APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC DETERMINATION OF THE COAGULATION, AGGREGATION AND OR FLOCCULATION, OR THE LIKE, RATES OF FLUIDS, AND NOVEL REACTION INTENSIFYING AGENT FOR USE THEREWITH
First Claim
2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein, said reaction intensifying agent particles are of a material which is substantially chemically inert with regard to said fluid and said reagent, whereby said reaction intensifying agent will not interfere chemically with said reaction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for the determination of the coagulation rate or the like of fluids, wherein dispensing means are operable to successively dispense blood plasma samples, in turn and at a precisely metered rate, onto spaced-apart measured quantities or spots of a dried suspension of a reaction intensifying agent carried on an advancing film strip. The intensifying agent may comprise magnetic iron oxide particles. Subsequent to incubation of the sample-intensifying agent mixture, additional dispensing means are operable to dispense a precisely metered quantity of prothrombin reagent into the film strip. The resulting samplereagent-intensifying agent mixture is subjected to rotating magnetic fields, with the result that the moving magnetic particles promote mixing and, also, are operative to collect one or more of the fibrin strands, whereby the mixture, which is substantially turbid, undergoes a sharp change in its optical transmission properties, which change is detected by light sensitive means for the measurement of the prothrombin time of the blood plasma sample of interest.
66 Citations
11 Claims
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2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein, said reaction intensifying agent particles are of a material which is substantially chemically inert with regard to said fluid and said reagent, whereby said reaction intensifying agent will not interfere chemically with said reaction.
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3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein, said activating means are operable to generate a rotating magnetic field, whereby said reaction intensifying agent particles will be rotated through said mixture under the influence thereof.
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4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein, said reaction intensifying agent is substantially opaque and generally uniformly distributed throughout said fluid-reagent-reaction intensifying agent mixture at the commencement of said reaction to render the same substantially turbid, and said reaction intensifying agent is operable to collect generally centrally of said fluid-reagent-reaction intensifying agent mixture under the influence of said activating means only at the completion of said reaction with concomitant change in the turbidity of said fluid-reagent-reaction intensifying agent mixture.
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5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein, said means to mix a said fluid and said reagent with said reaction intensifying agent comprise, means to successively supply predetermined quantities of said reaction intensifying agent, means to successively mix a predetermined quantity of a said fluid with each of said reaction intensifying agent quantities, and means to successively mix a predetermined minimum quantity of said reagent with each of said reaction intensifying agent-fluid quantity mixtures to effect said reaction.
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6. Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein, said means to successively supply said predetermined quantities of said reaction intensifying agent comprise, strip-like carrier means having said quantities disposed thereon in substantially equally spaced manner.
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7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein, said carrier means are substantially transparent, and said detecting means comprise light sensitive means which are operable to direct a beam of light through said mixture and through said carrier means to thereby detect said change in the turbidity of said fluid-reagent-reaction intensifying agent mixture through the detection of the attendant change in the light transmission characteristics thereof.
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8. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein, said magnetic field generation means are disposed remotely of said carrier means and said mixtures.
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9. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein, said means to mix a said fluid and said reagent with said reaction intensifying agent comprise, means to successively supply predetermined quantities of said reaction intensifying agent, means to successively mix a predetermined quantity of a said fluid with each of said reaction intensifying agent quantities, and means to successively mix a predetermined minimum quantity of said reagent with each of said reaction intensifying agent-fluid quantity mixtures to effect said reaction.
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10. Apparatus as in claim 9 wherein, said means to successively supply said predetermined quantities of said means reaction intensifying agent comprise, strip-like carrier means having said quantities disposed thereon in substantially equally spaced manner.
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11. Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein, said carrier means are substantially transparent.
Specification