WO2011137208A1

WO2011137208A1 - Method of forming reagent card

Info

Publication number: WO2011137208A1
Application number: PCT/US2011/034252
Authority: WO
Inventors: James A. Profitt; Michael J. Pugia
Original assignee: Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.
Priority date: 2010-04-28
Filing date: 2011-04-28
Publication date: 2011-11-03

Abstract

A method for forming a plurality of reagent cards includes applying a plurality of reagent ribbons to a first web of sheet material so that the reagent ribbons are in a spaced apart parallel relationship to one another. Portions include a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto. Portions of each of the strips are integrally interconnected to one another along at least one border formed on the ends of the strips. The strips of one portion are connected to a second web of sheet material and the first portion along with the second web of sheet material is separated from the other portion and cut to form reagent cards. The strips of the second portion in turn may be connected to a thirds web of sheet material which is cut to form reagent cards.

Description

METHOD OF FORMING REAGENT CARD

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENTLY DISCLOSED AND/OR CLAIMED INVENTIVE CONCEPTS

1 . Field of the Presently Disclosed and/or Claimed Inventive Concepts.

[0001 ] The inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein relate to reagent cards for conducting immunochemical, diagnostic or serological tests, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method of forming reagent cards.

2. Brief Description of Related Art.

[0002] Many instruments have been developed to measure the quantity of analytes in various biological samples, for example urine, blood, salvia, or extracts of mucus or tissue. Typically, a sample liquid is applied to a reagent that reacts with the analyte. The reagent produces a detectable response that is measured and related to the amount of the analyte. Both dry and wet reagents are employed in chemical analysis. Dry reagents are generally chemicals and biochemicals deposited into an absorbent paper using a solvent. After the solvent dries, the chemical remains impregnated on and/or within the paper.

[0003] To allow multiple tests of analytes to be conducted in an automated process, substrates have been used to support multiple reagents. The reagent areas are typically secured to a plastic substrate with the reagent areas spaced from one another so as to prevent cross contamination. The plastic substrate may be formed in the shape of a strip where the substrate supports one row of reagent areas, or the plastic substrate may be in the shape of a card where the substrate supports multiple rows of reagent areas.

[0004] One process for manufacturing reagent cards involves adhering reagent ribbons to a plastic carrier sheet. Lateral cuts are then made through the ribbons and the carrier sheet to form separate strips containing multiple reagents. These strips are then secured to a second plastic carrier in a spaced relationship. The securing of the strips to the second carrier can be expensive because the adhesive used to secure the reagent ribbons to the first carrier sheet has a tendency to clog punch and place mechanisms which are needed for high speed manufacturing.

[0005] Due to heat generated by a punch, adhesive tends to migrate from the strips to the punch. Once the strips are separated, the strips must be held in position until they can be bonded to the second strip carrier. If the strips are held in the punch, the ability to make a bond is limited. Heat cannot be generated and additional adhesives cannot be applied inside the punch. The time during which the strips are held in the punch is short, thereby also making the step of bonding of the strips to the second carrier difficult. Separation of the punch area from the bonding area is an approach to prevent adhesive clogs. While such methods can be effective, they are slower than high speed, web based processes.

[0006] To this end, a need exists for an improved method of forming reagent cards which is amenable to automated, high speed manufacturing processes. It is to such a method that the present invention is directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is plan view of a reagent card constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a fragmented, cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 .

[0009] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a reagent card forming apparatus constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein.

[0010] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a first web of sheet material shown with a plurality of reagent strips adhered thereto.

[0011 ] FIG. 5 is a fragmented, cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the first web of sheet material of FIG. 4 shown applied to a second sheet of material.

[0013] FIG. 7 is a fragmented, top plan view of a portion of assembly of FIG. 6 showing the assembly having been cut into a first portion and a second portion.

[0014] FIG. 8 is a fragmented, top plan view illustrating one side of the assembly of FIG. 7 having been removed.

[0015] FIG. 9 is a fragmented, top plan view of the second portion with the first portion having been removed.

[0016] FIG. 1 0 is a fragmented, cross sectional view showing the second portion applied to a third web of sheet material.

[0017] FIG. 1 1 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of a reagent card forming apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention. [0018] FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a first web of sheet material shown with a plurality of reagent strips adhered thereto.

[0019] FIG. 1 3 is a fragmented, cross sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12.

