EP0519622A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Evanescent wave sensor shell and apparatus
Assignee: Bayer Corp
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Filing: 1992-06-04
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-06-04
Abstract
Abstract An evanescent wave sensor for use in analyzing a medium, the sensor including a shell having a radiation port at a first end and a base at a second end. The base has a dimension greater than that of the radiation port, and inner and outer wall surfaces of the shell extend between the radiation port and the base. The shell is formed of a material having an index of refraction greater than that of the medium. An apparatus and method for analyzing the medium using the sensor may include a receptacle which defines a chamber about a portion of the shell for contacting the medium to the shell for analysis, optical elements for guiding radiation from a radiation source to the radiation port, and optical elements for guiding fluorescent radiation from the shell to a detector of fluorescent radiation.
Inventors
- 👤 Rudolf E. Slovacek
- 👤 Walter F. Love
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 16:58
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/62; G01N21/63; G01N21/64; G01N21/645; G01N21/648; G01N21/17; G01N21/55; G01N21/552; G01N21/75; G01N21/77; G01N21/7703; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S435/00; Y10S435/808; Y10S436/00; Y10S436/805; Y10S436/807
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 54
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
An evanescent wave sensor for analyzing a test medium, comprising: a shell having a radiation port at a first end and a base at a second end, the base having a dimension greater than that of the radiation port; inner and outer wall surfaces of the shell extending between the radiation port and the base; and the shell being formed of a material having a predetermined index of refraction greater than that of the test medium in which the shell is to be used.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
26 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the inner wall surface converges substantially to a point and is positioned beneath a center of the radiation port.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the radiation port is a planar surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
12 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the radiation port is convex.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the radiation port is concave.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the inner and outer wall surfaces propagate radiation signals between them by total internal reflection along an axis of propagation, and the surfaces are substantially parallel to each other along the axis of propagation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The sensor of Claim 6 in which the shell has an axis extending through the center of the radiation port and the base, and the inner and outer wall surfaces are curved along a direction transverse to the shell axis.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the shell is frustoconical in shape.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the base defines an opening into the interior of the shell.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The sensor of Claim 1 further including a reactant coating disposed on at least one of the inner and outer wall surfaces.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
The sensor of Claim 10 in which the sensor is for use in an assay of at least one analyte in the test medium and the reactant coating includes a binding partner of one or more analyte(s).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of Claim 11 is which the reactant coating is an immobilized antibody.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of Claim 11 in which the reactant coating is an immobilized antigen.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
The sensor of Claim 11 in which the reactant coating is an enzyme.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of Claim 11 in which the reactant coating is a nucleic acid.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
13 words
The sensor of Claim 11 in which the reactant coating is a receptor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of Claim 11 in which the reactant coating is a binding molecule.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
33 words
The sensor of Claim 11 in which the shell material is transmissive to radiation signals which can excite fluorescence of a fluorescent tag and is transmissive to fluorescent radiation from the fluorescent tag.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The sensor of Claim 18 wherein said fluorescent tag is bound to a binding partner for the analyte.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
The sensor of Claim 1 further including handle means, attached to the base, for enabling manipulation of the shell.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The sensor of Claim 20 in which the handle means includes a projection extending away from the base transversely to the inner and outer wall surfaces.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The sensor of Claim 20 in which the handle means includes a flange disposed about the periphery of the base.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
11 words
The sensor of Claim 22 in which the flange is annular.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the shell material is suitable for injection molding and enables the shell to be formed by injection molding.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
15 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the material of the shell is polymethyl methacrylate.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of Claim 1 in which the shell is disposable after each analysis.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
90 words
A conical evanescent wave sensor for use in a fluorescence assay of at least one analyte suspected of being present in a test sample, comprising: a conical shell having a radiation port at a first end and a base at the second end, the base having a diameter greater than that of the radiation port; and curved inner and outer wall surfaces of the shell for propagating radiation signals by total internal reflection between them along an axis of propagation, the surfaces extending between the radiation port and the base.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The sensor of Claim 27 wherein said sensor further comprises handle means attached to the base, for enabling manipulation of the shell.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
The sensor of Claim 27 in which the inner and outer wall surfaces are substantially parallel to each other along the axis of propagation.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
23 words
The sensor of Claim 27 in which the inner and outer wall surfaces are nonparallel to each other along the axis of propagation.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
26 words
The sensor of Claim 27 in which the shell is formed of a material having a greater index of refraction than that of the test sample.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
27 words
The sensor of Claim 31 in which the test sample to be analyzed is a liquid and the material has an index of refraction greater than 1.33.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
29 words
The sensor of Claim 27 further including at least one reactant coating disposed on one of the inner and outer wall surfaces for interacting with at least one analyte.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
31 words
The sensor of Claim 33 in which the shell material is transmissive to radiation which can excite fluorescence of a fluorescent tag and transmissive to fluorescent radiation from the fluorescent tag.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
57 words
The sensor of Claim 27 further including at least one reactant coating disposed on one of the inner and outer wall surfaces for interacting with at least one analyte, each reactant coating having a low refractive index and a sufficient thickness so as to preclude direct interaction of light signals between the sensor and the test sample.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
21 words
The sensor of Claim 28 in which the handle means includes an annular flange disposed about the periphery of the base.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
20 words
The sensor of Claim 27 in which the inner wall surface converges to substantially a point beneath the radiation port.
