Patent ID: 6454939
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A hand portable thin-layer chromatography illumination box and camera system for on-site field analysis comprising:a portable housing having a top section and a bottom section, wherein an inner peripheral surface of said top section slidably engages on an outer peripheral surface of said bottom section thereby allowing said housing to change from a fully expanded state to a reduced volume state by slidably collapsing said top section over said bottom section and change dimensions of said box, at least one light source in the housing positioned at the top section thereof, a means for placing a thin-layer chromatography plate into the housing disposed at the bottom section of the housing and below the at least one light source; an aperture on an upper surface of the top section of the housing above the at least one light source for imaging the thin-layer chromatography plate with a camera, and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera having its lens positioned at the aperture.