Coagulation timer

Claim 1

A PORTABLE COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE TIME FOR INITIATION FOR FIBRILLATION OF BLOOD BY DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF FIBRIN THEREIN COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A CASING OF REDUCED SIZE; A BLOOD SPECIMEN RECEIVING MEANS ON SAID CASING FOR RECEIVING A SPECIMEN OF BLOOD TO BE MEASURED; CONDUCTIVITY MEANS FOR COOPERATING WITH FIBRIN TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT PATH, SUCH CONDUCTIVITY MEANS COMPRISING AN ELECTRODE ADAPTED TO BE STATIONARY FOR CONTACT WITH THE SPECIMEN, ANOTHER ELECTRODE ADAPTED TO BE MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF THE SPECIMEN; A FIRST MECHANISM FOR MOVING THE MOVABLE ELECTRODE INTO AND OUT OF THE SPECIMEN; A SECOND MECHANISM FOR LOWERING BOTH OF SAID ELECTRODES INTO SAID RECEIVING MEANS, SAID SECOND MECHANISM INCLUDING A CARRIER SUPPORTING BOTH OF SAID ELECTRODES, SAID CARRIER PROJECTING OUTWARDLY AND INWARDLY OF SAID CASING AND BEING DISPLACEABLE RELATIVELY THERETO FROM AN ELECTRODE-IMMERSED POSITION TO AN ELECTRODE-ELEVATED POSITION, LATCHING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING THE CARRIER IN THE ELECTRODE-ELEVATED POSITION, AND SAID CARRIER AND SAID CASING HAVING INTERENGAGING SURFACES FOR COOPERATING AND DIRECTING SAID ELECTRODES INTO THE RECEIVING MEANS WHEN IN THE ELECTRODE-IMMERSED POSITION AND AWAY THEREFROM WHEN IN THE ELECTRODE-ELEVATED POSITON; TIMING MEANS FOR REGISTERING THE TIME TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OF FIBRIN IN SAID SPECIMEN; ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL TO SAID CONDUCTIVITY MEANS; SWITCH MEANS FOR INITIATING THE OPERATION OF SAID TIMING MEANS; TIME DELAY MEANS FOR CAUSING AFTER A PREDETERMINED PERIOD OF TIME FOLLOWING ACTIVATION OF SAID SWITCH MEANS, THE LATCHING MEANS TO RELEASE THE CARRIER FROM THE ELECTRODE-ELEVATED POSITION WHEREUPON THE SAID INTER-ENGAGING SURFACES COOPERATE AND DIRECT THE ELECTRODES INTO THE RECEIVING MEANS AND THE ELECTRODEIMMERSED POSITION AND THE FIRST MECHANISM TO MOVE THE MOVABLE ELECTRODE INTO AND OUT OF THE LIQUID; AND CUT-OFF MEANS FOR STOPPING THE OPERATION OF SAID TIMING MEANS AND MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE ELECTRODE UPON LIFTING OF FIBRIN OUT OF SAID SPECIMEN BY THE MOVABLE ELECTRODE AND PASSAGE OF CURRENT THROUGH SAID CONDUCTIVITY MEANS, SPECIMEN AND LIFTED FIBRIN.