Linear track diagnostic analyzer

• US 9,632,103 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Donohue, Joseph P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mui, Christine T
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERKELEY, EMILY R
• Application Number:
  US14/213,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20140287523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 436180
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0408 connected in a flexible chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/021 having a flexible chain, e.g. "cartridge belt", conveyor for reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1002 Reagent dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1004 Cleaning sample transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/113332 with conveyance of sample along a test line in a container or rack
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

A diagnostic analyzer system includes a linear track, at least one pipetting device, and at least one diagnostic module. The linear track includes a pre-treatment lane disposed parallel to at least one processing lane. The linear track moves reaction vessels, containing samples, held by the pre-treatment lane and by the at least one processing lane. The pre-treatment lane pre-treats the samples in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane. The pre-treatment lane is not connected to any diagnostic module for testing the samples in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane. The at least one pipetting device transfers the pre-treated samples from the reaction vessels in the pre-treatment lane to the reaction vessels in the at least one processing lane. The at least one diagnostic module is connected to the at least one processing lane for testing the pre-treated samples transferred into the reaction vessels in the at least one processing lane.

Claims

1. A method of testing using a diagnostic analyzer comprising:

moving a linear track, comprising a pre-treatment lane and at least one parallel processing lane, thereby moving reaction vessels containing samples held by the pre-treatment lane and by the at least one parallel processing lane;

pre-treating the samples in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane without diagnostically testing them;

pipetting the pre-treated samples from the reaction vessels in the pre-treatment lane to the reaction vessels in the at least one parallel processing lane; and

subsequently diagnostically testing the pipetted pre-treated samples in the reaction vessels.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the moving the linear track further comprises incrementing the pre-treatment lane and the at least one parallel processing lane in the same increments as the linear track moves.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-treating the samples in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane further comprises adding reagents to the samples held in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane when the linear track is disposed in one location, and subsequently moving the linear track into advanced locations thereby incubating the samples with the added reagents in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane as the linear track moves.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the pre-treatment lane and the at least one parallel processing lane comprise a plurality of slots in the linear track, and further comprising holding the reaction vessels within the plurality of slots.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising pipetting the samples into the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane and into the reaction vessels of the at least one parallel processing lane using at least one sample pipettor.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising pipetting reagents into the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane and into the reaction vessels of the at least one parallel processing lane using at least one reagent pipettor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-treating the samples in the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane further comprises pipetting reagents into the reaction vessels of the pre-treatment lane using a reagent pipettor only dedicated to the pre-treatment lane.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising pipetting reagents into the reaction vessels of the at least one parallel processing lane using at least one reagent pipettor only dedicated to the at least one parallel processing lane.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising washing some of the reaction vessels of the at least one parallel processing lane by actuating at least one magnet, to bind materials contained in reagents in those reaction vessels, and by using at least one washing pipette, and further comprising selectively not-washing other of the reaction vessels of the at least one parallel processing lane by not actuating the at least one magnet, to not bind the materials contained in the reagents in those other reaction vessels, and by not using the at least one washing pipette.