Lockheed Martin Corporation

William S Terry

John Thaddeus Beckert

David L Ii

Daniel G Rice

Daniel M Hutchinson

A system and method that enables early detection of hazardous materials, such as explosives and biological materials, in the early phases of mail handling or processing.

System and method for large scale detection of hazardous materials in the mail or in other objects

A system and method that enables early detection of hazardous materials, such as explosives and biological materials, in the early phases of mail handling or processing, is disclosed. The early detection of such hazardous material utilizing the system and method of this invention can be performed while the mail is being processed. The system includes at least two primary elements: an activation sub-system and a sense and analyze sub-system.

A portable detection system () for hazardous materials including explosives and infectious or hazardous biological agents readily adapted to conventional mail collection boxes (), rural mailboxes () and the like. The system includes a fan () and a sensor (). The fan () provides sufficient airflow to circulate the air within a mailbox such that the internal air after coming in contact with the contents is directed the sensor for analysis. The air quality can be determined visually (), audibly (), or electronically (). Consequently once such detection is made and the air is verified as being safe, the contents can be removed safely. If it is determined that the air contains some type of hazardous material, further steps can be taken to specifically locate the source of such hazardous material. An alternative embodiment includes a filter () to improve fan efficiency.

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Barton, NY, United States of America

William S Terry