A bladeless mixer for mixing a liquid, includes a cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped receptacle having an axis A and a radius R, the radius R being the shortest distance between the axis A and a side wall of the receptacle, the liquid to be mixed being placed in the receptacle and having an exposed surface at a height H measured along axis A; a member for tilting the receptacle such that axis A forms a non-zero-degree angle of up to 30° relative to the vertical direction; a member for imparting a rotational movement to the receptacle along axis A at an angular speed of rotation Ω; wherein the aspect ratio H/R of the height H to the radius R and the angular speed of rotation Ω are selected such that an inherent mode of inertia of the liquid has an unstable resonance when the receptacle is tilted and rotates.

A dispensing container and adapter system for use with a planetary mixer is disclosed. The dispensing container has a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis. The dispensing container may include a nozzle and a removable cap to cover the nozzle. The removable cap may have a first width dimension measured along the transverse axis. The dispensing container may include a body having a second width dimension measured along the transverse axis. An adapter may receive the dispensing container. The adapter may include a cavity to receive the removable cap. The cavity may have a cavity width that exceeds the first width dimension. The adapter may also include a recess for receiving a portion of the dispensing container. The recess may extend from the cavity. At least a portion of the recess may have a width dimension smaller than both the first width dimension and the second width dimension.

Described herein are devices and methods for rotating a container (e.g., a capped tube containing a sample). The disclosure provides devices and methods of rotating a container using one motor, resulting in a less complex device. The device moves and rotates a container rotating member which in turn is used to rotate a container. The devices can be used in automated analytical instruments (e.g., automated blood analyzers) that automatically transport and detect the identity of sample containers. The devices can also be used in instruments that automatically spin sample containers to mix or homogenize the sample.

A method using a chemical analyzer for removing a component of a liquid sample which may interfere with a test performed on a test assay includes the steps of adding the liquid sample to a sample cup, transferring a volume of the liquid sample to a mixing cup containing an IMAC (Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography) resin containing porous beads to form a sample/resin solution in the mixing cup, using a pipette of the chemical analyzer to repeatedly aspirate the sample/resin solution into a disposable pipette tip of the pipette and expelling the sample/resin solution from the pipette tip into the mixing cup to achieve a mixed sample/resin solution in the mixing cup, and allowing the mixed sample/resin solution in the mixing cup to rest undisturbed so that the interfering component of the liquid sample adheres to the porous beads and the beads settle to a bottom portion of the mixing cup, resulting in a refined liquid sample devoid of the interfering component and occupying an upper portion of the mixing cup for later dispensing on the test assay.

A mixing device for cylindrical jars, the device having two drive rollers and two guide rollers extending upward from a housing and through a top surface of the housing. The rear end of the top surface has a stop member. The drive rollers on one side of the jar and the guide rollers on an opposite side of the jar are mounted on axles positioned in the interior of the housing, wherein the axles slant downward 2 to 45 degrees from the front end to the rear end of the housing. The drive rollers will spin the jar at least 5 RPM with the jar tilted downward. A motor and transmission in the housing are connected operatively to the drive rollers. Ajar of natural peanut butter with separated peanut oil and solids may be placed on the rollers, with the lid of the jar engaging the stop member and rotated for 5 to 20 minutes. The natural peanut butter will then remain uniformly mixed for a week.

A caulk tube adapter for allowing mixing of coloring compositions into caulk is provided. The caulk tube includes baffles on the inside surface of the tube for facilitating mixing of the caulk and coloring composition. An adapter for allowing the caulk tubes to be positioned into a paint mixer is also provided.

A composite material (101) is produced by obtaining a plurality of agglomerates (102), introducing the plurality of agglomerates into a liquid carrier including a component capable of solidifying to produce a solidified polymeric material and mixing the plurality of the agglomerates into the liquid carrier (103) to produce a composite material. Each agglomerate is pre-formed by obtaining a plurality of electrically conductive or semi-conductive particles, mixing the plurality of electrically conductive or semi-conductive particles (201) in a granulation vessel. The mixing step includes operating the granulation vessel (202) at a Froude number of between 220 and 1100 and adhering the plurality of electrically conductive or semi-conductive particles by adding a granulation binder to a plurality of agglomerates.

A method for encapsulating active ingredients in liposomes having an active ingredient solution encapsulated with a bilayer composed of two monomolecular layers of amphiphilic compounds comprises: (a) providing the active ingredient solution; (b) providing an emulsion by emulsifying the active ingredient solution in a first liquid in the presence of the amphiphilic compound; (c) providing a liquid phase; (d) contacting the emulsion with the liquid phase to form a phase boundary; and (e) centrifuging the emulsion and the liquid phase that are in contact with one another via the phase boundary, wherein, on passage of the phase boundary, the amphiphilic compound enriched there is added onto the monomolecular inner layer to form a monomolecular outer layer, in order to create the bilayer.
The first liquid of the emulsion is chosen such that the solubility of the amphiphilic compound in the first liquid is not more than 1×10.sup.−4 mol/l.

An apparatus for and method of enabling enhanced, selective agitation of liquid containing a solid-phase reagent. The apparatus includes at least one liquid-bearing container, a circular tray, and a motor. The liquid-bearing container(s) includes at least one internal baffle that imparts turbulent agitation to the liquid when flowing from one end of the container to an opposite end. The circular tray is adapted for selective rotation about a vertical axis of rotation. The rotary circular tray assembly includes container-receiving stations that selectively retain a respective liquid-bearing container in an inclined or pitched orientation with respect to a horizontal plane. The motor creates centrifugal force, which causes liquid in the container(s) to travel from the first end of the container to the second end of the container via the internal baffle(s), agitating the liquid and the solid-phase portions of the reagent. When gravitational force exceeds the centrifugal force, liquid in the container(s) travels from the second end of the container to the first end of the container via the internal baffle(s), again agitating the liquid and the solid-phase portions of the reagent.

A method for extracting resins and oils from a plant includes: 1) tumbling, inside a container at a temperature of at most 50 degrees Fahrenheit with a tumbler, plant fibers having one or more portions that contain resins and/or oils; 2) colliding the tumbler with the plant fibers to release the one or more portions that contain resins and/or oils from the remainder of the plant fibers; and 3) segregating the one or more portions that contain resins and/or oils from the remainder of the plant fibers.