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US 5,232,665 AGranted
Multi-linear automatic apparatus for processing immunoassays
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsRobert A. Burkovich, James H. Lipscomb, Colin A. Nurse, Kin W. Wong, Paul J. Zuk, Robert E. Bernstine
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Abstract
The apparatus processes immunoassays of samples using a solid support. It provides a compact system using rectilinear motion to process carriers holding samples on a real time basis while permitting the input and output of the system to operate on a random basis.
Claims21
An automatic multilinear apparatus for processing immunoassays of samples using a solid support, the assays having bound and free phases, the bound phase being bound to the solid support, the apparatus comprising:
- an inlet chamber,
- a plurality of carriers positioned in the inlet chamber, each carrier holding a sample, a rotatably mounted reaction vessel, particles responsive to a magnetic field, reagents, and a reaction product container,
- a processing chamber generally parallel to the inlet chamber and having one end and the other end,
- first means to transport the plurality of carriers linearly in a first direction to one end of the inlet chamber, second means to transport sequentially the plurality of carriers linearly in a second direction transverse to the first direction from the one end of the inlet chamber to one end of the processing chamber,
- first translating means for acting on each carrier at the one end of the processing chamber to transfer each carrier's sample and reagents into the carrier's rotatably mounted reaction vessel,
- third means to transport sequentially the plurality of carriers linearly in a third direction opposite to and generally parallel to the first direction to several processing positions,
- means for vortexing at at least one processing position by nutating the lower portion of each rotatably mounted reaction vessel,
- wash means at at least one processing position for removing liquids from each rotatably mounted reaction vessel and replacing the liquids with a different liquid,
- magnet means at each wash means position for applying a magnetic field to each rotatably mounted reaction vessel prior to liquid removal,
- second translating means at the other end of the chamber processing for transferring the contents of each reaction vessel to its reaction product container,
- fourth means to transport each carrier transversely of the third direction from the processing chamber to the other end of the inlet chamber, and
- fifth means to transport each carrier from the other end of the inlet chamber in a direction generally parallel to the first direction for storage.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.