Plate reader
First Claim
1. A plate reader for microtitre plates, comprising a totally enclosed housing, plate supporting means within said housing for receiving and supporting in a horizontal position a microtitre plate containing in its wells samples the absorbance of which is to be measured by the plate reader, means in said housing providing access to said plate supporting means for the placement thereon and removal therefrom of said microtitre plate, a carriage movably mounted in the housing and carrying in spaced vertical alignment a light source and a light detector, said source and detector being positioned one above and one below the plane of the microtitre plate when in position on said support means, means for moving the carriage within the housing to as to selectively position said source and said detector in vertical alignment in turn with each of the wells of said microtitre plate, each of said wells in turn being positioned between the light source and the detector, indicator means attached to the carriage and visible externally of the housing to indicate the positioning of the light source and the detector relative to the wells of the microtitre plate, means for measuring the amount of light transmitted from the light source to the detector through each of the wells in turn, and means for indicating and/or recording the absorbance of the samples contained within those wells.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A small, compact plate reader is disclosed for microtitre plates. The reader comprises a totally enclosed housing (19), means e.g. a drawer (2) for receiving and inserting into the housing a microtitre plate (7) which is received into the housing between a light source and a photodetector positioned in vertical alignment above and below the microtitre plate. The light source and detector are mounted on a carriage movable in the housing along each of two orthogonal axes by means of the manual control knobs (10,11) on either side of the housing. The light source and detector are thus positionable with each of the wells of the microtitre plate in turn enabling absorbancy measurements to be made, and visually displayed by a digital display (9). A window (8) in the housing (1) marked with indices corresponding to the cells in the microtitre plate permits a visual indication of the position of the detector head relative to the microtitre plate, for example, by illumination from below of the appropriate index mark by the light source itself, or by a secondary light source.
-
Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A plate reader for microtitre plates, comprising a totally enclosed housing, plate supporting means within said housing for receiving and supporting in a horizontal position a microtitre plate containing in its wells samples the absorbance of which is to be measured by the plate reader, means in said housing providing access to said plate supporting means for the placement thereon and removal therefrom of said microtitre plate, a carriage movably mounted in the housing and carrying in spaced vertical alignment a light source and a light detector, said source and detector being positioned one above and one below the plane of the microtitre plate when in position on said support means, means for moving the carriage within the housing to as to selectively position said source and said detector in vertical alignment in turn with each of the wells of said microtitre plate, each of said wells in turn being positioned between the light source and the detector, indicator means attached to the carriage and visible externally of the housing to indicate the positioning of the light source and the detector relative to the wells of the microtitre plate, means for measuring the amount of light transmitted from the light source to the detector through each of the wells in turn, and means for indicating and/or recording the absorbance of the samples contained within those wells.
-
12. In a plate reader for microtitre plates of the type comprising an enclosed housing, means for receiving a microtitre plate within the housing in a position to be scanned by a reading head movable relative to the plate to bring said head into alignment with each of the wells of the microtitre plate in turn, illuminating means associated with said reading head for directing a beam of light through each of said wells in turn, and measuring means for measuring the amount of light transmitted by each of said wells in turn,
the combination of improvements comprising: -
a substantially flat housing means having in its upper surface a window marked with an identifying grid enabling the identification of the individual wells of the microtitre plate when received within the housing; a drawer slidably mounted in the housing means and slidable with respect thereto between an open position, thereby to permit the insertion therein and subsequent removal therefrom of a microtitre plate to be held therein in a fixed position by plate supporting means, and a closed position in which said plate is located totally within the housing means in a fixed position relative thereto in alignment with, and in a horizontal plane parallel to, but vertically spaced from and below said window; a carriage means mounted in said housing means and manually movable thereon along two orthogonal axes at right angles one to the other by manually operable control means mounted externally of the housing, said carriage means comprising two parallel, vertically spaced apart arms lying in two parallel planes located above and below, respectively, the horizontal plane occupied by said microtitre plate when in position in the housing, said arms carrying at their distal ends, respectively, a light source and, vertically aligned therewith, a light detector means for detecting and measuring light transmitted through a respective one of the wells of the microtitre plate, when said light source and detector means are positioned in vertical alignment with said well, one immediately thereabove and the other immediately therebelow; manually operable control means mounted externally of the housing and operably connected internally of the housing to said carriage and operable to move said carriage relative to the housing and said plate along said two orthogonal axes thereby to bring said light source and said detector means into vertical alignment with each of said wells in turn; detent means for positively locating the carriage within said housing when said light source and detector means are in vertical alignment with each in turn of said wells; and a position indicating means carried by the carriage and visible through said window to indicate the instantaneous position of the carriage inside the housing and to identify the particular well which, at that moment, is located between the light source and the detector and whose transmittance or adsorbance is to be measured. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. In a plate reader for microtitre plates of the type comprising an enclosed housing, means for receiving a microtitre plate within the housing in a position to be scanned by a reading head movable relative to the plate to bring said head into alignment with each of the wells of the microtitre plate in turn, illuminating means associated with said reading head for directing a beam of light through each of said wells in turn, and measuring means for measuring the amount of light transmitted by each of said wells in turn,
the combination of improvements comprising: -
a substantially flat housing means; a drawer slidably mounted in the housing means and slidable with respect therein between an open position, thereby to permit the insertion therein and subsequent removal therefrom of a microtitre plate to be held therein in a fixed position by plate supporting means, and a closed position in which said plate is located totally within the housing means in a fixed horizontal plane; a carriage means mounted in said housing means and manually movable thereon along two orthogonal axes at right angles one to the other by manually operable control means mounted externally of the housing, said carriage means comprising two parallel, vertically spaced apart arms lying in two parallel planes located above and below, respectively, the horizontal plane occupied by said microtitre plate when in position in the housing, said arms carrying at their distal ends, respectively, a light source and, vertically aligned therewith, a light detector means for detecting and measuring light transmitted through a respective one of the wells of the microtitre plate, when said light source and detector means are positioned in vertical alignment with said well, one immediately thereabove and the other immediately therebelow; manually operable control means mounted externally of the housing and operably connected internally of the housing to said carriage and operable to move said carriage relative to the housing and said plate along said two orthogonal axes thereby to bring said light source and said detector means into vertical alignment with each of said wells in turn; detent means for positively locating the carriage within said housing when said light source and detector means are in vertical alignment with each in turn of said wells; and a position indicating means to indicate the instantaneous position of the carriage inside the housing and to identify the particular well which, at that moment, is located between the light source and the detector and whose transmittance or adsorbance is to be measured. - View Dependent Claims (18)
-
Specification