Automatic analyzer, cool box, and pouch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11959844-B2
Application number	US-202117389653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2021
Priority date	Aug 7, 2020
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

There is provided a cool box for use in an automatic analyzer. The cool box has a box body and an air circulator. The box body has a receiving space capable of accommodating therein receptacles for analytes or reagents. The circulator has an intake portion, a fan, and an exhaust portion and operates to circulate air in the receiving space by rotation of the fan. The circulator further includes an inhibitor removing agent retaining portion on which a pouch is set. The pouch contains an analysis inhibitor removing agent for removing components (analysis inhibitor) which adversely affect or inhibit analysis of the analytes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic analyzer adapted to analyze analytes and equipped with a cool box;
wherein the cool box comprises: a box body having a receiving space configured to accommodate therein receptacles for receiving liquid; a cover-like member configured to close the receiving space by closing a top opening of the box body; and at least one air circulator having an intake portion, a fan, and an exhaust portion, the at least one air circulator operating to suck air from the receiving space through the intake portion and to exhaust the sucked air into the receiving space through the exhaust portion by rotation of the fan, whereby circulating the air inside the receiving space that is closed;
wherein the at least one air circulator further comprises at least one agent retaining portion on which an inhibitor removing agent is set, the inhibitor removing agent acting to remove components adversely affecting or inhibiting analysis of analytes, from the air circulating inside the receiving space;
wherein the at least one agent retaining portion is formed in at least one of the intake portion and the exhaust portion; and
wherein the cool box further comprises a cooling portion for cooling the receiving space of said box body of the cool box, the cooling portion provided on a bottom of the box body of the cool box external from the at least one air circulator, and wherein said exhaust portion exhausts air toward the cooling portion.

2. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said intake portion has an intake port for sucking air from an upper layer in said receiving space, said exhaust portion has an exhaust port for discharging air into a lower layer in the receiving space, the intake port is placed above a depth-wise midpoint of the receiving space and opens upward into the receiving space, and the exhaust port is located below the depth-wise midpoint of the receiving space and opens downward into the receiving space.

3. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one air circulator is disposed inside said box body of the cool box.

4. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one agent retaining portion is formed in said exhaust portion.

5. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one agent retaining portion is configured to accommodate and hold a bag-like body containing said inhibitor removing agent.

6. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one air circulator is one pair of air circulators disposed inside said cool box, and wherein each air circulator of the one pair of air circulators is disposed on an inner surface of an opposing sidewall of said box body of the cool box.

7. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one air circulator has a cover assembly that covers said fan, and wherein said at least one agent retaining portion is formed inside the cover assembly.

8. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said cover assembly has a first cover to which said fan is mounted and a second cover configured to be detachably attached to the first cover, and wherein said at least one agent retaining portion is formed on the second cover.

9. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said cover-like member has aliquoting holes, and wherein the cover-like member closes off said receiving space except for the aliquoting holes by closing the top opening of the box body of the cool box.

10. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said aliquoting holes are formed to face a flow channel for air sucked into said intake portion.

11. The automatic analyzer as set form in claim 1 , further comprising a pouch comprising a bag-like body that contains the removing agent, the pouch being set on the at least one agent retaining portion of the air circulator.

12. The automatic analyzer as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the removing agent is in a cottony or fibrous form.

13. A cool box for use in an automatic analyzer for analyzing analytes, comprising:
a cool box body having a receiving space configured to accommodate therein receptacles for receiving liquid;
a cover-like member configured to close the receiving space by closing a top opening of the box body;
a cooling portion for cooling the receiving space of the cool box body and provided on a bottom of the box body external from the at least one air circulator; and
an air circulator having an intake portion, a fan, and an exhaust portion and operating to circulate air in the receiving space that is closed by sucking air from the receiving space through the intake portion and discharging the sucked air into the receiving space through the exhaust portion by rotation of the fan;
wherein the air circulator further comprises at least one removing agent retaining portion on which a removing agent for removing components adversely affecting analysis of analytes from the air circulating inside the receiving space is set, the at least one removing agent retaining portion being formed on at least one of the intake portion and the exhaust portion, and
wherein said exhaust portion exhausts air toward the cooling portion.

Assignees

• Jeol Ltd

Inventors

• Yaginuma Takashi
• Ishikawa Kiyohiro
• Yamanaka Yusuke

Classifications

• G01N1/42 Primary

  Low-temperature sample treatment, e.g. cryofixation · CPC title

• B01L3/505

  Flexible containers without fluid transport within · CPC title

• B01L3/52

  Containers specially adapted for storing or dispensing a reagent (B01L3/02 takes precedence; storing or dispensing test elements G01N33/4875; automated reagent dispensing G01N35/1002) · CPC title

• B01L7/00

  Heating or cooling apparatus (autoclaves B01J3/04); Heat insulating devices · CPC title

• B01L13/02

  for receptacle or instruments · CPC title