Claim 38
Independent Claim
92 words
An apparatus for analyzing a medium, comprising: a shell having a radiation port at a first end and a base at a second end, the base having a dimension greater than that of the radiation port; inner and outer wall surfaces of the shell extending between the radiation port and the base; the shell being formed of a material having a greater index of refraction than that of the medium; and receptacle means for defining a chamber about a portion of the shell for contacting the medium with the shell for analysis.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of Claim 38 in which the receptacle means defines an access port for enabling passage of radiation signals to and from the radiation port of the shell.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of Claim 39 in which the receptacle means surrounds the shell and the access port communicates with the chamber.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of Claim 40 in which the access port is defined by an inclined surface which converges toward a narrow region disposed below the radiation port of the shell
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus of Claim 38 in which the inner and outer wall surfaces propagate radiation signals between them by total internal reflection along an axis of propagation, and the surfaces are substantially parallel to each other along the axis of propagation.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of Claim 38 in which the receptacle means includes means for introducing the medium into the chamber.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of Claim 38 further including means for establishing a fluid-tight seal between the base of the shell and the receptacle means.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
54 words
The apparatus of Claim 38 further including: means for guiding radiation through the access port from a radiation source to the radiation port such that the radiation is propagated between the inner and outer wall surfaces of the shell; and means for guiding fluorescent radiation from the shell to means for detecting fluorescent radiation.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
130 words
An apparatus for spectrophotometrically assaying at least one analyte in a fluid, the apparatus comprising: a shell having a radiation port at a first end and a base at a second end, the base having a dimension greater than that of the radiation port; inner and outer wall surfaces of the shell for propagating radiation by total internal reflection along an axis of propagation, the surfaces extending between the radiation port and the base; the shell being formed of a material having a greater index of refraction than that of the fluid; means for guiding radiation from a radiation source to the radiation port such that the radiation is propagated along the axis of propagation; and means for guiding fluorescent radiation from the shell to means for detecting fluorescent radiation.
Claim 47
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of assaying at least one analyte in a medium, comprising: providing a sensor having a shell with a radiation port at a first end and a base at a second end, the base having a dimension greater than that of the radiation port, the shell further including inner and outer wall surfaces for propagating radiation by total internal reflection between them along an axis of propagation, and the shell being formed of a material having a greater index of refraction than that of the medium to be analyzed; contacting the sensor with the medium; propagating radiation down the shell between the inner and outer wall surfaces to irradiate the medium; and detecting radiation reentering the shell and emitted from the radiation port.
Claim 48
Independent Claim
176 words
A method of spectrophotometrically assaying at least one analyte in a medium, comprising: providing a sensor having a shell with a radiation port at a first end and a base at a second end, the base having a dimension greater than that of the radiation port, the shell further including inner and outer wall surfaces for propagating one or more radiation signals by total internal reflection between them along an axis of propagation, at least one reactant coating disposed on at least one of the inner and outer wall surfaces for interacting with at least one analyte suspected of being present in the medium and the shell being formed of a material having a greater index of refraction than that of the medium to be analyzed; contacting the sensor with the medium; propagating one or more radiation signals down the shell to irradiate the interacting analyte and reactant coating; and detecting one or more radiation signals resulting from the irradiation of the analyte interaction by monitoring one or more radiation signals emitted from the radiation port.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of Claim 48 wherein the sensor is further contacted by a fluorescently tagged binding partner of said analyte.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of Claim 48 in which the radiation propagated down the shell induces fluorescence upon irradiation the interacting analyte and reactant coating, and detecting includes monitoring fluorescent radiation emitted from the radiation port.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
9 words
A product for performing the method of Claim 48.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
14 words
The product of Claim 51 wherein said shell is disposable for each medium analyzed.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
9 words
A product for performing the method of Claim 47.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
14 words
The product of Claim 53 wherein said sensor is disposable for each fluid assayed.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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