System for automatically testing a fluid specimen
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an assaying device reader comprising a housing and a camera, said housing including a base portion and a head portion; and
an assaying device comprising a cup and a test strip, said cup be operable to hold a fluid specimen, said test strip being operable to provide a visual indication of at least one property of the fluid specimen,said base portion directly contacting said assaying device and maintaining said assaying device in a substantially fixed position relative to said camera,said camera being coupled to said head portion and operable to acquire an image of said test strip,said device reader further including a shiftable piston configured to shift into and out of engagement with said assaying device.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for automatically testing a fluid specimen, e.g., urine, to indicate the presence of specified chemical components in the specimen. The system preferably utilizes an assaying device comprised of a collection cup and a cap which carries at least one test strip. The device includes an integrated aliquot delivery mechanism actuatable to wet the test strip with an aliquot delivered from the fluid specimen. The assaying device is configured to operate in conjunction with an electronic reader device capable of actuating the aliquot delivery mechanism and reading the reaction of the test strip. A preferred reader device defines a keyed receptacle for accommodating a complementary shaped cup housing in a particular orientation. The reader device is comprised of a camera for capturing the image of a test strip, an actuator for actuating an aliquot delivery mechanism, and a microprocessor/controller for (1) controlling the camera and actuator and (2) processing the image.
81 Citations
6 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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an assaying device reader comprising a housing and a camera, said housing including a base portion and a head portion; and an assaying device comprising a cup and a test strip, said cup be operable to hold a fluid specimen, said test strip being operable to provide a visual indication of at least one property of the fluid specimen, said base portion directly contacting said assaying device and maintaining said assaying device in a substantially fixed position relative to said camera, said camera being coupled to said head portion and operable to acquire an image of said test strip, said device reader further including a shiftable piston configured to shift into and out of engagement with said assaying device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification