Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
The method of detecting presence of protein abnormality in an antigen sample which has been subjected to immunoelectrophoresis with an antibody source containing an antibody specific to said protein to produce at least one elongated precipitation zone; said method comprising scanning the zone by optical means to develop electrical signals responsive to precipitate concentration at a two-dimensional array of positions distributed partly within the zone and partly outside the zone, deriving electronically from said electrical signals the corresponding values, at a plurality of positions along the zone, of a zone parameter which is responsive to irregular or unsymmetrical precipitate distribution along the zone, and comparing said parameter values as a function of the positions along the zone length to detect presence of protein abnormality.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
124 words
The method of detecting presence of protein abnormality in an antigen sample which has been subjected to immunoelectrophoresis with an antibody source containing an antibody specific to said protein to produce at least one elongated precipitation zone; said method comprising scanning the zone by optical means to develop electrical signals responsive to precipitate concentration at a two-dimensional array of positions distributed partly within the zone and partly outside the zone, deriving electronically from said electrical signals the corresponding values, at a plurality of positions along the zone, of a zone parameter which is responsive to irregular or unsymmetrical precipitate distribution along the zone, and comparing said parameter values as a function of the positions along the zone length to detect presence of protein abnormality.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
122 words
The method of obtaining a quantitative measure of the concentration of a protein in an antigen sample which has been subjected to immunoelectrophoresis with an antibody source containing an antibody specific to said protein to produce at least one precipitation zone, said method comprising scanning the zone by optical means to develop electrical signals representing light scattered at a two-dimensional array of positions distributed partly within the zone and partly outside the zone, and deriving electronically from said electrical signals the corresponding value of a parameter of the zone which varies in characteristic manner with said protein concentration, said parameter of the zone representing the rate of change with time of a summation over the zone of the light scattered by precipitate.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
122 words
The method of obtaining a quantitative measure of the concentration of a protein in an antigen sample which has been subjected to immunoelectrophoresis with an antibody source containing an antibody specific to said protein to produce at least one precipitation zone, said method comprising scanning the zone by optical means to develop electrical signals representing light scattered at a two-dimensional array of positions distributed partly within the zone and partly outside the zone, and deriving electronically from said electrical signals the corresponding value of a parameter of the zone which varies in characteristic manner with said protein concentration, said parameter of the zone representing the rate of change with time of a summation over the zone of the light scattered by precipitate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
Method according to claim 1 wherein said parameter values represent the zone curvatures at a plurality of zone segments.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
Method according to claim 1 wherein each said parameter value represents a summation of signal values at a plurality of positions distributed transversely of the zone.