Machine and process for reading cards containing medical specimens

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings, a microbial analyzing machine A (FIG.
1) examines cuvettes or cards C into which specimens suspected of containing harmful microorganisms have been introduced.
The card C contains dried selective media which is rehydrated by the diluted specimen.
If the specimen contains a microorganism to which one of the media is selective, then the optical characteristics of that particular rehydrated medium will change as the microorganism metabolizes in the medium during incubation.
The machine A detects the changes in light transmitting characteristics of the rehydrated media by projecting light through the rehydrated media.
In addition, the reading machine A detects indicia marked on the cards C and is capable of distinguishing the ten basic cardinal numbers written as Arabic symbols.
These readings are also accomplished by projecting light through the cards C.
The machine A includes a holder H and an extracting unit E (FIG.
5), and the latter is provided with a card reading unit R which reads the indicia on the cards C and examines the rehydrated media for changes in the light transmitting characteristics thereof.
The holder H supports a plurality of cards C in a row with the margins of the cards C being in registration.
All the cards C of the row have the same orientation.
The extracting unit E withdraws the cards C individually from the row and each card C as it is withdrawn is examined by the reading unit R.
Indeed, each rehydrated medium is examined separately and at periodic intervals.
The machine A is controlled by a computer K, and the media and indicia readings derived from the reading unit R are fed to that computer.
The computer K correlates the various media and indicia readings so that the periodic readings derived from particular rehydrated medium of a particular card C are organized in succession.
This enables one to determine if any change in the light transmitting characteristicsmachine A, one being an identification card C.
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