Saliva container with optical volume indicator

摘要

A device with a vessel for saliva that has one or more optical indicators to show the volume of saliva in the container. The optical indicators use the principle of total internal reflection together with the difference in refractive index between saliva and air. In embodiments, suitable visual indicators are either visible or invisible, when reflecting surfaces are either not immersed or immersed in saliva or vice versa. The device may comprise a vessel with a saliva pathway, a saliva containment region defining a saliva reservoir, the reservoir having a desired fill level, and an optical viewing window adjacent an angled reflective surface for level indication and/or validating a fill level. The device may include patient interface components and chemical test strips.

主权项

1. A container for collecting saliva comprising:
a collection vessel with a saliva reservoir; a cap for the collection vessel; the collection vessel including a reflecting surface in or at the saliva reservoir providing a changeable reflecting characteristic dependent of the presence of saliva at the reflecting surface; a visual marker, secured to the collection vessel, that is one of viewable or not viewable by an observer when looking from a side of the collection vessel at the reflecting surface dependent upon the changeable reflecting characteristic; wherein the visual marker is disposed at a bottom end of the collection vessel opposite the cap; further wherein the visual marker is reflected to the observer, due to total internal reflection, when no saliva is present at the reflecting surface; further wherein the visual marker is not reflected to the observer when a sufficient volume of saliva is present in the saliva reservoir to be disposed at the reflecting surface; the container further having gradations indicating collected volume.