Cuvette with non-flexing thermally conductive wall
First Claim
1. In a cuvette for controlled reaction of components of a liquid involving cycling through temperatures applied by a heater or cooler to the cuvette, the cuvette having at least one liquid-confining chamber defined by two spaced-apart opposing walls each providing a major surface of liquid contact;
- side walls connecting the two opposing walls; and
means permitting the introduction of liquid into, and the removal of such liquid from, the chamber;
one of the opposing walls comprising a thermally conductive material as the sole structural component, the thermally conductive material being exposed to the environment to permit contact with an external heater or cooler;
the improvement wherein the opposite one of said spaced-apart opposing walls has a flexural strength that is sufficiently less than that of said thermally conductive structural component, as to cause said opposite one of said walls to flex under internal pressure, in lieu of said thermally conductive structural component;
whereby said thermally conductive structural component substantially keeps its initial shape and contact with said heater, when the cuvette is applied to such heater or cooler.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is disclosed a cuvette constructed with an improved sample fluid thermal time constant, featuring a flexible heat transfer wall. To prevent such wall from deforming under pressure generated at high processing temperatures, thereby reducing heat transfer efficiency, the opposite wall is constructed to have a flexural strength that is sufficiently less than that of the heat transfer wall. This causes flexing to occur in the opposite wall, under pressure, rather than the heat transfer wall.
43 Citations
3 Claims
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1. In a cuvette for controlled reaction of components of a liquid involving cycling through temperatures applied by a heater or cooler to the cuvette, the cuvette having at least one liquid-confining chamber defined by two spaced-apart opposing walls each providing a major surface of liquid contact;
- side walls connecting the two opposing walls; and
means permitting the introduction of liquid into, and the removal of such liquid from, the chamber;
one of the opposing walls comprising a thermally conductive material as the sole structural component, the thermally conductive material being exposed to the environment to permit contact with an external heater or cooler;the improvement wherein the opposite one of said spaced-apart opposing walls has a flexural strength that is sufficiently less than that of said thermally conductive structural component, as to cause said opposite one of said walls to flex under internal pressure, in lieu of said thermally conductive structural component; whereby said thermally conductive structural component substantially keeps its initial shape and contact with said heater, when the cuvette is applied to such heater or cooler. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
- side walls connecting the two opposing walls; and
Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeClinical Diagnostic Systems Inc.
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Original AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
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InventorsMiddleton, David H., Helfer, Jeffrey L., Porte, Johannes J.
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Primary Examiner(s)Jones, Larry
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Application NumberUS07/123,752Time in Patent Office470 DaysField of Search435/287, 435/292, 435/296, 435/316, 356/246, 215/1 R, 215/1 C, 220/86 R, 422/58, 422/61, 422/102US Class Current435/285.1CPC Class CodesB01L 3/502 with fluid transport, e.g. ...
