Article and Method for Applying a Coupling Agent for a Non-Invasive Optical Probe

Abstract

An article of manufacture and method for controlling the application of a coupling agent, such as a silicone oil or mineral oil, on a surface of a tissue prior to contacting the tissue with an apparatus for non-invasive optical measurement of the concentration of an analyte. The article ensures that a specific quantity of the coupling agent is deposited in a uniform layer over the entire target area of the tissue, thereby enhancing both the optical signal and the repeatability of thermal and optical coupling with the components of the apparatus.

1 . A method for applying a coupling agent to a surface of a tissue, the method comprising:
 applying a predetermined amount of a uniform layer of the coupling agent to the surface of the tissue, wherein the predetermined amount of the layer of the coupling agent enhances optical and thermal coupling between the tissue and a separate measuring device including an optical probe.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the coupling agent is selected from the group consisting of mineral oil, silicon oil, dimethyl siloxane, fluorocarbons, and glycols. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the layer of coupling agent is less than about 100 μm. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the coupling agent is from about 7 μm to about 20 μm. 
     
     
         6 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the separate measuring device is configured to take one or more optical measurements selected from the group consisting of diffuse reflectance measurements, localized reflectance measurements, time domain measurements, frequency domain measurement, photoacoustic measurements or optical coherence tomography measurements. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the separate measuring device is configured to measure an analyte selected from the group consisting of glucose, hemoglobin, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides, and cholesterol. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein applying the predetermined amount of a layer of the coupling agent comprises:
 positioning the layer of the coupling agent on the tissue; and   applying pressure to the entire layer of the coupling agent to bring all regions of the layer of the coupling agent into contact with the tissue.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the layer of the coupling agent is deposited on a substrate layer. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the substrate layer has a thickness of less than 1 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the substrate layer comprises a porous material. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the substrate layer comprises a non-porous material. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the area of the layer of the coupling agent ranges from about 10 cm 2  to about 40 cm 2 .