Apparatus for performing counts within a biologic fluid sample

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9696252-B2
Application number	US-76806210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2010
Priority date	Oct 19, 2005
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for enumerating one or more specific elements within a biologic fluid sample is provided. The apparatus includes a first planar member that is transparent, and a second planar member. The members are separated from one another by a substantially uniform height, and the height is sized relative to the specific elements within the sample such that the specific elements non-uniformly distribute within the sample upon introduction into the chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for enumerating elements within an anticoagulated human whole blood sample that includes white blood cells and red blood cells, comprising:
a chamber defined by a first planar member that is transparent, a second planar member, and a plurality of separator elements disposed between the first planar member and the second planar member, which separator elements are independent of the first planar member and the second planar member and each of which has a height, and wherein one of the first planar member and separator elements are deformable relative to the other by capillary force in an amount that the chamber assumes a mean chamber height substantially equal to a mean separator height; and
one or more sidewalls extending between the first planar member and the second planar member;
wherein the planar members are separated from one another by a substantially uniform chamber height of about 4 microns, and the chamber height is such that it causes white blood cells and the red blood cells within the sample to non-uniformly distribute within the sample upon introduction into the chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sidewalls include a bonding material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the sidewalls are formed into a shape that substantially or completely encloses the chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sidewalls substantially consist of a bonding material.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the sidewalls are formed into a shape that substantially or completely encloses the chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the separator elements are spherical beads having a height of about four microns.

Assignees

• Wardlaw Stephen C
• Abbott Lab

Inventors

• Wardlaw Stephen C

Classifications

• B01L3/508

  Rigid containers without fluid transport within · CPC title

• G01N2015/0073

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N2015/008

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N2015/1486

  Counting the particles · CPC title

• G02B21/34

  Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides · CPC title