# US 9,752,935 B2 · Portable analytical equipment

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- Number: US 9,752,935 B2
- Document ID: US9752935B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/835,638
- Filed: 2015-08-25
- Published: 2016-03-03
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2014-08-29
- Assignees: MarqMetrix, Inc.
- Applicants: MarqMetrix, Inc.
- Inventors: Brian James Marquardt; John Scott Van Vuren
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9752935B2

## CPC

- G01J 3/44: Raman spectrometry; Scattering spectrometry {; Fluorescence spectrometry}
- G01J 3/0218: {using optical fibers}
- G01J 3/0264: {Electrical interface; User interface}
- G01J 3/027: {Control of working procedures of a spectrometer; Failure detection; Bandwidth calculation}
- G01J 3/0272: {Handheld}
- G01N 21/65: Raman scattering
- G01N 2201/0221: Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
- G08B 5/36: using visible light sources
- G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS

## Abstract

Portable analytical equipment, systems, methods, and techniques related thereto is disclosed. Portable analytical equipment can comprise a controller and a probe. The probe can interrogate a sample and receive a response to the interrogation. The controller can select and/or initiate an analysis related to interrogating the sample via the probe. The analysis can be selected from a portfolio of analyses stored on the controller. The controller can analyze the response to the interrogation based on reference data stored on the controller. The controller can determine an indication based on the analyzing the response for presentation via a low-power interface, which can comprise an LED or electrophoretic element. The controller can further be connected to an external device, e.g., a smartphone or remote PC, to present collected data and the analyzing of the response to the interrogation. The disclosed subject matter can be employed in hand-held analytical equipment, e.g., a hand-held Raman spectrometer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device, comprising:
a controller portion, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
selecting an analysis profile related to performing an optical interrogation of a sample;
initiating the optical interrogation based on the analysis profile;
receiving an optical response to the optical interrogation of the sample;
in response to analyzing the optical response, determining a result of the optical interrogation of the sample; and
indicating a condition related to the sample, via a condition indicator portion of the controller portion, based on the result of the optical interrogation of the sample; and
a probe portion, comprising:
an optical interface configured to facilitate performance of the optical interrogation of the sample, wherein the sample is in direct contact with a portion of a lensing optical element of the optical interface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the condition indicator portion comprises a light emitting diode (LED) for indicating the condition, and wherein the LED is a discrete electrical component.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the LED emits a first color for indicating a first condition and a second color for indicating a second condition.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the condition indicator portion comprises a plurality of LEDs, and a combination of emitting and non-emitting LEDs of the plurality of LEDs indicates the condition, and wherein the LEDs of the plurality of LEDs are discrete electrical components.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the condition indicator portion comprises an electrophoretic element for indicating the condition.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the selecting the analysis profile is selected from a portfolio of analyses, comprising the analysis profile, stored in the memory of the device to facilitate conducting different optical analyses.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein the analysis profile is updateable in the portfolio of analyses stored in the memory of the device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the optical response comprises receiving a known optical spectrum.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The device of claim 8, wherein the known optical spectrum is stored in the memory of the device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the optical interface comprises a spherical or generally spherical lens element at an interface to the sample, and wherein the sample is in direct contact with a portion of the spherical or generally spherical lens element at the interface to the sample.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the probe portion is at least partially retractable into a handle portion of the device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the controller portion communicates the result of the optical interrogation to a user equipment distinct from the device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the initiating the optical interrogation of the sample is in response to receiving user input to the device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the initiating the optical interrogation of the sample is in response to determining that the condition related to the sample has changed.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the initiating the optical interrogation of the sample is in response to receiving a trigger signal from another device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the optical interrogation comprises Raman spectrometry.

### Claim 17

A system, comprising:
a portable optical analysis device, comprising:
a controller portion that performs an optical interrogation of a sample;
a result indicator portion that indicates a result of the optical interrogation; and
a probe portion that in-situ optically interrogates the sample via direct contact between the sample and a lens element of the probe portion; and
an interface device, distinct from the portable optical analysis device, comprising:
a display that displays at least a portion of the result of the optical interrogation;
a user interface that enables modification of a parameter of the portable optical analysis device; and
a wireless radio that enables communication between the interface device and the portable optical analysis device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the portable optical analysis device comprises a memory or a removable storage device communicatively coupled to the controller portion.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the controller portion of the portable optical analysis device receives information related to one or more reference optical spectra stored on the memory or the removable storage device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the controller portion of the portable optical analysis device is configured to access one or more optical analysis profiles stored on the memory or the removable storage device.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein a reference optical spectra or an optical analysis profile stored on the memory or the removable storage device is updated via the interface device.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21, wherein the update via the interface device comprises a wireless connection between the portable optical analysis device and the wireless radio of the interface device.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21, wherein the update via the interface device comprises a wired connection between the portable optical analysis device and the interface device.

### Claim 24 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the result indicator portion comprises at least one LED and the at least one LED enables the portable optical analysis device to indicate a result of the optical interrogation of the sample via a color of an emission from the at least one LED or a pattern of emissions and non-emissions for the at least one LED.

### Claim 25

A computer readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:
selecting an analysis profile related to performing an optical interrogation of a sample via an optical interface configured to perform the optical interrogation of the sample while a lens of the optical interface is in direct contact with the sample;
initiating the optical interrogation based on the analysis profile;
receiving an optical response to the optical interrogation of the sample;
in response to analyzing the optical response, determining a result of the optical interrogation of the sample; and
indicating a condition related to the sample, via a condition indicator portion of the controller portion, based on the result of the optical interrogation of the sample.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The computer readable storage device of claim 25, wherein the selecting an analysis profile comprises performing the optical interrogation of the sample via an in-situ optical interface.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The computer readable storage device of claim 25, wherein the selecting an analysis profile comprises performing the optical interrogation comprising Ramen spectrometry.

### Claim 28 (depends on 25)

The computer readable storage device of claim 25, wherein the selecting the analysis profile is selected from a portfolio of analyses, comprising the analysis profile, stored in a memory to facilitate conducting different optical analyses.