Patent ID: 8444921

Claim:
An interactive interrogator system for detecting a target substance, comprising: a concentration cell; a first sensor tuned to detect the target substance in a range of 1 ppm to 1 ppt, but that may provide a false alarm for an interferent, wherein the first sensor comprises at least one nanotube and the first sensor is situated in the concentration cell; a second sensor which is an ambiguity resolver and which is dependent on a different physical parameter than the first sensor, wherein the second sensor is in a separate cell outside where the first sensor is located; a computerized interrogator that is interactive with a human user, wherein when the first sensor has returned a positive indication for presence of a target substance, the interrogator performs steps comprising: presenting a query sequence to the human user for response, as the user makes response, receiving response data, processing the response data including screening for whether the target substance is actually present in the concentration cell and being detected by the first sensor or whether instead the first sensor is likely to be issuing a false alarm; wherein the interrogator is connected to the ambiguity resolver; a library in a computer-readable form of at least the target substance and possible interferents, wherein the library is contained in or receivable by the interrogator.