Interrupted, vertical flow testing device

摘要

In a vertical flow immunoassay testing device, the fluid specimen is deposited in a sampling well whose inclined walls and filtration material separate mucus and other adhesive matters from the more fluid components. The mixing of the specimen with a buffer solution is triggered by the closure of the device's cap. The flow of the buffered specimen from a first chamber where it is exposed to a collodial gold conjugate to a second chamber holding a chromatographic test strip is temporarily interrupted by a holding reservoir. The specimen does not freely flow into the strip until the reservoir begins to overflow. The delay provides an incubation time for a better affinity binding of the specimen and regulates its flow through the strip.