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U.S. Senator Smith of Indiana ; After seeing Samuel Morse demonstrate the telegraph.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6013528 | Analyzer throughput featuring through-the-tip analysis Apparatus and method for detecting patient sample quality, and/or analytes, in the tip used to aspirate the patient sample liquid and then dispense it onto a slide test element. Spectrophotometric analysis is done on the liquid while still in the tip, by ... | 01/11/2000 |
| 5958789 | Reduction in positive bias in wet assays due to splashing A method of preventing false detection of signal due to splashing of reagent liquid used to produce such signal, when dispensing at least one such liquid from a metering tip into a second liquid, comprising the steps of: a) positioning the metering tip a ... | 09/28/1999 |
| 5940183 | Filter wheel and method using filters of varying thicknesses Apparatus for and a method of detection of light transmitted or reflected from a test object using any one of plural filters each with a unique center wavelength. To prevent chromatic aberration in non-collimated light passed through the filters, the thic... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5911000 | Detecting abnormal reactions in a red blood cell agglutination Abnormal reactions in a red blood cell classification by agglutination, are checked following centrifugation of a sample in a column of a cassette, the column containing microparticles. This is done by imaging the column on a detector array that is used t... | 06/08/1999 |
| 5905808 | Method and apparatus for calibrating imaging systems for analyzing agglutination reactions A method, and a calibration device, for calibrating a system for analyzing aqueous solutions and that includes a pixel array and a variable focus line for focusing onto the pixel array illuminated images of the aqueous solutions. The method includes the s... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5895761 | Surface area liquid transfer method and related apparatus An apparatus and a related method for uniformly transferring a liquid material to a test slide element in which a transfer element having a liquid supporting surface area approximately equal to the surface area subtended by the test volume of the test sli... | 04/20/1999 |
| 5894347 | Fluorimeter and detection method A method and fluorimeter for flashing a target at several different levels for detection of fluorescence by a PMT without blinding the PMT at the highest level. Two lamps are provided each of which is powered to flash at two different levels that are stag... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5872860 | Calibration cassette for use in calibrating an automated agglutination reaction analyzing system A method, and a calibration device, for calibrating a system for analyzing aqueous solutions and that includes a pixel array and a variable focus line for focusing onto the pixel array illuminated images of the aqueous solutions. The method includes the s... | 02/16/1999 |
| 5846492 | Sample quality measurement and/or analyte measurement in the dispensing tip of an analyzer Apparatus and method for detecting patient sample quality, and/or analytes, in the tip used to aspirate the patient sample liquid and then dispense it onto a slide test element. Spectrophotometric analysis is done on the liquid while still in the tip, by ... | 12/08/1998 |
| 5843793 | Container for staining of cells and tissues in combination with a roller and a support A flexible container containing pre-deposited reagents, comprising a plurality of temporarily sealed, breakable compartments dispersed in the container, each compartment containing a reagent useful for immuno-assaying, and each compartment comprising oppo... | 12/01/1998 |
| 5811296 | Blocked compartments in a PCR reaction vessel A flexible cuvette comprising enclosed chambers and passageways for filling and/or passing liquid thereinto or therethrough, the chambers and passageways being formed by plastic sheets blocked together prior to use to eliminate air bubbles, by an amount s... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5768407 | Method and system for classifying agglutination reactions A method and system for analyzing a solution for an agglutination pattern. The method comprises the steps of producing an illuminated image of the solution on an array of pixels, and assigning to each pixel in the illuminated image, a data value represent... | 06/16/1998 |
| 5759010 | Sealed cartridge to improve chemistry stability of test elements An improved cartridge and method of dispensing test elements therefrom, which seals off the elements from exposure to the atmosphere. The cartridge includes, at its end apertured to eject test elements, a cover plate, said plate optionally being biased in... | 06/02/1998 |
| 5753512 | Determining liquid volumes in cup-like vessels on a rotor having vertical deviations Method and apparatus for determining actual liquid volumes in vessels in an incubator rotor that experiences vertical run-out as it rotates past stations that fill the vessels with liquid. Air pressure is used to determine the height of the bottom of each... | 05/19/1998 |
| 5736403 | Determining height variations around a rotor A method for determining and correcting for the variations in height of a rotor as it wobbles when rotating past a particular critical circumferential position. The method comprises sensing a reference surface of each vessel in the rotor that is to be fil... | 04/07/1998 |
| 5715611 | Apparatus for controlling humidity Humidity control apparatus for articles being stored, comprising: a) a chamber within which the articles are to be contained, b) a conveyor passing by a portion of, and exposed to, the contents of the chamber, c) a drive mechanism for driving the conveyor... | 02/10/1998 |
| 5698162 | Apparatus for staining of cells and tissues A slide for reacting a biological sample with reagents, and a method for using the same. The slide comprises a liquid-impervious top surface comprising glass, first portions of the surface having thereon a hydrophobic mask that repels an aqueous liquid, a... | 12/16/1997 |
| 5696193 | Immunoassay elements comprising polymers containing vandium IV (V+4) ions A dry immunoassay analytical element, for assaying a ligand, comprising in the following order: (a) a layer containing a labeled ligand; (b) a spreading layer; (c) a receptor layer containing a fixed concentration of an immobilized receptor for the labeled lig... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5690311 | Floor clamp for an analyzer A clamp for holding an analyzer in place on a horizontal surface, comprising an entrance mouth angled to allow insertion of a bracket of the analyzer without initial accurate alignment, and a tongue-and-opening interlock between the clamp and the bracket ... | 11/25/1997 |
