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EP0170375B1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Devices for use in chemical test procedures

Assignee: Alere Switzerland GmbH
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Filing: 1985-06-12
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Granted: 1990-05-16
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Expires: 2005-06-12
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Abstract

Abstract A specifically-reactive sample-collecting and testing device possessing a cavity or cavities each having a dimension small enough to enable sample liquid to be drawn into the cavity by capillary action, wherein said cavity includes an electrode structure for making measurements of one or more electrically measurable characteristics of the sample, and wherein a surface of a wall of the cavity optionally also carries a coating of a material appropriate to the test to be carried out in the device.

Inventors

  • 👤 Ian Alexander Shanks
  • 👤 Alan Martin Smith
  • 👤 Claes Ivan Nylander

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-06 13:20
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/62; G01N21/63; G01N21/64; G01N21/645; G01N21/01; G01N21/03; G01N21/648; G01N21/75; G01N21/77; G01N21/7703; G01N33/00; G01N33/48; G01N33/50; G01N33/53; G01N33/543; G01N33/54366; G01N33/54373; G01N2021/0346; G01N2021/7769; G01N2021/7786

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim 99 words
A specifically-reactive electrochemical test device, comprising electrodes, and a cavity (1-3, 51-2) having a dimension small enough to enable sample liquid to be drawn into the cavity by capillary action, the electrodes being arranged to contact the liquid, characterised in that the electrode structure (10-11, 61-2) for making one or more measurements of one or more electrically measurable characteristics of the sample is included within said cavity (1-3, 51-2), and in that optionally a surface orwall (51) of the cavity carries a coating (63, 83) of a material appropriate to the test to be carried out in the device.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 99 words
A specifically-reactive electrochemical test device, comprising electrodes, and a cavity (1-3, 51-2) having a dimension small enough to enable sample liquid to be drawn into the cavity by capillary action, the electrodes being arranged to contact the liquid, characterised in that the electrode structure (10-11, 61-2) for making one or more measurements of one or more electrically measurable characteristics of the sample is included within said cavity (1-3, 51-2), and in that optionally a surface orwall (51) of the cavity carries a coating (63, 83) of a material appropriate to the test to be carried out in the device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 23 words
A device according to claim 1, wherein an electrically conductive layer or layers (10-11, 61-2) line(s) the internal surface(s) of the capillary cell.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 22 words
A device according to claim 2, wherein the layer(s) (10-11, 61-2) comprise a conductive coating which forms a pattern of conductive electrodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 37 words
A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the immobilised reagent (63, 83) carried on the surface of a wall of the cavity (51) comprises a biochemical specific binding agent, e.g. an antigen or antibody.
Claim 6
Independent Claim 25 words
A device according to any of claims 1-4, in which a surface of the wall of the cavity (51) also carries a releasable reagent coating.
Claim 7
Independent Claim 29 words
A device according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the walls of said cavity (1-3, 51-1) comprises glass or plastics material, e.g. soda glass or acrylic plastics.
Claim 8
Independent Claim 36 words
A device according to any of claims 1 to 6, comprising a bonded structure of plates (1, 2, 51, 52) cemented in spaced parallel relationship to leave a thin planar cavity of capillary dimensions between them.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 32 words
A device according to any of claims 1 to 7, comprising an external loading surface to which sample liquid can be applied and from which it can be drawn into the cell.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 158 words
A method of manufacturing specifically-reactive electrochemical test devices according to claim 1, comprising: arranging electrodes (10-11, 61-2) in liquid contact with a cavity (1-3, 51-2) having a dimension small enough to enable sample liquid to be drawn into the cavity by capillary action, and characterised by the steps of: (a) (optionally) forming an immobilised coating (63) on the surface of a sheet material (1, 51 ) which is to form part of a multiplicity of the devices, (b) forming a structure (2-3, 52) which together with said (optionally coated) sheet material (1,51) provides for each device of the multiplicity of devices a cavity of capillar dimension for collecting and retaining by capillarity a volume of sample liquid in contact with the reactive coating (63) (where present), (c) forming an electrode structure (10-11, 61-2) within each cavity (1-3, 51-2), and (d) separating the sheet material into portions each providing one or a plurality of the sample-collecting and testing devices.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 26 words
A method according to claim 9, in which the coating is divided into a pattern, e.g. of discrete portions, e.g. as a 2-dimensional array of patches.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 22 words
A device according to claim 1, carrying a printed pattern of electrodes on a surface of a wall of the capillary cell.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 26 words
A device according to claim 1, wherein said surface is a surface of a solid transparent material to enable optical measurements of the capillary cell contents.

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