| Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060211127Title: Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus Abstract: A blood testing unit comprises a closed vessel having a blood introducing section formed at a certain area of the closed vessel. A blood constituent separating section is located within the closed vessel to separate plasma and/or serum from the blood sample introduced through the blood introducing section into the closed vessel. A reagent layer is located within the closed vessel, such that the reagent layer can be seen from the exterior. The reagent layer comprises a region for spreading the plasma and/or the serum, which has been separated by the blood constituent separating section from the blood sample, and a reagent supported on or in the spreading region, the reagent undergoing a reaction with the plasma and/or the serum and forming a color as a result of the reaction. (end of abstract)
Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch - Falls Church, VA, US Inventors: Yoshihide Iwaki, Kentarou Nakamura, Hideaki Tanaka, Yoshiki Sakaino, Kaoru Terashima, Ichizou Toya USPTO Applicaton #: 20060211127 - Class: 436169000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Chemistry: Analytical And Immunological Testing, Optical Result, With Reagent In Absorbent Or Bibulous Substrate The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060211127. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application is a divisional of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/400,585, filed on Mar. 28, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference and for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a blood testing unit for use in performing a test of blood of humans and other animals. This invention also relates to a blood testing method and apparatus using the blood testing unit. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] As blood testing units for use in performing tests of blood of humans and other animals, blood testing units comprising a slide-shaped support and a reagent layer carried on the slide-shaped support, which reagent layer is capable of undergoing a reaction with blood plasma or blood serum and forming a predetermined color, have heretofore been proposed. The blood testing units are proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901. [0006] In cases where the blood testing units described above are utilized, blood plasma or blood serum is spotted onto the reagent layer of the blood testing unit. Thereafter, light is irradiated to the reagent layer having formed a color, and an intensity of light reflected from the reagent layer is measured. In this manner, a concentration of a specific substance contained in the blood plasma or the blood serum, or the like, is capable of being quantitatively analyzed in accordance with the intensity of the reflected light. An example of an analysis apparatus for performing the blood tests in the manner described above is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901. [0007] In cases where the aforesaid blood testing units comprising the slide-shaped support and the reagent layer carried on the slide-shaped support are utilized, the blood plasma or the blood serum is exposed on the blood testing unit to the exterior all the time during the blood test. Therefore, there is the risk that persons in charge of the blood tests will come in touch with the blood plasma or the blood serum by mistake and will catch an infectious disease, such as HIV. [0008] Accordingly, in order to eliminate the problems described above, a blood testing unit comprising a transparent tubular vessel and a reagent fixed within the tubular vessel has been proposed in, for example, European Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1018648. In cases where the proposed blood testing unit is utilized, whole blood is introduced into the tubular vessel and is subjected to a centrifugal separation process. Also, the blood plasma or the blood serum, which has been separated from solid constituents, is brought into contact with the reagent having been fixed within the tubular vessel, and results of reaction of the reagent, such as color formation, are inspected visually or with measurement of intensity of reflected light. Therefore, with the proposed blood testing unit, after the whole blood has been introduced into the tubular vessel, the blood test is capable of being performed such that the person in charge of the blood test may not come in touch with blood constituents. [0009] However, in cases where the blood testing unit proposed in European Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1018648 is utilized, after a blood sample has been introduced into the tubular vessel, the tubular vessel must be set on a centrifugal separator and must then be taken out of the centrifugal separator. Therefore, considerable time and labor are required to perform the blood test. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a blood testing unit, which enables a blood test to be performed with a simple operation, such that a person in charge of the blood test may not come in touch with blood plasma or blood serum at the time of the blood test. [0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a blood testing method, wherein a blood test is capable of being performed such that a person in charge of the blood test may not come in touch with blood plasma or blood serum. [0012] A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the blood testing method. [0013] The present invention provides a blood testing unit, comprising: [0014] i) a closed vessel provided with a blood introducing section, which is formed at a certain area of the closed vessel and through which a blood sample is capable of being introduced into the closed vessel, [0015] ii) a blood constituent separating section, which is located within the closed vessel and separates blood plasma and/or blood serum from the blood sample having been introduced through the blood introducing section into the closed vessel, and [0016] iii) a reagent layer, which is located within the closed vessel, such that the reagent layer is capable of being seen from the exterior, the reagent layer comprising a region for spreading the blood plasma and/or the blood serum, which has been separated by the blood constituent separating section from the blood sample, and a reagent, which is supported on or in the region for spreading the blood plasma and/or the blood serum, the reagent being capable of undergoing a reaction with the blood plasma and/or the blood serum and forming a color as a result of the reaction. [0017] The blood testing unit in accordance with the present invention should preferably be modified such that the closed vessel has a structure such that the area of the closed vessel other than the blood introducing section is constituted so as to keep the interior of the closed vessel in a water-tight state with respect to the exterior, and such that at least a certain area of the closed vessel is formed as a transparent area, and [0018] the reagent layer is located such that the reagent layer is capable of being seen through the transparent area of the closed vessel from the exterior. [0019] Also, the blood testing unit in accordance with the present invention should preferably be modified such that the closed vessel comprises an outer vessel body, which has a bottom wall, and an inner vessel body, which has a bottom wall, and [0020] the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body are combined with each other, such that the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body are capable of sliding with respect to each other, while a space defined by the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body is being kept in an approximately hermetically sealed state, the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body thus defining an enclosed space at the interior in a manner such that a pressure in the enclosed space is capable of being reduced. [0021] In such cases, the bottom wall of the outer vessel body may be formed at an end area of the outer vessel, and the bottom wall of the inner vessel body may be formed at an end area of the inner vessel body, which end area is remote from the bottom wall of the outer vessel body, such that the bottom wall of the outer vessel body and the bottom wall of the inner vessel body may be remotest from each other (i.e., such that the volume of the enclosed space defined at the interior by the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body may become largest) However, particularly, the position of the bottom wall of the inner vessel body is not limited to the position at the end area of the inner vessel body, which end area is remote from the bottom wall of the outer vessel body. For example, alternatively, the bottom wall of the inner vessel body may be formed at the other end area of the inner vessel body, which end area is close to the bottom wall of the outer vessel body. As another alternative, the bottom wall of the inner vessel body may be formed at an intermediate area of the inner vessel body. [0022] Also, in cases where the closed vessel is constituted of the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body described above, the blood testing unit in accordance with the present invention should more preferably be modified such that the blood introducing section is formed at the bottom wall of either one of the outer vessel body and the inner vessel body. Further, in such cases, the blood testing unit in accordance with the present invention should more preferably be modified such that the blood introducing section is formed at the bottom wall of the outer vessel body, and Continue reading... Full patent description for Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method for using texturing surfaces of optical fiber sensors for blood glucose monitoring Next Patent Application: Crude unit desalter emulsion level detector Industry Class: Chemistry: analytical and immunological testing ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 2.09031 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , |
||
