Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for microbiological disk recognition

US6665429B1 · kind B1 · utility

10Cited by
12References
60Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 22, 2000
Grant dateDec 16, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 4, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
  • CPC primaryC12M99/00
  • WIPO fieldBiotechnology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method and associated apparatus for use in a microbiological assay procedure wherein a plurality of diffusion disks are placed on a nutrient medium on a plate, each of the disks carrying a respective antibiotic agent and each having an identification code identifying the respective antibiotic agent, the disks being positioned on the plate in a preselected relative arrangement. The method comprises optically scanning the disks on the plate, consequently generating a digitally encoded image including digitized representations of the identification codes, and electronically processing the digitally encoded image to determine an angle of rotation of the plate relative to a pre-established reference frame or coordinate system, wherein the electronic processing of the digitally encoded image includes detecting a region of the plate occupied by a unique subset of the disks. The digitally encoded image is processed to determine, for at least one of the identification codes on the disks, a numerical value of at least one overall pattern parameter. The determined numerical value of the pattern parameter is electronically compared with electronically stored premeasured values of the pattern…

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