Fluid sample collecting and analyzing apparatus
A spongy swab is mounted against the distal face of a piston at the end of a push rod. Once humected with a sample fluid, the swab and piston assembly is inserted into a tubular body like the plunger of a syringe. As the swab is pushed and squeezed against the distal end of the body up to a trippable stop, part of the fluid is excreted into a chromatographic immunoassay testing device through a first aperture in a distal section of the body. The remainder of the sample is kept in a sealed chamber between the piston and the end wall of the tubular body until it is excreted through a second aperture for a secondary test by pushing the piston beyond the trippable stop. That preserves the sample within the spongy swab that has been used to collect it; thus preventing the adsorption of the analytes on the surface of a reservoir, and to provide a convenient and rapid way to extract the remainder of the specimen.
1 . A collecting and testing apparatus, for detecting and analyte in a fluid sample, which: comprises:
a plunger including a push rod, a piston attached to one extremity of said rod, said piston having a distal face, and a spongy swab axially mounted on said distal face;
a tubular body open at a first end, closed at an opposite second end, and being dimensioned to be intimately engaged by said piston;
said body having at least one exit port proximate said second end; and
a trippable barrier positioned to stop said piston distally from said second end; and
wherein said swab is dimensioned to be partially squeezed between said distal face and said second end when said distal face reaches a stopping location determined by said barrier.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises an immunoassay testing device connected to said exit port.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said exit port is radially positioned proximately distant from said stopping location.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said body has a second exit port located distally from said stopping location; and
further includes a breakable stopper closing said second exit.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 which further comprises a second immunoassay testing device detachably securable to said second exit port.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said trippable barrier comprises at least one radial protrusion on said plunger, said protrusion being positioned to contact said body when said distal face reaches said stopping location.
7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein said protrusion is manually compressible.
8 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said exit port is axially positioned in said second end.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 which further comprises a breakable seal closing said exit port.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said trippable barrier is compressible by forced insertion of said plunger into the body.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said piston comprises a peripheral O-ring.
12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said body has a circumferential inside groove having a hemispherical cross-section commensurate with said O-ring; whereby the engagement of said O-ring into said groove constitutes said trippable barrier.
13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said exit port is radially located within said groove.
14 . The apparatus of claim 8 which further comprises a threaded coupling between said exit port and said testing device.
15 . The apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises means for preventing circulation of an amount of said specimen within said body.
16 . A collecting and testing apparatus, for detecting an analyte in a fluid sample, which comprises:
a syringe-like plunger and tubular body assembly, the tubular body having a closed distal end;
a spongy swab distally mounted on said plunger;
a trippable barrier preventing said swab from being completely squeezed between said plunger and said distal end; and
an analyte testing device connected to an exit port in a distal region of said body.
17 . A method for conducting a first preliminarily test on a fluid sample while preserving a portion of said sample for later testing, and dispensing said portion during said later testing, said method comprises:
collecting said fluid sample upon a spongy swab distally mounted on a syringe-like plunger;
extracting a first partial portion of said sample from said swab, thereby leaving a second partial portion of said sample on said swab;
directing said first partial portion onto a fluid test device capable of detecting said analyte to obtain a preliminary detection;
hermetically enclosing said swab in an openable chamber;
forming an opening in said chamber; and,
excreting said second partial portion through said opening.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein said extracting comprises:
inserting said plunger a first distance into a tubular body assembly having a closed distal end;
preventing insertion of said plunger beyond said first distance using a trippable barrier;
tripping said trippable barrier;
further inserting said plunger beyond said first distance, thereby causing said excreting.