Patent ID: 7763454

Claim:
A unitary single use disposable device for detecting the presence of an analyte in a fluid sample, said device comprising: a casing including a viewing window; a display device enclosed in said casing with a display screen positioned in said viewing window; a lateral flow diagnostic strip enclosed in said casing, a portion of said diagnostic strip being exposed for receiving a fluid sample; a printed circuit board (PCB) having opposing top and bottom portions and wherein said display device has a display screen on a top portion for displaying information, and a bottom portion mounted secure to a top portion of said PCB; first and second LEDs having different wavelengths mounted on a bottom portion of said PCB in spaced apart relationship; a photodetector mounted on the bottom portion of said PCB proximate said first and second LEDs; and electronic means mounted on a bottom portion of said PCB, adapted to energize said first and second LEDs at different times, and to receive electrical signals from said photodetector representative of the intensity of light received by said photodetector at a given time; and light shield means for mounting said PCB and said assay material in spaced apart relationship within said casing, said light shield means further including first, second, and third light paths for directing light from said first LED to said capture region, from said capture region to said photodetector, and from said second LED to said capture region, respectively; and electronic means mounted within said casing that is automatically responsive to the application of fluid onto said diagnostic strip, for automatically monitoring a capture region of said diagnostic strip to drive said display to display a first message after a predetermined time from the application of fluid, if an observable reaction in said capture region is indicative of the presence of said analyte, and to display a second message if such an observable reaction does not occur.