Device for automatic chemical analysis

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein the first transport means is adapted to move a variable number of indexing positions in an indexing time equal to the first indexing time and the second transport means is adapted to move unidirectionally x indexing positions during said indexing time.

Claim 4

The device of claim 1 wherein x is three.

Claim 5

The device of claim 3 wherein the second transport means is an endless transport mechanism, the second transport means having a total of (xn+1) indexing positions along its length.

Claim 6

The device of claim 4 wherein the first transport means is an endless transport mechanism, the first transport means having an odd number of indexing positions along its length.

Claim 7

An automated chemical analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples for at least two different analytes comprising: a) a plurality of assay resource stations each including an assay resource capable of performing a predetermined operation upon a sample containing reaction vessel within a first indexing time, the first indexing time defining a time cycle of fixed duration, wherein a first of said assay resource stations is an incubation station comprising an elongated, movable track including paired fingers and a pair of generally parallel walls for generally vertically supporting said plurality of reaction vessels along an incubation path, a second of said assay resource stations is a wash station including a movable transport means adapted to receive and carry a plurality of reaction vessels along a wash-cycle path having spaced-apart first and second ends, and a third of said assay resource stations is a read station defining a road path and including signal detection means; b) a first transfer station means positioned adjacent the first end of the wash cycle path for transferring a vessel from the incubation path to the wash-cycle path; c) a second transfer station means positioned adjacent the second end of the wash-cycle path and a first end of the read path for selectively transferring a vessel from the wash-cycle path to either the incubation path or the read path; and d) analyzer control means comprising scheduling means for allocating assay resources to one of the reaction vessels as a function of an integral multiple of said time cycle, and transfer control means for controlling the transfer of reaction vessels from one assay resource station to another according to a chronology selected from a plurality of different predetermined chronologies for analyzing samples for one of the analytes.

Claim 8

An automated chemical analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples for at least two different analytes comprising: a) a plurality of assay resource stations each including an assay resource capable of performing a predetermined operation upon a sample containing reaction vessel within a first indexing time, the first indexing time defining a time cycle of fixed duration, wherein a first of said assay resource stations is an incubation station comprising an elongated, movable track including paired fingers and a pair of generally parallel walls for generally vertically supporting said plurality of reaction vessels along an incubation path, a second of said assay resource stations is a wash station including a movable transport means adapted to receive and carry a plurality of reaction vessels along a wash-cycle path having spaced-apart first and second ends, and a third of said assay resource stations is a read station defining a road path and including signal detection means; b) a first transfer station means positioned adjacent the first end of the wash cycle path for transferring a vessel from the incubation path to the wash-cycle path; c) a second transfer station means positioned adjacent the second end of the wash-cycle path and a first end of the read path for selectively transferring a vessel from the wash-cycle path to either the incubation path or the read path; and d) analyzer control means comprising scheduling means for allocating assay resources to one of the reaction vessels as a function of an integral multiple of said time cycle, and transfer control means for controlling the transfer of reaction vessels from one assay resource station to another according to a chronology selected from a plurality of different predetermined chronologies for analyzing samples for one of the analytes.

Claim 9

The analyzer of claim 6 wherein the transport means of the wash station comprises a movable track including paired fingers and a pair of generally parallel walls for generally vertically supporting said plurality of reaction vessels along the wash-cycle path, the fingers of the incubation means being oriented generally perpendicularly to the fingers of the wash means adjacent the first transfer station means.

Claim 10

An automated chemical analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples for at least two different analytes comprising: a) a plurality of assay resource stations each including an assay resource capable of performing a predetermined operation upon a sample containing reaction vessel within a first indexing time, the first indexing time defining a time cycle of fixed duration, wherein a first of said assay resource stations is an incubation station comprising an elongated, movable transport means adapted to carry a plurality of reaction vessels along an incubation path, a second of said assay resource stations is a wash station including a movable transport means adapted to receive and carry a plurality of reaction vessels along a wash-cycle path having spaced-apart first and second ends, and a third of said assay resource stations is a read station defining a road path including signal detection means; the incubation station transport means and the wash station transport means each having indexing positions, the incubation transport means including indexing positions adapted to support an article for transport alternating with indexing positions which are not adapted to support an article for transport, the incubation and wash-cycle paths intersecting one another at two spaced-apart intersection locations, the distance between the two intersecting locations along the incubation path being equal to an odd number of indexing positions of the incubation station transport means and the distance between the two intersecting locations along the wash-cycle path being equal to xn+1 indexing positions of the wash station transport means, wherein x and n are integers and x is greater than 2; b) a first transfer station means positioned adjacent the first end of the wash cycle path for transferring a vessel from the incubation path to the wash-cycle path; c) a second transfer station means positioned adjacent the second end of the wash-cycle path and a first end of the read path for selectively transferring a vessel from the wash-cycle path to either the incubation path or the read path; and d) analyzer control means comprising scheduling means for allocating assay resources to one of the reaction vessels as a function of an integral multiple of said time cycle, and transfer control means for controlling the transfer of reaction vessels from one assay resource station to another according to a chronology selected from a plurality of different predetermined chronologies for analyzing samples for one of the analytes.

Claim 11

An automated chemical analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples for at least two different analytes comprising: a) a plurality of assay resource stations each including an assay resource capable of performing a predetermined operation upon a sample containing reaction vessel within a first indexing time, the first indexing time defining a time cycle of fixed duration, wherein a first of said assay resource stations is an incubation station comprising an elongated, movable transport means adapted to carry a plurality of reaction vessels along an incubation path, a second of said assay resource stations is a wash station including a movable transport means adapted to receive and carry a plurality of reaction vessels along a wash-cycle path having spaced-apart first and second ends, and a third of said assay resource stations is a read station defining a road path including signal detection means; the incubation station transport means and the wash station transport means each having indexing positions, the incubation transport means including indexing positions adapted to support an article for transport alternating with indexing positions which are not adapted to support an article for transport, the incubation and wash-cycle paths intersecting one another at two spaced-apart intersection locations, the distance between the two intersecting locations along the incubation path being equal to an odd number of indexing positions of the incubation station transport means and the distance between the two intersecting locations along the wash-cycle path being equal to xn+1 indexing positions of the wash station transport means, wherein x and n are integers and x is greater than 2; b) a first transfer station means positioned adjacent the first end of the wash cycle path for transferring a vessel from the incubation path to the wash-cycle path; c) a second transfer station means positioned adjacent the second end of the wash-cycle path and a first end of the read path for selectively transferring a vessel from the wash-cycle path to either the incubation path or the read path; and d) analyzer control means comprising scheduling means for allocating assay resources to one of the reaction vessels as a function of an integral multiple of said time cycle, and transfer control means for controlling the transfer of reaction vessels from one assay resource station to another according to a chronology selected from a plurality of different predetermined chronologies for analyzing samples for one of the analytes.

Claim 12

The analyzer of claim 8 wherein the incubation station transpond means is adapted to move a variable number of indexing positions in an indexing time equal to the first indexing time and the wash station transport means is adapted to move unidirectionally x indexing positions during said indexing time.

Claim 13

The analyzer of claim 9 wherein x is three.

Claim 14

The analyzer of claim 8 wherein the wash station transport means is an endless transport mechanism, the wash station transport means having a total of (xn+1) indexing positions between the first and second transfer stations.

Claim 15

The analyzer of claim 8 wherein the incubation station transport means is an endless transport mechanism, the incubation station transport means having an odd number of indexing positions between the first and second transfer stations.