Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fujifilm Corporation

Photo Film Co., Ltd.

Fumio Sugaya

Yoshihiro Seto

Akihiro Komatsu

Yoichi Endo

Masao Kitajima

Kenichiro Yazawa

Takaki Arai

Shigeru Tezuka

Tomoyuki Takiue

Nobuaki Tokiwa

Akemi Higo

Kiyotaka Fujiwara

Yoshihiko Abe

Kenji Arai

Yoshiyuki Doi

Hirotoshi Endo

An incubator includes a rotating incubator rotor. The incubator rotor is provided with a plurality of element chambers which are arranged along the outer periphery of the incubator rotor and each of which accommodates a dry analysis element spotted with a sample and incubates the dry analysis element. A light measuring system has a light measuring head which measures the optical density of the dry analysis element. The light measuring system is provided with a correction system which compensates for fluctuation in the value of the optical density of the dry analysis element in each of the element chambers as measured by the light measuring head generated due to fluctuation in the distance between the light measuring head and the element chamber on the basis of a correction value which has been stored in the correction system element chamber by element chamber.

Incubator

A slide pack container housing a plurality of piled slide packs has a cut-off portion. The cut-off portion has a width slightly larger than the width of a slide contained in each slide pack. As a sucker of a package take-out apparatus draws one of the slide packs from the slide pack container through the cut-off portion, a sealed portion of the slide pack interfering with the edge of the cut-off portion is folded inward so that the slide pack is successfully taken out. The sucker transfers the slide pack to a separated unwrapping apparatus. The sucker releases the slide pack when the front edge of the slide pack is caught between paired rollers of the unwrapping apparatus. After a cutter makes a slit on the slide pack, the paired rollers transfer only a wrapping sheet to separate the wrapping sheet from the slide wrapped therewith.

Package take-out apparatus, package container thereof and unwrapping apparatus

A dry chemical analysis element cartridge includes a box-like cartridge casing in which a plurality of chemical analysis elements are stacked and are taken out through an element take-out port formed at one end of the cartridge casing. The inner dimension of the cartridge casing in the direction of the stack of the chemical analysis elements is smaller than the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of each of the chemical analysis elements.

Dry chemical analysis element cartridge

An analysis method using a dry chemical analysis element accurately measures change in optical density indicating the composition of a liquid sample without requiring accurate control of the amount and position of the liquid sample dripped on the dry chemical analysis element. A one-dimensional or two-dimensional optical reading apparatus measures one-dimensional or two-dimensional distribution of degree of color reaction for a reacted portion of the dry chemical analysis element. Concurrently, the one-dimensional or two-dimensional optical reading apparatus measures a length or a spread area of the reacted portion. Physical density or activity of a target component contained in the liquid sample is determined based on an integrated value of the degree of the color reaction and the measured length or the spread area of the reacted portion.

Analysis method using dry chemical analysis element

An unwrapping apparatus unwraps a slide pack wrapped with a wrapping sheet to obtain a slide contained therein. As paired rollers forward the slide pack, a squeezing member squeezes the slide backward within an unsealed space in the slide pack to form a wide cut allowance at the front edge of the slide pack. After the slide reaches the rear end of the unsealed space, nip pressure applied to the slide pack by the paired rollers is reduced to further forward the slide pack to a predetermined position. At the predetermined position, a cutter partially cuts the cut allowance to form a slit thereon. Then, the slide pack is transferred back by the paired rollers under a raised nip pressure which is sufficient to squeeze the slide out from the slit. Accordingly, the slide will be gradually separated from the wrapping sheet.

Unwrapping apparatus

The blood filter unit of the invention is composed of a blood filtering material made of glass fiber filter and microporous membrane and a holder having a blood inlet and a filtrate outlet. The holder accommodates the blood filtering material so that the microporous membrane is located on the filtrate outlet side, provides a space between the blood filtering material and the filtrate outlet, and provides a means for preventing adhesion of the blood filtering material on the filtrate outlet side. By using the blood filter unit, a necessary volume of plasma or serum for analysis can be separated surely, irrespective of hematocrit value of the blood.

Blood filter unit

This invention provides a method of filtering blood using a filtering material comprising glass fiber filter, capable of obtaining a desired amount of plasma or serum without hemolysis and leakage of blood cells easily which comprises keeping pressure difference between blood inlet side and filtrate outlet side 50 mmHg or less at least for 5 seconds from contacting the blood to be filtered, and keeping the pressure difference 200 mmHg or less throughout the filtering of the blood.

