Eastman-kodak Company

Other

Johnson & Johnson Clinical Diagnostics, Inc.

Alan J Lowne

Steven C Switalski

David Scott Uerz

James R Sandifer

Hsue-Yang Liu

Merrit Nyles Jacobs

James D Shaw

John L Daiss

Ronald F Brookes

Leonard J Seaberg

A method and apparatus for detecting improper liquid content of a metering tip of an analyzer. The method detects the content or status using radiation between 630 and 2000 nm, and comprises the steps of: a) aspirating the liquid into the tips; b) scanning the liquid; c) providing relative motion between the tip and the scanner while simultaneously scanning the liquid; d) detecting the amount of light transmitted to detector at all levels of the liquid; e) comparing the detected light with light known to be transmitted at levels of liquid free of air bubbles; and flagging the results.

Incremental absorbance scanning of liquid in dispensing tips

A reflective wetting or spot detecting system incorporates a light emitting diode and a solid state photo sensor arranged on the same side of a medium being analyzed. The sensor is carried at one end of an elongated housing with a linear channel extending through. The channel is oriented on a line that is normal to the medium being analyzed. The channel functions as a lensless, passive focuser of reflected radiant energy. The source of radiant energy is located at an acute angle with respect to the medium. A conditioning circuit is coupled to the output of the sensor. The conditioning circuitry includes a current-to-voltage converter, a signal reducing stage, an amplifying stage and a comparator. The signal reducing stage reduces the voltage signal, produced by the current voltage converter, a predetermined amount, thereby effectively providing the amplifier stage with a greater dynamic range than it would have otherwise had. The output from the amplifier stage charges a capacitor with first and second different time constants depending on whether a medium to be analyzed is present or not. Output from the comparator circuitry drives output amplifiers to provide a digital signal indicative of a wetting or spotting event.

Reflective wetness detector

A postacquired spectrophotometer, for use with a sample and reference. The spectrophotometer has a filter unit, defining an axis of movement, and pluralities of designated sites and dark sites disposed in uniform relation to the axis. The designated and dark sites are disposed in alternation. Alternating designated sites have apertures and filters covering the apertures. Further, a main member, coaxial with the filter unit, has sample and reference beam paths, which are intersected by the sites. The main member has disposed, in operative relation to the actuators, an actuator sensor, which generates an integration actuator signal upon alignment with each integration actuator and a clamping actuator signal upon alignment with each clamping actuator. Moreover, a drive continuously moves the filter unit relative to the axis and beam paths. Further, a light distribution system directs light separately from the sample and reference to respective beam paths, and then to a detector, which produces a detector signal responsive to light received. Finally, means for processing the signals is provided, including a clamping circuit, integrators, and a demultiplexer.

Postacquired spectrophotometers

A spectrophotometer is described, comprising a single light source, a single detector, optics for dually and alternatively reading a sample and a reference, and only one moving part. That moving part is a chopper containing multiple pass-through apertures, each filled with a unique bandpass filter to select wavelengths to specifically illuminate the sample or reference. To inform the spectrophotometer whether and when it is reading the sample or the reference, trigger means are provided in at least twice the number of the pass-through apertures.

Spectrophotometer having means for simultaneous modulation, switching

There are described a novel removable pipette tip and pipette therefor, which provide separation of substances of a liquid within the tip by centrifuging the tip. The tip comprises a liquid-confining cavity disposed about an axis of symmetry, a dispensing aperture, and separating structure spaced along the axis away from the dispensing aperture, for separating one of the liquid substances when the tip is spun about such axis. The pipette is rotatable and either the pipette or the analyzer includes a driver for spinning the pipette tip at high speed.

Centrifugable pipette tip and pipette therefor

A thin, compact reflectometer is adapted to support and position a generally planar test element in a predetermined, generally horizontal plane during usage. The reflectometer includes a light source and a detector having major portions of their respective illumination and detection axes extending generally parallel to a planar reflectometer-positioning portion on one of two major surfaces of the reflectometer.

Growing community of inventors

Victor, NY, United States of America

Alan J Lowne