Acid monitoring kit

• US 4,960,565 A
• Filed: 03/14/1989
• Issued: 10/02/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ecostix Environmental Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ecostix Environmental Incorporated
• Inventors: Shurben, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muir, Gregory R.
• Application Number:
  US07/322,987
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 423/55, 423/56, 423/57, 423/61, 423/58, 436/125, 436/163, 436/810, 210/749, 210/169, 210/514, 210/515, 210/96.1, D10/104
• US Class Current: 422/401
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5055 Hinged, e.g. opposable surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/221 for investigating pH value
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/81 Tube, bottle, or dipstick

Abstract

An acid monitoring kit is provided which is especially useful for monitoring acid rain. The kit includes a base plate having three discrete areas. One area is provided with a plurality of discrete separable bibulous pH indicator strips, each strip being impregnated with a selected acid-base indicator which is visually recognizable as at least one unique color in each such bibulous pH indicator strip when the bibulous strip is dry, and as a different color upon being wetted with water, the different color being dependent on the pH of the water. A second discrete area is provided with a plurality of color comparison reference standards in a plurality of zones, each zone being of a unique color which corresponds to the color of the water-wetted bibulous pH indictor strip, whereby comparison of the unique color of the pH indicator strip with the unique color of the reference standard provides an indication of the pH of the water. A third discrete area is also labelled to provide the requisite information for the use of such acid monitoring kit to correlate the unique color developed in the bibulous pH indicator strip to a unique color of the reference standard to provide an indication of the pH of the water.

Claims

1. An acid monitoring kit comprising:

a base having;

(i) one discrete area provided with a plurality of discrete separable, bibulous, pH indicator strips, each strip being impregnated with at least one selected acid-base indicator, said acid-base indicator being visually recognizable as at least one unique color on each said bibulous pH indicator strip when said bibulous strip is dry, and as a different color upon being wetted with water, said different color being dependent on the pH of said water;

(ii) a second discrete area provided with a plurality of color comparison reference standards in a plurality of zones, each zone being of a unique color which corresponds to the color of said water-wetted, bibulous pH indicator strip, whereby comparison of the unique color of said pH indicator strip with the unique color of said reference standard provides an indication of the pH of said water; and

(iii) a third discrete area labelled to provide requisite information for the use of said acid monitoring kit, to correlate the unique color developed in said bibulous pH indicator strip to a unique color of said reference standard to provide an indication of the pH of the water.

2. The acid monitoring kit of claim 1 wherein said bibulous strips are non-bleeding rectangular strips.

3. The acid monitoring kit of claim 1, wherein said base comprises a base plate formed of cardboard, said base plate including two said discrete areas in the form of panels hingedly-connected in seriatim to one another through an intermediate panel.

4. The acid monitoring kit of claim 3, wherein said third discrete area comprises an area on the rear face of said first discrete area or on the rear face of said second discrete area, said face being imprinted with instructions for the use of said acid monitoring kit to correlate the unique color developed in said bibulous pH indicator strip to a unique color of said reference standard to provide an indication of the pH of said water.

5. The acid monitoring kit of claim 1, wherein said bibulous strips are of a cellulosic material.

6. The acid monitoring kit of claim 2, wherein said acid-base indicator is an organic dye selected from the group consisting of Congo Red, Brilliant Yellow, Litmus, Neutral Red, Bromophenol Red, Phenol Red, Thymol Blue, or Methyl Red.

7. The acid monitoring kit of claim 6, wherein each of said bibulous strips has two, distinct unique differently-colored visually-recognizable areas.

8. The acid monitoring kit of claim 2, including a zone on each said bibulous strip which may be gripped by the fingers of the user.

9. The acid monitoring kit of claim 1, wherein said color comparison standard comprises fourteen columns, each column including four distinct, unique, differently-colored, visually-recognizable areas.

10. The acid monitoring kit of claim 1, wherein said color comparison standard comprises six columns, each column;

having at least two distinct, unique, differently-colored visible, visually recognizable areas representative of increasing acidity, and also including indicia indicative of which fish cannot are unlikely to survive at the designated pH represented by said unique color.

11. The acid monitoring kit of claim 6, wherein each of said bibulous strips has three distinct, unique, differently-colored, visually-recognizable areas.

12. The acid monitoring kit of claim 6, wherein each of said bibulous strips has four distinct, unique, different colored, visually-recognizable areas.

13. An acid monitoring kit formed of a cardboard base plate including two discrete areas in the form of two panels hingedly connected in seriatim to one another by way of a connecting panel, wherein:

a first discrete area (i) is provided with a plurality of discrete separable, bibulous, pH indicator strips, each strip comprising a non-bleeding rectangular strip, each strip having two unique visually-recognizable areas and a zone thereon which may be gripped by the fingers of the user provided by being impregnated with at least two selected acid-base indicators, said acid-base indicator being visually recognizable as at least one unique color on each of said bibulous pH indicator strip when said bibulous strip is dry and as a different color upon being wetted with water, said different color being dependent on the pH of said water;

a second discrete area (ii) is provided with

seven distinct rectangular areas, each area including two unique different colors, thereby providing a plurality of color comparison reference standards in a plurality of zones, each zone being of a unique color which corresponds to the color of said water-wetted bibulous pH indicator strip, whereby comparison of the unique color of said pH indicator strip with the unique color of said reference standard provides an indication of the pH of said water, and, by reference to indicia thereon, to indicate which fish are unlikely to be found in the water which wetted said bibulous strip and a third discrete area (iii) is on the back face of said first discrete panel, said back face being imprinted with instructions for the use of said acid monitoring kit to correlate the unique color developed in said bibulous pH indicator strip tp a unique color on said reference standard, to provide an indication of the pH of the water.

14. A kit adapted to assist in the determination of the likely presence of aquatic species in a body of water in dependence upon a determined pH for said body of water, said kit comprising in combination:

first and second base members hingedly connected to one another so as to be relatively foldable between closed and opened conditions;

a plurality of discrete, separable, bibulous, pH indicator strips attached to said first base member so as to be covered by said second base member when said first and second base members are in said closed condition thereof, and being exposed when said first and second members are in said opened condition thereof so as to allow a user to separate at least one of said indicator strips from said first member;

each said indicator strip being provided with a pH test region which consists essentially of an acid-base indicator which changes from a normal color when dry to a visually perceptible unique color when wetted with water from said body of water being tested, wherein said unique color is indicative of the pH of the body of water being tested;

a plurality of color comparison reference standards imprinted upon said second member, each said color comparison reference standard corresponding to one possible pH indicative unique color of said wetted indicator strip; and

a plurality of information zones each being associated with a respective one of said color comparison reference standards for identifying the likely presence of aquatic species in the body of water being tested in dependence upon the pH of the body of water corresponding to said respective color comparison reference standard, whereby matching the unique color of said wetted indicator strip with one of said color comparison reference standards will allow a user to determine the likely presence of aquatic species in said body of water by virtue of said associated information zones.

15. The kit of claim 14 wherein said bibulous pH indicator strips are non-bleeding rectangular strips.