Analytical cartridge and system for detecting analytes in liquid samples
First Claim
1. An analytical cartridge, comprising:
- a. a liquid impervious housing,b. a sample application site comprising a cavity located in an exterior surface of said housing and having an application-site liquid-holding capacity,c. a reflectance reading site comprising a chamber in said housing,d. means for venting said chamber to atmosphere,e. a sample-transporting capillary passageway in said housing connecting said sample application site to said reflectance reading site and having a sample-transport liquid-holding capacity, andf. a porous matrix located in said reflectance reading site and having a porous-matrix liquid-holding capacity,wherein said sample-transport capacity is greater than said porous-matrix capacity and said application-site capacity is less than the sum of said sample-transport capacity and said porous-matrix capacity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A diagnosis system, which comprises a monitor, comprising a detector providing multiple reflectance readings in an array of individual locations, registering an analytical cartridge in the monitor at a fixed location and orientation relative to the array, and determines and displays analytical results from reflectance readings; and an analytical cartridge, comprising a liquid impervious housing, a sample application site in the housing located outside the monitor when the cartridge is registered in the monitor by the means for registering, one or more reflectance reading sites in the housing that register with one or more of the locations in the array, a capillary pathway in the housing leading from the sample application site to each of the reflectance reading sites, and a reflectance matrix located in at least one of the reflectance reading sites. In some embodiments of the invention, control features that optimize accuracy of measurement by controlling when and if sample reaches reflectance reading sites and by drawing excess sample away from undesirable locations in the cartridge are present. One control element balances the liquid-holding capacities of the application site, the sample-transporting capillary passageway that leads to the reflectance reading site, and the porous matrices from which the reflectance reading will be made, so that excess sample is excluded from entry into the cartridge while sample volumes that are below the minimum necessary for accurate operation do not reach the matrix, thereby avoiding false readings.
352 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An analytical cartridge, comprising:
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a. a liquid impervious housing, b. a sample application site comprising a cavity located in an exterior surface of said housing and having an application-site liquid-holding capacity, c. a reflectance reading site comprising a chamber in said housing, d. means for venting said chamber to atmosphere, e. a sample-transporting capillary passageway in said housing connecting said sample application site to said reflectance reading site and having a sample-transport liquid-holding capacity, and f. a porous matrix located in said reflectance reading site and having a porous-matrix liquid-holding capacity, wherein said sample-transport capacity is greater than said porous-matrix capacity and said application-site capacity is less than the sum of said sample-transport capacity and said porous-matrix capacity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A diagnosis system, which comprises:
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a. a monitor, comprising; i. means for detecting multiple reflectance readings in an array of individual locations, ii. means for registering an analytical cartridge at a fixed location and orientation relative to said array in an interior space of said monitor, and iii. means for determining and displaying analytical results from reflectance readings obtained at individual locations in said array; and b. a first analytical cartridge, comprising; i. a liquid impervious housing, ii. a sample application site in said housing at a location that is outside said monitor when said cartridge is registered in said monitor by said means for registering, iii. one or more reflectance reading sites positioned in said housing to register with one or more of said locations in said array when said cartridge is registered in said monitor, iv. a capillary pathway in said housing leading from said sample application site to each of said one or more reflectance reading sites, and v. a reflectance matrix located in at least one of said reflectance reading sites. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An analytical cartridge, comprising:
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a. a liquid impervious housing, b. a sample application site comprising a cavity located in an exterior surface of said housing, c. a reflectance reading site comprising a chamber in said housing, d. a sample-transporting capillary passageway in said housing connecting said sample application site to said reflectance reading site, e. a porous matrix located in said reflectance reading site, and f. an opening in said housing at said chamber, whereby a surface of said reflectance matrix is exposed to potential external irradiation and reflectance through said opening, comprises a stop-flow junction. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. In a diagnostic cartridge comprising a four-walled interior capillary passageway that supplies an analytical liquid to a chamber containing a porous, disk-shaped matrix having a diameter D greater than its height and a bottom surface substantially in contact with the floor of said chamber, an improvement which comprises:
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said four-walled capillary passageway located so that it enters said chamber at a lower edge of said disk, one or more three-walled capillary passageways provided in said floor connected to the entrance location of said four-wall capillary passageway into said chamber, wherein no point on the bottom surface of said disk is further than one-half D from at least one point of said three-walled capillary passageways. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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Specification