Soil sample procuring tool and associated method of testing the soil sample

• US 6,098,724 A
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Q.E.D. Environmental Systems, Inc. (Graco Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: U.S. Oil Co., Inc. (US Venture Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ricker, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Markovich, Kristine M.
• Application Number:
  US08/980,904
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 175/58, 175/20, 73/864.44, 73/864.45, 73/863.21
• US Class Current: 175/20
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 1/04 Sampling of soil E02D1/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/08 involving an extracting tool, e.g. core bit

Abstract

A tool for withdrawing a soil sample comprising a frame member including a portion including spaced vertically extending legs having lower ends, a foot portion fixed to the lower ends of the legs and including a horizontally extending slot defined by a vertically extending wall including a horizontally extending groove, and an abutment surface extending horizontally and located between the legs in upwardly spaced relation from the foot portion.

Claims

1. A method of taking a soil sample, said method comprising the steps of providing a hollow member having an open end, a plunger housed in the hollow member, and a sealable vial having a self-sealing penetrable part, forcing the open end of the hollow member into the ground to locate a soil sample in the hollow member, ejecting the soil sample from the hollow member by the plunger and into the sealable vial, sealing the vial, thereafter injecting through the penetrable part a first quantity of capturing agent into the vial, shake for fifteen seconds, thereafter introducing a second quantity of capturing agent into the vial, and analyzing the contents of the vial.

2. A method of taking a soil sample in accordance with claim 1 and further including providing the hollow member with a second end spaced from the open end, and an outwardly extending flange at the second end thereof, providing a tool having a slot including a groove, and inserting the second end of the hollow member into the slot so as to locate the flange of the hollow member in the groove.

3. A tool for withdrawing a soil sample, said tool comprising a frame member including a portion including spaced vertically extending legs having lower ends, a foot portion fixed to said lower ends of said legs and including a horizontally extending slot defined by a vertically extending wall including a horizontally extending groove, and an abutment surface extending horizontally and located between said legs in upwardly spaced relation from said foot portion.

4. A tool for withdrawing a soil sample, said tool comprising a frame member including an inverted U-shaped guard portion including spaced upright legs having lower ends, a foot portion fixed to said lower ends of said legs, and including an outer perimeter extending laterally beyond said spaced leg portions, a slot defined by a vertically extending wall and including an entry part, and a semi-circular part extending from said entry part and located between said legs, and a groove located in said wall, extending horizontally, and adapted to removably receive a flange at the top end of a hollow member which, when said flange is received in said groove, extends downwardly from said foot portion, which also includes an open lower end, and which has slideable located therein a plunger member extending, in part, above said hollow member and between said spaced legs and having an upper end, and an abutment portion extending horizontally and located between said legs in upwardly spaced relation from said foot portion, and adapted to engage the upper end of the plunger member to maintain the plunger member in a predetermined position relative to the hollow member when the flange is received in said annular groove.

5. A tool for withdrawing a soil sample, said tool comprising a frame member including an inverted U-shaped guard portion including spaced upright legs having lower ends, a foot portion fixed to said lower ends of said legs and including an outer perimeter extending laterally beyond said spaced legs, a slot defined by a vertically extending wall and including an entry part, a semi-circular part extending from said entry part and located between said legs, and a groove located in said wall and extending horizontally, and an abutment portion extending horizontally between said legs in upwardly spaced relation from said foot portion, an elongated hollow cylindrical member adapted to be inserted into the ground, extending downwardly from said foot portion, and including an inner wall, upper and lower ends, and a flange extending horizontally outwardly from said upper end and removably located in said groove, and a plunger member located, in part, between said legs and, in part, for slideable movement within said elongated hollow cylindrical member and including upper and lower ends, and a piston seal engaging said inner wall of said elongated hollow cylindrical member, and a horizontally extending portion at said upper end thereof engageable with said abutment portion of said frame member to prevent upward movement of said plunger member during insertion of said elongated hollow cylindrical member into the ground.

6. A tool in accordance with claim 5 wherein said plunger member includes a stem extending downwardly from said upper end thereof and having a cross shaped horizontal cross-section, and vertically extending edges engaging said inner wall of said hollow member, and a cap located at said upper end, fixed to said stem and including said horizontally extending portion.

7. A tool in accordance with claim 5 wherein said piston resiliently engages said inner wall of said elongated hollow cylindrical member.

8. A tool in accordance with claim 5 wherein said frame member includes a horizontal portion extending from and between said legs, and wherein said abutment portion includes an abutment member which is adjustably fixed in said horizontal portion.

9. A tool in accordance with claim 8 wherein said horizontal portion includes a vertically extending threaded bore, and wherein said abutment member comprises a bolt including a head located below said horizontal portion, and a threaded stem extending upwardly from said head and threadedly engaged in said threaded bore in said horizontal portion.

10. A tool in accordance with claim 5 wherein said cylindrical member includes an axis, and wherein said flange includes a pair of horizontally spaced straight edges, and a pair of opposed circular edges extending from and between said straight edges in concentric relation to said axis of said cylindrical member.

11. A tool in accordance with claim 5 wherein said vertically extending wall includes a pair of horizontally spaced straight portions defining said entry part and including inner ends, and a semi-circular portion defining said semi-circular part and extending from said inner ends of said straight portions of said vertically extending wall, and wherein said groove includes a pair of horizontally spaced straight portions located in said straight portions of said vertically extending wall and including inner ends, and a circular portion located in said semi-circular portion of said inner wall and extending from said inner ends of said straight portions of said groove.

12. A tool in accordance with claim 11 wherein said cylindrical member includes an axis, wherein said straight portions of said groove respectively have inner vertically extending straight wall surfaces spaced horizontally from said straight portions of said vertically extending wall at a first distance, wherein said circular portion of said groove has an inner vertically extending circular wall surface extending at a constant radius from said axis of said cylindrical member, concentrically with said axis of said cylindrical member, and spaced horizontally from said semi-cylindrical portion of said vertically extending wall at a second distance greater than said first distance, and wherein said flange includes a pair of horizontally spaced straight edges which are horizontally spaced at a distance slightly less than the horizontal spacing between said straight wall surfaces of said groove, and a pair of opposed circular edges which extend concentrically with said axis of said cylindrical member, and which are spaced horizontally from said axis of said cylindrical member at a distance slightly less than the spacing of said circular wall surface from said axis of said cylindrical member.