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1ST Detect Awarded US Patent for Improving Mass Spectrometer Performance

12-Jun-2014 | Source : | Visits : 6071
AUSTIN, Texas - 1st Detect Corporation, a subsidiary of Astrotech Corporation, announced today in a press release that the United States Patent Office (“USPTO”) has allowed the issuance of a key patent for controlling the company’s unique ion trap used for chemical analysis and detection. 
 
 
“We are extremely pleased that the USPTO has allowed this patent. This patent further strengthens our intellectual property portfolio as it allows 1st Detect to maintain the stable performance of large laboratory instruments, yet keep the size and weight of a small, transportable instrument." Said Thomas B Pickens III, Chairman and CEO of 1st Detect. “The patent clearly validates our technology, while both demonstrating and protecting the progress we have made in the development of the 1st Detect mass spectrometer.”
 
US Patent No. 8,754,361, entitled, ‘Systems and Methods for Adjusting a Mass Spectrometer Output,'
represents a key technological advantage for 1st Detect to produce the stable output required of portable
small mass spectrometers without increasing the cost or complexity of the instrument.
 
“The technology protected by this patent demonstrates our ability to offer small, affordable mass
spectrometers that produce the highest quality, most stable output, a critical requirement for deploying
mass spectrometry outside of the traditional laboratory setting.” added David Rafferty, the inventor of the
novel technology and President and CTO of 1st Detect.
 
1st Detect Corporation has developed an instrument that revolutionizes the chemical detection and
analysis market by delivering lab performance mass spectrometry in a small, affordable and easily
portable package. The 1st Detect mass spectrometer is capable of detecting a wide variety of chemicals
including residues and vapors from explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic chemicals, food and
beverage contaminants, and pollutants. These abilities make it an ideal tool for a variety of applications
in the research, security, industrial, process flow and healthcare markets.
 
1st Detect Corporation was formed by Astrotech Corporation to develop and commercialize miniature mass spectrometer technology first developed under an agreement with NASA for use on the International Space Station. 1st Detect offers a breakthrough miniaturized mass spectrometer that fills an unmet need by being highly accurate, rapid, lightweight, and cost-effective. For more information on 1st Detect Corporation, please visit www.1stDetect.com
 
Astrotech is one of the first space commerce companies and remains a strong entrepreneurial force in the
aerospace industry. We are leaders in identifying, developing and marketing space technology for
commercial use. Our Astrotech Space Operations business unit serves our government and commercial
satellite and spacecraft customers with pre-launch services on the eastern and western range. 1st Detect
Corporation has developed a breakthrough miniature mass spectrometer, while Astrogenetix Inc. is a
biotechnology company utilizing microgravity as a research platform for drug discovery and development.
 
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