Liquid handling system with electronic information storage
First Claim
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1. A liquid handling system comprising:
- a container capable of holding a liquid, said container having an opening;
a cap engaged with the opening and sealing the container when liquid is contained therein, said cap having a sealed probe hole therein;
an information storage device mounted on said cap and adapted to electronically store information relating to the liquid;
a connector including a connector head adapted to interconnect with said cap and a probe extending downwardly from the connector head, with a liquid flow passage therein for flow of liquid therethrough; and
an information transmitter mounted on the connector and adapted to wirelessly transmit information to and receive information from the information storage device;
said connector being constructed and arranged so that said probe is insertable through the probe hole in the cap to establish (i) dispensing contact with liquid contained in the container, and (ii) interconnection of the connector head and the cap to permit liquid to flow from said container through said liquid flow passage in said connector, with said information storage device mounted on said cap, and said information transmitter mounted on said connector, adjacently positioned in information processing relationship to one another.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for handling liquid and a method for the same. The system includes a container capable of holding a liquid. An electronic storage device is coupled with the container for electronically storing information relating to the liquid stored in the container. The system can be configured with an antenna, for storing information to and reading information from the electronic storage device. A microprocessor-based controller, coupled with the antenna, may be employed for controlling processing of the liquid based on information read from the electronic storage device by the antenna.
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Citations
77 Claims
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1. A liquid handling system comprising:
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a container capable of holding a liquid, said container having an opening; a cap engaged with the opening and sealing the container when liquid is contained therein, said cap having a sealed probe hole therein; an information storage device mounted on said cap and adapted to electronically store information relating to the liquid; a connector including a connector head adapted to interconnect with said cap and a probe extending downwardly from the connector head, with a liquid flow passage therein for flow of liquid therethrough; and an information transmitter mounted on the connector and adapted to wirelessly transmit information to and receive information from the information storage device; said connector being constructed and arranged so that said probe is insertable through the probe hole in the cap to establish (i) dispensing contact with liquid contained in the container, and (ii) interconnection of the connector head and the cap to permit liquid to flow from said container through said liquid flow passage in said connector, with said information storage device mounted on said cap, and said information transmitter mounted on said connector, adjacently positioned in information processing relationship to one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 73)
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11. A liquid handling system comprising:
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a container having an opening and adapted to hold a liquid; a cap adapted to couple with the container proximate to the opening to seal liquid within the container, the cap having a sealed probe hole and vent hole therein; a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag mounted on the cap; a connector adapted for coupling in adjacent relationship with the cap to permit the liquid to be dispensed from the container through the connector, with the connector including a probe having a liquid flow passage therein, wherein the probe is insertable through the sealed probe hole and into the container to contact the liquid in the container to permit dispensing thereof; a radio frequency (RF) antenna mounted on the connector and adapted to store information to and read information from the RFID tag, said RF antenna being located adjacent to the RFID tag and in alignment therewith when the connector and cap are interconnected; and a controller coupled with the RF antenna, the controller being adapted to direct processing of the liquid from the container based on information read from the RFID tag by the RF antenna. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of handling liquids utilizing a container adapted to hold a liquid and defining an opening, and utilizing a connector including a connector head and a probe extending from the connector head, with the probe including a liquid flow passage adapted to permit liquid flow therethrough during liquid dispensing operation, and with the connector head including a transmitter, the method comprising:
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capping the opening with a cap having a sealed probe hole, to seal the container when liquid is contained therein, the cap having an associated electronic storage and sensing device; electronically storing information about the liquid in the electronic storage and sensing device; inserting the probe through the probe hole to establish (i) dispensing contact with liquid contained in the container, and (ii) interconnection of the connector head and cap, with the electronic storage and sensing device and said transmitter adjacently positioned in information processing relationship with one another; wirelessly reading information from the electronic storage and sensing device; transmitting said information from the storage and sensing device utilizing said transmitter; and controlling processing of the liquid from the container based on information read from the electronic storage and sensing device and transmitted by said transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 74)
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20. A material handling system comprising:
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a container capable of holding a material, said container having an opening; a cap engaged with the opening and sealing the container when material is contained therein, said cap having a sealed probe hole therein; an information storage device adapted to electronically store information relating to the material; an information transmitter for wirelessly storing information to and reading information from the information storage device; and a connector including a connector head and a probe extending downwardly from the connector head, with a flow passage therein for flow of material therethrough during material dispensing operation; said information storage device being mounted on one of said cap and said connector, and said information transmitter being mounted on the other of said cap and said connector; said connector being constructed and arranged so that said probe is insertable through the probe hole in the cap to establish (i) dispensing contact with material contained in said container, and (ii) interconnection of the connector head and said cap, with said information storage device and said information transmitter being adjacently positioned in information processing relationship to one another; and an inventory management system coupled to said information transmitter, and adapted to execute inventory management decisions based on information received from said information storage device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 75, 76)
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30. A liquid handling system comprising:
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a container having an interior for holding a liquid and defining an opening; a cap engaged with the container adjacent the opening; an information storage device coupled to any of the container and the cap and adapted to store information relating to the liquid; and a connector adapted for physically coupling to any of the container and the cap adjacent the opening and having an information transmitter adapted to wirelessly obtain information from the information storage device, wherein the connector includes a downwardly extending probe insertable through the cap and having a passage therein adapted to permit liquid to flow through the probe, and wherein the information storage device and information transmitter are vertically aligned with and adjacent to one another when the connector is physically coupled to any of said container and said cap; and a control element communicatively coupled to the connector and adapted to responsively allow or deny access to the liquid, based on said information, for dispensation of said liquid to a process tool. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 77)
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38. A liquid handling system comprising:
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a container having an opening and adapted to hold a liquid; a cap having a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag mounted thereon and adapted for coupling with the container along the opening for sealing the liquid in the container; a connector including a liquid flow passage therein, wherein the connector has a radio frequency (RF) antenna mounted thereon for reading information from the RFID tag and the connector is adapted for physically coupling with the cap for dispensing the liquid from the container through the liquid flow passage in the connector, with the RFID tag in information transmission relationship with the RF antenna when the connector is coupled with the cap; and a controller coupled with the RF antenna for processing the liquid based on the information read from the RFID tag. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 56)
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43. A method of handling liquids utilizing a container adapted to hold a liquid and defining a container opening, the container having a cap coupled thereto along the container opening, the cap having an information storage device and defining a cap opening, the method comprising:
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storing information about the liquid in the information storage device; mounting to the cap a connector having a probe defining a liquid flow passage therein adapted to dispense fluid from the container and having an information transmission assembly adapted to transmit information to and from the information storage device, wherein the information transmission assembly is automatically placed in communicable proximity with the information storage device during the mounting step; wirelessly reading the information from the information storage device; and controlling processing of the liquid based on the information with a controller in at least intermittent communication with the information transmission assembly, wherein said processing of the liquid includes dispensing of liquid from the container through the liquid flow passage of said connector. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. A material identification system comprising:
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a container adapted to hold a material and defining a container opening; a cap engaged with the container adjacent the container opening; an information storage device coupled to any of the container and the cap, and adapted to store information relating to a material disposed within the container; an information communication device adapted to wirelessly read the information from the information storage device; and a controller communicatively coupled to the information communication device to receive the information and adapted to regulate processing of the material based on the information, wherein the connector includes a flow passage adapted for dispensing material from the container, and the information communication device is disposed in or on the connector. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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57. A storage and dispensing system for storage and dispensing of liquid, comprising:
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a portable container containing a semiconductor processing liquid and including a container opening; a cap securable to said container proximate to the container opening and having an associated a radio frequency identification tag, the cap being arranged when secured to the opening to seal the container for containment of liquid therein; a connector including a connector head and a probe extending therefrom, wherein the probe has a liquid flow passage therethrough, the probe is adapted for insertion through the cap into the container, the connector is adapted to engage the cap, and the connector is arranged for flow of liquid from the container through the probe to a location exterior of the container when pumping action is applied to the connector; a pump operatively coupled to the probe to apply pumping action to the connector for pumping semiconductor processing liquid from the container to a liquid-using process tool during dispensing operation; and a controller communicatively coupled to the pump; wherein the connector head includes a radio frequency antenna arranged to communicate (i) with the radio frequency identification tag in the cap when the connector is engaged with the cap, and (ii) with the controller; wherein the antenna and the radio frequency identification tag in the cap are separated by a distance of less than 10 millimeters when the connector is engaged with the cap; and wherein the controller is arranged to control the pumping action in accordance with information obtained from the radio frequency identification tag in said cap, and communicated by the radio frequency antenna to the controller.
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58. A storage and dispensing system for storage and dispensing of liquid, comprising:
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a portable container containing a semiconductor processing liquid and including a container opening; a cap securable to said opening and including an associated electronic information storage component, said cap being arranged when secured to said opening to seal the container for containment of said liquid therein; and a connector engageable with the cap, the connector including a connector head and a probe extending therefrom, wherein the probe has a flow passage therethrough, the probe is insertable through the cap into the container, and the connector is arranged for flow of liquid from the container through the probe to a location exterior of the container when pumping action is applied to the connector; wherein said connector head includes an antenna adapted to communicate (i) wirelessly with the electronic information storage component associated with the cap when the connector is engaged with the cap, and (ii) with a controller arranged to control said pumping action in accordance with information obtained from said electronic information storage component, and communicated by said antenna to the controller. - View Dependent Claims (59)
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66. A liquid storage and dispensing system comprising:
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a portable container including an opening communicating with an interior volume for holding liquid; a cap engageable with the container proximate the opening to seal liquid in the interior volume of the container; an RFID tag mounted on the cap, and arranged to contain information relating to any of the liquid and use of said liquid; a connector engageable with the cap, said connector including (i) a tube arranged to extend through the cap into the interior volume of the container when the connector is engaged with the cap, to enable withdrawal of liquid from the container when pumping action is exerted on the liquid through the connector, and (ii) an RF antenna arranged to reside in information communicating proximity to the RFID tag when the connector is engaged with the cap, and to transmit information received from the RFID tag, for use in storage and/or dispensing of the liquid. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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Specification