[0020] FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of the first web of sheet material of FIG. 13 shown applied to a second sheet of material.

[0021 ] FIG. 15 is a fragmented, top plan view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 14 showing the assembly having been cut to form a plurality of strips.

[0022] FIG. 1 6 is a fragmented, top plan view illustrating the strips of the assembly of FIG. 15 removed.

[0023] FIG. 1 7 is a fragmented, cross sectional view showing the assembly of FIG. 16 applied to a third sheet of material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited in its application to the details of construction, experiments, exemplary data, and/or the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0025] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a reagent card 10 that includes a substrate 12 with a plurality of reagent pads 14. The reagent pads 14 are secured to a plurality of lateral strips 16, and the lateral strips 1 6 are secured to the substrate 12. The reagent card 1 0 is used in automated equipment because a card can quickly and conveniently be presented for running multiple tests. Due to its configuration, the reagent card 10 can be pre-loaded into a canister or other holding device and fed automatically into an automated photometric apparatus for determining reflectance characteristics of the reagent pads 14. If desired, the reagent card 10 may incorporate suitable indexing features, such as punched holes (not shown) in the substrate 12 its edges to facilitate the alignment, presentation, and/or sequencing of the reagent card 1 0 through automated instrumentation. Once the reagent card 10 is aligned in the equipment, the reagent card 1 0 permits simultaneous or sequential analysis of analyte at all or a portion of the reagent pads 14 present on the reagent card 10.

[0026] The substrate 12 and the lateral strips 16 can be formed of any suitable material which is rigid or semi-rigid and which is non-reactive with the reagents present in the reagent pads 14 and the sample to be tested. The thickness of the substrate and the strips may vary, but preferably is in a range of from about 0.005 inches to about 0.012 inches. In addition, it is generally preferred that the substrate 12 and the strips 16 have hydrophobic properties and lay flat after processing. The substrate 12 may be formed of a single layer of material or multiple layers of material, the substrate 12 may be molded or embossed cartridges which may be in the form of micro-fluidic devices. Examples of suitable materials for use in forming the substrate 1 2 and the lateral strips 16 include polyethylene terephthalate, polysytrene, polyester, polyethylene polypropylene, nylon, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride, multi-resin, and ethylene vinyl alcohol [0027] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the substrate 1 2 is formed to have a rectangular shape and is sized to have the dimensions of 3.8 inches by 5.0 inches. However, the size and the shape of the substrate may be varied, as desired.

[0028] The reagent pads 14 are formed of an absorbent sheet material incorporated with a selected reagent. The reagent pads 14 are shown to be rectangular in shape. However, it will be appreciated that the shape, as well as the size, of the reagent pads 14 may be varied. That is, the reagent pads 14 may be formed to have any geometric, non-geometric, asymmetrical, or fanciful design. For example, the reagent pads 14 may include any geometric form, for example, squares, triangles, rectangles, octagons, and rings, or other shapes, such as stars, hearts, slogans, logos, and/or any series of letters and/or numbers, and the like (not shown).

[0029] The absorbent sheet material used to form the reagent pads 14 is capable of rapidly absorbing water at greater than 10 mg/cm² and more preferably in a range of from about 20 mg/cm² to about 65 mg/cm². The thickness of the absorbent material may be varied, but preferably is in a range from about 50 micrometers to about 1000 micrometers with the mean pore sis varying from about 2 micrometers to about 50 micrometers. The absorbent sheet material can be a variety of porous, non-woven materials comprised of polymer fibers, such as cellulose (cotton, wood, notrocellulose, rayon, and the like), proteins, glass, polyamide (nylon), polyurethanes, polyethers (polyethene such as Tyvek®, polypropylenes), acrylic fibers, polyolefin (teslin), polyurethan (Makrofol®), aromatic polyamides, and polyesters. These materials can be treated with surfactant (e.g., anionic, non-anionic, cationic, and zwitterions types) and binders (e.g., kymene, polyvinyl alcohol, and latex). [0030] Reagent is incorporated into the absorbent sheet material using methods well known in the prior art. For example, reagent may be incorporated into the absorbent sheet material by drawing a web or strip of the absorbent material through a solution or suspension of a selected reagent, together with an appropriate solvent, such as water, methanol, benzene, or cyclohexane. After drying, the web or strip of absorbent material is in the form of a reagent ribbon. The reagent ribbon may be provided with an adhesive layer 18 (FIG. 2) so that the reagent ribbon may be secured to a surface, such as the material used to form the strips 16. is ready to be applied to the substrate 1 2. Any suitable adhesive may be used, such as an adhesive coating or a double-faced adhesive tape known as Double Stick®, available from the 3M Company. Typically, a release liner (not shown) is applied to the adhesive to protect the adhesive until it is desired to apply the reagent containing ribbon 16 to the substrate 12.

