Patent ID: 7740804

Claim:
A sample holder comprising: a housing having a width dimension and a depth dimension orthogonal to the width dimension; an inlet transition chamber, in the housing, for receiving blood to be analyzed; an optical chamber, in the housing, defining a void for receiving the blood from the inlet transition chamber, the optical chamber having at least one optical window for spectroscopic analysis of the blood and an optical chamber depth extending from the at least one optical window parallel to the depth dimension, wherein an optical chamber width parallel to the width dimension is greater than the optical chamber depth; an overflow chamber, in the housing, for receiving the blood from the optical chamber; and an outlet vent, in the housing and fluidly connected to the overflow chamber, to provide an outflow path for air; and wherein the inlet transition chamber comprises a tapered transition region bordering the optical chamber, wherein within the tapered transition region the inlet transition chamber width, parallel to the width dimension, increases toward the optical chamber and the inlet transition chamber depth, parallel to the depth dimension, diminishes toward the optical chamber.