Patent ID: 8828737
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying a biological particle of interest in a sample medium, said method comprising: a) passing a sample medium, which may or may not include a biological particle of interest, past a focused light beam formed by passing a collimated light beam through an acceptance aperture to narrow the width of the beam, b) using focused light scattering techniques to prepare a spectrum showing particle size distribution from within the sample medium, and c) identifying the presence or absence of the biological particle of interest with a known size, by comparing the sizes of the particles in the sample medium with the known size of the particle of interest, wherein if particles in the sample medium are identified as having a size in the range of the size of known particles of interest, then the sample medium is said to include said known particles of interest, and wherein said focused light scattering techniques involve sensing single particles suspended in a sample medium when the sample medium is passed through a focused beam of light, such that, when the focused beam of light passes through the sample medium without being scattered by a particle, the beam passes on to a photodetector and the intensity is measured, wherein the focused beam is of a size such that a particle in the size range of 0.1 to 10 μm is sufficient to block all of the beam, or a significant enough part of the beam, so that the particle size can be measured, and when the beam is scattered, in whole or in part, by a particle, the intensity of the beam hitting the photodetector is altered, and the particle size and/or concentration are calculated using light-extinction, light-scattering detection, or both.