Patent · US Expired

Solid-state optical assay imaging apparatus

US4737464A · kind A · utility

87Cited by
12References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 26, 1985
Grant dateApr 12, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 26, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T436/11
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus for determining a characteristic of a signal modulating component related to an analyte of interest at an assay site by measuring light modulated by the component. A light source uniformly illuminates the assay site and a reference site. The light is directed from the sites onto a group of memory cells on the surface of a random access memory. The memory cells will decay from a logical 1 to a logical 0 due to the light over a period of time which is a function of the intensity of the light and the reference voltage of the memory cells marking the difference between a 1 and a 0. The digital state of each of the memory cells in the group is measured a predetermined exposure time. The measured states of a group of memory cells corresponding to the assay site are compared to the memory cell states for a reference group. The measured states are then analyzed to determine a characteristic of the analyte.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.