Portable alcohol tester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10247650-B2
Application number	US-201715463064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 21, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A portable electronic alcohol-testing device is provided that uses vaporization and sensitive pressure guages to approximate the alcohol content of a solution. The device may be used, for example, to determine the relative alcohol content of a mixed beverage.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for measuring the alcohol content in a liquid, comprising the steps of
gathering a sample of the liquid into a sampling reservoir,
heating the sample with a heating element to a first temperature of 60° C.-70° C.,
releasing evaporated gas through a pressure relief valve,
using a pressure sensor to obtain a baseline pressure reading,
heating the sample with the heating element to a second temperature different from said first temperature,
using the pressure sensor to obtain a pressure reading after the sample is heated to the second temperature, and
calculating the alcohol content based on a pressure differential between the pressure reading at the second temperature and the baseline pressure reading.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing the calculated alcohol content through a visual indicator.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second temperature is 80° C.-90° C.

4. A method for measuring the alcohol content in a liquid, comprising the steps of
gathering a sample of the liquid into a sampling reservoir,
heating the sample with a heating element to a first temperature,
releasing evaporated gas through a pressure relief valve,
using a pressure sensor to obtain a baseline pressure reading,
heating the sample with the heating element to a second temperature different from said first temperature, wherein the second temperature is 80° C.-90° C.,
using the pressure sensor to obtain a pressure reading after the sample is heated to the second temperature, and
calculating the alcohol content based on a pressure differential between the pressure reading at the second temperature and the baseline pressure reading.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of providing the calculated alcohol content through a visual indicator.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the first temperature is 60° C.-70° C.

Assignees

• Univ Virginia Commonwealth

Inventors

• Kajan Illya
• Saul David
• Solomonov Boris
• Ucci Alex
• Leccadito Matthew

Classifications

• G01N7/16 Primary

  by heating the material · CPC title

• G01N33/146

  containing alcohol · CPC title