Sample tube

Abstract

A method of identifying and counting a plurality of sample containers including: providing a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency configured to count the plurality of sample containers; counting a number of sample containers in the plurality of sample containers by accessing the second frequency of each sample container; and obtaining the identification of each sample container by accessing the first frequency. A plurality if sample containers comprising: a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency to count the plurality of sample containers.

Description

Attorney Docket No.24122 / WO SAMPLE TUBE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 63 / 665,406, filed 28 June 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to agricultural sampling and analysis, and more particularly to a system for packaging, tracking, and handling an agricultural sample such as without limitation soil for chemical analysis.

[0003] Periodic soil testing is an important aspect of the agricultural arts. Test results provide valuable information on the chemical makeup of the soil such as plant-available nutrients and other important properties (e.g., levels of nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, pH, etc.) so that various amendments may be added to the soil to maximize the quality and quantity of crop production.

[0004] In some existing soil sampling processes, collected bulk agricultural samples such as soil or other agricultural materials may require some form of packaging to facilitate transport and further preparation and processing for eventual chemical analysis. The packaging further protects the integrity of the samples until processed. In addition, a means for tracking where samples were collected from in the agricultural field is necessary to associate the chemical analysis results with a particular portion of the field. Furthermore, a system for unloading the packaged sample is necessary to allow further processing and analysis of the sample.

[0005] Improvements in agricultural sample handling are desired. BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure provides a method of identifying and counting a plurality of sample containers comprising: providing a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency configured to count the plurality of sample containers; counting a number of sample containers in the plurality of sample containers by accessing the second frequency of each sample container; and obtaining the identification of each sample container by accessing the first frequency. Also provided is a plurality if sample containers comprising: a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sampleAttorney Docket No.24122 / WO container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency to count the plurality of sample containers.

[0007] Although the sample container may be described herein with reference to containerizing soil samples which represents only a single category of use for the disclosed embodiments, it is to be understood that the sample container may further be used for processing other types of agricultural related samples including without limitation vegetation / plant, forage, manure, feed, milk, or other types of samples. The disclosure herein should therefore be considered broadly as an agricultural sample packaging system amenable for extracting and containerizing many different types of samples from bulk “as collected” sample material regardless of the method for collection. Accordingly, the present agricultural sample packaging system disclosed is expressly not limited to use of packaging soil samples alone for chemical analysis of properties of interest. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are labeled similarly and in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a sample container;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the sample container of FIG. 1;

[0011] FIG. 3 is top plan view of the sample container of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the sample container of FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the plunger of the sample container of claim 1;

[0014] All drawings are not necessarily to scale. Components numbered and appearing in one figure but appearing un-numbered in other figures are the same components unless expressly noted otherwise. Any reference herein to a figure by a whole figure number which may appear in multiple figures bearing the same whole number but with different alphabetical suffixes shall be constructed as a general reference to all of those figures unless expressly noted otherwise. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The features and benefits of the present disclosure are illustrated and described herein by reference to exemplary (“example”) embodiments. This description of exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. Accordingly, the disclosure expressly should not be limitedAttorney Docket No.24122 / WO to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features.

[0016] In the description of embodiments disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

[0017] As used throughout, any ranges disclosed herein are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references cited herein to prior patents or patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

[0018] In the non-limiting illustrated embodiment, agricultural sample container 9000 may be a hollow cylindrical sample tube 202 having a construction and customized features adapted for use with packaging apparatus 110 and unloading system 300 described in PCT Publication No. WO2023 / 042038A1 to containerize agricultural samples such as soil samples or others, and unload the containerized samples.

[0019] Sample tube 9000 has an elongated cylindrical tubular and hollow body defining cylindrical wall and sealed by a top cap 9001 and a plunger 9011.

