Patent ID: 8211367

Claim:
A method of manipulating a container, comprising: providing a flexible container having a reaction channel fluidly coupled to a plurality of compartments, including a sample receiving port and a signal detection compartment, wherein at least one of the compartments contains a reagent; introducing a cell-containing sample into the sample receiving port, and moving the sample from the sample receiving port to one of the plurality of compartments; illuminating the cell-containing sample via a transparent portion of the container in the one of the plurality of compartments of the container thereby creating a light scatter signal, and reading the light scatter signal; contacting a first portion of a surface of the container with a device having a plurality of independently operable actuators, wherein at least one of the actuators compresses a portion of the container thereby moving at least part of the sample into the reaction channel; contacting a second portion of the surface of the container with another one of the actuators that compresses a portion of the container thereby preventing a movement of at least one of the part of the sample and the reagent between at least two of the plurality of compartments; moving the part of the sample in at least one of a unidirectional and bi-directional movement between the sample receiving port and the signal detection compartment using the plurality of actuators; and using the light scatter signal to calculate a hematocrit value based on a known function correlating previously determined spun hematocrit values and light scatter signals.