System and method for determining a concentration of a compound in a solvent

• US 9,909,979 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Engineered Medical Technologies
• Original Assignee: Engineered Medical Technologies
• Inventors: Cowger, Bryan John, Babb, Megan Anzar, Chang, Peichen
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Tarifur
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, Md M
• Application Number:
  US15/046,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20160161399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 356434
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/42 using electric radiation detectors optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0367 Supports of cells, e.g. pivotable
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1751 Constructive features therefore, e.g. using two measurement cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/13 Moving of cuvettes or solid samples to or from the investigating station handling materials for automatic analysis G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/33 using ultraviolet light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0446 Multicell plate, sequential
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's

Abstract

The present describes a system and method for determining the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) including a tray comprising a first analyte including an infusion of a solvent and cannabis, a light emitting element configured to illuminate the first analyte, a light receiving element configured to receive a first light transmitted through the first analyte, and a control circuit configured to calculate a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol in the first analyte based at least in part on the first light.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a tray including;

a bottom including a first concave portion to contain a first analyte having a compound and a solvent and a second concave portion to contain a second analyte having the solvent;

a top including a first convex portion and a second convex portion;

a coupling mechanism to removably attach the top to the bottom to thereby mate the first convex portion to the first concave portion distributing the first analyte substantially evenly across the first concave portion and to mate and the second convex portion to the second concave portion distributing the second analyte substantially evenly across the second concave portion;

a light emitting device configured to generate a light to illuminate the first analyte and the second analyte contained in the tray;

a light receiving device configured to receive a first portion of the light transmitted through the first analyte and configured to receive a second portion of the light transmitted through the second analyte; and

a control circuit configured to determine a concentration of the compound in the first analyte based at least in part on a comparison of the first portion of the light transmitted through the first analyte and the second portion of the light transmitted through the second analyte.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first analyte includes a first compound and a first solvent;

and

wherein the second analyte includes the first solvent.

3. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the coupling mechanism removably attaches the bottom portion to the top portion maintaining the first analyte or the second analyte at a predetermined substantially even thickness across the first concave feature or the second concave feature, respectively.

4. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the bottom portion further includes a well surrounding the first concave feature and the second concave feature;

wherein the top portion further includes a rim surrounding the first convex feature and the second convex feature; and

wherein the rim is received within the well when the coupling mechanism removably attaches the bottom portion to the top portion to define a capture area that contains an excess of the first analyte or the second analyte.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a disposable absorbent liner positioned within the well to absorb the excess of the first analyte or the second analyte.

6. The tray apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first concave feature or the second concave feature is spherical or aspherical.

7. The tray apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first convex feature or the second convex feature is spherical or aspherical.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one alignment feature to align the first concave feature to the first convex feature or to align the second concave feature to the second convex feature.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one alignment feature to uniformly vertically space the top from the bottom.

10. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the light emitting device is further configured to illuminate the second analyte in the second concave feature;

wherein the light receiving device is further configured to receive the second portion of the light transmitted through the second analyte; and

wherein the control circuit is further configured to calculate the concentration of the compound in the first analyte based at least in part on the first portion of the light and the second portions of the light.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a locking feature to lock the top to the bottom.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display to display the concentration of the compound in the first analyte.

13. A method, comprising:

containing a first analyte having a compound and a solvent in a first concave portion of a bottom of a tray;

containing a second analyte having the solvent in a second concave portion of the bottom of the tray;

including a first convex portion and a second convex portion in a top of the tray;

removably mating the first convex portion to the first concave portion distributing the first analyte substantially evenly across the first concave portion and removably mating the second convex portion to the second concave portion distributing the second analyte substantially evenly across the second concave portion;

generating a light to illuminate the first analyte and the second analyte contained in the tray;

receiving a first portion of the light transmitted through the first analyte;

receiving a second portion of the light transmitted through the second analyte; and

determining a concentration of the compound in the first analyte based at least in part on a comparison of the first portion of the light transmitted through the first analyte and the second portion of the light transmitted through the second analyte.