[0020] Sample tube 9000 includes an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag 9012. RFID tag 9012 can be adhered to any surface of sample tube 9000. As illustrated, RFID tag 9012 is attached to a bottom of plunger 9011. Or, RFID tag 9012 can be molded into plunger 9011. RFID tag 9012 is a dual frequency tag. A first frequency is for communicating a unique identifier for sample tube 9000. A second frequency is for counting a plurality of sample tubes 9000 that are stored together. The number of sample tubes 9000 can provide the number of sample tubes 9000 available to beAttorney Docket No.24122 / WO used, or the number can be used to determine how many remaining sample tubes 9000 are remaining to be processed in the sample analysis system. In one embodiment, the first frequency can be chosen from frequencies for near field communication adhering to the NFC standard under ISO 14443a or ISO 15693, which are frequencies that can communicate over distances of 4 cm or less. In one embodiment, the first frequency is 13.56 MHz. In one embodiment, the second frequency can be chosen from frequencies in the UHF (ultra-high frequency) range adhering to the ISO 18000-63 standard. In one embodiment, the second frequency is 860 MHz to 960 MHz. In one embodiment, the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

[0021] Additionally, under ISO / IEC 15693, a passcode can be used with the dual RFID tag 9012.

[0022] The system for analyzing an agricultural sample disclosed herein is usable with and may form part of an overall agricultural sampling and analysis systems, such as but not limited to those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 20180124992A1, US20210123836A1, US20210123936A1, US20210131917A1, US20210131929A1, US20210208035A1, US20210208036A1, US20210208037A1, US20210208123A1, US20210268456A1, US20210285869A1, US20210341442A1, US20210341452A1, US20220196628A1, US20230133335A1, US20230144670A1, US20230151810A1, US20230173415A1, US20230243792A1, US20230243801A1, US20230243802A1, US20230243804A1, US20230266289A1, US20230266290A1, US20230273130A1, US20230273171A1, US20230273172A1, US20230273173A1, US20230304987A1, US20230417363A1, US20230417635A1, US20240189743A1, US20240189744A1, US20240192112A1, US20240192708A1, US20240198331A1, US20240200547A1, PCT Publication Nos. WO2021 / 171120, WO2021 / 171121, WO2022 / 243792,WO2022 / 243806, WO2022 / 243807, WO2022 / 243809, WO2022 / 259071, WO2022 / 259073, WO2022 / 259074, WO2023 / 031725, WO2023 / 031726, WO2023 / 031727, WO2023 / 042032, WO2023 / 042033, WO2023 / 042035, WO2023 / 042036, WO2023 / 042037, WO2023 / 042038, WO2023 / 042039, WO2023 / 161727, WO2023 / 161728, WO2023 / 170480, WO2023 / 170482, WO2023 / 227959, WO2023 / 227960, WO2023 / 248015, WO2023 / 248016, WO2024 / 023728, WO2024 / 023729, WO2024 / 023730, and WO2024 / 023731, PCT Application Nos. PCT / IB2024 / 051283, filed 12- Feb-2024 and PCT / IB2024 / 051820, filed 26-Feb-2024, U.S. Application Nos. 63 / 551120, filed 08-Feb-2024, 63 / 552730, filed 13-Feb-2024, 63 / 552739, filed 13-Feb-2024, 63 / 559305, filed 29- Feb-2024, 63 / 559308, filed 29-Feb-2024, 63 / 559312, filed 29-Feb-2024, 63 / 559316, filed 29-Feb-Attorney Docket No.24122 / WO 2024, 63 / 586486, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586489, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586497, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586500, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586504, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586510, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586514, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586524, filed 11-Oct-2023, 63 / 586529, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586545, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586551, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586555, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586562, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586608, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586619, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586630, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586638, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586656, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586672, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586702, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586726, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586955, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586966, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586978, filed 29-Sep- 2023, 63 / 586984, filed 29-Sep-2023, 63 / 586990, filed 29-Sep-2023, and 63 / 646070, filed 13-May- 2024.

[0023] EXAMPLES

[0024] The following are non-limiting examples of the sample packaging apparatus.

[0025] Example 1 - a method of identifying and counting a plurality of sample containers comprising: providing a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency configured to count the plurality of sample containers; counting a number of sample containers in the plurality of sample containers by accessing the second frequency of each sample container; and obtaining the identification of each sample container by accessing the first frequency.

[0026] Example 2 - the method of claim 1, wherein the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

[0027] Example 3 - the method of any preceding claim, wherein the first frequency is a near field communication protocol frequency under ISO / IEC 18000-3 or ISO / IEC15693.

[0028] Example 4 - the method of claim 3, wherein the first frequency is 13.56 MHz.

[0029] Example 5 - the method of any preceding claim, wherein the second frequency is a UHF frequency under ISO 18000-63.

[0030] Example 6 - the method of claim 5, wherein the second frequency is in a range of 860 MHz to 960 MHz.

[0031] Example 7 - method of any preceding Example, wherein each sample container comprises a tube, a cap, a plunger, and the dual frequency RFID tag is attached to or molded into the plunger.Attorney Docket No.24122 / WO

[0032] Example 8 - a plurality if sample containers comprising: a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency to count the plurality of sample containers.

[0033] Example 9 - the plurality of sample containers of claim 8, wherein the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

[0034] Example 10 - the plurality of sample containers of claim 8 or 9, wherein the first frequency is a near field communication protocol frequency under ISO / IEC 18000-3 or ISO / IEC15693.

[0035] Example 11 - the plurality of sample containers of claim 10, wherein the first frequency is 13.56 MHz.

[0036] Example 12 - the plurality of sample containers of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the second frequency is a UHF frequency under ISO 18000-63.

[0037] Example 13 - the plurality of sample containers of claim 12, wherein the second frequency is in a range of 860 MHz to 960 MHz.

[0038] Example 14 - plurality of sample containers of any one of Examples 8 to 13, wherein each sample container comprises a tube, a cap, a plunger, and the dual frequency RFID tag is attached to or molded into the plunger.

[0039] While the foregoing description and drawings represent some example systems, it will be understood that various additions, modifications and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope and range of equivalents of the accompanying claims. In particular, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in other forms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and with other elements, materials, and components, without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. In addition, numerous variations in the methods / processes described herein may be made. One skilled in the art will further appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used with many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials, and components and otherwise, used in the practice of the embodiments of the present disclosure, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles of the present embodiments of the present disclosure. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure being defined by the appended claims andAttorney Docket No.24122 / WO equivalents thereof, and not limited to the foregoing description or embodiments. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

Attorney Docket No.24122 / WO CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method of identifying and counting a plurality of sample containers comprising: providing a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to or molded into the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency configured to count the plurality of sample containers; counting a number of sample containers in the plurality of sample containers by accessing the second frequency of each sample container; and obtaining the identification of each sample container by accessing the first frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

3. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first frequency is a near field communication protocol frequency under ISO / IEC 18000-3 or ISO / IEC15693.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first frequency is 13.56 MHz.

5. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the second frequency is a UHF frequency under ISO 18000-63.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second frequency is in a range of 860 MHz to 960 MHz.

7. The method of any preceding claim, wherein each sample container comprises a tube, a cap, a plunger, and the dual frequency RFID tag is attached to or molded into the plunger.

8. A plurality if sample containers comprising: a plurality of sample containers, wherein each sample container has a dual frequency RFID tag attached to or molded into the sample container, wherein a first frequency is configured to provide an identification of the sample container and a second frequency to count the plurality of sample containers.

9. The plurality of sample containers of claim 8, wherein the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

10. The plurality of sample containers of claim 8 or 9, wherein the first frequency is a near field communication protocol frequency under ISO / IEC 18000-3 or ISO / IEC15693.

11. The plurality of sample containers of claim 10, wherein the first frequency is 13.56 MHz.

12. The plurality of sample containers of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the second frequency is a UHF frequency under ISO 18000-63.Attorney Docket No.24122 / WO 13. The plurality of sample containers of claim 12, wherein the second frequency is in a range of 860 MHz to 960 MHz.

14. The plurality of sample containers of any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein each sample container comprises a tube, a cap, a plunger, and the dual frequency RFID tag is attached to or molded into the plunger.

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