摘要:
Inter alia , a reagent container characterised in that it comprises: (a) a bottom wall; (b) a vertical side wall which defines an inner chamber; (c) a top opening; and (d) at least one fin which is located in the said chamber for agitating fluid within the said chamber upon rotation of the said container about a vertical axis is disclosed, as is a cover for such a container characterised in that a cover for a container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12 characterised in that it is made of an elastomeric material and comprises: (a) a continuous side wall for enabling the cover to be applied to the mouth of a corresponding container in a sealing fit; and (b) a top wall which has at least one slit which maintains the sealing integrity of the cover while allowing access into the interior of the container by an aspirating and dispensing probe.
摘要:
Inter alia, a luminometer for an automated analyzer to assay an analyte in a test sample in a cuvette in which the product of the test reaction includes a chemiluminescent labeled reagent and the product being suspended in an acid solution, the said cuvette having a bottom wall, side wall and an open top, characterised in that it comprises: (a) a cuvette transport for conveying the said cuvette in a horizontal plane from an entrance point to a base solution dispense point and to an exit point; (b) dispense means at the said base solution dispense point for dispensing a base solution into the said cuvette to cause a chemiluminescent flash; (c) an instrument at the said base solution dispense point for measuring the intensity of the said flash; and (d) control means including a central processing unit for coordinating the said cuvette transport, the said dispense means and the said instrument is disclosed.
摘要:
Inter alia , a reagent container characterised in that it comprises:
(a) a bottom wall; (b) a vertical side wall which defines an inner chamber; (c) a top opening; and (d) at least one fin which is located in the said chamber for agitating fluid within the said chamber upon rotation of the said container about a vertical axis is disclosed, as is a cover for such a container characterised in that a cover for a container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12 characterised in that it is made of an elastomeric material and comprises:
(a) a continuous side wall for enabling the cover to be applied to the mouth of a corresponding container in a sealing fit; and (b) a top wall which has at least one slit which maintains the sealing integrity of the cover while allowing access into the interior of the container by an aspirating and dispensing probe.
摘要:
A reagent pack for keeping fluids with or without suspensions mixed or suspended upon rocking. The reagent pack has at leat one chamber (120) divided into separate sub-chambers (126a,126b) with a throat region (124) between them defined by baffles (122a,122b) for agitation of suspended reagent during rocking of the reagent pack. A continuous lid sealable to the pack has membrane sealed apertures in the lid for allowing access to the underlying chambers (120) and sub-chambers (126a,126b) by withdrawal needles. A tray is configured to hold multiple side-by-side reagent packs on respective slides that slide in and out for insertion and withdrawal of the packs. During operation, the tray and associated packs are rocked such as by being periodically inclined with respect to horizontal, providing reagent agitation. Optical annunciators proximate the tray indicate respective reagent pack activity under control of a computer which stores information on the contents of each pack tray location and correlates it to scheduled reagent use in a medical testing system. The tray is provided with a thermally conductive hinge. The tray with packs is located in an enclosure.
摘要:
A luminometer for determining the composition of a specimen sample includes an annular guide path for sample containing cuvettes within a light tight housing. A rotor moves spaced segments through the guide path with the cuvettes positioned between the segments. The luminometer further includes one or two detector assemblies (110,112) coupled to the housing and positioned to view and detect light emitted by cuvettes as they pass along the guide path between segments. A cuvette is advanced around the housing via the rotor and rotor segments and when the cuvette reaches a predetermined position on the housing, a reagent, such as a base, is added to the cuvette to initiate a chemiluminescent reaction within the cuvette and provide an emission of light energy in a predetermined spectral range. The luminometer has a waste aspiration probe to remove the contents of the cuvette after it passes the detector. A cuvette elevator moves a sample containing cuvette into the guide path between segments and an exit chute removes cuvettes after their contents have been aspirated. The luminometer permits continuous uninterrupted sample testing when coupled to an incubation chamber in which the cuvettes receive samples and test specific reagents before they are moved into the luminometer by the elevator. The luminometer has a temperature detection and control circuit coupled to the detector (PMT) (110) with thermal insulating sleeve (126). A TED (132) is coupled to the PMT thermal sleeve. The PMT comprises a lens cap (128) and a seal.
摘要:
Inter alia , an apparatus for selectively dispensing reagent into first and second vertical reagent dispense axes, for use in an automated analyzer to assay a test sample, the said analyzer having an event conveyor for conveying a plurality of cuvettes along an event path which includes a vertical sample dispense axis, the said first vertical reagent dispense axis which is spaced from and downstream of the said sample dispense axis and the said second vertical reagent dispense axis which is spaced from and downstream of the said first reagent axis, the said apparatus being characterised in that it comprises:
(a) a reagent transport and selection means for supporting a plurality of first reagent containers which contain labeled reagent and a plurality of second reagent containers which contain solid phase reagent, and for selectively positioning any one of the said first reagent containers at one of a first vertical reagent aspirating axis and a second vertical reagent aspirating axis, and for selectively positioning any one of the said second reagent containers at one of a third vertical reagent aspirating axis and a fourth vertical reagent aspirating axis; (b) a first reagent probe transport means for supporting a first reagent aspirating and dispense probe for selective vertical movement between an upper position and a lower aspirating and dispense position and for selective horizontal movement between the said first reagent dispense axis and either of the said first and third reagent dispense axes; (c) a second reagent probe transport means for supporting a second reagent aspirating and dispensing probe for selective vertical movement between an upper position and a lower aspirating and dispense position and for selective horizontal movement between the said second reagent dispense axis and either of the said second and fourth dispense axes; and (d) control means including a central processing unit operatively connected to the said reagent transport and selection means, the said first reagent probe transport means and the said second reagent transport means for selectively positioning a predetermined first reagent container at either of the said first and second reagent aspirating axes and a predetermined second reagent container at either of the said third and fourth reagent aspirating axes, for selectively positioning the said first reagent probe for aspirating reagent from a selected first reagent container at the said first reagent aspirating axis or a selected second reagent container at the said third reagent aspirating axis, or from both of the said selected first and second selected reagent containers and for dispensing aspirated reagent into a cuvette at the said first reagent dispense axis, and, for selectively positioning the said second reagent probe for aspirating reagent from a selected first reagent container at the said second reagent aspirating axis or a selected second reagent container at the said fourth reagent aspirating axis, or from both of the said selected first and second reagent containers and for dispensing aspirated reagent into a cuvette at the said second reagent dispense axis is disclosed.
