Apparatus for securing a land surveyor'S mark based on the use of a radio frequency identifier tag

• US 8,289,167 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Marmigere, Gerard, Secondo, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US12/306,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,007 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/568.2, 340/572.8, 340/652
• US Class Current: 340/572.8
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/04 Permanent marks; Boundary markers

Abstract

A surveyor'"'"'s mark and a method for forming the mark. The mark includes a stick and a head assembled to the stick. The stick is configured to be planted in a ground and the head is configured to be above the ground. The head includes a tag having an identification number. The identification number has a value which is a first code value. The stick includes a thin wire configured as an electrical conducting loop and connected to the tag. If the stick is planted in the ground and the head is above the ground, then pulling the head in an attempt to pull up the mark from the ground results in the head being disassembled from the stick and the thin wire breaking so as to open the loop which changes the value of the identification number from the first code value to a second code value.

Claims

1. A surveyor'"'"'s mark, comprising:

a stick configured to be planted in a ground; and

a head removably assembled to the stick and configured to be above the ground when the stick is planted in the ground such that the head removably assembled to the stick facilitates separation of the head from the stick upon an attempted removal of the surveyor'"'"'s mark,

wherein the head comprises a tag;

wherein the tag in the head comprises an identification number that identifies the tag and indicates if the head is disassembled from the stick,

wherein the identification number has a value consisting of a first code value,

wherein the stick comprises a thin wire configured as an electrical conducting loop and connected to the tag, and

wherein if the stick is planted in the ground and the head is above the ground, then pulling the head in an attempt to pull up the mark from the ground results in the head being disassembled from the stick and the thin wire breaking so as to open the loop which changes the value of the identification number in the tag in the head from the first code value to a second code value that differs from the first code value.

2. The mark of claim 1, wherein if the mark is reassembled by the head being reassembled to the stick after having been disassembled from the stick, then the value of the identification number of the tag in the reassembled mark is the second code value.

3. The mark of claim 1, wherein the identification number is a sequence of binary bits whose least significant bit is 0 or 1, and wherein the second code value is a value of the sequence of bits in which the least significant bit has been changed by the breaking of the thin wire from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.

4. The mark of claim 3, wherein the least significant bit for the first code value is set by being electrically connected to a ground voltage by the loop of the thin wire, and wherein the least significant bit for the second code value is set by being electrically connected to a voltage differing from the ground voltage due to the loop of the thin wire being open.

5. The mark of claim 4, wherein the tag comprises a circuit having a first node, a second node, and a third node, wherein a load resistor is disposed between and electrically connected to the first node and the second node, wherein a first end of the loop is at the second node and the least significant bit for the first code value is at and electrically connected to the second node, and wherein a second end of the loop is at the third node which is at the ground voltage.

6. The mark of claim 1, wherein the stick comprises a harpoon system to ensure that the pulling up of the mark is not possible without the head being disassembled from the stick.

7. The mark of claim 1, wherein the tag is a Radio Frequency IDentifier (RFID) tag, wherein the RFID tag comprises information that cannot be modified, and wherein the information includes geographical coordinates of the mark, an elevation of the mark, and an identification of a surveyor who positioned the mark.

8. The mark of claim 1, wherein the mark is made of non-oxidizing metal.

9. The mark of claim 1, wherein the tag is securely sealed in the head via use of epoxy resin.

10. The mark of claim 1, wherein the loop is securely sealed in a cavity within the stick.

11. A method for forming a surveyor'"'"'s mark, said method comprising:

embedding a tag in a head, and

assembling a removable head to a stick,

wherein the mark comprises the stick and the head;

wherein the stick is configured to be planted in a ground and the head is configured to be above the ground when the stick is planted in the ground such that the head removably assembled to the stick facilitates separation of the head from the stick upon an attempted removal of the surveyor'"'"'s mark,

wherein the tag in the head comprises an identification number that identifies the tag and indicates if the head is disassembled from the stick,

wherein the identification number has a value consisting of a first code value,

wherein the stick comprises a thin wire configured as an electrical conducting loop and connected to the tag, and

wherein if the stick is planted in the ground and the head is above the ground, then pulling the head in an attempt to pull up the mark from the ground, results in the head being disassembled from the stick, and the thin wire breaking so as to open the loop, which changes the value of the identification number in the tag in the head from the first code value to a second code value that differs from the first code value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if the mark is reassembled by the head being reassembled to the stick after having been disassembled from the stick, maintaining the value of the identification number of the tag in the reassembled mark to be the second code value.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the identification number is a sequence of binary bits whose least significant bit is 0 or 1, and wherein the second code value is a value of the sequence of bits in which the least significant bit has been changed by the breaking of the thin wire from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the least significant bit for the first code value is set by being electrically connected to a ground voltage by the loop of the thin wire, and wherein the least significant bit for the second code value is set by being electrically connected to a voltage differing from the ground voltage due to the loop of the thin wire being open.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the tag comprises a circuit having a first node, a second node, and a third node, wherein a load resistor is disposed between and electrically connected to the first node and the second node, wherein a first end of the loop is at the second node and the least significant bit for the first code value is at and electrically connected to the second node, and wherein a second end of the loop is at the third node which is at the ground voltage.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the stick comprises a harpoon system to ensure that the pulling up of the mark is not possible without the head being disassembled from the stick.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the tag is a Radio Frequency IDentifier (RFID) tag, wherein the RFID tag comprises information that cannot be modified, and wherein the information includes geographical coordinates of the mark, an elevation of the mark, and an identification of a surveyor who positioned the mark.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the mark is made of non-oxidizing metal.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the tag is securely sealed in the head via use of epoxy resin.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the loop is securely sealed in a cavity within the stick.