Apparatus and methods for viral and bacterial breath collection
AssigneeQuinTron Instrument Company, Inc.
InventorEric L. Hamilton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Breath is used to detect the presence of absence of viruses or bacteria in a test subject. A series of devices can be used to collect a breath specimen. The breath specimen is either passed through a liquid or mixed with a liquid, the liquid capturing the viruses or bacteria contained in the breath. Alternatively, the breath specimen passes a filter medium, and the filter medium captures the viruses or bacteria contained in the breath. Liquid is then passed by the filter medium and collected. Liquids captured by these methods can then be tested by a laboratory, for instance using PCR techniques.
Claims7
An apparatus for sampling exhaled breath of a test subject, the apparatus comprising:
- a breath intake structure;
- a first one-way valve allowing passage of breath through said breath intake structure into an upstream portion of a chamber;
- a sealed vessel containing a volume of liquid and an evacuated portion, said sealed vessel selectively coupled with said chamber;
- a breath introduction passage between said upstream portion of said chamber into said volume of liquid in said sealed vessel, said breath introduction passage comprising a first end positioned within said upstream portion of said chamber, and a second end positioned in said volume of liquid in said sealed vessel;
- a breath escape passage between said evacuated portion of said sealed vessel and a downstream portion of said chamber to allow said breath to escape said sealed vessel, said breath escape passage comprising a first end positioned within said downstream portion of said chamber, and a second end positioned in said evacuated portion of said sealed vessel;
- a self-sealing membrane carried by said sealed vessel, said breath introduction passage and said breath escape passage positioned through said self-sealing membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.