Patent ID: 6040195
Filing Date: 2000-03-21
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A diagnostic sanitary test strip device for measuring an analyte of interest in a heterogenous fluid sample, said test strip comprising:(a) an upper support layer defining a sample receiving port for receiving the fluid sample therein;(b) means for retaining the fluid sample to prevent spillage of the sample from said strip to make said test strip sanitary, wherein said retaining means comprises a plurality of dam partitions penetrating said test strip, said dam partitions being defined by indentations formed in said upper layer;(c) means, in vertical alignment and contiguous contact with said sample receiving port, for uniformly spreading the fluid sample in said receiving port before allowing said fluid sample to vertically pass through said spreading means;(d) means, in contiguous contact with said spreading means, for filtering the fluid sample received from said spreading means to remove at least one undesirable element in the fluid sample prior to passing the fluid sample through said filtering means;(e) a reaction membrane, in contiguous contact with said filtering means, having a predetermined porosity, said membrane retaining a reagent solution capable of reacting with the analyte of interest to produce a color change in said membrane corresponding to the amount of analyte present in the fluid sample; and(f) a lower support layer in contiguous contact with said membrane and having a reaction viewing port in vertical alignment with said membrane for displaying said color change, wherein said retaining means, said spreading means, said filtering means, and said reaction membrane interpose said lower support and said upper support to secure said test strip.