| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20090237665 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A FOCAL POSITION OF AN IMAGING DEVICE ADAPTED TO IMAGE A BIOLOGIC SAMPLE - A method and apparatus for focusing a device for imaging a biologic sample is provided. A method aspect of the disclosure includes the steps of: 1) disposing lenslets within a field of a biologic sample, which lenslets have a height, and have a refractive index and which refractive index is different from that of the sample, wherein one or both of the imaging device and the sample are relatively locatable so a focal position of the imaging device can be moved along the height of the lenslets; 2) imaging at least a portion of the sample including a plurality of lenslets using transmittance at one or more predetermined wavelengths; 3) determining an average light transmittance intensity of the sample at the wavelengths; 4) determining an average light transmittance intensity of a region of each lenslet at the wavelengths; and 5) determining the focal position of the imaging device using the average light transmittance intensity of the sample and the average light transmittance intensity of the region of the lenslets. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090238437 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE HEMATOCRIT OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for determining the hematocrit of a blood sample is provided that includes the steps of: 1) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by the interior surfaces of first and second panels and a height extending there between, wherein both panels are transparent, and the height is such that at least some of the red blood cells within the sample contact both interior surfaces of the panels and one or more lacunae within the quiescent sample extend between the interior surfaces; 2) imaging at least a portion of the quiescent sample, which sample portion contains the red blood cells and one or more lacunae to determine an optical density of the imaged portion of the sample on a per image unit basis; 3) selecting and averaging the optical density values of the image units aligned with the red blood cells contacting the interior surfaces, and assigning an upper boundary value of 100% to the average optical density value of those image units; 4) selecting the optical density values of the image units aligned with the one or more lacunae, and assigning a lower boundary value of 0% to the optical density values of those image units; and 5) determining the hematocrit of the sample by assigning relative values to the optical density value of each image of the imaged sample portion as a function of the upper and lower boundary values, and averaging the relative values. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090238438 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RED BLOOD CELL INDICES OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for the determination of the red blood cell indices including the volume, and hemoglobin content and concentration for individual red blood cells, as well as red blood cell population statistics, including total number of red blood cells present in the sample, and mean values for each of the aforementioned indices within a substantially undiluted blood sample is provided. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090239257 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING INDIVIDUAL CELLS OR PARTICULATES USING FLUORESCENT QUENCHING AND/OR BLEACHING - A method for analyzing a blood sample is provided that includes the steps of: a) providing a blood sample having one or more first constituents and one or more second constituents, which second constituents are different from the first constituents; b) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by a first panel and a second panel, both of which panels are transparent; c) admixing a colorant with the sample, which colorant is operative to cause the first constituents and second constituents to fluoresce upon exposure to predetermined first wavelengths of light, and which colorant is operative to absorb light at one or more predetermined second wavelengths of light; d) illuminating at least a portion of the sample containing the first constituents and the second constituents at the first wavelengths and at the second wavelengths; e) imaging the at least a portion of the sample, including producing image signals indicative of fluorescent emissions from the first constituents and the second constituents and the optical density of the first constituents and the second constituents; f) determining a fluorescence value for each the first constituents and second constituents using the image signals; g) determining an optical density value for each of the first constituents and second constituents, which optical density is a function of the colorant absorbed by the constituents, using the image signals; and h) identifying the first constituents and the second constituents using the determined fluorescence and optical density values. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20110059481 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RED BLOOD CELL INDICES OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for the determination of the red blood cell indices including the volume, and hemoglobin content and concentration for individual red blood cells, as well as red blood cell population statistics, including total number of red blood cells present in the sample, and mean values for each of the aforementioned indices within a substantially undiluted blood sample is provided. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110149061 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING RETICULOCYTES WITHIN A BLOOD SAMPLE - A method and apparatus for identifying reticulocytes within a blood sample is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, and the chamber has a known or determinable height extending between the interior surfaces of panels, which height is such that at least one red blood cell, or an aggregate of red blood cells, within the sample contacts both of the interior surfaces; b) admixing a supravital dye with the sample, which dye is operable to cause reticulin to fluoresce when excited by light of one or more predetermined wavelengths; c) imaging the sample using light that includes the one or more predetermined wavelengths that cause reticulin to fluoresce; d) imaging the sample using light that is absorbed by hemoglobin to produce values of optical density on a per image unit basis; and e) identifying reticulocytes within the sample using the image of the sample created with light that causes the dyed reticulin to fluoresce, and using the per image unit optical density values. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110230740 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE HEMATOCRIT OF A BLOOD SAMPLE UTILIZING THE INTRINSIC PIGMENTATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CONTAINED WITHIN THE RED BLOOD CELLS - A method for determining the hematocrit of a blood sample is provided that includes the steps of: 1) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by the interior surfaces of first and second panels and a height extending there between, wherein both panels are transparent, and the height is such that at least some of the red blood cells within the sample contact both interior surfaces of the panels and one or more lacunae within the quiescent sample extend between the interior surfaces; 2) imaging at least a portion of the quiescent sample, which sample portion contains the red blood cells and one or more lacunae to determine an optical density of the imaged portion of the sample on a per image unit basis; 3) selecting and averaging the optical density values of the image units aligned with the red blood cells contacting the interior surfaces, and assigning an upper boundary value of 100% to the average optical density value of those image units; 4) selecting the optical density values of the image units aligned with the one or more lacunae, and assigning a lower boundary value of 0% to the optical density values of those image units; and 5) determining the hematocrit of the sample by assigning relative values to the optical density value of each image of the imaged sample portion as a function of the upper and lower boundary values, and averaging the relative values. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110256573 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AT LEAST ONE HEMOGLOBIN RELATED PARAMETER OF A WHOLE BLOOD SAMPLE - A method and apparatus for determining at least one hemoglobin related parameter of a whole blood sample is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by an interior surface of a first panel, and an interior surface of a second panel, and the chamber has a height extending between the interior surfaces of the panels, wherein the chamber is configured to increase the oxygenation state of the sample to a substantially oxygenated state within a predetermined amount of time after entry into the chamber; b) imaging the at least one red blood cell contacting the interior surfaces, and producing image signals; c) determining an optical density of at least a portion of the imaged red blood cell contacting both interior surfaces; and d) determining the at least one hemoglobin related parameter of the red blood cell contacting the interior surfaces, using the determined optical density and a molar extinction coefficient for oxygenated hemoglobin. | 10-20-2011 |