Method of filtering blood

A blood filter unit having a blood filter holder containing a blood filtering material of a glass fiber filter and a microporous membrane is described. The holder has a blood inlet and a filtrate outlet, and accommodates the blood filtering material so that the microporous membrane is located on the filtrate outlet side and has a space between the blood filtering material and the filtrate outlet. The holder provides means for preventing adhesion of the blood filtering material on the filtrate outlet side. The inventive blood filter unit allows separation of a desired volume of plasma or serum for analysis without interference by the hematocrit value of the blood.

In a biochemical analysis apparatus, a dry-type frameless chemical analysis film having a base and a reagent layer formed thereon is taken out from a cartridge in which a plurality of such frameless chemical analysis films are stacked. Then the film is spotted with a sample liquid and is transferred to a cell in an incubator to be incubated at a constant temperature, whereby coloring reaction between the reagent layer and a particular biochemical component in the sample liquid is caused and the optical density of the coloring matter formed is measured. A horseshoe-like film transfer member receives the film taken out from the cartridge and inserts it into the cell while holding it, and a suction member enters the cell from below the cell and holds the film inserted by the film transfer member.

Biochemical analysis apparatus and incubator for the same

A cartridge for dry-type chemical analysis films comprises a box housing, which accommodates therein a stack of dry-type chemical analysis films and which has a take-out opening at one end such that the dry-type chemical analysis films may be taken out of the box housing through the take-out opening one after another. A push member is located in the box housing so as to be capable of sliding. The push member comes into contact with the stack of the dry-type chemical analysis films from the side opposite to the take-out opening and pushes the stack of the dry-type chemical analysis films in the direction heading towards the take-out opening. An urging member is located in the box housing and urges the push member in the direction heading towards the take-out opening. A restriction member is located in the box housing and restricts the distance of movement of the push member in the direction heading away from the take-out opening to at most a value equal to the width of each dry-type chemical analysis film.

Cartridge for dry-type chemical analysis films

A chemical analysis film cartridge with a box-like casing body having first and second end walls opposed to each other between which a plurality of dry frameless chemical analysis film chips are stored in a stack. A first opening is formed in a side wall of the casing body near the first end wall so that only the film chip nearest the first end wall can be taken out of the casing body through the first opening by moving the film chip in a direction perpendicular to the stack. A second openings which permits a suction pad to hold the film chip nearest the first end wall and to remove it from the casing body through the first openings is formed in the first end wall. The width of the first opening is larger than the thickness of one film chip and smaller than double the thickness of one film chip over at least a portion of the first opening. The suction pad is retracted with the film chip so that the film chip abuts against the edge of the second opening on opposite sides of the suction pads and then the suction pad is further retracted to pull the central portion of the film chip in this state into the second opening, thereby reshaping the film chip into a predetermined warped-shape conforming to the shape of the first opening.

Device for taking out chemical analysis film chips from a film cartridge

A dry frameless chemical analysis film includes a support sheet and a reagent layer formed on the support sheet. An incubator for incubating the film spotted with a sample liquid includes an incubator base on which the frameless chemical analysis film is placed, an incubator cell member which is movable up and down between a lower position and an upper position and presses a part of the upper surface of the frameless chemical analysis film against the incubator base while tightly enclosing a space around the frameless chemical analysis film in the lower position, and a first heater which heats the part of the incubator base with which the frameless chemical analysis film is brought into contact to a first predetermined temperature and holds the same at the first predetermined temperature, and a second heater which heats the incubator cell member to a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature.

A chemical analysis system has a chemical analysis film cartridge having a box-like casing for accommodating therein a plurality of chemical analysis films which are stacked in a predetermined direction. Each chemical analysis film is composed of a base and a reagent layer formed on the base. A spring is provided on the inner side of a first end wall of the casing and urges the stack of the chemical analysis films toward a second end wall of the casing, the first and second end walls being opposed to each other in the predetermined direction. The casing is provided with a first opening which is formed in a side wall of the casing at a portion near the second end wall to permit only the chemical analysis film adjacent to the second end wall to pass therethrough in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction and with a second opening which is formed in the second end wall and through which a suction cup for taking out the chemical analysis film through the first opening gains access to the chemical analysis film adjacent to the second end wall.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Fumio Sugaya