Method of and apparatus for promoting a reaction between a liquid specimen and a liquid reagent

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the further steps of controlling the temperature and controlling the humidity of said gaseous fluid.

Claim 4

Apparatus for promoting a reaction between a liquid specimen and a liquid reagent, comprising a liquid-impermeable support surface, first means for applying the liquid specimen to the support surface, second means for applying the liquid reagent to the support surface to form thereon a liquid mixture with the liquid specimen, a source of gaseous fluid, a supply duct having an inlet connected to said source and an outlet arranged to direct a jet of gaseous fluid from said source to impinge upon said liquid mixture on the support surface, and drive means connected to bring about relative movement between the support surface and said outlet thereby to cause agitation of the liquid mixture.

Claim 5

Apparatus for promoting a reaction between a liquid specimen and a liquid reagent, comprising a liquid-impermeable support surface, first means for applying the liquid specimen to the support surface, second means for applying the liquid reagent to the support surface to form thereon a liquid mixture with the liquid specimen, a source of gaseous fluid, a supply duct having an inlet connected to said source and an outlet arranged to direct a jet of gaseous fluid from said source to impinge upon said liquid mixture on the support surface, and drive means connected to bring about relative movement between the support surface and said outlet thereby to cause agitation of the liquid mixture.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising means for controlling the temperature of said gaseous fluid and means for controlling the humidity of said gaseous fluid.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said support surface is an upper surface of an elongate specimen support and the apparatus further comprises guide means determining a path along which said support is movable in a longitudinal direction thereof through the apparatus.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said outlet is one of a plurality of such outlets all connected by way of the supply duct to said inlet and spaced apart along the path without additional outlets therebetween, each outlet of the plurality defining the end of a cylindrical passageway having a central axis lying in vertical plane parallel to said path and extending from said outlet both downwardly, at 45* to the vertical, and in said longitudinal direction.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first and second means are arranged to co-operate to provide on said upper surface as said drive means operate a succession of pools of given depth, distributed along said upper surface and each containing a mixture of liquid specimen and liquid reagent, which are carried on the specimen support from said first and second means and subsequently along said path, and there being betweeN each outlet of the plurality and the upper surface of said support a clearance that is less than the sum of said given depth and five times the internal diameter of said cylindrical passageways.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the number of outlets of the plurality is more than two and the distance between successive outlets is less than the length of said pools.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said outlet is one of a plurality of such outlets which are connected to said inlet and which are distributed along said path, the outlets being arranged alternately singly and in pairs, the two outlets of each pair being spaced apart transversely with respect to said path.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first and second means are arranged to provide on said upper surface a succession of pools of given length distributed along said upper surface and each containing a liquid specimen and a liquid reagent, and said outlet is one of a plurality of such outlets, said outlets being arranged in pairs and the pairs of outlets being spaced apart along said path by a distance greater than said given length and there being no additional outlets between successive pairs of outlets along the path, each outlet of each pair defining the end of a cylindrical passageway having a central axis which is inclined to the vertical and lies in a vertical plane perpendicular to said path and which crosses the central axis of the cylindrical passageway whose end is defined by the other outlet of the pair below the pair of outlets.