摘要:
Method and apparatus for transportation and processing of multiple protocol assays within an automated immunoassay analyzer instrument (10). The apparatus includes a cuvette ring (32) movably coupled to a magnet ring (30). In one embodiment, the magnet ring (30) and cuvette ring (32) are provided having circular shapes. A temperature controlled housing (28) is disposed about the cuvette and magnet rings to provide a rotary incubation and particle separation chamber (12). The cuvette ring (32) holds a plurality of cuvettes each of which may have a different assay disposed therein. The cuvette ring (32) advances the cuvettes around the circumference of the incubation chamber. A plurality of discrete processing centers for aspiration and dispensing fluid samples, reagents and wash fluids are disposed at predetermined positions about the incubation chamber (12). The cuvette ring (32) moves cuvettes in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions around the incubation chamber (12) to position particular cuvettes at particular ones of the plurality of discrete processing centers to thus accomodate different protocols of each of the assays. By controlling the manner in which the cuvette ring (32) moves within the incubation chamber (12), a plurality of different protocol assays each of which require different incubation times, can be simultaneously processed in the analyzer instrument.
摘要:
Inter alia, an apparatus for selectively dispensing reagent into first and second vertical reagent dispense axes, for use in an automated analyzer to assay a test sample, the said analyzer having an event conveyor for conveying a plurality of cuvettes along an event path which includes a vertical sample dispense axis, the said first vertical reagent dispense axis which is spaced from and downstream of the said sample dispense axis and the said second vertical reagent dispense axis which is spaced from and downstream of the said first reagent axis, the said apparatus being characterised in that it comprises: (a) a reagent transport and selection means for supporting a plurality of first reagent containers which contain labeled reagent and a plurality of second reagent containers which contain solid phase reagent, and for selectively positioning any one of the said first reagent containers at one of a first vertical reagent aspirating axis and a second vertical reagent aspirating axis, and for selectively positioning any one of the said second reagent containers at one of a third vertical reagent aspirating axis and a fourth vertical reagent aspirating axis; (b) a first reagent probe transport means for supporting a first reagent aspirating and dispense probe for selective vertical movement between an upper position and a lower aspirating and dispense position and for selective horizontal movement between the said first reagent dispense axis and either of the said first and third reagent dispense axes; (c) a second reagent probe transport means for supporting a second reagent aspirating and dispensing probe for selective vertical movement between an upper position and a lower aspirating and dispense position and for selective horizontal movement between the said second reagent dispense axis and either of the said second and fourth dispense axes; and (d) control means including a central processing unit operatively connected to the said reagent transport and selection means, the said first reagent probe transport means and the said second reagent transport means for selectively positioning a predetermined first reagent container at either of the said first and second reagent aspirating axes and a predetermined second reagent container at either of the said third and fourth reagent aspirating axes, for selectively positioning the said first reagent probe for aspirating reagent from a selected first reagent container at the said first reagent aspirating axis or a selected second reagent container at the said third reagent aspirating axis, or from both of the said selected first and second selected reagent containers and for dispensing aspirated reagent into a cuvette at the said first reagent dispense axis, and, for selectively positioning the said second reagent probe for aspirating reagent from a selected first reagent container at the said second reagent aspirating axis or a selected second reagent container at the said fourth reagent aspirating axis, or from both of the said selected first and second reagent containers and for dispensing aspirated reagent into a cuvette at the said second reagent dispense axis is disclosed.
摘要:
An analyzer for performing automated assay testing. The analyzer includes a storage and conveyor system for conveying cuvettes to an incubation or processing conveyor, a storage and selection system for test sample containers, a storage and selection system for reagent containers, sample and reagent aspirating and dispensing probes, a separation system for separating bound from unbound tracer or labeled reagent, a detection system and date collection/processing system. All of the sub-units of the machine are controlled by a central processing unit to coordinate the activity of all of the subunits of the analyzer. The analyzer is specifically suited for performing heterogeneous binding assay protocols, particularly immunoassays.
摘要:
Inter alia, an isolation means for an automated analyzer to assay a test sample in a cuvette which is conveyed along an event path, the said cuvette having a bottom wall, a side wall and an open top, the said cuvette containing a labeled reagent and a solid-phase reagent which has paramagnetic particles which have reacted to form a detectable product, characterised in that it comprises: (a) magnetic means along the said event path for attracting the said paramagnetic particles against the side wall of the said cuvette; (b) liquid evacuating means for aspirating the liquid from the said cuvette while the said paramagnetic particles are held against the side wall of the said cuvette; (c) liquid dispensing means which are located downstream of the said magnetic means for dispensing a re-suspend liquid into the said cuvette for re-suspending the said paramagnetic particles in the said re-suspend liquid; and (d) control means including a central processing unit for coordinating the said evacuating means, the said liquid dispensing means and means for conveying the said cuvette along the said event path is disclosed.