Patent ID: 11971353
Assignee: LACRISCIENCES, LLC
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 19:
20. A spatially multiplexed analyte sensing apparatus using surface plasmon resonance, said apparatus comprising:
a hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing;
a sensor attached to said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing and having a sensing surface located in a plane on an outer side of said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing at an end thereof, whereby said sensing surface is disposed for contacting a surface of a liquid sample, said sensing surface being configured to interact with each of a plurality of different types of solutes in the liquid sample;
a light-sensing device disposed inside said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing;
a computer or microprocessor disposed inside said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing and operatively linked to said light-sensing device for receiving therefrom a plurality of electrical signals encoding patterns of light absorption by said sensing surface, said computer or microprocessor being programmed to analyze data from said light-sensing device to determine presence of the different types of solutes in liquid sample in contact with said sensing surface,
wherein said sensing surface is provided with a plurality of different molecular elements or ligands configured to bind with respective ones of said different types of solutes, said plurality of different molecular elements or ligands being attached to said sensing surface and facing outwardly away from said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing for direct contact with said liquid sample, said different molecular elements or ligands being disposed in said plane only within respective predetermined regions that are separate and distinct from each other;
at least one light source disposed inside said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing;
transmission elements disposed inside said hand-holdable housing or hand-holdable casing at least in part between said at least one light source and said sensing surface and configured for directing respective beams of electromagnetic radiation at least approximately simultaneously toward respective ones of said predetermined regions and on an underside of said sensing surface, opposite the liquid sample, with reflected beams from the underside of said sensing surface impinging substantially simultaneously on said light sensing device,
wherein said computer or microprocessor is configured to detect presence of said different types of solutes in said liquid sample substantially simultaneously in response to the reflected beams from the underside of the sensing surface impinging on the light sensing device.