Patent ID: 8088332

Claim:
A portable chemical analytical apparatus, comprising: a shipping container; a housing adapted to be mounted on or in the shipping container; a chemical reservoir insertable into the housing; a plurality of disposable test swipes for sequential dispensing, wherein each disposable test swipe is sequentially dispensed by an actuator in a disc or an automated cartridge, each test swipe upon contact with one or more chemicals in concert with heating and time profiles, displays a sequence of a plurality of color reactions unique to multiple analytes, including explosives, drugs, or household chemicals; a programmable thin-film heater to accurately heat and hold the disposable test swipe to a plurality of predetermined temperatures each at a predetermined hold time and then return to a start temperature; a clamp to uniformly secure the disposable test swipe to the thin-film heater; one or more pumps programmed to automatically dispense repeatable and accurate volumes on one or more chemicals from a disposable cartridge onto the disposable test swipe in concert with heating and time profiles to evoke a sequence of a plurality of color reactions unique to predetermined multiple analytes, including explosives, drugs, or household chemicals; a programmable fan to remove chemical vapors rising a predetermined distance from the test swipe but leaving vapors immediately in contact with the swipe; and an automated programmable camera and optics system to automatically and uniformly light and capture a sequence of multiple images of color changes occurring over heat, chemical reaction and time profiles on the test swipe for an immediate automated analysis to specifically and uniquely identify an analyte of interest from the predetermined multiple analytes and for real-time viewing on a display screen by an operator providing a secondary level of assessment.