Devices, methods, and systems for measuring an optical property of a sample

• US 20060109467A1
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, Richard Wilson
• Application Number:
  US10/996,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109467A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/432
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/035 Supports for sample drops
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/01 Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/64 Fluorescence; Phosphorescence

Abstract

Devices and methods are provided for measuring a property of a sample, such as an optical property. Embodiments of the subject invention include a device having sample measurement componentry and one or more enclosure-forming components, wherein one or more of the enclosure-forming components are movable, and wherein the device is configured so that one or more of the enclosure-forming components have a positional relationship that can change from an open position to a closed position in which one or more of the enclosure-forming components define an enclosed space accessible by the sample measurement componentry. Also provided are systems and kits.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

(a) optical componentry; and

(b) two or more enclosure-forming components, one of said enclosure-forming components comprising a surface which forms a sample-receiving area;

wherein at least two of said two or more enclosure-forming components are movable, and wherein said device is configured so that two or more enclosure-forming components have a positional relationship that can change from an open position of components to a closed position of components in which said two or more enclosure-forming components define an enclosed space accessible by said optical componentry.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said two or more enclosure-forming components comprise a first enclosure-forming component, a second enclosure-forming component and a third enclosure-forming component.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein at least three of said first, second and third enclosure-forming components are moveable relative to non-movable components of the device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more enclosure-forming components comprise said optical componentry or are in communication with said optical componentry.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein said first enclosure-forming component comprises the sample-receiving surface.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein said sample receiving surface comprises a recess.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said recess receives a container for comprising a sample.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said container comprises a liquid sample held in the container by capillary action.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of said enclosure-forming components shields the enclosed space from ambient light.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of said shield-forming component(s) is deformable.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein said shield-forming component(s) are opaque.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein said shield-forming component(s) are reflective.

13. The device of claim 2, wherein said third enclosure-forming component is moveably attached to said second enclosure-forming component.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said second enclosure-forming component is moveable and movement of said second enclosure-forming component causes said first enclosure-forming component to move from said open position to said closed position.

15. The device of claim 2, wherein said third enclosure-forming component is moveably attached to said first enclosure-forming component.

16. The device of claim 5, wherein said third enclosure-forming component comprises a surface parallel to said sample-receiving surface and is capable of moving from said open position to said closed position when said sample-receiving surface extends beyond an edge of said parallel surface of said third enclosure-forming component.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein said sample-receiving surface is substantially flat.

18. The device of claim 9, wherein an enclosure-forming component for shielding the enclosed space from ambient light is movably attached to an enclosure-forming component comprising optical componentry.

19. The device of claim 9, wherein an enclosure-forming component for shielding the enclosed space from ambient light is movably attached to an enclosure-forming component comprising a surface parallel to the sample-receiving surface.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein said device comprises a photometer, spectrophotometer, fluorimeter, or spectrofluorimeter.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical componentry comprises at least one of a light source, a light detector, and an optical waveguide.

22. The device of claim 9, wherein at least one of said shield-forming components is attached to a component forming a sample-receiving surface.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein said at least one shield-forming component is moveably attached to said component forming a sample-receiving surface.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein an edge of said sample-receiving surface extends beyond an edge of a shield-forming component when the device is in the open position and an edge of the shield-forming component extends beyond the edge of the sample-receiving surface when the device is in the closed position.

25. The device of claim 19, wherein said enclosure-forming component comprising a surface parallel to the sample-receiving surface is moveably attached to the component comprising the sample receiving surface, such that movement of the enclosure-forming component comprising the sample-receiving surface and/or the sample receiving surface causes a shield-forming component to move thereby forming the enclosed space.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein said surface parallel to said sample-receiving surface comprises a contacting plate for contacting a sample on the sample receiving surface or in a container on the sample receiving surface.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein surface comprising the contacting plate is capable of moving from a first position in which the contacting plate extends past an edge of the shield to a second position wherein the edge of the shield extends beyond the contacting plate.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the surface comprising the contacting plate is capable of moving from a position in which the contacting plate is unable to make contact with a sample on the sample-receiving surface to a second position in which the contacting plate is able to make contact with the sample on the sample-receiving surface.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein a component surface comprising a portion which contacts a sample comprises surface energy characteristics for securing or confining a liquid sample within boundaries of the portion.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the sample-contacting portion is more hydrophilic than surrounding regions of the component surface that comprises the sample-contacting portion.

31. A system comprising

(a) a device according to claim 1;

and

(b) a computer in communication with said device.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one function of said device is controlled by said computer.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said at least one function is selected from the group of movement of said one or more enclosure-forming components, optical property measurement and measurement processing.

34. A method of measuring an optical property of a sample, said method comprising:

(a) positioning a sample on an sample-receiving surface of a device according to claim 1;

(b) changing said positional relationship of components of the device from said open position to said closed position; and

(c) measuring an optical property of said sample.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the sample is placed in a container on the sample-receiving surface.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the sample-receiving surface comprises a recess and the container is placed in the recess.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein said changing comprises moving two or more of said enclosure-forming components.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein one of the enclosure-forming components comprises a surface substantially parallel to the sample-receiving surface.

39. The method of claim 38, where the substantially parallel surface comprises a contacting plate and wherein a sample placed on the sample-receiving surface or in a container on the sample-receiving surface is contacted by the contacting plate when the device is in the closed position.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the sample-receiving surface is in optical communication with a light source and the substantially parallel surface is in optical communication with a detector.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the sample-receiving surface is in optical communication with an end of an optical fiber in communication with the light source.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the substantially parallel surface is in optical communication with an end of an optical fiber in communication with the detector.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the substantially parallel surface is in optical communication with an end of an optical fiber in communication with the detector.

44. The method of claim 34, wherein movement of one of the enclosure-forming components is dependent on movement of another of the enclosure-forming components.

45. The method of claim 34, wherein the optical componentry includes a light source and/or a detector and wherein one or more of the enclosure-forming components shields the enclosed space from non-source light when the components are in the closed position.

46. The method of claim 34, wherein said measuring comprises performing a photometric, spectrophotometric, fluorimetric or spectrofluorometric measurement on said sample.

47. The method of claim 34, further comprising modifying the surface energy of a sample-contacting portion of the surface of one or more components of the device, and/or modifying the surface energy of a region surrounding the sample-contacting portion, to confine or contain a sample within the boundaries of the sample-contacting portion.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said modifying is performed prior to contacting sample with the sample-contacting portion.

49. A kit for use with a device comprising a stage for receiving a sample, a surface parallel to said stage and optical componentry comprising or in communication with a light source, wherein the stage and parallel surface form a sample containment area, said kit comprising:

an enclosure-forming component for shielding said sample containment area from ambient light.