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:
Sep. 21, 2010
Filed:
Jul. 18, 2006
Charles J. Call, Albuquerque, NM (US);
Charles J. Call, Albuquerque, NM (US);
MesoSystems Technology, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (US);
Abstract
Particles are removed from a fluid stream, such as air, and are deposited on one or more collection surfaces. A pre-filter can be employed to reject oversized particles and contaminants, such as rain and insects. A concentrator is employed to increase a concentration of particles larger than a pre-defined particle size in at least a portion of the fluid, producing a concentrated volume of fluid. The concentrator and pre-filter can, for example, be virtual impactors. The concentrated volume of fluid/air is directed to the collection surface(s), where particles in the concentrated volume of air are deposited. In at least one embodiment, the collection surface is a bed of beads, reducing loss of particles that might occur due to particles bouncing from a single collection surface. A sampling component removes a portion of the deposited particles to generate a sample, which is analyzed by an analytical component.