Integrated serial dilution and mixing cartridge
AssigneeBiotrack, Inc.
InventorsMichael M. Gorin, Robert S. Hillman, Ian Gibbons, Michael E. Cobb
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dilution and mixing cartridge comprising a sample application site, a mixing chamber in fluid receiving relationship to the sample application site, a diluent application site in fluid donating relationship to the mixing chamber, a first valve means selectively preventing flow from the diluent application site to the mixing chamber, and a mixture isolating chamber hydrostatically connected to the mixing chamber is provided along with a method for using this cartridge to sequentially dilute a sample with the same or different diluents.
Claims20
An apparatus for automatically carrying out a serial dilution of an aqueous sample with one or more aqueous diluents, comprising:
- a housing containing
- a sample application site for receiving a sample;
- a measuring chamber having a first volume;
- a mixing chamber having a second volume, wherein said second volume is greater than said first volume;
- a diluent application site for receiving a diluent;
- first flow means for delivering a sample from said sample application site to said measuring chamber by the sum of capillary and gravitational forces upon addition of sample to said sample application site;
- second flow means for delivering diluent from said diluent application site to said measuring chamber by the sum of capillary and gravitational forces upon addition of diluent to said diluent application site;
- third flow means for delivering sample and diluent from said measuring chamber to said mixing chamber by the sum of capillary and gravitational forces;
- a stop flow junction first located in said third flow means and adapted to the surface tension characteristics of the sample so as to provide sufficient back pressure resulting from contact between said sample and wall means of said housing at said stop flow junction first valve means to prevent sample from flowing through said stop flow junction first valve means in absence of diluent but allowing flow through said stop flow junction first valve means when diluent is present in said apparatus along with said sample;
- a mixture isolating chamber connected to said mixing chamber by a fourth flow means for delivering a portion of the contents of said mixing chamber to said mixture isolating chamber by the sum of capillary and gravitational forces;
- and
- normally closed first valve means selectively preventing flow between said mixing chamber and said mixture isolating chamber, whereby opening said first valve means causes a measured representative sample of a liquid in said mixing chamber to flow into said mixture isolating chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.