AUTOMATIC ANALYZING APPARATUS FOR LIQUID SPECIMENS

• US 3,660,638 A
• Filed: 08/24/1970
• Issued: 05/02/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rudolf Oberli
• Original Assignee: Rudolf Oberli
• Inventors: Oberli, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilbur, Maynard R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kilgore, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US05/066,469
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 235/151,35,61.6R,61.6H,61.9R,61.11E,61.11R 250/218 23/253,259 356/39-41
• US Class Current: 422/66
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5453 for test tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/021 having a flexible chain, e.g. "cartridge belt", conveyor for reaction cells or cuvettes

Abstract

Method and apparatus for performing at least one chemical and/or physical analysis on a specimen, characterized in that an origin record associated with each specimen is marked with a machinereadable code that is operable to activate selected ones of a series of analyzing stations in timed relation to the transport of the specimen therethrough. According to a first embodiment, inspection means are provided for measuring a physical property of the specimen following passage through said station, whereupon this measured property is then recorded directly on the origin record. In accordance with a second embodiment, a number of copies are made of the origin card corresponding to the number of analyses to be performed, whereupon the properties measured by said inspection means for each station are recorded on the said copies, respectively.

Claims

1. Apparatus for automatically performing at least one of a plurality of selectable analyses of a liquid specimen, comprising a plurality of normally de-activated reagent dispensing means (8a - 8e) each operable to dispense a different reagent;

register means (2'"'"''"'"') containing at least one control signal each corresponding with a desired analysis that is to be performed on the specimen;

sample dispensing means (5) operable by said register means for dispensing a separate specimen sample for each of the control signals contained in said register means;

conveyor means (7) for conveying each of said samples in succession adjacent each of said reagent dispensing means;

central program control means (13) operable by said register means for activating at least one of the reagent dispensing means that corresponds with said register control signal when said sample is adjacent thereto, thereby to deposit the selected reagent in said sample; and

means (10,

     11) for measuring a physical property of the resulting mixture of said reagent and said sPecimen sample.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and further including clock means (12) for synchronizing the operation of said conveyor means relative to the operation of said central program control means.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said register means comprises a record card (2);

and further including means (25) for recording on said record card the value of the measured physical property of said mixture.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, and further including register input means (19) for recording said control signals on said card in accordance with the desired analyses to be performed.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, and further including a card reader station (22, 23);

specimen magazine means (4) for transporting said specimen toward said sample dispensing means; and

input card magazine means (21) for transporting said record card from said register input means to said card reader station in timed relation relative to said specimen magazine means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, and further including output card magazine means (24) for transporting said record card from said card reader to said recording means in timed relation relative to said conveyor means.