Apparatus for dry chemical analysis of fluids

• US 5,389,338 A
• Filed: 08/04/1993
• Issued: 02/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Orgenics Ltd. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Orgenics Ltd. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fish, Falk
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, LYLE
• Application Number:
  US08/101,965
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 422/56-58, 436/1, 436/86
• US Class Current: 422/401
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/528 Atypical element structures, e.g. gloves, rods, tampons, toilet paper
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54366 Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing

Abstract

Apparatus for dry chemical analysis of fluids comprising a filter, a filter holder apparatus including a base member defining a filter supporting location and a filter retaining apparatus including a mesh arranged to retain the filter at the filter supporting location in spaced relationship with respect to the mesh.

Claims

1. Apparatus for dry chemical analysis of fluids containing color particulate suspension such as whole blood, comprising:

a rigid base member defining an aperture and a filter supporting location above said aperture, wherein said filter supporting location includes a depression;

a filter including a reagent capable of colorimetric changes in the presence of an analyte; and

rigid filter retaining means including a rigid mesh, engaging said filter and said base member to retain said filter non-adhesively on said filter supporting location between said rigid mesh and said aperture,

said filter retaining means further including protuberances depending perpendicularly from said mesh, wherein said protuberances abut said filter for retaining said filter within said depression in spaced relationship with respect of said mesh, and for providing even distribution of a sample liquid on a surface of said filter.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said base member is elongated and comprises first and second ends and wherein said depression in said base member is located at said first end.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a portion of said filter retaining means abuts said base member and said base member and said filter retaining means are engaged by press fit means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filter retaining means has an outer side surface and said base member has an inner side surface which encloses said outer side surface of said filter retaining means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said base member and said filter retaining means are fabricated from a hydrophilic plastic material.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said base member is fabricated from plastic and has at least one surface which has hydrophilic properties.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filter retaining means is fabricated from plastic and has at least one surface which has hydrophilic properties.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filter retaining means is formed from an injection moldable plastic.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said base member is formed from an injection moldable plastic.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filter holder means does not exceed 5 cm in length, 2 cm in width and 0.5 cm in depth.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said mesh has an average mesh opening of 2-4 mm.

12. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filter is a multilayer filter.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein one layer of said multilayer filter includes a reagent impregnated material.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filter retaining means additionally includes an outer solid portion surrounding said mesh.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said filter retaining means additionally includes protuberances depending perpendicularly from a part of said solid portion adjacent said mesh and wherein said protuberances abut said filter for retaining said filter within said depression.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said filter retaining means additionally includes a flange depending perpendicularly from said solid portion adjacent said mesh and wherein said flange is spaced from said filter for increasing the rate of flow of the sample liquid to said filter and for reducing seepage of the sample liquid from said depression along an interface between said base member and said solid portion of said filter retaining means.