Patent ID: 7217393

Claim:
An apparatus for testing fluid samples, comprising: a flow cell support: a flow cell adapted to be positioned in the flow cell support, the flow cell including a measurement chamber; a monitor device that monitors and produces a signal indicative of an introduction and an exit of at least one of a sample or a reagent to and from a measurement chamber, the monitor device configured to detect changes in the measurement chamber, and in response to the changes determine if there is a sufficient amount of at least one of sample and reagent in the measurement chamber, the monitor device monitoring the progress of fluid flow in at least another section of the flow cell and sense multiple events in the flow cell; logic resources that receive the signal and performs a comparison of a timing of the introduction and the exit of the sample to and from measurement chamber to produces a confirmation of a point in time of a valid reaction of the sample in measurement chamber, the logic resources implementing at least one QC protocol of the sample in the measurement chamber and confirming that the QC protocol was performed; an energy source that produces an output of energy that interacts with measurement chamber; and a sensor positioned to receive an output from the flow cell.