Securing a land surveyor's mark based on use of a radio frequency identifier tag

• US 8,610,581 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Marmigere, Gerard, Secondo, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US13/605,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20120326872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 52103-104, 702/5, 340/540, 340/545.6, 340/568.1, 340/571, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 340/572.9, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/568.2, 340/568.4, 340/568.8, 340/569, 340/693.9, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 707/791, 368/10
• US Class Current: 340/572.8
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/04 Permanent marks; Boundary markers

Abstract

A surveyor'"'"'s mark and a method of forming the mark. A tag is embedded in a head. The head is removably assembled to a stick. The head is configured to be above a ground when the stick is planted in the ground. The head includes a tag. The tag in the head includes an identification number whose value identifies the tag and indicates if the head is disassembled from the stick. 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 changing the value of the identification number in the tag from a first code value to a second code value that differs from the first 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,

wherein the head comprises a tag,

wherein the tag in the head comprises an identification number whose value identifies the tag and indicates if the head is disassembled from the stick, 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 surveyor'"'"'s mark from the ground results in changing the value of the identification number in the tag from a first code value to a second code value that differs from the first code value,

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

wherein said attempt to pull up the surveyor'"'"'s mark from the ground results in the head being disassembled from the stick and the thin wire breaking so as to open the electrical conducting loop which changes the value of the identification number in the tag from the first code value to the second code value.

2. The surveyor'"'"'s 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.

3. The surveyor'"'"'s mark of claim 2, wherein the least significant bit for the first code value is set by being electrically connected to a ground voltage by the electrical conducting 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 electrical conducting loop of the thin wire being open.

4. The surveyor'"'"'s mark of claim 3, 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 electrical conducting 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 electrical conducting loop is at the third node which is at the ground voltage.

5. The surveyor'"'"'s mark of claim 1, wherein if the surveyor'"'"'s 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 surveyor'"'"'s mark is the second code value.

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

7. The surveyor'"'"'s 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 surveyor'"'"'s mark, an elevation of the surveyor'"'"'s mark, and an identification of a surveyor who positioned the surveyor'"'"'s mark.

8. The surveyor'"'"'s mark of claim 1, wherein the electrical conducting loop is securely sealed in a cavity within the stick.

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

10. The surveyor'"'"'s mark of claim 1, wherein the surveyor'"'"'s mark is made of non-oxidizing metal.

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

embedding a tag in a head, and

removably assembling the head to a stick, said head configured to be above a ground when the stick is planted in the ground,

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

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 surveyor'"'"'s mark from the ground results in changing the value of the identification number in the tag from a first code value to a second code value that differs from the first code value,

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

wherein said attempt to pull up the surveyor'"'"'s mark from the ground results in the head being disassembled from the stick and the thin wire breaking so as to open the electrical conducting loop which changes the value of the identification number in the tag from the first code value to the second code value.

12. 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.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the least significant bit for the first code value is set by being electrically connected to a ground voltage by the electrical conducting 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 electrical conducting loop of the thin wire being open.

14. The method of claim 13, 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 electrical conducting 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 electrical conducting loop is at the third node which is at the ground voltage.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein if the surveyor'"'"'s 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 surveyor'"'"'s mark to be the second code value.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the stick comprises a harpoon system to ensure that the pulling up of the surveyor'"'"'s 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 surveyor'"'"'s mark, an elevation of the surveyor'"'"'s mark, and an identification of a surveyor who positioned the surveyor'"'"'s mark.

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