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AssigneeBoehringer Mannheim GmbH
InventorsGary T. Neel, James R. Parker, Rick L. Collins, David E. Storvick, Charles L. Thomeczek, Jr., William J. Murphy, George R. Lennert, Morris J. Young, Daniel L. Kennedy
Estimating the term…
An instrument and a method for determining a coagulation characteristic of blood, a blood fraction or a control comprise a radiation-reflective surface, a first source for irradiating the surface, and a first detector for detecting radiation reflected from the surface. A cuvette holds a sample of the blood, blood fraction or control the coagulation characteristic of which is to be determined. The cuvette has two opposed walls substantially transparent to the source radiation and reflected radiation. The first source and first detector are disposed adjacent a first one of the two opposed walls and the radiation reflective surface is disposed adjacent a second of the two opposed walls.
In combination, an instrument for determining a characteristic of a biological fluid or a control comprising a radiation-reflective surface, a first source for irradiating the surface, and a first detector for detecting radiation reflected from the surface, a heater comprising an electrically resistive foil for maintaining the biological fluid or control at a desired temperature, means for mounting the heater adjacent the surface, means for providing power to the heater and means for monitoring the surface temperature and for feeding the monitored temperature back to the means for providing power to the heater, the surface comprising a first radiation reflective surface of a tile, the tile further comprising a second surface opposite the first surface thereof, and means for mounting the electrically resistive foil to the second surface of the tile, and a cuvette for holding a sample of the biological fluid or control the characteristic of which is to be determined, the cuvette having two opposed walls substantially transparent to the source radiation and reflected radiation, the first source and first detector being disposed adjacent a first one of said two opposed walls and the radiation reflective surface being disposed adjacent a second of said two opposed walls.
In combination, an instrument for determining a characteristic of a biological fluid or a control comprising a radiation-reflective surface, a first source for irradiating the surface, and a first detector for detecting radiation reflected from the surface, and a cuvette for holding a sample of the biological fluid or control the characteristic of which is to be determined, the cuvette having two opposed walls substantially transparent to the source radiation and reflected radiation, the first source and first detector being disposed adjacent a first one of said two opposed walls and the radiation reflective surface being disposed adjacent a second of said two opposed walls, the instrument further comprising a second source for irradiating the cuvette and a second detector for detecting when a sample has been applied to a sample application point in the cuvette, the second detector detecting radiation from the second radiation source transmitted through one of said two opposed walls of the cuvette, reflected and transmitted back through said one wall to the second detector, a third source for irradiating the surface, the first detector detecting radiation from the third source reflected from the surface, the third source positioned to transmit radiation through said two opposed walls for reflection by the surface and transmission back through said two opposed walls to the first detector to indicate whether a sample has reached a first point in the cuvette, and a fourth source for irradiating the surface, the first detector detecting radiation from the fourth source reflected from the surface, the fourth source positioned to transmit radiation through said two opposed walls for reflection by the surface and transmission back through said two opposed walls to the first detector to indicate whether a sample has reached a second point in the cuvette.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.