Method of and apparatus for making a test strip and a test strip made by such method

• US 4,578,716 A
• Filed: 07/16/1984
• Issued: 03/25/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Schafer, Peter, Kasielke, Joachim, Macho, Heinz, van Rijckevorsel, Rainer, Nenninger, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/630,899
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 360/1, 360/137, 360/101, 235/493, 346/33 ME, 428/611, 427/128, 427/131, 427/293, 427/2, 156/252, 156/253
• US Class Current: 360/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00108 Test strips, e.g. paper
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00168 Manufacturing or preparing test elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00762 magnetic code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00029 provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides G01N35/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00594 Quality control, including calibration or testing of components of the analyser
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00693 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/125 by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine

Abstract

Method of and apparatus for making a test strip and a test strip made by such method having a longitudinally extending carrier and a test field thereon. The carrier has a layer of magnetizable material thereon in which an amount of data for the storage of information has been applied in the longitudinal direction of the magnetizable material. The carrier has a recess near each end thereof adapted to provide a required alignment and positioning of the strip.

Claims

1. A method of making a test strip with a longitudinally extending carrier and a test field, comprising:

disposing a band of test field material on a broader band of carrier material substantially parallel to two longitudinal edges thereof;

providing said band of said carrier material with a first row of substantially equidistant recesses in the region of one of said two longitudinal edges and with a second row of substantially equidistant recesses in the region of the other of said two longitudinal edges;

applying onto said band of said carrier material a layer of magnetizable material;

recording by means of a recording head an amount of data for the storage of information in said layer of magnetizable material transversely to the production direction, said carrier band being positioned and aligned by means of said first and second recesses during that recording step; and

dividing up said band of said carrier material transversely to said production direction into a plurality of longitudinally extending test strips in such a manner that said recesses are close to the ends of each strip.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the step of recording an amount of data comprises recording simultaneously transversely to said production direction, at least two magnet tracks of said amount of data.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of applying said layer of magnetizable material comprises applying said layer of said magnetizable material in the form of a previously produced magnetic band by adhesion, melt adhesion or the like.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of applying said layer of said magnetizable material comprises applying said layer of magnetizable material to said band of said carrier material at a distance from said band of said test field material.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the step of applying said layer of said magnetizable material comprises applying said layer of magnetizable material to said band of said carrier material on the side opposite to the disposition of said band of said test field material.

6. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

before dividing up said carrier band into test strips, reading off for testing purposes the recorded amount of data by means of a reading off head distanced apart from said recording head in said production direction, the distance between said recording head and the corresponding reading off head being an integral multiple of the distance between said substantially equidistant recesses in said band of carrier material; and

when an error is ascertained, carrying out a marking or the like so that a faulty test strip can be sorted out after the dividing up by means of the marking.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein recording an amount of data and reading-off of a previously recorded amount of data takes place while the whole band is stationary.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the speed of recording of an amount of data during the production is greater by a predetermined factor than the reading-off speed in the case of evaluation of a previously recorded amount of data in an evaluation device.

9. A method according to claim 1, in which the step of recording comprises recording by means of a recording head having an instantaneous speed, the recording being synchronized with a frequency which is proportional to said instantaneous speed of said recording head.

10. Apparatus for making a test strip with a longitudinally extending carrier and a test field, a band of test field material being disposed on a broader band of carrier material substantially parallel to the longitudinal edges thereof, the band being divided up, transversely to the production direction, into a plurality of longitudinally extending test strips, the band of carrier material being provided in the region of at least both of its two longitudinal edges with a row of substantially equidistant recesses and, onto the band of the carrier material there being applied, in the production direction, a layer of magnetizable material, the apparatus comprising:

means for recording an amount of data for the storage of information in the layer of magnetizable material transversely to the production direction; and

means for dividing up the band of the carrier material transversely to the production direction into a plurality of longitudinally extending test strips;

said recording means comprising a drive unit including a slider movable transversely to the production direction, and at least one recording head on said slider for the application of an amount of data.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, including on said slider at least two recording and reading-off heads distanced apart in the production direction, the distance between a recording head and the corresponding reading-off head being an integral multiple of the distance between the substantially equidistant recesses in the band of carrier material.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10, comprising:

means for pressing the band of carrier material, in the region of at least one recording head, against a flat base plate during the recording of an amount of data.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said pressing means comprises means for pressing the band of carrier material pneumatically against the flat base plate.

14. Apparatus according to claim 10, comprising:

an elastic spring element which disposes said at least one recording head on said slider and which gives an exact alignment transversely to the production direction and also provides a predetermined pressing force onto the layer of the band of carrier material.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said elastic spring element comprises a leaf spring which, transversely to the production direction and distanced from the recording head, has recesses.

