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US 5,244,633 AGranted
Analyzer incubator with plural independently driven rings supporting cuvettes
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsRaymond F. Jakubowicz, Johannes J. Porte, James E. Robinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An incubator and an incubator method using two independently driven incubator rings each holding and transferring a liquid-containing cuvette between processing stations. At least one reagent addition station is disposed permanently adjacent each of the two rings. One advantageous result is enhanced throughput compared to having only one such ring for all reagent addition stations.
Claims13
An incubator in an analyzer for detecting an analyte, the incubator comprising
- plural support rings each in a common plane, for carrying between processing stations of said incubator, reaction cuvettes held at positions that are open at least radially toward an adjacent one of said rings;
- means for rotating each of said support rings independently, between said stations;
- means for moving at a transfer location, a reaction cuvette from one support ring to the other without taking the moving cuvette out of the plane of said rings, or off the rings, at an appropriate stage within the incubator;
- processing stations adjacent to said rings to provide separately means for the functions of sample addition, first liquid reagent addition, second liquid reagent addition, cuvette washing, optional third liquid reagent addition, and detection of light emitted from the reaction cuvettes, at least said first liquid regent addition station being permanently disposed adjacent to at least one of said rings, while at least said second liquid reagent addition station is permanently disposed adjacent to at least another of said rings;
- and temperature control means adjacent to both of said rings,
- so that a higher number of detected analytes per hour is achieved by separating and distributing the incubating functions onto more than one support ring, than is achieved using only one such ring.
3 more elements
An incubator in an analyzer for detecting an analyte, the incubator comprising
- a stationary guide track,
- plural support rings above said track for carrying between processing stations of said incubator, reaction cuvettes held at defined positions, said positions comprising openings in said rings sized to receive and to hold said reaction cuvettes;
- means for rotating each of said support rings independently, between said stations;
- means for moving a reaction cuvette from one support ring to the other at a transfer location, or off the rings, at an appropriate stage within the incubator, said moving means including in at least one of said rings a passageway notch extending from each of said cuvette-holding openings to a dump position on said ring, said notch and said stationary guide track being constructed to allow a cuvette to be dumped at said dump position;
- processing stations adjacent to said rings to provide separately means for the functions of sample addition, first liquid reagent addition, second liquid reagent addition, cuvette washing, optional third liquid reagent addition, and detection of light emitted from the reaction cuvettes, at least said first liquid reagent addition station being permanently disposed adjacent to at least one of said rings, while at least said second liquid reagent addition station is permanently disposed adjacent to at least another of said rings;
- and temperature control means adjacent to both of said rings,
- so that a higher number of detected analytes per hour is achieved by separating and distributing the incubating functions onto more than one support ring, than is achieved using only one such ring.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.