Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
295 words
An apparatus for feeding a chemical analysis slide into an incubator and for ejecting a slide therefrom, which comprises: (i) an incubator provided with a plurality of compartments disposed side by side in a first direction for housing and holding a plurality of chemical analysis slies having a reagent layer, on which a predetermined amount of a substance to be measured has already been applied, so that the chemical analysis slides may be individually placed in each of said compartments side by side, said incubator having a rear end face along which inlet openings of said compartments are formed side by side in said first direction, and a front end face along which outlet openings of said compartments are formed side by side in said first direction, (ii) a conveyance means for holding one of said slides, said conveyance means being movable in said first direction along said rear end face of said incubator for conveying said held one of the slides to a position facing a selected inlet opening, and (iii) a slide feed-in means extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction and moveable forward and backward with respect thereto, said slide feed-in means including a plurality of slide feed-in protrusions which respectively face said inlet openings, wherein upon forward movement of said slide feed-in means, one of said slide feed-in protrusions contacts a rear edge of the one slide such that the one slide is fed into one of said compartments via said selected inlet opening, and wherein a chemical analysis slide which has previously been housed in said one compartment is pushed out and ejected via an outlet opening of said one compartment by the one slide which is thus fed by said slide feed-in protrusion into said compartment.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
295 words
An apparatus for feeding a chemical analysis slide into an incubator and for ejecting a slide therefrom, which comprises: (i) an incubator provided with a plurality of compartments disposed side by side in a first direction for housing and holding a plurality of chemical analysis slies having a reagent layer, on which a predetermined amount of a substance to be measured has already been applied, so that the chemical analysis slides may be individually placed in each of said compartments side by side, said incubator having a rear end face along which inlet openings of said compartments are formed side by side in said first direction, and a front end face along which outlet openings of said compartments are formed side by side in said first direction, (ii) a conveyance means for holding one of said slides, said conveyance means being movable in said first direction along said rear end face of said incubator for conveying said held one of the slides to a position facing a selected inlet opening, and (iii) a slide feed-in means extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction and moveable forward and backward with respect thereto, said slide feed-in means including a plurality of slide feed-in protrusions which respectively face said inlet openings, wherein upon forward movement of said slide feed-in means, one of said slide feed-in protrusions contacts a rear edge of the one slide such that the one slide is fed into one of said compartments via said selected inlet opening, and wherein a chemical analysis slide which has previously been housed in said one compartment is pushed out and ejected via an outlet opening of said one compartment by the one slide which is thus fed by said slide feed-in protrusion into said compartment.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
128 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said conveyance means includes a slide push-out member disposed on one transverse side thereof and moveable in the forward and backward direction with respect thereto, wherein after said conveyance means is moved in the transverse direction so that said slide push-out member is adjacent to one of said inlet openings, said slide feed-in means is moved forwardly such that one of said slide feed-in protrusions contacts said slide push-out member, projecting said slide push-out member into said compartment via said inlet opening to thereby eject one of said chemical analysis push-out member into said compartment via said inlet opening to thereby eject one of said chemical analysis slides housed and held in said compartment through one of said outlet openings.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said slide push-out member comprises an upper surface protrusion formed on an upper surface thereof for receiving one of said slide feed-in protrusions, to thereby project said slide push-out member into said compartment via said inlet opening.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein when said conveyance means is positioned such that one of said chemical analysis slides faces one of said inlet openings, said upper surface protrusion of said slide push-out member is located at a position deviated from said slide feed-in protrusion in the transverse direction such that said upper surface protrusions do not contact said slide feed-in protrusion.