Cartridge, kit comprising cartridge, electric measuring apparatus, and electric measuring method

• US 10,302,584 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2014
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Katsumoto, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eom, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/108,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20160327504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/141 Preventing contamination, tampering
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/042 Caps; Plugs
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/047 Additional chamber, reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0858 Side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/508 rigid containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5082 Test tubes per se
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50825 Closing or opening means, corks, bungs closures for containers B65D; means for removing stoppers B67B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/026 Dielectric impedance spectroscopy electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for measuring corrosion G01N17/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/226 Construction of measuring vessels; Electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4875 Details of handling test elements, e.g. dispensing or storage, not specific to a particular test method test-elements per se B01L, automatic analysers G01N35/00, in-vivo analysis on the human body for medical diagnosis A61B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4905 Determining clotting time of blood by chemical methods G01N33/86, C12Q1/56

Abstract

In embodiments, there is provided a cartridge comprising a container comprising an opening and a holding portion to hold a sample and/or a reagent, an electrode disposed on a container wall of the container, and a removable separator to separate at least some of the holding portion of the container from the electrode when the removable separator is inserted into the holding portion. The cartridge may be combined in a kit with a member to insert the sample, or in an electrical measuring apparatus comprising a circuit to measure electrical characteristic(s) of a second signal, resulting from application of a first signal to the electrode, and indicative of electrical characteristic(s) of the sample and/or the reagent.

Claims

1. A cartridge comprising:

a container comprising an opening and a holding portion to hold a sample and/or a reagent;

an electrode disposed on a container wall of the container;

a removable separator to separate at least some of the holding portion of the container from the electrode when the removable separator is inserted into the holding portion; and

a clamp that fixes relative positions of the container and the removable separator when the removable separator is inserted into the holding portion and separates the at least some of the holding portion from the electrode, wherein;

the clamp comprises a notched portion provided in the container and a claw provided on the removable separator and arranged to catch in the notched portion when the removable separator is inserted into the holding portion;

the claw is flexible;

the clamp is arranged to be released from clamping by deforming the claw or cutting the claw to a state in which the claw does not catch in the notched portion following release.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the electrode is integrally formed with the container wall and is at a fixed position on the container wall.

3. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein:

the container wall comprises a location having a planar shape; and

the electrode is disposed at the location having the planar shape.

4. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein a part of the electrode extending through the container wall to the holding portion is flush with an interior of the container wall.

5. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the removable separator is at least partially disposed within the container and forms a liquid-tight seal with the container wall to separate the at least some of the holding portion from the electrode.

6. The cartridge of claim 5, wherein the liquid-tight seal separates the sample and/or the reagent from the electrode.

7. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein:

the opening of the container is on a top of the container; and

a shape of the container comprises a gradient, spreading from a container bottom to the opening, on at least a portion of an interior of the container wall of the container.

8. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein a shape of the removable separator comprises a gradient, spreading from a bottom of the removable separator toward a top of the removable separator, on at least a portion of an exterior of a wall of the removable separator.

9. The cartridge of claim 8, wherein:

the gradient of the portion of the interior of the container wall is equivalent to the gradient of the portion of the exterior of the wall of the removable separator; and

when inserted into the container, the removable separator is subject to stress toward a top of the container.

10. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the clamp is arranged to be incapable of re-clamping after release.

11. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein a bottom of the removable separator comprises a hole that is open when the removable separator is not inserted into the holding portion and is closed when the removable separator is inserted into the holding portion to separate the at least some of the holding portion of the container from the electrode.

12. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the electrode is disposed in the holding portion.

13. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the container wall comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side;

the electrode is disposed on the first side; and

the cartridge further comprises an opposite electrode disposed on the second side.

14. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the electrode is configured to apply an electrical signal to the sample and/or the reagent.

15. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the container and/or the removable separator comprises a resin selected from a group of resins consisting of polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylic, and polysulfone.

16. The cartridge of claim 1 in a kit, the kit further comprising a member to introduce the sample into the container.

17. The kit of claim 16, wherein the member is a pipet.

18. The kit of claim 16, wherein the member is an injection needle.