Method of collecting trace samples for analysis
US5988002A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2001/028
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A hand held sampling method is carried out using apparatus have 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 is manipulated so that the collection portion of the substrate traverses surfaces of interest. The substrate is then removed and placed at the inlet of an analyzer for desorption of a sample. 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.