Test strip card

• US 20050250218A1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akers Biosciences, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akers Biosciences, Inc.
• Inventors: Andrelczyk, Susan, Schluter, Leonard L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,003,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/169
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/028 Graduation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0825 Test strips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5023 with a sample being transported to, and subsequently stored in an absorbent for analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/78 producing a change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/22 using chemical indicators G01N31/02 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a test strip for determining and/or quantifying a property of a sample, such as the concentration of an analyte, the pH, the viscosity, or the specific gravity of a fluid specimen. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved test strip and scale for determining and/or quantifying a property of a sample, such as the concentration of an analyte, the pH, the viscosity, or the specific gravity of a fluid specimen.

Claims

1. A test strip card for testing a property of a fluid specimen, said test strip card comprising:

a test scale card bearing a comparison scale; and

a test strip having a reaction zone movably coupled to said test scale card adjacent said comparison scale;

wherein said test strip is movable with respect to said comparison scale to align said reaction zone with a matching region in said comparison scale indicating the property of the specimen.

2. A test strip card as in claim 1, wherein:

said test scale card further comprises a front wall, a back wall, and a pocket between said front wall and said back wall; and

said test strip is movably located within said pocket in said test scale card.

3. A test strip card as in claim 2, wherein:

a window is formed in said front wall along said comparison scale; and

part of

said reaction zone on said test strip is visible through said window along said comparison scale.

4. A test strip card as in claim 3, further comprising transparent material in said window through which said reaction zone is visible.

5. A test strip card as in claim 2, wherein said test strip has a pull end extending beyond the borders of said front wall and said back wall.

6. A test strip card as in claim 2, wherein:

a notch is defined at an end of at least one of said front wall and said back wall; and

said test strip has a pull end accessible through said notch.

7. A test strip card as in claim 2, wherein said test strip has a front side adjacent said front wall of said test scale card and on which said reaction zone is positioned, and a back side adjacent said back wall of said test scale card and carrying a sample pad, wherein the sample is administered to said sample pad.

8. A test strip card as in claim 7, wherein:

a window is formed in said front wall along said comparison scale and part of said reaction zone on said test strip is visible through said window along said comparison scale; and

an access window is formed in said back wall of said test scale card through which a specimen may be applied to said sample pad on said test strip.

9. A test strip card as in claim 1, wherein said comparison scale comprises a spectrum or series of visual levels selected from the group consisting of colors, hues, shades, and tints.

10. The test strip card of claim 9, further comprising a reading scale aligned with said comparison scale and including a series of numerical values that are matched with the different visual levels of said comparison scale.

11. The test strip of claim 1, wherein said property is the concentration of an analyte.

12. The test strip of claim 11, wherein the analyte reacts with or binds to a reagent in the reaction zone, and wherein the binding or reaction between the analyte and the reagent results in a change of the optical properties of said reaction zone.

13. The test strip of claim 1, wherein the property is the viscosity, the pH, or the specific gravity of the liquid specimen.

14. A method of testing a property of a fluid specimen, said method comprising:

applying a fluid specimen to a test strip movably coupled to a test scale card bearing a comparison scale, wherein the test strip includes a reaction zone that is altered upon contact with the fluid sample; and

moving the test strip with respect to the comparison scale to align the reaction zone with a matching region in the comparison scale indicating information about the fluid specimen characteristic being tested;

wherein the test strip remains coupled to the test scale card during applying of the fluid specimen.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said test scale card further comprises a front wall, a back wall, and a pocket between said front wall and said back wall; and

said test strip is movably located within said pocket in said test scale card.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

a window is formed in said front wall along said comparison scale; and

part of

said reaction zone on said test strip is visible through said window along said comparison scale.

17. The method of claim 16, said test scale card further comprising transparent material in said window through which said reaction zone is visible.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said test strip has a pull end extending beyond the borders of said front wall and said back wall.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

a notch is defined at an end of at least one of said front wall and said back wall; and

said test strip has a pull end accessible through said notch.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said test strip has a front side adjacent said front wall of said test scale card and on which said reaction zone is positioned, and a back side adjacent said back wall of said test scale card and carrying a sample pad, wherein the sample is administered to said sample pad.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

a window is formed in said front wall along said comparison scale and part of said reaction zone on said test strip is visible through said window along said comparison scale; and

an access window is formed in said back wall of said test scale card through which a specimen may be applied to said sample pad on said test strip.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein said comparison scale comprises a spectrum or series of visual levels selected from the group consisting of colors, hues, shades, and tints.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising a reading scale aligned with said comparison scale and including a series of numerical values that are matched with the different visual levels of said comparison scale.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein said property is the concentration of an analyte.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the analyte reacts with or binds to a reagent in the reaction zone, and wherein the binding or reaction between the analyte and the reagent results in a change of the optical properties of said reaction zone.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the property is the viscosity, the pH, or the specific gravity of the liquid specimen.