which touch screen comprises at least one touching or pressing area for operating the pipetting operations of the pipette. The invention also relates to a method for operating an electronic pipette and a use of a touch screen as a part of a user interface of an electronic pipette for operating the pipetting operations of the pipette.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A handheld electronic pipette, comprising:
 a piston actuated in a cylinder by a motor,   a control system for carrying out pipette operations, and   a user interface provided on the pipette for operating the pipette,   wherein the user interface comprises at least one touch screen for operating the pipette operations of the pipette, which touch screen comprises at least one touching, pressing or sliding area for activating at least one of the following pipette operations of the pipette: ejecting a tip of the pipette, filling of a tip container, dispensing from a tip container, and mixing action of the pipette,   wherein touching, pressing or sliding of the at least one touching, pressing or sliding area activates driving of the motor for carrying out the pipette operation, and   wherein a size and/or a location of the at least one touching, pressing or sliding area within the at least one touch screen is adjustable by a user for different pipette operations.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises 2-4 touch screens. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 2 , wherein the touching, pressing or sliding areas of different pipette operations are transferrable between different touch screens. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 2 , wherein the touching, pressing or sliding areas for different pipette operations within the touch screens are identifiable by pre-programmed icons. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one touch screen comprises sliding functions or operations that are operated by moving finger along the surface of the touch screen. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 1 , wherein some parts of the at least one touch screen are adjustable to be inactive. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 1 , wherein the user interface of the pipette comprises a programmable feature for monitoring the use of pipette operations and for suggesting modifications for locations of pressing, touching or sliding areas. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic pipette according to  claim 2 , wherein at least some of the touch screens are curved and follow the curved surface of the pipette. 
     
     
         9 . A method for operating a handheld electronic pipette having a user interface provided on the pipette, comprising:
 driving a motor for carrying out pipette operations of the pipette by activating at least one of the following pipette operations of the pipette: ejecting a tip of the pipette, filling of a tip container, dispensing from a tip container, and mixing action of the pipette by touching, pressing or sliding an area of a touch screen, which touch screen is part of user interface of the pipette,   wherein a size and/or a location of the touching, pressing or sliding area within the touch screen is adjustable by the user for different pipette operations.   
     
     
         10 . A handheld electronic pipette, comprising:
 a piston actuated in a cylinder by a motor,   a control system for carrying out pipette operations, and   a user interface provided on the pipette for operating the pipette,   wherein the user interface comprises at least one touch screen for operating the pipette operations of the pipette, which touch screen comprises at least one touching, pressing or sliding area for activating at least one of the following pipette operations of the pipette: ejecting a tip of the pipette, filling of a tip container, dispensing from a tip container, and mixing action of the pipette,   wherein touching, pressing or sliding of the at least one touching, pressing or sliding area activates driving of the motor for carrying out the pipette operation.