The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 21, 2007
Filed:
Aug. 11, 2004
Eric E. Gard, San Francisco, CA (US);
Keith R. Coffee, Patterson, CA (US);
Matthias Frank, Oakland, CA (US);
Herbert J. Tobias, Kensington, CA (US);
David P. Fergenson, Alamo, CA (US);
Norm Madden, Livermore, CA (US);
Vincent J. Riot, Berkeley, CA (US);
Paul T. Steele, Livermore, CA (US);
Bruce W. Woods, Livermore, CA (US);
Eric E. Gard, San Francisco, CA (US);
Keith R. Coffee, Patterson, CA (US);
Matthias Frank, Oakland, CA (US);
Herbert J. Tobias, Kensington, CA (US);
David P. Fergenson, Alamo, CA (US);
Norm Madden, Livermore, CA (US);
Vincent J. Riot, Berkeley, CA (US);
Paul T. Steele, Livermore, CA (US);
Bruce W. Woods, Livermore, CA (US);
The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US);
Abstract
An improved method and system of identifying individual aerosol particles in real time. Sample aerosol particles are collimated, tracked, and screened to determine which ones qualify for mass spectrometric analysis based on predetermined qualification or selection criteria. Screening techniques include one or more of determining particle size, shape, symmetry, and fluorescence. Only qualifying particles passing all screening criteria are subject to desorption/ionization and single particle mass spectrometry to produce corresponding test spectra, which is used to determine the identities of each of the qualifying aerosol particles by comparing the test spectra against predetermined spectra for known particle types. In this manner, activation cycling of a particle ablation laser of a single particle mass spectrometer is reduced.