Means for analyzing a continuous stream of unique sanguineous samples

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING A PLURALITY OF UNIQUE FLUID SAMPLES, COMPRISING: FIRST MEANS FOR SUPPLYING, UNDER POSITIVE PRESSURE, THE SAMPLES SERIATIM AS SEGMENTS IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM, EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT BEING SPACED FROM A SUCCEEDING SAMPLE SEGMENT AND COMPARTMENTALIZED BY A GAS SEGMENT, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID SAMPLE SEGMENTS CONTAINING A PRECIPITANT; A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL CONDUIT COUPLED TO SAID FIRST MEANS FOR SETTLING ANY PRECIPITANT IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SUCH SAMPLE SEGMENT, AS THE SAMPLE SEMENTS PASS THROUGH SAID CONDUIT IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM; AN OFF-TAKE ORIFICE IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CONDUIT, SAID ORIFICE HAVING A CROSSSECTIONAL AREA SMALLER THAT THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CONDUIT; AND WITHDRAWAL MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ORIFICE FOR REMOVING, UNDER NEGATIVE PRESSURE, THE LOWER PORTION OF THE STREAM CONTAINING MOST OF THE PRECIPITANT.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF DETERMINING WHICH IF ANY OF A PLURALITY OF UNIQUE BLODD SAMPLES ARE OF A GIVEN BLODD TYPE, COMPRISING: PROVIDING THE UNIQUE SAMPLES SERIATIM AS A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SAMPLE SEGMENTS IN A CONDUIT, EACH SPACED FROM THE SUCCEEDING SAMPLE SEGMENT BY A BUFFER LIQUID SEGMENT; MIXING THE SAMPLE STREAM WITH A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF A GIVEN ANTISERUM TO AGGLUTINATE ANY GIVEN SERUM POSITIVE RED CELLS IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT; SETTLING THE AGGLUTINATED RED CELLS IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT IN THE CONTINUOUS STREAM TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SUCH SAMPLE SEGMENT; DIVIDING THE CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SAMPLES INTO A LOWER PORTION CONTINUOUS STREAM CONTAINING AT LEAST MOST OF THE AGGLUTINATED RED CELLS AND AN UPPER PORTION CONTINUOUS STREAM CONTAINING AT LEAST MOST OF THE NONAGGLUTINATED RED CELLS; HEMOLYZING THE RED CELLS IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT OF THE UPPER CONTINOUS STREAM TO PROVIDE EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT WITH A COLOR HAVING A DENSITY RESPONSIVE TO THE QUANTITY OF RED CELLS IN SUCH SAMPLE SEGMENT; AND MEASURING THE COLOR DENSITY OF EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT IN THE UPPER CONTINUOUS STREAM.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF DETERMINING WHICH IF ANY OF A PLURALITY OF UNIQUE BLODD SAMPLES ARE OF A GIVEN BLODD TYPE, COMPRISING: PROVIDING THE UNIQUE SAMPLES SERIATIM AS A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SAMPLE SEGMENTS IN A CONDUIT, EACH SPACED FROM THE SUCCEEDING SAMPLE SEGMENT BY A BUFFER LIQUID SEGMENT; MIXING THE SAMPLE STREAM WITH A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF A GIVEN ANTISERUM TO AGGLUTINATE ANY GIVEN SERUM POSITIVE RED CELLS IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT; SETTLING THE AGGLUTINATED RED CELLS IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT IN THE CONTINUOUS STREAM TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SUCH SAMPLE SEGMENT; DIVIDING THE CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SAMPLES INTO A LOWER PORTION CONTINUOUS STREAM CONTAINING AT LEAST MOST OF THE AGGLUTINATED RED CELLS AND AN UPPER PORTION CONTINUOUS STREAM CONTAINING AT LEAST MOST OF THE NONAGGLUTINATED RED CELLS; HEMOLYZING THE RED CELLS IN EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT OF THE UPPER CONTINOUS STREAM TO PROVIDE EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT WITH A COLOR HAVING A DENSITY RESPONSIVE TO THE QUANTITY OF RED CELLS IN SUCH SAMPLE SEGMENT; AND MEASURING THE COLOR DENSITY OF EACH SAMPLE SEGMENT IN THE UPPER CONTINUOUS STREAM.