Patent US3923463A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3923463A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for performing chemical and biological analysis
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-10-09
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Granted: 1975-12-02
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Expires: 1993-10-09
Abstract
Abstract A system for the automated analysis of large numbers of liquid samples, in which a multiplicity of sample tubes are loaded in racks into a cassette and the loaded cassette is transferred from station to station, with operations of sample insertion, dilution, reagent addition and withdrawal for filtering being performed at successive stations. At each station there is a separate processing module adapted to receive the cassette, each module including the apparatus necessary for performing one of the abovementioned operations on each individual sample tube when it is located at a particular operational location in the cassette. Each module also has members for shifting the racks in the cassette in such manner that all tubes pass through the operational location in turn while strictly maintaining the same order of sequence throughout the operations.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth Dawson Bagshawe
- 👤 James Edward Kemble
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:42
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N35/00; G01N35/02; G01N35/026; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T436/00; Y10T436/11; Y10T436/110833; Y10T436/113332; Y10T436/114165
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
APPARATUS FOR ANALYSING A PLURALITY OF LIQUID SAMPLES, EACH SAMPLE BEING IN A TUBE, AND COMPRISING A CASSETTE HAVING A SHELL IN WHICH A PLURALITY OF SUCH TUBES ARE TO BE CONTAINED IN SEQUENCE, SAID CASSETTE HAVING APERTURES IN ITS WALLS THROUGH WHICH MEANS, OPERATED BY APPARATUS EXTERNAL TO THE CASSETTE, ACTUATE AND ADVANCE THE TUBES SEQUENTIALLY AND STEPWISE PAST A FIXED POINT, SAID CASSETTE BEING FREEELY REMOVABLE FROM THE OPERATING APPARATUS, WITHOUT DISTURBING THE CONTAINED TUBES, TO OTHER LOCATIONS, THE INITIAL SEQUENCE OF TUBES BEING MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
88 words
APPARATUS FOR ANALYSING A PLURALITY OF LIQUID SAMPLES, EACH SAMPLE BEING IN A TUBE, AND COMPRISING A CASSETTE HAVING A SHELL IN WHICH A PLURALITY OF SUCH TUBES ARE TO BE CONTAINED IN SEQUENCE, SAID CASSETTE HAVING APERTURES IN ITS WALLS THROUGH WHICH MEANS, OPERATED BY APPARATUS EXTERNAL TO THE CASSETTE, ACTUATE AND ADVANCE THE TUBES SEQUENTIALLY AND STEPWISE PAST A FIXED POINT, SAID CASSETTE BEING FREEELY REMOVABLE FROM THE OPERATING APPARATUS, WITHOUT DISTURBING THE CONTAINED TUBES, TO OTHER LOCATIONS, THE INITIAL SEQUENCE OF TUBES BEING MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cassette is provided with a lid which occludes the open ends of all the tubes contained in the cassette.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cassette carries racks of moulded plastics in which the tubes are an integral part of the rack.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tubes are arrayed in linear series in substantially rigid racks to be received within the cassette shell, and said actuating means advances the racks with the Tubes therein sequentially past said fixed point.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
In combination with the apparatus of claim 1, liquid analysis apparatus comprising at least one module with means to carry out a physical operation on the liquid samples and with a location to receive a selected one of said cassettes at a time and means to actuate operative elements which advance the tubes inside said cassette sequentially past a fixed point.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
70 words
Liquid analysis apparatus according to claim 5 wherein operations of dispensing, transferring and diluting liquid samples are performed by means of pumps actuated by signals received from a control unit which incorporates an electronic data register, according to a sequence of instructions supplied to the control unit by a human operator in at least one prior operation and which instructions may be varied according to the requirements of analytical protocol.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein liquid transfer and dispensing operations are performed by pumps with fixed stroke volume, multiples of this fixed volume being transferred by repetitive action of such pumps depending on signals from a control unit with a data register operating on prior instructions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
92 words
Liquid analysis apparatus according to claim 5, comprising means to transfer radioactive components from a multiplicity of reactions occurring in said tubes simultaneously to a corresponding multiplicity of filters on a continuous tape, photomultiplier devices to convert the radioactivity at a multiplicity of filter sites into signals which are accumulated and counted directly in electronic data registers, the accumulated totals associated with prior instructions being stored at other locations in the register, and means to perform calculations and to transfer the accumulated totals and results of the calculations to appropriate output terminals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
67 words
In combination with apparatus according to claim 8, a tape of strong flexible plastics material, bearing at appropriate intervals a series of locations where the tape is perforated and where the perforations are surmounted by filter discs adherent to the tape at the margins of the filter discs, said tape additionally having holes or indentations to aid in the correction registration of the tape at operational locations.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-12-01 | 1979-06-02 | 1979-12-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-12-01 | 1983-06-02 | 1983-12-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-12-01 | 1987-06-02 | 1987-12-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |