Abstract:
A portable device for use in detecting dangerous materials and illegal substances in shipping containers with the aid of a trained dog. The device is used by a dog handler and constructed to be able to withdraw air from within a shipping container, through a high air vent in it&#39;s sidewall, and present the withdrawn air to the dog to smell. The dog is beside the handler on the ground beside the container when smelling the withdrawn air.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   This invention is directed toward a portable device to be used in locating dangerous material and illegal substances in shipping containers. The device is to be used by a dog handler and his dog. 
   2. Background Art 
   Dangerous material or illegal substances such as explosives and drugs are often shipped into a country in shipping containers. The examination of shipping containers has always been difficult for any country&#39;s customs enforcement administration. The cost of examination is high and only a small percentage of the containers entering a country can be examined. Custom&#39;s enforcement personnel presently rely on intelligence information, expensive technology such as container x-ray systems, and labour intensive and time consuming manual inspections to try to minimize the entry of explosives and drugs into their country via shipping containers. 
   It is well known by custom&#39;s enforcement personnel to use dogs to detect dangerous materials or illegal substances such as explosives or drugs by smell. When the dogs are used to inspect shipping containers, it is necessary to unseal and open a shipping container to be able to have the dog inspect the container for explosives or drugs. Opening up a container for inspection by a dog however is time consuming and expensive. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It has been discovered that a small sample of air drawn from within a container through an existing air vent in the container and passed to a dog outside the container to smell, is sufficient for the dog to quickly tell if the material or substance the dog has been trained to detect is present within the container. The invention relates to a portable air sampling device used for obtaining the small air sample from within a closed container and positioning the sample for the dog to analyse. 
   The portable air sampling device can withdraw air from within the container through a high air vent commonly found on a sidewall of the container and direct it to a dog on the ground, beside the container, to smell. The sampling device is operated by the dog&#39;s handler. The device, which is light in weight, can be carried on the handler&#39;s hip supported by a shoulder strap. The sampling device has an inlet member at one end which is shaped to cover at least part of the vent in the container. The inlet member leads to a light weight conduit which leads to a small, battery operated, fan unit at the other end of the conduit. An outlet is provided from the fan unit for directing the air sample to the dog. An outlet member shaped to receive a dog&#39;s muzzle is preferably mounted to the outlet. The conduit is preferably rigid and telescopic. 
   In use, the handler locates a container to be searched on the ground and manipulates the device to position the inlet member over at least part of the vent on a sidewall of the container. The inlet member preferably has a seal member that bears against the vent to prevent mixing outside air with the air to be withdrawn from the container. Once the inlet member is positioned over the vent, the fan in the fan unit is operated to draw air from within the container and pass it through the vent, through the inlet member, and through the conduit to the fan unit. From the fan unit, the air is passed out of the outlet. The handler has the dog put his muzzle to the outlet to sniff the air passing from the outlet. The device is lightweight enough that the handler can position and operate the device while directing the dog to the outlet. 
   The invention is particularly directed toward a portable device for use in detecting dangerous materials and illegal substances in shipping containers. The device has a conduit with the conduit having an inlet member at one end, the inlet member shaped and sized to at least cover part of a vent on a sidewall of a shipping container. The conduit leads to a fan unit which has an outlet where a dog can smell an air sample taken from the shipping container. With the inlet member covering the vent opening, the fan unit is operated to draw air out of the container through the vent and the conduit to the fan unit and then out of the outlet. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of the portable sampling device in use; 
       FIG. 2  is a detail cross-section view of the inlet member of the device; 
       FIG. 3  is a detail top view of the fan unit; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-section view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a detail cross-section view of the outlet member of the device: and 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of another embodiment of the sampling device. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The portable air sampling device  1 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , has an air conduit  3  having an inlet member  5  at one inlet end  7  of the conduit  3 , a fan unit  9  at the other outlet end  11  of the conduit  3  and an air outlet  13  on the fan unit  9 . 
