Tubular container enabling individual identification

• US 8,220,717 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company Limited (Resonac Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company Limited (Resonac Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Tasaki, Kouji, Ishizaka, Hironori, Masuda, Hisayo, Yamada, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US12/159,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20100032486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/451, 235/492, 340/572.1, 340/572.2, 340/572.7, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 19/024 Tube-like containers, e.g. straws
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

A tubular container enabling individual identification, suitable to store semen of a domestic animal or a small amount of an organism individual sample and to manage history information, excellent in reliability, workability, and communication characteristics, and incorporating an IC tag. The tubular container is composed of a resin tubular container, a sealing cap, an IC tag embedded in the sealing cap and composed of an IC chip and a first transmitting/receiving antenna, and a second transmitting/receiving antenna fixed to the tubular container.

Claims

1. A tubular container that enables identification of an individual container and that has an IC tag for individual identification, comprising:

a tubular container of resin;

a sealing cap movable in the tubular container;

an IC tag embedded in the sealing cap and comprising an IC chip and a first transmitting/receiving antenna that mounts the IC chip;

and a second transmitting/receiving antenna fixed on the surface of the tubular container, the second transmitting/receiving antenna being electrically coupled to the first transmitting/receiving antenna but not electrically connected thereto, the second transmitting/receiving antenna being electrically separated from the IC chip.

2. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the IC tag has a maximum length of 15 mm.

3. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the length of the second transmitting/receiving antenna is within a range of 30 mm-60 mm.

4. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the second transmitting/receiving antenna is metallic film fixed to the tubular container.

5. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the second transmitting/receiving antenna is a metallic wire fixed to the tubular container.

6. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the second transmitting/receiving antenna is a conductive, hardened paste formed on the surface of the tubular container.

7. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the sealing cap is comprised of a fiber part and a powder part.

8. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the sealing cap is a foam resin.

9. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the outer diameter of the tubular container is not more than 3 mm.

10. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the material from which the tubular container is made is any from among polyvinyl chloride resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin or polyester resin.

11. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the IC tag operates on a carrier wave of 2.45 GHz.

12. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein the IC tag comprises an IC chip having an external electrode formed on each surface of the pair of facing surfaces, a first transmitting/receiving antenna having a T-shaped slit formed therein, and a short circuit board electrically connecting the IC chip and the first transmitting/receiving antenna.

13. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 stored in liquid nitrogen.

14. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein a liquid is stored in the tubular container, and said liquid is seminal fluid of a domestic animal.

15. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1 wherein there is a third transmitting/receiving antenna fixed on the surface of the tubular container.

16. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 15, wherein the third transmitting/receiving antenna forms an electromagnetic coupling with the first transmitting/receiving antenna, when the sealing cap is moved in the tubular container.

17. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 16, wherein the electromagnetic coupling of the first and third transmitting/receiving antennas is by static electricity.

18. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1, wherein the electrical coupling of the first transmitting/receiving antenna and the second transmitting/receiving antenna arises due to static electricity occurring between the two antennas.

19. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1, wherein the electrical coupling is an electromagnetic coupling between the two antennas.

20. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1, wherein the second transmitting/receiving antenna is fixed to a surface of the tubular container.

21. The tubular container enabling individual identification according to claim 1, wherein said second transmitting/receiving antenna is fixed on the outer surface of the tubular container.