US3811036A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Micro-biological colony counter
Assignee: Artek Systems Corp
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Filing: 1972-09-19
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Granted: 1974-05-14
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Expires: 1992-09-19
Abstract
Abstract An automatic colony counter which includes a television camera for viewing a sample being scanned. The output from the television camera is sent through control circuitry to a television monitor. The video signal is also processed and quantized to produce a digital count representing the number of colonies counted and also to produce a flag signal which causes an illuminated dot to be superimposed on each colony counted, thereby insuring that all the colonies in the sample have been counted.
Inventors
- 👤 R Perry
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 04:16
CPC Classifications
C; C12; C12M; C12M41/00; C12M41/30; C12M41/36; G; G06; G06M; G06M11/00; G06M11/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
221 words
A colony counting apparatus comprising: suppoRt means for holding a sample containing colonies to be counted; raster scan means focused onto said support means and providing a video output of the sample scanned; video processing means receiving the video output from said scan means and converting it into a sequence of horizontal scan lines having a series of signals on each of said lines, each of said signals identifying a colony boundary; quantizing means receiving said series of signals and producing therefrom pulses whose width represents the colony along each scan line; gating means receiving the pulses from said quantizing means and combining pulses from sequential scan lines identifying the same colony and producing a single output signal for each colony; counting means receiving said output signals from said gating means and providing a total count corresponding to the number of colonies; control means receiving said video output from said raster scan means and processing it for display; and video display means receiving the output from said control means and displaying the scanned sample containing the colonies, and wherein said gating means also produces a flag signal at the detection of a colony, said flag signal being sent through said control means to said video display means to produce on said display means a superimposed illuminated dot on each colony detected.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
221 words
A colony counting apparatus comprising: suppoRt means for holding a sample containing colonies to be counted; raster scan means focused onto said support means and providing a video output of the sample scanned; video processing means receiving the video output from said scan means and converting it into a sequence of horizontal scan lines having a series of signals on each of said lines, each of said signals identifying a colony boundary; quantizing means receiving said series of signals and producing therefrom pulses whose width represents the colony along each scan line; gating means receiving the pulses from said quantizing means and combining pulses from sequential scan lines identifying the same colony and producing a single output signal for each colony; counting means receiving said output signals from said gating means and providing a total count corresponding to the number of colonies; control means receiving said video output from said raster scan means and processing it for display; and video display means receiving the output from said control means and displaying the scanned sample containing the colonies, and wherein said gating means also produces a flag signal at the detection of a colony, said flag signal being sent through said control means to said video display means to produce on said display means a superimposed illuminated dot on each colony detected.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising digital display means connected to said counting means for displaying the total count.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
98 words
An apparatus as in claim 2 and further comprising a C-shaped case wherein said support means is connected within the lower surface of the indented position of said case; said scan means is attached within the upper portion of the case facing downward toward the indented position; said quantizing means and counting means are both located in the bottom of said case and wherein said display means is located in the upper portion of the case adjacent said scan means and facing the front of said case being visible through an opening in the front of said case.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said control means includes delay means for delaying said video output from said scan means such that said flags will appear in proper time relationship superimposed over the displayed colonies.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
96 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising: reset means including an oscillator which resets said scan means and said counting means to scan the sample at a predetermined number of frames per period and producing a trigger signal each time said predetermined number is reached; dividing means receiving the total count from said counting means at the end of each frame and dividing said total count by said predetermined number; and storage means for accumulating the divided counts from said dividing means and producing a final output value at the occurrence of said trigger signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
An apparatus as in claim 5 and further comprising first switching means connected in series with said reset means having a first position wherein said reset means is connected into the apparatus and a second position wherein said reset means is disconnected from the apparatus, and second switching means connected to the second position permitting manual resetting of said scan means and said counting means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and further comprising illuminating means located beneath said support means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said illuminating means includes a multiplicity of individual lamps.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus as in claim 7 and wherein said illuminating means includes a mercury vapor lamp formed into a zig-zag shape.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus as in claim 7 and further comprising diffusing means located between said illuminating means and said sample and spaced from said sample.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
An apparatus as in claim 10 and wherein said diffusing means includes an opal glass.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said video processing meanS includes in series differentiation means, filter means and amplifier means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
90 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said quantizer includes: first level detection means receiving the signals from the video processing means representing the leading edge of each colony boundary; second level detection means receiving the signals from the video processing means representing the trailing edge of each colony boundary; and circuit means connected to the outputs of said first and second detection means and producing a pulse whose width is determined by the time interval between the occurrence of said leading and trailing edges of each colony boundary.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus as in claim 13 and wherein said quantizer further includes checking means connected to said second level detection means and insuring that for each leading edge there follows a corresponding trailing edge.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said control means further includes: synchronous separating means receiving said video output from said scan means and producing a window signal representing the total operational area of scanning; and oscillator means receiving said window signal as a control input and whose output is sent to said display means thereby producing a superimposed grid pattern within the window area.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
72 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said gating means includes: shift register means receiving and holding information of an entire scan line and shifting out each position of said scan line as a position of a subsequent scan line is entered; and a gate whose one input is the shifted out position from said shift register and whose other input is the same information as that entering said shift register.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said video processing means, said quantizer means, and said gate means are comprised of removable plug-in printed circuit assembly cards.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
173 words
A colony counting apparatus comprising: support means for holding a sample containing colonies to be counted; raster scan means focused onto said support means and providing a video output of the sample scanned; video processing means receiving the video output from said scan means and converting it into a sequence of horizontal scan lines having a series of impulse signals on each of said lines, said impulse signals individually identifying the leading and trailing edges of a colony boundry; quantizing means receiving said series of impulse signals and producing therefrom pulses whose width represents the colony along each scan line and further including checking means receiving said impulse signals and insuring that for each leading edge there follows a corresponding trailing edge; gating means receiving the pulses from said quantizing means and combining pulses from sequential scan lines identifying the same colony and producing a single output signal for each colony; and counting means receiving said output signals from said gating means and providing a total count corresponding to the number of colonies.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
173 words
A colony counting apparatus comprising: support means for holding a sample containing colonies to be counted; raster scan means focused onto said support means and providing a video output of the sample scanned; video processing means receiving the video output from said scan means and converting it into a sequence of horizontal scan lines having a series of impulse signals on each of said lines, said impulse signals individually identifying the leading and trailing edges of a colony boundry; quantizing means receiving said series of impulse signals and producing therefrom pulses whose width represents the colony along each scan line and further including checking means receiving said impulse signals and insuring that for each leading edge there follows a corresponding trailing edge; gating means receiving the pulses from said quantizing means and combining pulses from sequential scan lines identifying the same colony and producing a single output signal for each colony; and counting means receiving said output signals from said gating means and providing a total count corresponding to the number of colonies.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-05-13 | 1977-11-12 | 1978-05-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-05-13 | 1981-11-12 | 1982-05-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-05-13 | 1985-11-12 | 1986-05-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |