Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for detecting the presence of an organism or its growth by means of a piezoelectric oscillator, comprising: measuring the resonant frequency of a piezoelectric oscillator having a receptor unmodified by a receptor by contacting the piezoelectric oscillator with a medium containing a metabolic product responsive polymer; introducing into the medium an organism capable of producing a metabolic product; incubating the medium to permit the production of the such that the metabolic product reacts with the metabolic product-responsive polymer to yield a polymer-metabolic product complex which deposits on the piezoelectric oscillator; monitoring the medium for a change in the resonant frequency of the piezoelectric oscillator caused by the deposition of the polymer metabolic product complex onto the piezoelectric oscillator such that the change in resonant frequency of the piezoelectric oscillator is used to determine the concentration, the metabolism rate, or cell growth rate of the organism.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for detecting the presence of an organism or its growth by means of a piezoelectric oscillator, comprising: measuring the resonant frequency of a piezoelectric oscillator having a receptor unmodified by a receptor by contacting the piezoelectric oscillator with a medium containing a metabolic product responsive polymer; introducing into the medium an organism capable of producing a metabolic product; incubating the medium to permit the production of the such that the metabolic product reacts with the metabolic product-responsive polymer to yield a polymer-metabolic product complex which deposits on the piezoelectric oscillator; monitoring the medium for a change in the resonant frequency of the piezoelectric oscillator caused by the deposition of the polymer metabolic product complex onto the piezoelectric oscillator such that the change in resonant frequency of the piezoelectric oscillator is used to determine the concentration, the metabolism rate, or cell growth rate of the organism.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the metabolic product responsive polymer is a water-soluble pH sensitive polymer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the metabolic product responsive polymer is a water-soluble amphoteric polymer with an isoelectric point in the physiological range.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 3, wherein the metabolic product responsive polymer is an amphoteric copolymer comprising a first unit selected from the group consisting of acidic monomers, and a second unit selected from the group consisting of basic monomers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the acidic monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and monomers containing phosphoric acid and sulfinic acid groups.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the basic monomer is selected from the group consisting of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaninoethyl methacrylate, t-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, morpholinoethyl methacrylate, piperidinoethyl methacrylate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 3, wherein the metabolic product responsive polymer is an amphoteric terpolymer comprising a first unit selected from the group consisting of acidic monomers, a second unit selected from the group consisting of basic monomers, and a third group selected from the group consisting of neutral monomers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the acidic monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and monomers containing phosphoric acid and sulfinic acid groups.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the basic monomer is selected from the group consisting of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaninoethyl methacrylate, t-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, morpholinoethyl methacrylate, and piperidinoethyl methacrylate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the neutral monomer is selected from the group consisting of alkyl methacrylates, hydroxyethyl methacrylate hydroxypropyl methacrylate, vinyl pyrrolidone, hydrolyzed vinyl acetate, acrylamides, vinyl ethers, and styrene.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the amphoteric metabolic product responsive polymer comprises a 1-1-1 molar ratio polymer of acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the metabolic product responsive polymer incorporates a receptor selected from the group consisting of antibodies, antigens, polynucleic acids, lectins, tissue receptors, chelating agents, ligand binding proteins, and cell adhesion factors.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the organism is selected from the group consisting of bacteria, fungi, and tissue cells.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the medium further comprises a growth regulator specific for the organism selcted from the group consisting of antibiotics, amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, salts, and lipids.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 14, wherein the growth regulator speciific for the organism is a carbohydrate selected from the group consisting of mannitol mannose, arabinose, inositol, and lactose.