| 5672512 | Chain incubator/conveyor and method of use A chain incubator or conveyor, and method of use in an analyzer, wherein an endless chain is formed of repeating members and each comprising a link, element support, a cover, and means for biasing the cover onto the support with an article such as a test ... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5665601 | Avoiding bubble formation while sensing air-liquid interface using pressurized air flow An aspirator/dispenser of liquid has a sensor for sensing contact with the liquid by the dispense vessel, which uses constant pressure air expelled out the tip of the dispense vessel. The sensor is improved in that the line of air pressure feeding into th... | 09/09/1997 |
| 5641688 | Immunoassay including washing a slide at different locations A method of separating bound labeled indicator from free labeled indicator in a layer of a test element for immunoassay. The method comprises a) depositing sample containing a target immunoanalyte capable of binding to the labeled indicator or to an immobilize... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5623106 | Method and apparatus for forming disposable tips in an analyzer A method and apparatus for forming in situ a new disposable tip for a dispensing probe within an analyzer, by feeding a continuous stock of tube through two die plates and severing the tube by relative motion of the die plates, while holding the cut porti... | 04/22/1997 |
| 5620860 | Method for washing immunoassay elements A method of dispensing wash solution to separate free from bound labels in a slide immunorate assay. The method comprises dispensing wash first as separate drops spaced to allow complete absorption prior to the next drop, followed by a time at which the r... | 04/15/1997 |
| 5611996 | Slide test element holder with minimized Z-axis variability A holder of slide test elements for use in an analyzer at a sample-dispensing station, the holder comprising two opposing holding surfaces for holding generally horizontally a slide test element at opposite side edges of the test element, and a tower exte... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5588946 | Centrifuge and phase separation A centrifuge and method of operating it, wherein a patient sample tube is first spun while non-aligned with the centrifugal force to make use of the Boycott effect, and then while aligned with the centrifugal force to allow any gel present between the sep... | 12/31/1996 |
| 5582222 | Bottle closure mechanism using a sliding shutter There is disclosed a closure mechanism for two reagent bottles in a bottle holder of an analyzer, using a shutter that slideably and frictionally engages the top surface of grommets at the mouth of the bottles. The shutter slides to either an open or clos... | 12/10/1996 |
| 5576214 | Method of supplying disposable tips to an aspirator An array of tips is disclosed for multiple loading onto plural aspirators, wherein the array comprises columns of tips temporarily joined together within and between columns, at discontinuously spaced junctions. The array is moved along in tracks spaced s... | 11/19/1996 |
| 5571682 | Calibrating and testing immunoassays to minimize interferences A method for reducing interferent bias such as hemoglobin bias in immunoassays using dried slide test elements featuring peroxidase and leuco dye as the labeling mechanism. The method features the steps of: a) calibrating an immunoassay of a target analyte by ... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5567617 | Apparatus for heating a fluid-carrying compartment of reaction cuvette A heating assembly useful in apparatus for processing reaction cuvettes for replicating specified DNA sequences, such as those using PCR, having a heating element with a heat delivering surface for compressively contacting a pliable fluid-carrying compart... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5567387 | Cuvette conveyor and sensor A conveyor and a method of providing a reaction cuvette using a conveyor, wherein a sensor is included to sense whether more than one cuvette is being conveyed. Because the cuvettes are received from a stack, one at a time, the sensor determines if two st... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5554539 | Determination of an analyte A method and kit are disclosed for recalibrating a factory-prepared relationship between concentration and expected signal Rexp produced by an analyzer. The method and kit use two or three calibrators at the field to obtain an actual signal R | 09/10/1996 |
| 5540827 | Directional flow ion-junction bridge An ion-junction fibrous bridge and a potentiometric test element incorporating the same, wherein the fibers extending generally along the center-line between two liquid access apertures in the bridge, are readily capable of conducting aqueous liquid throu... | 07/30/1996 |
| 5536927 | Bar code detecting circuitry A wide bandwidth slope detector has a comparator with first and second time constant circulars coupled to first and second inputs thereof. Where one time constant is on the order of three times the other, the comparator will change state in response to th... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5536929 | Bar code detecting circuitry A wide bandwidth slope detector has a comparator with first and second time constant circuits coupled to first and second inputs thereof. Where one time constant is on the order of three times the other, the comparator will change state in response to the... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5536664 | Method for quantitative NIR spectroscopic analysis There is disclosed a slide test element and method of assay that allows for detection of analytes in biological liquids without the use of any detection reagents. The method uses NIR spectroscopy and a test element comprising a support, and a substantiall... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5528023 | Bar code detecting circuitry A wide bandwidth slope detector has a comparator with first and second time constant circuits coupled to first and second inputs thereof. Where one time constant is on the order of three times the other, the comparator will change state in response to the... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5525514 | Wash detection method for dried chemistry test elements A method for verifying the effectiveness of a washing operation on a clinical dry chemistry slide element in which wash liquid is dispensed onto the surface of the slide element and then detection devices are used to verify the effectiveness of the wash b... | 06/11/1996 |
| 5523056 | Twin rotor incubator assembly An incubator assembly useful in a clinical analyzer having at least two incubators, each having a rotationally driven rotor assembly having a plurality of slide element holding stations, which incubators are stacked one above the other to define a substan... | 06/04/1996 |
| 5518693 | Transfer mechanism for automatic loading and unloading of reagent modules Apparatus and a method for automatically transferring by pushing and pulling a reagent module onto and off of a rotor of modules. A surface of the module and the transfer mechanism are cooperatively shaped with a loose-fitting tongue and arcuate groove, b... | 05/21/1996 |
