Apparatus for and method of collecting trace samples for analysis
US5859375A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 3, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 3, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2001/028
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A hand held sampling apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus has a handle, a head connected to the handle and a mechanism for retaining a substrate on the head. The substrate is preferably a sheet-form flexible substrate which is mounted so as to present a collection portion thereof for collection of a sample. The substrate is preferably of a dimension so as to be readily fitted into the inlet portion of an analyzer. The apparatus enables an area to be sampled quickly and efficiently, while keeping a user's hands away from the surface, and this enables otherwise inaccessible areas to be sampled. It does not require any intermediate transfer steps, transferring a sample from a collection media to another substrate for subsequent analysis.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.