FR1454345A - Apparatus and method for analyzing samples - Google Patents

Abstract

1,117,705. Automatic identification; analysis and documentation of substances. TECHNICON INSTRUMENTS CORP. 4 Nov., 1965 [27 Nov., 1964], No. 46708/65. Heading B1X. The automatic identification, analysis and documentation of a substance, e.g. blood, is effected by providing a supply container and a sample container both containing the same substance and having indicia identifying one to the other, placing the sample container in a conveyor sampler 10, at a first station 20 taking off a sample through an off take tube 22, analysing the substance in apparatus 24 and after converting the resulting signal into digital form at 36 a card punch 38 printing the analysis result on a card, the sample container having meanwhile passed to a second station where a read out wire mechanism 42 feeds a signal dependent on the indicia of the container to a digital code converter, the card punch 38 then printing the identification number on the card onto which the analysis results of that particular sample have been printed. A computer 54 determines the blood type from the card fed to it and punches this by pinch 56 on this or a new card, which is then fed to a sorter 58. The sorter is controlled by a read out mechanism 60 similar to mechanism 42 and a code converter 62. Each blood carrier is brought to the mechanism 60 and the sorter 58 then sorts the cards until the one bearing the correct identification number is sensed. The blood type shown on that card is then printed by printer 68 onto the identification card of the correct supply container. The indicia common to both a sample and a supply container comprises a notched edged card (Fig. 2, not shown). Figures 2 and 3 combined represent a second system in which the sample container is centrifuged to separate the blood into an upper plasma portion and a lower red cell portion, each portion being then divided into form sub-portions for analysis. The sub-portions are treated with anti-A serum &c. and tested thereafter for optical density which is established by respective potentiometers. As in Fig. 1 the results of the analyses are finally printed together with the identification number on a card, a device allowing for an error reading.