US 12,442,814 B2
Blood coagulometer with discrete indicator and method
Brijesh S. Gill, Houston, TX (US); Kevin R. Aroom, Houston, TX (US); Charles S. Cox, Jr., Houston, TX (US); and Tushar Sharma, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/054,957
Filed by THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US)
PCT Filed May 13, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/032010
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 12, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/222096, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 21, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/671,238, filed on May 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0208129 A1, Jul. 8, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 33/49 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/4905 (2013.01) [B01L 3/50273 (2013.01); B01L 3/502753 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0654 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0663 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0877 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a body having a cavity with a wall to receive a sample of blood obtained from a patient for testing;
a displacement member movably received on the body, the displacement member movable through a distance on the body from a first position to a second position, the displacement member having a wetted portion thereon forming a wall portion that, together with the wall of the cavity, surrounds a blood sample introduced into the cavity;
a spring element connected intermediate the displacement member and the body to bias the displacement member against movement from the first position;
an indicator having a signal generator, a first portion on the body and a second portion on the displacement member, the second portion of the indicator being at least one of engaged with and aligned with the first portion of the indicator with the displacement member in the second position to produce a signal from the signal generator indicating movement of the displacement member to the second position; and
a channel on the body having a first wall and a second wall opposite the first wall, the displacement member being movably received therebetween;
wherein the introduction of the blood sample into the cavity of the body causes the blood sample to clot and to adhere to the wetted portion of the displacement member as it contracts within the cavity thereby resulting in displacement of the displacement member towards the second position;
wherein the at least one of engagement and alignment of the second portion of the indicator on the displacement member with the first portion of the indicator on the body produces a signal indicating a condition of the blood sample;
wherein the signal generator produces at least one of a visually detectable signal, a tactile signal and an audibly detectable signal upon the second portion of the indicator being at least one of engaged with and aligned with the first portion of the indicator with the displacement member in the second position;
wherein the first portion of the indicator includes a body optical pathway first segment in the first wall of the channel and an aligned body optical pathway second segment in the second wall of the channel, the body optical pathway second segment being aligned with the body optical pathway first segment;
wherein the second portion of the indicator includes a displacement member optical pathway segment in the displacement member;
wherein the body optical pathway first segment, the body optical pathway second segment and the displacement member optical pathway segment become aligned upon movement of the displacement member to the second position;
wherein said alignment provides a segmented optical pathway allowing for a light signal to be transmitted from a light source on the body towards the signal generator;
wherein the light source on the body is in optical communication with the body optical pathway first segment; and
wherein the signal generator is in optical communication with the body optical pathway second segment.