US5040894A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cuvette and linear drive mechanism therefor
Assignee: Akzo NV
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Filing: 1989-12-01
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Granted: 1991-08-20
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Expires: 2009-12-01
Abstract
Abstract A cuvette for use in an optical instrument which includes a linear drive mechanism formed of a lead screw for positioning the cuvette along a linear path in the instrument. The cuvette has a body including at least one reaction well and an engaging feature for operatively engaging the threads of the lead screw so that the cuvette can be positioned along the linear path of the instrument. Preferably the reaction well of the cuvette has a trapezoid-shape cross section in a plane parallel to the optical path of the instrument in order to maximize the optical viewing area.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph G. Karp
- 👤 Thomas B. Givens
- 👤 John G. Link
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:13
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/01; G01N21/03; G01N35/00; G01N35/02; G01N35/04; G01N2035/0401; G01N2035/0412; G01N2035/0413; G01N2035/0474; G01N2035/0482; G01N2035/0487; G01N35/026
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A cuvette for use in an optical instrument which includes a linear drive mechanism formed of a lead screw for positioning the cuvette along a linear path in the instrument, the lead screw having a thread presenting a driving flank, comprising: a cuvette body including at least one reaction well and engaging means, including a contact area formed on said body for contacting the driving flank of the thread of the lead screw, and for allowing the cuvette to be releasably engaged with the lead screw in a radial direction to the lead screw.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A cuvette for use in an optical instrument which includes a linear drive mechanism formed of a lead screw for positioning the cuvette along a linear path in the instrument, the lead screw having a thread presenting a driving flank, comprising: a cuvette body including at least one reaction well and engaging means, including a contact area formed on said body for contacting the driving flank of the thread of the lead screw, and for allowing the cuvette to be releasably engaged with the lead screw in a radial direction to the lead screw.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 1, wherein the end of the lead screw has a trailing flank, said engaging means includes at least two contact areas formed on said body and being spaced from one another in the direction of the linear path for contacting the driving flank and the trailing flank, respectively, of the thread of the lead screw.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 1, wherein said engaging means comprises at least one rib oriented at an angle corresponding to the pitch angle of the thread of the lead screw.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 3, wherein said engaging means has only one said rib.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 1 forming a combination with an optical instrument including a lead screw for operatively cooperating with said engaging means for positioning the cuvette along a linear path in said instrument.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
62 words
A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein the thread of the lead screw has a trailing flank, and said engaging means includes at least two contact areas formed on said body and being spaced from one another in the direction of the linear path for contacting the driving flank and the trailing flank, respectively, of the thread of said lead screw.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said engaging means comprises at least one rib oriented at an angle corresponding to the pitch angle of the thread of the lead screw.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 1, wherein the optical instrument has an optical path and measures optical characteristics along the optical path in which the cuvette is disposed, and said at least one reaction well of the cuvette body has a trapezoid-shaped cross section in a plate parallel to the optical path of the instrument.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 8, wherein said body has front and back outer surfaces with respect to the optical path of the instrument that ar substantially parallel to one another.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 9, wherein said reaction well has front and back inner surfaces with respect to the optical path of the instrument, and said front inner surface has a width in a direction transverse to the optical path that is shorter than the corresponding width of said back inner surface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 8, wherein said at least one reaction well has a bottom which has a concave shape with respect to the interior of the reaction well.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 8, wherein said body contains a plurality of linearly arranged, identically shaped, reactions wells.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 1, wherein said engaging means comprises a sole projection formed on said body which presents said contact area.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
A cuvette as defined in claim 1, wherein the cuvette body, when in an operative position in the optical instrument, has a vertical outer side wall parallel to the linear path of the instrument and said contact area is formed on said vertical outer side wall.
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) | 1994-08-19 | 1995-02-18 | 1995-08-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-08-19 | 1999-02-18 | 1999-08-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-08-19 | 2003-02-18 | 2003-08-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |