US6270728B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Test tube with optically readable coding
Assignee: Micronic BV
•
Filing: 1997-07-30
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Granted: 2001-08-07
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Expires: 2017-07-30
Abstract
Abstract A test tube includes a dot code on the surface thereof which is readable with an optical reading mechanism wherein the dot code is formed on the test tube by laser burning.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald Josephus Clemens Wijnschenk
- 👤 Bartholomeus Wilhelmus Kramer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 18:49
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01L; B01L9/00; B01L9/06; B01L3/00; B01L3/54; B01L3/545; B01L3/5453; G; G06; G06K; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/06009; B41; B41M; B41M5/00; B41M5/24
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
141 words
A test tube, comprising a tubular container having a bottom end and a filling aperture, a carrier part, the carrier part being fixed to the bottom end of the container and having a surface provided with a dot code readable with an optically reading mechanism, the surface being substantially flat, faces away from the filling aperture and extends substantially across the bottom end of the tube, the carrier part is made of a laser burnable material wherein the dot code is burned into the surface and has a center-to-center distance between the dots of less than 0.5 mm, and wherein the tubular container is made of a material different from the carrier part material wherein the carrier part material between the dot code and the tubular container, provides the surface a background which is optically opaque to an optical reading mechanism.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
141 words
A test tube, comprising a tubular container having a bottom end and a filling aperture, a carrier part, the carrier part being fixed to the bottom end of the container and having a surface provided with a dot code readable with an optically reading mechanism, the surface being substantially flat, faces away from the filling aperture and extends substantially across the bottom end of the tube, the carrier part is made of a laser burnable material wherein the dot code is burned into the surface and has a center-to-center distance between the dots of less than 0.5 mm, and wherein the tubular container is made of a material different from the carrier part material wherein the carrier part material between the dot code and the tubular container, provides the surface a background which is optically opaque to an optical reading mechanism.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the dot code has a center-to-center distance between the dots of less than 0.4 mm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the dot code has a center-to-center distance between the dots of less than 0.35 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the dots of the dot code have a diameter of less than 200 μm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the dots of the dot code have a diameter of less than 175 μm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the dots of the dot code have a diameter of less than 150 μm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the carrier part is a plastic part injected into a space far in the tubular container.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A test tube according to claim 7 wherein the bottom end has an extended side wall provided with at least one retaining lug.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
A test tube according to claim 8 wherein the carrier part is an element which is fixed in the space by snapping between the at least one retaining lug and the bottom end of the tubular container.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the carrier part is molded onto the tubular container.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the tubular container comprises retaining means at its bottom end for fixing the carrier part to the tubular container.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
52 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the carrier part is provided on a side opposite the surface with a cavity in which the bottom end of the tubular container is accommodated, and the carrier part and the bottom end are fixed to each other by means of a snap connection.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
131 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the bottom end of the tubular container is provided with an annular groove which extends over at least part of the circumference of the container, and in that at its bottom end the tubular container is further provided with at least one channel extending from the annular groove to substantially the bottom end of the tubular container, and wherein the carrier part further comprises a plate situated at the bottom end of the tubular container having arms extending from the plate through the channels to the annular groove, and a ring extending through the groove, the plate, the arms and the ring being formed integrally of plastic, and the arms and the ring retaining the plate at the bottom end of the container.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
A test tube according to claim 13 wherein the channels are grooves formed in an outside wall of the container.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
A test tube according to claim 13 wherein the carrier part accommodates the bottom end of the container in a close-fitting manner.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
A test tube according to claim 13 wherein the tubular container is made of a material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polypropene and polystyrene.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the test tube is transparent.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
A test tube according to claim 1 wherein the carrier part is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, ABS and metal filled plastic.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
A storage or transportation rack with a plurality of accommodation positions for accommodating therein a test tube according to claim 1 wherein the accommodation positions are open such that the optically readable coding on the test tube placed therein is readable with an optical reading mechanism.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
A storage or transportation rack according to claim 19 wherein the test tube according to claim 1 is accommodated in at least two of the accommodation positions.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
A storage or transportation rack according to claim 1 wherein the rack has 96 accommodation positions placed in a 12×8 matrix pattern.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
An assembly comprising a rack according to claim 19 and the optical reading mechanism.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
51 words
An assembly according to claim 22 wherein the optical reading mechanism comprises a supporting frame for supporting the rack wherein a multiplicity of substantially vertically oriented test tubes of claim 1 can be placed, and a reader is fitted in the supporting frame for reading substantially in the vertical, upward direction.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
31 words
An assembly according to claim 22 wherein the optical reading mechanism is provided with a microprocessor to allocate the codings which have been read to the accommodation positions in the rack.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
An assembly according to claim 22 wherein the rack and the optical reading mechanism are provided with means for determining the position of the rack relative to the reading mechanism.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method for coding a test tube according to claim 1 including the step of burning the dot code into the carrier part.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method for coding according to claim 24 including burning the dot code with a laser.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-08-06 | 2005-02-05 | 2005-08-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-08-06 | 2009-02-05 | 2009-08-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-08-06 | 2013-02-05 | 2013-08-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |