Patent ID: 7354429

Claim:
A device for detecting a chemical or biological agent and treating a person if the person is exposed to the agent, the device comprising: a unit sufficiently small and light-weight to be carried by a person, the unit comprising at least one antidote for at least one agent selected from the group consisting of chemical and biological agents, means for selecting the at least one antidote, means for delivering the at least one antidote into the body of the person, and means for communication between the selecting means and the delivering means; and means for detecting the presence of the at least one agent in a fluid sample near the person, the detecting means being in communication with the selecting means and operable to detect the agent in the fluid sample, identify the at least one antidote as being capable of counteracting the agent and if the agent is detected then cause the delivering means to deliver the at least one antidote into the body of the person; wherein the delivering means comprises: a tube comprising a freestanding tube portion through which the at least one antidote flows; means for vibrating the freestanding tube portion of the tube at a resonant frequency thereof that varies with the density of the at least one antidote flowing therethrough, the Coriolis effect causing the freestanding tube portion to twist while being vibrated at resonance, the freestanding tube portion exhibiting a degree of twist that varies with the mass flow rate of the at least one antidote flowing therethrough; means for sensing movement of the freestanding tube portion of the tube, the movement-sensing means producing a first output signal based on the resonant frequency of the freestanding tube portion and a second output signal based on the degree of twist of the freestanding tube portion; means for measuring elapsed time during which the at least one antidote has flowed through the tube; and means for stopping flow of the at least one antidote through the tube in response to either of the first and second output signals from the movement-sensing means.