US 7,070,053 B1 · System, method, and apparatuses for maintaining, tracking, transporting and identifying the integrity of a disposable specimen container with a re-usable transponder

Abstract

A method of maintaining, tracking and identifying the integrity of a disposable specimen container comprising the steps of: writing to an RFID device attached to an individual specimen vial information including the date and a unique identification of the vial; putting sample in the specimen vial; writing to the RFID device attached to the specimen vial information including the time and the day; storing the vial in an environment to maintain its integrity; sending the vial to a laboratory for analysis; inventorying the vials by scanning the RFID attached to the individual vials; and separating the RFID device from the vial so that the RFID device may be re-used.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A container comprising a disposable vial and a cap, wherein a bottom surface of the vial is recessed from a bottom end of a vial sidewall, the bottom surface comprised of:

a ring depending from the bottom surface in a direction away from the bottom surface to a first height dimension;
a plurality of lugs, which are integral with the ring, extending from the ring in a direction further away from the bottom surface to a second height dimension greater than the first height dimension;
wherein a space is defined inside the ring in which a RFID tag can be positioned, and wherein the lugs can be fixed into a position in which they extend over the tag when the tag is positioned in the space.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/140,698Filed 7 May 2002 · continuation in part

Priority

5 Sep 2000

Granted

4 Jul 2006

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B01L 3/5453
For laboratory containers: for test tubes
B01L 2300/022
Identification, e.g. bar codes: transponder chips
B01L 2300/0851
Specific forms of parts of containers: bottom walls
G01N 2035/00782
Type of codes: reprogrammmable code

System, method, and apparatuses for maintaining, tracking, transporting and identifying the integrity of a disposable specimen container with a re-usable transponder

Life of this patent

System, method, and apparatuses for maintaining, tracking, transporting and identifying the integrity of a disposable specimen container with a re-usable transponder

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4