[0031 ] Referring now to FIG. 3, a reagent card forming apparatus 30 is schematically represented. The reagent card forming apparatus 30 is adapted to automatically form multiple reagent cards, such as the reagent card 10. In one embodiment, the reagent card apparatus 30 includes a plurality of rolls of reagent ribbon 32a - 32I. It will be appreciated that while the reagent ribbons 32 have been depicted as being different from one another, the reagent ribbons 32 may be provided in a variety of different combinations and that different reagent ribbons 32 will have the characteristics of the reagent used to form the reagent ribbons 32 such that each reagent ribbon 32 is capable of providing individual analysis of sample material applied to the reagent ribbon used for forming the reagent pads 14.

[0032] The reagent ribbons 32 are guided onto a first web of sheet material 34 supplied by a roll 36. The first web of sheet material 34 is the material that will be used to form the strips 1 6 of the reagent card 1 0 described above. FIG. 4 shows the reagent ribbons secured to the first web of material 34 in a parallel and spaced apart relationship to one another. FIG. 5 is a fragmented, sectional view showing the same. It should be understood that the distance the reagent ribbons 32 are spaced from one another may vary so long as the resulting reagent pads 14 of the reagent card 10 are spaced apart from one another a sufficient distance to prevent cross contamination when in use.

[0033] The first web of sheet material 34 containing the reagent ribbons 32 is then merged with or introduced to a second web of sheet material 38 which is provided from a roll 40. It should be noted that the second web of sheet material 38 is the material that will form the substrate 12 of the reagent card 10 described above. FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the first web of sheet material 34 positioned on the second web of sheet material 38.

[0034] The reagent ribbons 32, the first web of sheet material 34, and the second web of sheet material 38 are next passed through a cutting assembly 42. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the cutting assembly 42 is employed to cut the reagent ribbons 32 and the first web of sheet material 34 to define a first portion 44 and a second portion 46. The first portion 44 is depicted in FIG. 7 as the unshaded area, and the second portion 46 is depicted in FIG. 7 as the shaded area. The first portion 44 includes a plurality of parallel strips 48 with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads 50 applied thereto. Each of the strips 48 is characterized as having a first end 52 and a second end 54. The strips 48 are integrally interconnected to one another along a border 56 formed on only one end of the strips 48. Similarly, the second portion 46 includes a plurality of parallel strips 58 provided with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads 60 applied thereto. Each of the strips 58 is characterized as having a first end 62 and a second end 64. The strips 58 are integrally interconnected to one another along a border 66 formed on only one end of the strips 58.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first portion 44 and the second portion 46 have the appearance of interlocking comb-like structures with the borders 56 and 66 being formed parallel to one another, and the strips 48 of the first portion 44 alternating with the strips 58 of the second portion 46. The strips 48 and 58 may be formed to have widths of any size so long as the resulting reagent pads 14 of the reagent card 10 are spaced apart from one another a sufficient distance to prevent cross contamination. The borders 56 and 66 serve to maintain the position of the strips 48 and 58 during the manufacturing process of the reagent card 10. To this end, the borders 56 and 66 may be formed of any size depending on the rigidity of the first web of sheet material 34, but in one embodiment, the ratio of the width of the border 56 to the width of the strips 48 is at least about 1 to 3. Similarly, the ratio of the width of the border 66 to the width of the strips 58 is at least about 1 to 3.

[0036] As stated above, the cutting assembly 42 is employed to cut the reagent ribbons 32 and the first web of sheet material 34. More specifically, the cutting assembly 42 cuts the reagent ribbons 32 and the first web of sheet material 34 in a manner commonly known as a "kiss cut" that results in the second web of sheet material 38 remaining uncut so as to maintain the integrity of the second web of sheet material 38. Any conventional device and method may be employed to cut the reagent ribbons 32 and the first web of sheet material to form the first portion 44 and the second portion 46 described above without cutting into or through the second web of sheet material 38. Examples of such conventional devices and methods which may be employed to cut the regent ribbons 32 and the first web of sheet material 36 are rotary cutting dies, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting, and the like. The cut pattern illustrated in FIG. 7 is generally in a zigzag pattern. This pattern may be made with a rotary cutting die provided with a cutting edge having a corresponding shape. Likewise, the pattern may be cut using a pressed die having a cutting die with a corresponding shape. Still yet, the pattern may be formed using a series of interconnected cuts so as to alleviate stress on the reagent ribbons 32 during the cutting process, or a series of broken cuts so as to define lines of perforations through the reagent ribbons 32 and the first web of sheet material 34.

[0037] The cut web of material is then passed through a bonding assembly 70 where the strips 48 of the first portion 44 are connected to the second web of sheet material 38. Any conventional device and method may be employed to secure the strips 48 to the second web of sheet material 38. Examples of such conventional devices and methods which can be employed to secure the strips 48 to the second web of sheet material 38 include ultrasonic welding, laser welding, heat staking, cold staking, inductive heating of an adhesive, or a combination of two or more devices and methods. By way of example, cold staking may be employed to provide a temporary attachment, and thereafter a technique, such as ultrasonic welding, may be employed to provide a permanent bond.

[0038] With the strips 48 of the first portion 44 secured to the second web of sheet material 38, a trim cutting assembly 72 is employed to detach the border 56 of the first portion 44 from the strips 48 such that the strips 48 containing the reagent pads 50 are attached to the second web of sheet material 38 only. In another embodiment, the border 56 may be left attached to the strips 48 and secured to the second web of sheet material 38 during the process of attaching the strips 48 to the second web of sheet material 38.

[0039] The strips 48 of the first portion 44 are next separated from the second portion 46. FIG. 3 shows the first portion 44 being separated from the second portion 46 by diverting the second web of sheet material 38 from the first web of sheet material 36. With the strips 48 secured to the second web of sheet material 38 and separated from the second portion 46, the second web of sheet material 38 is passed to a card cutting assembly 74 where the second web of sheet material 38 is cut to form reagent cards of a predetermined length, such as the reagent card 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. It will be appreciated that any well known cutting device may be used as the card cutter. Examples of such devices which may be employed as the card cutter and methods which may be employed to cut the second web of sheet material 38 to form the reagent cards are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting, and the like.

[0040] After being separated from the strips 48 and the second web of sheet material 38, the second portion 56 is guided onto a third web of sheet material 80 which is provided from a roll 82. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the second portion 46 positioned on the second web of sheet material 80. The border 66 serves to maintain the position of the strips 58 relative to one another during the process of positioning the second portion 46 on the third web of sheet material 80.

[0041 ] The third web of sheet material 80 together with the second portion 46 is passed to a bonding assembly 84 and a trim cutting assembly 86 so as to connect the strips 58 of the second portion 46 to the third web of sheet material 80 and to remove the border 66 of the second portion 46 in a manner similar to that described above with reference to attaching the strips 48 of the first portion 44 and removing the border 56 of the first portion with the bonding assembly 70 and the trim cutting assembly 72. A waste take-up assembly 88 is employed to collect the borders 56 and 66 in a conventional manner.

[0042] The third web of sheet material 80 is passed to a card cutting assembly 90 which is similar to the card cutting assembly 74 described above. The card cutting assembly 90 is employed to cut the third web of sheet material 80 to form reagent cards of a predetermined length, such as the reagent card 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0043] FIG. 1 1 schematically illustrates another embodiment of a reagent card forming apparatus 1 00. The reagent card forming apparatus 100 is adapted to automatically form multiple reagent cards, such as the reagent card 10. In one embodiment, the reagent card apparatus 1 00 includes a plurality of rolls of reagent ribbon 102a - 1 021. It will be appreciated that while the reagent ribbons 32 have been depicted as being different from one another, the reagent ribbons 32 may be provided in a variety of different combinations and that different reagent ribbons 1 02 will have the characteristics of the reagent used to form the reagent ribbon 1 02 such that each reagent ribbon 1 02 is capable of providing individual analysis of sample material applied to the reagent ribbon used for forming the reagent pads 14.

[0044] The reagent ribbons 1 02 are guided onto a first web of sheet material 134 supplied by a roll 136. The first web of sheet material 1 34 is the material that will be used to form the strips 1 6 of the reagent card 1 0 described above. FIG. 12 shows the reagent ribbons secured to the first web of material 134 in a parallel and spaced apart relationship to one another. FIG. 1 3 is a fragmented, sectional view showing the same. It should be understood that the distance the reagent ribbons 102 are spaced from one another may vary so long as the resulting reagent pads 14 of the reagent card 10 are spaced apart from one another a sufficient distance to prevent cross contamination when in use.

[0045] The first web of sheet material 1 34 containing the reagent ribbons 1 02 is then merged with or introduced to a second web of sheet material 138 which is provided from a roll 140. It should be noted that the second web of sheet material 138 is the material that will form the substrate 12 of the reagent card 1 0 described above. FIG. 14 is a sectional view illustrating the first web of sheet material 1 34 positioned on the second web of sheet material 1 38.

[0046] The reagent card forming apparatus 100 includes a bonding assembly 141 for connecting the first web of sheet material 1 34 to the second web of sheet material 138 at select locations so that certain portions of the first web of sheet material 134 will be connected to the second web of sheet material 138 upon the first web of sheet material 1 34 being cut in a manner to be described below to define a plurality of strips while other portions remain unbonded to the second web of sheet of material 138 after the cutting process. Any conventional device and method may be employed to connect the first web of sheet material 134 to the second web of sheet material 1 38. Examples of such conventional devices and methods which can be employed to secure the first web of sheet material 134 to the second web of sheet material 138 include ultrasonic welding, laser welding, heat staking, cold staking, inductive heating of an adhesive, or a combination of two or more devices and methods. By way of example, the bonding assembly 141 may employ cold staking to provide a temporary attachment and thereafter a technique such, such as ultrasonic welding may be employed to provide a permanent bond before or after the first web of sheet material 134 has been cut. [0047] The reagent ribbons 102, the first web of sheet material 1 34, and the second web of sheet material 1 38 are next passed through a cutting assembly 142. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the cutting assembly 142 is employed to cut the reagent ribbons 102 and the first web of sheet material 1 34 to define a first portion 144 and a second portion 146. The first portion 144 is depicted in FIG. 15 as the un-shaded area, and the second portion 146 is depicted in FIG. 15 as the shaded area. The first portion 144 includes a plurality of parallel strips 148 with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads 1 50 applied thereto. Each of the strips 148 is characterized as having a first end 152 and a second end 154. The second portion 146 includes a plurality of parallel strips 158 provided with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads 160 applied thereto. Each of the strips 158 is characterized as having a first end 162 and a second end 164. The strips 158 are integrally interconnected to one another along a first border 166 formed on one end of the strips 158 and along a second border 167 formed on the opposing ends of the strips 158.

[0048] The reagent ribbons 1 02 and the first web of sheet material 134 are cut to form the strips of 148 the first portion 144 at a location substantially corresponding to where the first web of sheet material 1 34 is connected to the second web of sheet material 138 so that the strips 148 of the first portion 144 are connected to the second web of sheet material 138 as the first web of sheet material 134 is being cut to define the strips 148 of the first portion 144.

[0049] In this embodiment, the second portion 146 has the appearance of a ladder like structure with the strips 148 of the first portion 144 being in an alternating relationship with the strips 158 of the second portion 146. The strips 148 and 1 58 may be formed to have widths of any size so long as the resulting reagent pads 14 of the reagent card 10 are spaced apart from one another a sufficient distance to prevent cross contamination. The borders 1 66 and 167 serve to maintain the position of the strips 1 58 of the second portion 146 during the manufacturing process of the reagent card 10. The borders 166 and 167 may be formed of any size depending on the rigidity of the first web of sheet material 134, but in one embodiment, the ratio of the width of each of the borders 166 and 167 to the width of the strips 1 58 is at least about 1 to 3.

[0050] As stated above, the cutting assembly 142 is employed to cut the reagent ribbons 102 and the first web of sheet material 134. More specifically, the cutting assembly 142 cuts the reagent ribbons 102 and the first web of sheet material 1 34 in a manner commonly known as a "kiss cutting" so that the second web of sheet material 1 38 is not cut so as to maintain the integrity of the second web of sheet material 138. Any conventional device and method may be employed to cut the reagent ribbons 102 and the first web of sheet material 134 to form the first portion 144 and the second portion 146 described above without cutting into or through the second web of sheet material 138. Examples of such conventional devices and methods which may be employed to cut the regent ribbons 102 and the first web of sheet material 134 are rotary cutting dies, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting, and the like. The cut pattern illustrated in FIG. 15 is generally in a spaced, rectangular pattern. This pattern may be made with a rotary cutting die provided with a cutting edge having a corresponding shape. Likewise, the pattern may be cut using a pressed die having a cutting die with a corresponding shape. Still yet, the pattern may be formed using a series of interconnected cuts so as to alleviate stress on the reagent ribbons 1 02 during the cutting process or a series of broken cuts so as to define lines of perforations through the reagent strips 102 and the first web of sheet materiall 34. [0051] The cut web of material is then shown to pass through a second bonding assembly 170 where the strips 148 of the first portion 144 are further connected to the second web of sheet material 138. Again, any conventional device and method may be employed to secure the strips 148 to the second web of sheet material 138. Examples of such conventional devices and methods which can be employed to secure the strips 148 to the second web of sheet material 138 include ultrasonic welding, laser welding, heat staking, inductive heating of an adhesive, or a combination of two or more devices and methods.

[0052] The strips 148 of the first portion 144 are next separated from the second portion 146. FIG. 1 1 shows the first portion 44 being separated from the second portion 46 by diverting the second web of sheet material 1 38 from the first web of sheet material 136. With the strips 148 secured to the second web of sheet material 138 and separated from the second portion 146, the second web of sheet material 1 38 is passed to a card cutting assembly 174 where the second web of sheet material 1 38 is cut to form reagent cards of a predetermined length, such as the reagent card 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. It will be appreciated that any well known cutting device may be used as the card cutter. Examples of such devices which may be employed as the card cutter and methods which may be employed to cut the second web of sheet material 138 to form the reagent cards are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting, and the like.

[0053] After being separated from the strips 148 and the second web of sheet material 1 38, the second portion 146 is guided onto a third web of sheet material 180 which is provided from a roll 182. FIGS. 16 and 1 7 illustrates the second portion 146 positioned on the third web of sheet material 180. Again, the borders 1 66 and 167 serve to maintain the position of the strips 158 relative to one another during the process of positioning the second portion 146 on the third web of sheet material 180.

[0054] The strips 148 of the second portion 144 are secured to the third web of sheet material 180 with a bonding assembly 184 in a manner similar to that described above relative to securing the second portion 44 to the third web of sheet material 80. Next, a trim cutting assembly 186 is employed to detach the borders 166 and 167 of the second portion 146 from the strips 158 such that the strips 1 58 containing the reagent pads 1 60 are attached to the third web of sheet material 1 80 only. A waste take-up assembly 188 is employed to collect the borders 1 66 and 1 67 in a conventional manner. In another embodiment, on or both of the borders 1 66 and 1 67 may be left attached to the strips 1 58 and secured to the third web of sheet material 180 during the process of attaching the strips 158 to the third web of sheet material 180.

[0055] The third web of sheet material 180 is passed to a card cutting assembly 190 which is similar to the card cutting assembly 174 described above. The card cutting assembly 1 90 is employed to cut the third web of sheet material 180 to form reagent cards of a predetermined length, such as the reagent card 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0056] From the above description, it is clear that the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein are well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein, as well as those inherent in the invention. While presently preferred embodiments of the inventive concepts have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:

applying a plurality of reagent ribbons to a first web of sheet material with the reagent ribbons in a spaced apart, parallel relationship to one another; cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material to define a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto, each of the strips having a first end and a second end;

connecting the strips of the first portion to a second web of sheet material; separating the first portion along with the second web of sheet material from the second portion; and

cutting the second web of sheet material to form a reagent card having a predetermined length.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cutting step further comprises cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material so that the strips of the first portion are integrally interconnected to one another along a border formed on at least one of the first end and the second end of the strips.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material further comprises cutting the first web of sheet material such that the ratio of the width of the border to the width of the strips is at least about 1 to 3.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising cutting the first web of sheet material to detach the border of the first portion from the strips of the first portion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web of sheet material is placed on the second web of sheet material prior to the first web of sheet material and the reagent ribbons being cut.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web of sheet material is placed on the second web of sheet material subsequent to the first web of sheet material and the reagent ribbons being cut.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web of sheet material is connected to the second web of sheet material at selected locations prior to the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material so that the strips of the first portion are connected to the second web of sheet material as the first web of sheet material being cut to define the strips of the first portion.

