Substance detecting apparatus

An apparatus for utilizing a plurality of sensors, each sensor having a test strip with a sensitive area surrounded by a slidably displaceable sheath in a stowed configuration wherein the sensitive area of each sensor is configured to detect the presence of a certain substance in a liquid test specimen, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) a carrier having a plurality of spaced-apart openings;
• (b) a loading portion structured and configured to:
• (1) receive a plurality of said sensors positioned upright therein wherein a user is enabled to cause the plurality of said sensors to be operatively and frictionally inserted through the plurality of openings of the carrier, and
• (2) cause sheaths of the plurality of said sensors to be slidably displaced from their stowed configurations thereby exposing predetermined lengths of sensitive areas of the plurality of said sensors;
• (c) a testing portion including:
• (1) a base,
• (2) a container alignable with the base, and
• (3) a testing platform adjustably mounted to the base and structured to support the carrier with the plurality of said sensors inserted therethrough wherein only specified lengths of the predetermined lengths of the sensitive areas of the plurality of said sensors are submerged in a test specimen contained in the container;
• and
• (d) an extracting portion structured and configured to receive the carrier with the plurality of said sensors inserted therethrough, the extracting portion including:
• (1) a comb-like element structured and configured to operatively displace the sheaths of the plurality of said sensors thereby returning the sheaths to their stowed configurations, and
• (2) an end wall with studs structured and configured to operatively eject the plurality of said sensors from the carrier.

An apparatus for utilizing a plurality of sensors, each sensor having a test strip with a sensitive area surrounded by a slidably displaceable sheath in a stowed configuration wherein the sensitive area is configured to detect the presence of a certain substance in a liquid test specimen, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) a carrier having a plurality of spaced-apart openings;
• (b) a loading portion including:
• (1) a loading platform having an upper surface and a plurality of slots corresponding to the plurality of openings of the carrier, and
• (2) a lower wall having a plurality of recesses corresponding to the plurality of slots of the loading platform wherein each sensor of a plurality of said sensors can be placed upright relative to a respective slot of the loading platform and a respective recess of the lower wall corresponding to that slot,
• (3) the upper surface of the loading platform being spaced from the lower wall wherein:
• (A) as the carrier is positioned above the plurality of said sensors placed upright in the loading portion and displaced downwardly, the plurality of said sensors are caused to be frictionally inserted through the openings of the carrier, and
• (B) as the carrier is further displaced downwardly until it abuttingly engages the upper surface of the platform, sheaths of the plurality of said sensors are displaced upwardly from their stowed configurations thereby operatively allowing sensitive areas of the plurality of said sensors to be extended into respective recesses of the lower wall thereby exposing predetermined lengths of the sensitive areas beyond their sheaths of the plurality of said sensors;
• (c) a testing portion including:
• (1) a base,
• (2) a testing platform adjustably mounted to the base and structured to support the carrier with the plurality of said sensors inserted therethrough wherein only specified lengths of the predetermined lengths of the sensitive areas of the plurality of said sensors are submerged in a test specimen contained in the container;
• (3) a container alignable with the base, and
• (4) a gauge element configured to enable a user, in conjunction with the adjustable testing platform, to position the testing platform wherein only specified lengths of the sensitive areas of the plurality of sensors are operatively submerged in the test specimen;
• (d) an extracting portion structured and configured to receive the carrier with the plurality of said sensors inserted therethrough, the extracting portion including:
• (1) a comb-like element having a plurality of spaced-apart fingers corresponding to respective openings of the carrier, and
• (2) an end wall with a plurality of studs extending toward the comb-like element and corresponding to respective openings of the carrier,
• (3) wherein after the fingers of the comb-like element have been inserted between the carrier and the sheaths of the plurality of said sensors inserted through the openings of the carrier:
• (A) displacement of the carrier toward the end wall until the studs abut the plurality of said sensors whereupon the fingers of the comb-like element have slidingly displaced the sheaths returning them to their stowed configurations, and
• (B) continued displacement of the carrier toward the end wall until the carrier abuttingly engages the end wall thereby causing the studs to eject the plurality of said sensors from the openings of the carrier.