Patent ID: 7057724

Claim:
In a system for identifying unknown microscopic particles in a fluid, which includes a plurality of field units at different locations, wherein each field unit has an interrogation system that produces raw data interrogation patterns that are each unique to an unknown particle that is interrogated, and each field unit has a field unit computer that attempts to identify those particles as one of a plurality of known species of particles by comparing a raw data interrogation pattern produced during interrogation of the unknown particles with stored interrogation patterns of known species of particles, the improvement wherein: said field unit computers each has a known-species-patterns memory that stores raw data interrogation patterns produced by each of said known species; and including a central station that is connected through a communication link to said field unit computers, and that transmits signals representing a group of new raw data interrogation patterns for a known new species of microscopic particles, said field unit computer being constructed to receive said signals representing new interrogation patterns for new species and to thereafter add said interrogation patterns to its known-species-patterns memory.