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:
Nov. 30, 2010
Filed:
Feb. 29, 2008
Robert M. Wingo, Los Alamos, NM (US);
Kirsten J. Mccabe, Los Alamos, NM (US);
Timothy K. Haarmann, Jemez Pueblo, NM (US);
Robert M. Wingo, Los Alamos, NM (US);
Kirsten J. McCabe, Los Alamos, NM (US);
Timothy K. Haarmann, Jemez Pueblo, NM (US);
U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides an apparatus for the detection of volatile and semi-volatile chemicals using the olfactory abilities of honey bees that are trained to respond to the presence of a specific chemical in a sample of gas with the proboscis extension reflex (PER). In particular, the geometry and arrangement of the parts of the apparatus are such that the amount of surface area in contact with the sample of gas prior to its introduction to the bees is minimized to improve the detection of particular volatile and semi-volatile that have a tendency to 'stick' to contacting surfaces, especially certain chemicals associated with explosives and narcotics. According to another aspect of the present invention, a pre-concentrating means is incorporated with the device to effectively increase the concentration of 'sticky' chemicals presented to the insects.