   The inlet member  5 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , is sized to fit over a vent opening  17  in an air vent  19  on the upper portion of a sidewall  21  of a shipping container  23 . The inlet member  5  has a back wall  25  and a sidewall  27  extending from the back wall  25  shaped to fit about the vent opening  17 . The free edge  29  of the sidewall  27  can have a soft seal  31  attached thereon to abut the vent  19  encircling the vent opening  17 . The seal  31  can be made of a polyurethane, such as visco-elastic polyurethane foam, or any other suitable air-sealing material. When the inlet member  5  is placed over the vent opening  17  in the vent  19  on the container  23  to have seal  31  on the edge  29  of its sidewall  27  abut the vent  19 , it is sized to enclose the vent opening  17  in the vent  19 . An inlet opening  33  in the back wall  25  of the inlet member  5  connects to the conduit  3 . The vent opening  17  has been shown as a single opening but it usually comprises a cluster of small perforations in the outer wall of the vent  19 . The inlet member  5  is sized to cover the cluster. 
   The conduit  3  is a rigid, light-weight, tube preferably made of aluminum, and preferably telescopic. The inlet end  7  of the conduit  3  is suitably attached to the back wall  25  of the inlet member  5 . Preferably, the inlet member  5  is detachably connected to the conduit  3 . A swivel connection (not shown) could be provided between the inlet member  5  and the conduit  3  to allow the inlet member  5  to swivel with respect to the conduit  3  so as to allow the inlet member  5  to be placed flush on the vent  19  irregardless of the angle the conduit  3  makes with the vent  19 . The outlet end  11  of the conduit  3  can be fixedly or detachably connected to the fan unit  9 . 
   The fan unit  9 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , has a generally cylindrical, elongated, casing  41 . A fan  43  is rotatably mounted within the casing  41  adjacent one end  45 , the fan  43  operated by an adjacent motor  47 . The motor  47  can be operated by a battery  49  located adjacent the other end  51  of the casing. The casing  41  has an inlet opening  53  at the one end  45  into which the outlet end  11  of the conduit  3  is suitably connected. The air outlet  13  is provided in the casing  41  at the other end  51  opposite the conduit  3 . The fan  47  passes air from the conduit  3  through the casing  41  and out the air outlet  13 . A harness  55  is preferably attached to the casing  41  of the fan unit  9 , the harness  55  carrying a belt and a shoulder strap for use by the handler in carrying the device. 
   In use, the dog handler positions the inlet member  5  of the device  1  over a the vent opening  17  in a vent  19  on a container  21  to be checked for dangerous material or illegal substances and then starts the fan  47  in the fan unit  9  with a switch (not shown). The fan  47  operates to withdraw air from within the container out through the vent opening  17 , through the conduit  3 , and out the air outlet  13 . While manipulating the device  1  to keep the inlet member  5  against the vent  19  covering the vent opening  17 , the handler has the dog place his snout to the air outlet  13  to smell the air obtained from the container. 
   To obtain a more concentrated air sample for the dog to smell, the air outlet  13  is preferably provided with an outlet member  59  shaped to receive the muzzle of the dog. The outlet member  59 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , has a relatively truncated, cone shape. The outlet member  59  can be made from leather or a suitable moldable, plastic material that is flexible yet stiff enough to generally retain its shape. The outlet member  59  can be attached directly to the casing  41 , or to a short conduit (not shown), rigid or flexible, leading from the air outlet  13  in the casing  41 . 
   The conduit  3  has been described as being rigid. It could however be flexible as shown by conduit  3 A in  FIG. 6 . A rigid rod  61  can be attached between the casing  41  and the inlet member  5  to support the inlet member and the attached conduit  3 A. The rod  61  could be made adjustable in length or its point of attachment on the casing  41  could be varied to adjust its operative length. 
   If desired, the casing  41  can carry a tripod(not shown) on its bottom which could be opened up to support the fan unit  9 , and thus the device, on the ground while the air sample is being taken. Different sized inlet members  5  could be used to match different sized vent outlets  17  on the container, the members being easily changeable. The inlet members  5  have been described as having a seal made from a soft sealing material. The outlet member  5  could however be made in one piece from the sealing material. The outlet member  5  has also been described as being sized to enclose a vent opening on a vent. The outlet member  5  could however also be sized to enclose the entire vent  19 , bearing against the sidewall  21  of the container instead of on the vent. Different sized outlet members  59  could also be used to match the muzzle size of the dogs being used so that the dog&#39;s muzzle has a snug fit with the outlet member  59 .