Multiple purpose, portable apparatus for measurement, analysis and diagnosis
First Claim
1. A portable apparatus, for performing a variety of medical, biomedical and chemical assays, assay based analyses, and diagnosis, comprising (A) a sample tray that can carry one or multiple test samples for testing;
- (B) an enclosure of the apparatus that houses all components and serves as the frame;
(C) an opening on the enclosure to accommodate the sample tray that carries the test sample(s) for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
(D) an imaging acquisition system in the enclosure, which is used for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
(E) a data display, processing, and analysis unit that carries out the measurement, analysis and diagnosis on the test sample, using the acquired image information;
the unit can also receive instructions, display and output results. Among these, the enclosure and frame of the apparatus with the sample tray inserted at least contains the image acquisition system to ensure that the sample tray and the image acquisition system have a fixed relative position inside the enclosure. The image acquisition system is connected to the data display, processing, and analysis unit through digital interface, thus forming a portable device for various applications.
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to a portable apparatus for quantitatively measuring the concentration of specific substances in test samples of a lateral flow or microplate assay in medical, biomedical and chemical applications, and for making subsequent analysis and diagnosis. The portable apparatus includes a sample tray for carrying and aligning the test sample in the apparatus; a enclosure that may also serves as the frame of the apparatus; a digital image acquisition system that is used to obtain the digital image of the test sample on the sample tray; and a data display, processing, and analysis unit that is a general purpose or dedicated computer, such as a handheld computer (HHC), a pocket personal computer (PPC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a palm-top computer, a laptop computer, or a dedicated microprocessor and associated hardware, for measuring the concentration of specific substances in the test sample, and making subsequent analysis and diagnosis, based on the measurement, statistical data, prior knowledge and mathematical model. The stated enclosure and frame, the digital image acquisition system, and the data display, processing and analysis unit are integrated to form the portable apparatus for various applications. The integrated apparatus of this invention, with a possible name—Portable Intelligent Multi-Diagnoser (PIMD), thus forms a portable and multiple-purpose tool for measuring the concentration of specific substances in test samples, and making subsequent analysis and diagnosis in a variety of settings, such as a mobile site, point of care or near patient care, and small laboratories.
92 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A portable apparatus, for performing a variety of medical, biomedical and chemical assays, assay based analyses, and diagnosis, comprising
(A) a sample tray that can carry one or multiple test samples for testing; -
(B) an enclosure of the apparatus that houses all components and serves as the frame;
(C) an opening on the enclosure to accommodate the sample tray that carries the test sample(s) for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
(D) an imaging acquisition system in the enclosure, which is used for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
(E) a data display, processing, and analysis unit that carries out the measurement, analysis and diagnosis on the test sample, using the acquired image information;
the unit can also receive instructions, display and output results.Among these, the enclosure and frame of the apparatus with the sample tray inserted at least contains the image acquisition system to ensure that the sample tray and the image acquisition system have a fixed relative position inside the enclosure. The image acquisition system is connected to the data display, processing, and analysis unit through digital interface, thus forming a portable device for various applications. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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8. A portable apparatus, for performing a variety of medical, biomedical and chemical assays, assay based analyses, and diagnosis, comprising
(A) a sample tray that can carry one or multiple test samples for testing; -
(B) an enclosure of the apparatus that houses all components and serves as the frame;
(C) an opening on the enclosure to accommodate the sample tray that carries the test sample(s) for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
(D) an imaging acquisition system in the enclosure, which is used for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
the imaging acquisition system includes a digital camera or the lens head of a digital camera, special illumination, and optical filters;
which are fixed onto the frame of the apparatus;
(E) a data display, processing, and analysis unit that carries out the measurement, analysis and diagnosis on the test sample, using the acquired image information;
the unit can also receive instructions, display and output results.Among these, the enclosure and frame of the apparatus with the sample tray inserted contains the image acquisition system to ensure that the sample tray and the image acquisition system have a fixed relative position inside the enclosure. The image acquisition system and the enclosure and frame of the apparatus form one body. In use, the image acquisition system is connected to the data display, processing, and analysis unit through the digital interface that is mounted on the enclosure of the apparatus, thus forming a portable device for various applications. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A portable apparatus, for performing a variety of medical, biomedical and chemical assays, assay based analyses, and diagnosis, comprising
(A) a sample tray that can carry one or multiple test samples for testing; -
(B) an enclosure of the apparatus that houses all components and serves as the frame;
(C) an opening on the enclosure to accommodate the sample tray that carries the test sample(s) for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
(D) an imaging acquisition system in the enclosure, which is used for acquiring digital image information of the sample;
the imaging acquisition system includes a digital camera or the lens head of a digital camera, special illumination, and optical filters;
which are fixed onto the frame of the apparatus;
(E) a data display, processing, and analysis unit that carries out the measurement, analysis and diagnosis on the test sample, using the acquired image information;
the unit can also receive instructions, display and output results. This data display, processing, and analysis unit is a dedicated component mounted on the frame of the apparatus, which consists of a general-purpose microprocessor and all associated hardware, including display screen.Among these, the enclosure and frame of the apparatus with the sample tray inserted contains the image acquisition system and the dedicated component. Within the enclosure, the relative position between the digital camera or the lens head of the digital camera of the image acquisition system and the inserted sample tray is fixed, thus forming a portable device under the enclosure for various applications.
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Specification