16. A test strip with a longitudinally extending carrier and a test field, made by the method comprising:

disposing a band of test field material on a broader band of carrier material substantially parallel to two longitudinal edges thereof;

providing said band of said carrier material with a first row of substantially equidistant recesses in the region of one of said two longitudinal edges and with a second row of substantially equidistant recesses in the region of the other of said two longitudinal edges;

applying onto said band of said carrier material a layer of magnetizable material;

recording by means of a recording head an amount of data for the storage of information in said layer of magnetizable material transversely to the production direction, said carrier band being positioned and aligned by means of said first and second recesses during that recording step; and

dividing up said band of said carrier material transversely to said production direction into a plurality of longitudinally extending test strips in such a manner that said recesses are close to the ends of each strip.

17. A test strip according to claim 16, wherein the step of applying said layer of magnetizable material comprises applying said layer of said magnetizable material in the form of a previously produced magnetic band by adhesion, melt adhesion or the like.

18. A test strip according to claim 16, wherein the step of applying said layer of said magnetizable material comprises applying said layer of magnetizable material to said band of said carrier material at a distance from said band of said test field material.

19. A test strip according to claim 18, wherein the step of applying said layer of said magnetizable material comprises applying said layer of magnetizable material to said band of said carrier material on the side opposite to the disposition of said band of said test field material.

20. A test strip according to claim 16, in which the step of recording an amount of data comprises recording simultaneously transversely to said production direction, at least two magnet tracks of said amount of data.

21. A test strip according to claim 16, the method comprising:

before dividing up the band into test strips, reading off for testing purposes the recorded amount of data; and

,

when an error is ascertained, carrying out a marking or the like so that a faulty test strip can be sorted out after the dividing up by means of the marking.

22. A test strip according to claim 21, wherein recording an amount of data and reading-off of a previously recorded amount of data takes place while the whole band is stationary.

23. A test strip according to claim 21, wherein the speed of recording of an amount of data during the production is greater by a predetermined factor than the reading-off speed in the case of evaluation of a previously recorded amount of data in an evaluation device.

24. A test strip comprising:

a longitudinally extending carrier and a test field; and

a layer of magnetizable material on said carrier in which an amount of data for the storage of information has been applied in the longitudinal direction of said magnetizable material, said carrier having a recess near each end thereof.

25. A test strip for analytical evaluations comprising:

an elongated synthetic resin carrier strip having first and second opposed surfaces and first and second opposed ends,

a piece of test field material on said first surface, close to said first end,

a layer of magnetisable material on said second surface, spaced a distance from the piece of test field material,

said layer of magnetisable material storing at least 500 bit of data for said analytical evaluations,

said data having been recorded in said layer in a longitudinal direction of said strip, and

a first recess at said first end and a second recess at said second end, said first and second recesses being adapted to provide a required alignment and positioning of said strip in the analytical evaluations.

26. A test strip for analytical evaluation comprising:

a carrier having first and second opposed support surfaces and first and second opposed ends;

a test field zone on said first surface close to said first end;

a zone of magnetizable material on said carrier;

said zone of magnetizable material storing data for said analytical evaluation; and

a recess at least at said first end and at said second end of said carrier, said recesses at said first and second ends being in opposed relationship and being adapted to provide a required alignment and positioning of said strip.

27. A test strip according to claim 26,

wherein said zone of magnetisable material is on said second surface.

28. A test strip according to claim 26, wherein said zone of magnetisable material stores at least 300 bit of said data.

29. A test strip according to claim 26, wherein said zone of magnetisable material is spaced apart from said test field zone.

30. A process for the production of test strips which comprises:

(a) providing a band of a carrier material having first and second opposed support surfaces and first and second opposed longitudinal edges and a band of test field material narrower than said band of carrier material disposed on said first surface parallel to said longitudinal edges;

(b) a step of forming a row of equidistant recesses in said band of carrier material at least in the regions of said first and second longitudinal edges;

(c) a step of applying a layer of magnetizable material to said band of carrier material; and

storing data in said layer; and

(d) as a final step, dividing the formed band transversely of its length into a plurality of strips, there being at least one of said recesses at a first end of each strip and a second recess at a second end of each strip.

31. A process according to claim 30, wherein step (c) comprises applying said layer of magnetisable material in a longitudinal direction of said band of carrier material and recording said data in said layer, transversely of said band of carrier material.

32. A process according to claim 31, wherein step (c) comprises applying said layer to said second surface, and wherein step (b) is carried out prior to step (c) and said band of carrier material is positioned and aligned for steps (c) and (d) by means of said first and second rows of equidistant recesses.