Patent ID: 7010432

Claim:
A method for determining the acceptability of signal data collected from a prothrombin time (PT) test strip, the method comprising: collecting prothrombin time (PT) signal data from an assay area of a PT test strip and PT signal data from at least one control area of the PT test strip; ascertaining at least one relationship between PT signal data collected from the assay area and PT signal data collected from the at least one control area; and determining, based on the at least one relationship, whether the PT signal data collected from the assay area is acceptable by comparing the at least one relationship to at least one predetermined threshold limit, wherein the at least one relationship is selected from the relationship group consisting of a ratio of a post-peak pseudo-slope of PT signal data from the assay area and a post-peak pseudo-slope of PT signal data from at least one control area, a ratio of a peak width of PT signal data from the assay area and peak width of PT signal data from the at least one control area, and a ratio of an area underneath the PT signal data from the assay area and the area underneath the PT signal data from the at least one control area; and wherein the predetermined threshold limit is based on PT signal data collected from standard reference PT test strips.