Patent ID: 8722417
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: A61B,C12Q,G01D,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A hand-held apparatus for sensing an analyte in a breath, the apparatus comprising: a fluid collecting device configured to collect the breath containing the analyte, wherein the fluid collecting device comprises a mouthpiece; a fluid input in fluid communication with the fluid collecting device configured to input the breath containing the analyte into the fluid collecting device, a test strip movably disposed in the fluid collecting device, the test strip comprising an analyte interactant disposed in a plurality of respective regions such that the test strip is usable on more than one occasion, the analyte interactant in fluid communication with the fluid collecting device when the test strip is inserted into the fluid collecting device, wherein the analyte interactant, when contacted by the analyte, reacts to cause a first change in thermal energy within the fluid collecting device; a modulator that causes a second change in thermal energy; a thermal sensing device comprising at least one pyroelectric device thermally coupled to the fluid collecting device to generate a first signal in response to at least one of the first change in thermal energy and the second change in thermal energy; and a control device operatively coupled to the thermal sensing device and the modulator that generates a second signal, wherein the second signal comprises information useful in characterizing the analyte.