Tunable excitation and/or tunable detection microplate reader

Claim 2

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sample is comprised of a multiple well microplate containing a plurality of sample wells.

Claim 3

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of sample well contains a number of wells selected from the group consisting of 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, and 384 wells.

Claim 4

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 2, wherein said sample emissions are detected at a plurality of locations within each of a predetermined quantity of said plurality of sample wells.

Claim 5

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 4, wherein said predetermined quantity of said plurality of sample wells is the total quantity of said plurality of sample wells.

Claim 6

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said moving mechanism is operable in a continuous manner whereby the relative positions of said sample holding stage, said source, and said detector continuously change, and wherein said sample emissions are continuously detected by said detector.

Claim 7

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 6, wherein said output signals of said detector are used by a microprocessor to form a bit map image of said sample.

Claim 8

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a display device for displaying said bit map image, wherein said display device is coupled to said microprocessor.

Claim 9

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said focussed source radiation has a variable diameter.

Claim 10

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said focussed source radiation has a variable depth of focus.

Claim 11

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said source is a xenon flash lamp.

Claim 12

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said source is a laser producing at least one wavelength.

Claim 13

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said detector is selected from the group consisting of a photomultiplier tube, a CCD array, a cooled CCD array, and a silicon photodiode.

Claim 14

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second wavelength band selection systems are selected from the group consisting of prisms, diffraction gratings, short pass and long pass filters, variable filters, acousto-optic filters, polarization dependent filters, interference filters based on continuously varying film thickness, Fabrey-Ferot etalon tunable filters, tunable liquid crystal filters, common path interferometers, and SAGNAC interferometers.

Claim 15

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filtering element interposed between said sample and said detector, said filtering element selected from the group consisting of bandpass filters, notch filters, and polarization dependent filters.

Claim 16

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a neutral density filter interposed between said sample and said detector.

Claim 17

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emittance of said source is between 250 and 750 nanometers.

Claim 18

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sample is a gel.

Claim 19

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sample is a storage phosphor plate.

Claim 20

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said source is comprised of a plurality of individual sources.

Claim 21

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a look-up table of operating parameters based on a set of user defined testing parameters, wherein said operating parameters include said first band of wavelengths for said illumination radiation and said sample emission detection wavelength band.

Claim 22

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a reagent dispensing mechanism for dispensing at least one reagent of a predetermined type and quantity into selected sample wells, wherein said source is disabled prior to dispensing said reagent, and wherein said detector is programmable to allow emission detection at a predetermined time interval after activation of said reagent dispensing mechanism.

Claim 23

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first band of wavelengths has an adjustable bandwidth and said wavelength band of sample emissions detected by said detector has an adjustable bandwidth.

Claim 24

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 2, wherein said focussed source radiation has sufficient beam diameter to illuminate a substantial portion of one of said sample wells, and wherein said detector has a plurality of pixels for detecting emissions from said substantial portion of said illuminated sample well.

Claim 25

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 24, wherein each of said plurality of pixels outputs an individual output signal dependent upon the intensity of said emissions of a corresponding fragment of said substantial portion of said illuminated sample well.

Claim 26

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 2, wherein said focussed source radiation has sufficient beam diameter to illuminate a substantial portion of one of said sample wells, and wherein said detector output signal is an average of said illuminated substantial portion.

Claim 27

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an incubator for maintaining said sample at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 28

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data processor for monitoring said detector output signals, wherein said data processor optimizes said detector output signals by varying said first band of wavelengths and varying said wavelength band of sample emissions detected by said detector.

Claim 29

An absorption monitoring apparatus, comprising: a sample holding stage; a source for illuminating a sample within said sample holding stage with radiation within a first band of wavelengths, wherein said first band of wavelengths is a subset of the emittance of said source, said first band of wavelengths selected by a first wavelength band selection system; at least one projection optic for focussing said radiation from said source onto a portion of said sample; a detector for detecting said illumination radiation passing through said sample, and wherein said detector generates a plurality of output signals dependent upon the intensity of said passed illumination radiation; and a moving mechanism for moving the relative positions of said sample holding stage, said source, and said detector, wherein said moving mechanism allows said detector to detect passed illumination radiation from a plurality of locations within said sample.

Claim 30

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, wherein said sample is comprised of a multiple well microplate containing a plurality of sample wells.

Claim 31

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 30, wherein said passed illumination radiation is detected at a plurality of locations within each of a predetermined quantity of said plurality of sample wells.

Claim 32

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, wherein said moving mechanism is operable in a continuous manner whereby the relative positions of said sample holding stage, said source, and said detector continuously change, and wherein said passed illumination radiation is continuously detected by said detector.

Claim 33

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 32, wherein said output signals of said detector are used by a microprocessor to form a bit map image of said sample.

Claim 34

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a display device for displaying said bit map image, wherein said display device is coupled to said microprocessor.

Claim 35

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, wherein said focussed source radiation has a variable diameter.

Claim 36

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, wherein said focussed source radiation has a variable depth of focus.