8. A method, comprising:

applying a plurality of reagent ribbons to a first web of sheet material so that the reagent ribbons are in a spaced apart parallel relationship to one another;

cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material to define a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto, and the second portion comprising a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto, each of the strips of the first portion and the second portion having a first end and a second end and the strips of at least one of the first portion and the second portion being integrally interconnected to one another along at least one border formed on the ends of the strips; connecting the strips of the first portion to a second web of sheet material; separating the first portion along with the second web of sheet material from the second portion;

cutting the second web of sheet material to form a first reagent card having a predetermined length;

connecting the strips of the second portion to a third web of sheet material; and

cutting the third web of sheet material to form a second reagent card having a predetermined length.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material further comprises cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material so that the strips of the first portion are integrally interconnected to one another along a first border formed on only one end of the strips of the first portion.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material further comprises cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material so that the strips of the second portion are integrally interconnected to one another along a second border formed on only one end of the strips of the second portion.

1 1 . The method of claim 8 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material the first and second borders are parallel to one another.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material further comprises cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material so that the strips of one of the first portion and the second portion are integrally interconnected to one another along a first border formed on the first end of the strips and a second border formed along the second end of the strips.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material further comprises cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material so that the strips of the first portion are in a non- connected relationship to another, and the strips of the second portions are integrally interconnected to one another along a first border formed on the first end of the strips and a second border formed along the second end of the strips.

14. A method for forming a plurality of reagent cards, comprising:

applying a plurality of reagent ribbons to a first web of sheet material so that the reagent ribbons are in a spaced apart parallel relationship to one another; cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material to define a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto, each of the strips having a first end and a second end and the strips integrally interconnected to one another along a border formed on only one end thereof, the second portion comprising a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto, each of the strips having a first end and a second end and the strips integrally interconnected to one another along a border formed on only one end thereof;

connecting the strips of the first portion to a second web of sheet material; separating the first portion along with the second web of sheet material from the second portion;

cutting the second web of sheet material to form a card having a predetermined length;

cutting the third web of sheet material to form a reagent card having a predetermined length.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising cutting the first web of sheet material to detach the border of the first portion from the strips of the first portion.

1 6. The method of claim 14 further comprising cutting the first web of sheet material to detach the border of the second portion from the strips of the second portion and the third web of sheet material.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material further comprises cutting the first web of sheet material such that the ratio of the width of the border to the width of the strips is at least about 1 to 3.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the first web of sheet material is placed on the second web of sheet material prior to the first web of sheet material and the reagent ribbons being cut.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the first web of sheet material is placed on the second web of sheet material subsequent to the first web of sheet material and the reagent ribbons being cut.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein in the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material, the strips of the first portion alternate with the strips of the second portion.

21 . The method of claim 14 wherein in the step of cutting the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material, the border of the first portion is parallel to the border of the second portion.

22. An apparatus, comprising: a first web of sheet material;

a second web of sheet material; and

a plurality of reagent ribbons applied the first web of sheet material in a spaced apart, parallel relationship to one another, the reagent ribbons and the first web of sheet material cut to define a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a plurality of parallel strips with a plurality of spaced apart reagent pads applied thereto, each of the strips of the first portion and the second portion having a first end and a second end, the strips of the first portion being connected to the second web of sheet material and the strips of the second portion being integrally interconnected to one another along a border formed on at least one of the first end and the second end of the strips of the second portion.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the ratio of the width of the border to the width of the strips of the second portion is at least about 1 to 3.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the strips of the first portion are integrally interconnected to one another along a border formed on at least one of the first end and the second end of the strips of the first portion.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the ratio of the width of the border to the width of the strips of the first portion is at least about 1 to 3.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the border of the first portion is parallel to the border of the second portion.

27. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the strips of the second portion are integrally interconnected to one another along a first border formed on the first end of the strips and a second border formed along the second end of the strips.

28. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the strips of the first portion are in a non-connected relationship to another, and the strips of the second portions are integrally interconnected to one another along a first border formed on the first end of the strips and a second border formed along the second end of the strips.