AUTOMATED CONTINUOUS AND RANDOM ACCESS ANALYTICAL SYSTEM ANDCOMPONENTS THEREOF

• Main Authors: CLARK, FREDERIC L, SMITH, B. JANE, MOORE, LARRY W, RUMBAUGH, WILLIAM D, CLEMENS, JOHN M, MARTIN, RICHARD R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 02.05.2006
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMISTRY; CONTROLLING; DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ENZYMOLOGY; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LIQUID HANDLING; MEASURING; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; METALLURGY; METERING BY VOLUME; MICROBIOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; OPENING, CLOSING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SPIRITS; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

An automated, continuous and random access analytical system, havin apparatus and methodology capable of simultaneously performing multiple assays of liquid samples using different assay methodologies, and providing continuous and random access while performing a plurality of different assays on the same or different samples during the same time period, is disclosed. A method is also disclosed of operating an automated continuous and random access analytical system capable of simultaneously effecting multiple assays of a plurality of liquid samples wherein scheduling of various assays of the plurality of liquid samples is followed by creating a unit dose disposable and separately transferring a first liquid sample (26), reagents (30) to a reaction vessel (34) without initiati on of an assay reaction sequence, followed by physical transfer of the unit dose disposable (34) to a process work station (46), whereby a mixture of the unit dose disposable reagents and sample (34) are achieved during incubation. The system is capable of performing more than one scheduled assay in any order, and assays where more than such scheduled assays are presented. The automated, continuous and random access analytical system is also capable of analyzing the incubated reaction mixtures independently and individually by at least two assay procedures.