Claim 37

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, wherein said first wavelength band selection system is selected from the group consisting of prisms, diffraction gratings, short pass and long pass filters, variable filters, acousto-optic filters, polarization dependent filters, interference filters based on continuously varying film thickness, Fabrey-Perot etalon tunable filters, tunable liquid crystal filters, common path interferometers, and SAGNAC interferometers.

Claim 38

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a filtering element interposed between said sample and said detector, said filtering element selected from the group consisting of bandpass filters, notch filters, and polarization dependent filters.

Claim 39

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a lock-up table of operating parameters based on a set of user defined testing parameters, wherein said operating parameters include said first band of wavelengths for said illumination radiation.

Claim 40

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 30, further comprising a reagent dispensing mechanism for dispensing at least one reagent of a predetermined type and quantity into selected sample wells.

Claim 41

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 30, wherein said focussed source radiation has sufficient beam diameter to illuminate a substantial portion of one of said sample wells, and wherein said detector has a plurality of pixels for detecting passed illumination radiation from said substantial portion of said illuminated sample well.

Claim 42

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 41, wherein each of said plurality of pixels outputs an individual output signal dependent upon the intensity of said passed illumination radiation of a corresponding fragment of said substantial portion of said illuminated sample well.

Claim 43

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 30, wherein said focussed source radiation has sufficient beam diameter to illuminate a substantial portion of one of said sample wells, and wherein said detector output signal is an average of said illuminated substantial portion.

Claim 44

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, further comprising an incubator for maintaining said sample at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 45

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a second wavelength band selection system for determining the wavelength band of passed illumination radiation detected by said detector.

Claim 46

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a neutral density filter interposed between said sample and said detector.

Claim 47

An absorption monitoring apparatus, comprising: a sample holding stage; a source for illuminating a sample within said sample holding stage with radiation; at least one projection optic for focussing said radiation from said source onto a portion of said sample; a detector for detecting said illumination radiation passing through said sample, wherein a wavelength band selection system determines the wavelength band of passed illumination radiation detected by said detector, and wherein said detector generates a plurality of output signals dependent upon the intensity of said passed illumination radiation; and a moving mechanism for moving the relative positions of said sample holding stage, said source, and said detector, wherein said moving mechanism allows said detector to detect passed illumination radiation from a plurality of locations within said sample.

Claim 48

The absorption monitoring apparatus of claim 47, further comprising a neutral density filter interposed between said sample and said detector.

Claim 49

A multilabel counting apparatus, comprising: a sample holding stage; a source for illuminating a sample within said sample holding stage with radiation within a first band of wavelengths, wherein said first band of wavelengths is a subset of the emittance of said source, said first band of wavelengths selected by a first wavelength band selection system; at least one projection optic for focussing said radiation from said source onto a portion of said sample; a first detector for detecting emissions from said sample, wherein a second wavelength band selection system determines the wavelength band of sample emissions detected by said first detector, and wherein said first detector generates a first plurality of output signals dependent upon the intensity of said emissions; a second detector for detecting said illumination radiation passing through said sample, and wherein said second detector generates a second plurality of output signals dependent upon the intensity of said passed illumination radiation; and a moving mechanism for moving the relative positions of said sample holding stage, said source, said first detector, and said second detector, wherein said moving mechanism allows said first detector to detect emissions from a plurality of locations within said sample, and wherein said moving mechanism allows said second detector to detect passed illumination radiation from a plurality of locations within said sample.

Claim 50

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, wherein said sample is comprised of a multiple well microplate containing a plurality of sample wells.

Claim 51

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 50, wherein said sample emissions and said passed illumination radiation are detected at a plurality of locations within each of a predetermined quantity of said plurality of sample wells.

Claim 52

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, wherein said moving mechanism is operable in a continuous manner whereby the relative positions of said sample holding stage, said source, and said detector continuously change, and wherein said sample emissions and said passed illumination radiation are continuously detected by said detector.

Claim 53

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, wherein said focussed source radiation has a variable diameter.

Claim 54

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, wherein said focussed source radiation has a variable depth of focus.

Claim 55

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, wherein said first and second wavelength band selection systems are selected from the group consisting of prisms, diffraction gratings, short pass and long pass filters, variable filters, acousto-optic filters, polarization dependent filters, interference filters based on continuously varying film thickness, Fabrey-Perot etalon tunable filters, tunable liquid crystal filters, common path interferometers, and SAGNAC interferometers.

Claim 56

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a filtering element interposed between said sample and said first detector, said filtering element selected from the group consisting of bandpass filters, notch filters, and polarization dependent filters.

Claim 57

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a filtering element interposed between said sample and said second detector, said filtering element selected from the group consisting of bandpass filters, notch filters, and polarization dependent filters.

Claim 58

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a look-up table of operating parameters based on a set of user defined testing parameters, wherein said operating parameters include said first band of wavelengths for said illumination radiation and said sample emission detection wavelength band.

Claim 59

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 50, further comprising a reagent dispensing mechanism for dispensing at least one reagent of a predetermined type and quantity into selected sample wells.

Claim 60

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 50, wherein said focussed source radiation has sufficient beam diameter to illuminate a substantial portion of one of said sample wells.

Claim 61

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, further comprising an incubator for maintaining said sample at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 62

The multilabel counting apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a neutral density filter interposed between said sample and said second detector.