Method of performing medical analysis on a sample of liquid by means of at least one liquid reagent, and apparatus for performing the method

Claim 1

A method of performing medical analysis on a sample a liquid by means of at least one liquid reagent using a compartmented container, said container comprises: a sample storage receptacle, a storage chamber for a liquid sample, connected to said storage receptacle, a calibrated cell, an overflow chamber, an analysis vat, a capillary duct connecting said storage chamber to one end of said calibrated cell, a capillary duct connecting the other end of said calibrated cell to said overflow chamber; a plurality of storage chambers for liquid reagents, disposed around a pouring chamber, capillary ducts extending in different angular orientations to each other and connecting said pouring chamber to said calibrated cell and to said reagent storage chambers, means communicating said pouring chamber to said analysis vat; a lid closing off said container, said lid being fitted both with said sample storage receptacle which communicates directly with said sample storage chamber and which is situated there above, and with a removable stopper which enters into said pouring chamber and closes orifices defined by the ends of said capillary ducts communicating therewith; and means to position said container on a turntable of a centrifuge with the container axis offset from the axis of rotation of said turntable and in a plurality of predetermined positions which differ from one another by rotations of the container about its own axis, relative to the turntable and through a given angle; said method comprising the steps of: initially disposing liquid reagents in respective ones of said reagent storage chambers, inserting said sample into said sample storage receptacle and then flowing said sample under gravity into said sample storage chamber, removing said stopper and placing said container on said centrifuge turntable and performing a plurality of centrifuging operations in succession, with the angular position of the container relative to the direction of centrifugal force being selected each time from said predetermined positions and as a function of the angular orientation of the capillary duct concerned so as to cause said sample to pass successively from said sample storage chamber into said calibrated cell, and then from said calibrated cell into said pouring chamber and into said analysis vat, and then to cause each reagent to pass from its storage chamber into said pouring chamber and into said analysis vat.

Claim 2

A method of performing medical analysis on a sample a liquid by means of at least one liquid reagent using a compartmented container, said container comprises: a sample storage receptacle, a storage chamber for a liquid sample, connected to said storage receptacle, a calibrated cell, an overflow chamber, an analysis vat, a capillary duct connecting said storage chamber to one end of said calibrated cell, a capillary duct connecting the other end of said calibrated cell to said overflow chamber; a plurality of storage chambers for liquid reagents, disposed around a pouring chamber, capillary ducts extending in different angular orientations to each other and connecting said pouring chamber to said calibrated cell and to said reagent storage chambers, means communicating said pouring chamber to said analysis vat; a lid closing off said container, said lid being fitted both with said sample storage receptacle which communicates directly with said sample storage chamber and which is situated there above, and with a removable stopper which enters into said pouring chamber and closes orifices defined by the ends of said capillary ducts communicating therewith; and means to position said container on a turntable of a centrifuge with the container axis offset from the axis of rotation of said turntable and in a plurality of predetermined positions which differ from one another by rotations of the container about its own axis, relative to the turntable and through a given angle; said method comprising the steps of: initially disposing liquid reagents in respective ones of said reagent storage chambers, inserting said sample into said sample storage receptacle and then flowing said sample under gravity into said sample storage chamber, removing said stopper and placing said container on said centrifuge turntable and performing a plurality of centrifuging operations in succession, with the angular position of the container relative to the direction of centrifugal force being selected each time from said predetermined positions and as a function of the angular orientation of the capillary duct concerned so as to cause said sample to pass successively from said sample storage chamber into said calibrated cell, and then from said calibrated cell into said pouring chamber and into said analysis vat, and then to cause each reagent to pass from its storage chamber into said pouring chamber and into said analysis vat.