CHIP PLANTER TECHNOLOGY

2

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates, generally, to land marking systems. More

particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for marking land with

microchip-containing probes planted below the surface of the ground.

2. Background Information.

There is a need to mark and convey information about land, including the

underground objects in a parcel of land and the boundaries of the parcel of land.

Typical underground objects which need to be located for repair purposes or to be

avoided during excavation include water lines, electric lines, gas lines, telephone

lines, cable television lines, septic tanks, and storage tanks. Further, real estate,

including commercial sites, residential sub-divisions, and cemetery plats, are precisely

surveyed to accurately identify the boundaries of the parcel of land. Typically, a

surveyor forms a sub-division plat by marking the boundary of the subdivision and

each subdivision plat, the rights-of-way for streets and sidewalks, and the easements

for utilities or access within the sub-division plat. Then, a civil engineer creates

grading plans, storm drainage plans, waterline plans, sanitary sewer plans, and street

plans, all of which are properly marked during the construction of the sub-division. A

cemetery plat is, in some ways, similar to a sub-division plat in that a larger parcel of

land is surveyed and divided into smaller parcels or individual grave sites. Adjacent

grave sites are often owned by a single person or family and associated grave sites are

often marked with a family headstone. The boundary for each grave site is measured

and marked prior to digging. 3

The known art includes various devices and methods for marking land,

including painting lines on the surface, placing stakes or making other visible surface

markings. The known art also includes various devices and methods for detecting

underground objects or hazards, including using ground penetrating radar, detecting

electromagnetic fields generated by an underground source, and burying a device that

generates a signature signal near the underground structure. These devices and

methods are believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings. Visible

surface markings are often temporary and aesthetically displeasing. Ground

penetrating radar poses a significant problem in distinguishing unwanted or

urmecessary signals from those signals of interest. Detecting electromagnetic fields is

limited to detecting underground sources that either generate electromagnetic fields,

such as underground electrical power lines, or are a conductor and can be attached to

an electrical current, such as water pipes.

Applicants' invention provides a surveying marking system which is believed

to constitute an improvement over existing technology.

4

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides land marking system which generally

comprises a planter device, a tag, and a scanner. The tag is preferably a radio

frequency microchip, such as the chips manufactured by Destron Fearing which are

adapted for identifying the animals in which they are implanted. The microchip is a

tiny, passive electronic device that typically ranges in length from about 11 to 28

millimeters and in diameter from about 2.1 to 3.5 millimeters. The microchip is

individually inscribed and programmed to store a unique, permanent 10 to 15 digit

alphanumeric identification code, is coupled with an antenna, and is sealed in an inert

capsule. The microchip is inserted, molded, or otherwise encapsulated into a rod,

probe or spike. The identification code of the microchip is recorded. The probe is

loaded into the planter device and planted or inserted below the surface of the ground.

The passive microchip remains inactive until it is read by the scanner. The scanner

transmits a low radio frequency scanner signal to the chip, which provides the power

needed by the microchip to transmit its unique code back to the scanner as part of the

microchip signal. The scanner positively identifies the probe by the detected

microchip signal. Upon reading the detected microchip signal, the scanner may

display the unique code on a display, or it may be interfaced with other equipment for

further processing and reporting.

The probe is adapted to be driven into the ground at a desired position in the

land. The probe is preferably an elongated rod or spike formed from a material that

will not corrode or otherwise degrade in a moist underground environment and that 5

will not interfere with the transmission of the radio frequency signals between the

scanner and the microchip.

The probe is inserted or planted into the ground using a planter device. The

planter device has a body connected to a planter head that is adapted to receive the

probe. The probe / planter head interface is adapted to cause the probe to remain in

the planter head until it is driven into the ground and to remain in the ground after the

planter head is lifted. The planter head preferably has a cylindrically shaped portion

having an opening sized to provide a friction fit with a preferably cylindrically shaped

probe. The friction fit is sufficiently tight so that the probe does not fall out, but not

too tight so that the probe remains in the planter head when the probe is driven into

the ground. A manual planter embodiment has a step at one end of the body

proximate to the planter head, and further has a handle at the other end of the body. A

user's weight applied against the step drives the probe into the ground.

The land marking system may be used for a variety of purposes, including to

uniquely identify a predetermined location, a boundary, an underground hazard or a

buried element, and to provide land use and ownership information for a parcel of

land. The features, benefits and objects of this invention will become clear to those

skilled in the art by reference to the following description, claims and drawings.

6

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 is a plan view of a planter device used in the land marking system of

the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a probe used in the land marking system of the

present invention.

Figure 3 is a top view of the probe of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an illustration of a land marking system used with respect to a

cemetery plat.

Figure 5 is an illustration of a land marking system used with respect to a sub-

division plat.

Figure 6 illustrates the planter device planting a microchip-containing probe

into the ground.

Figure 7 illustrates a scanner detecting a planted microchip-containing probe. 7

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to Figure 1, an example of the preferred embodiment of a planter

device for the system of the present invention is illustrated and generally indicated by

the reference numeral 10. Figures 2-3 illustrate a molded embodiment of a

microchip-containing probe 12 that can be driven into the ground using the manual

planter device 10 of Figure 1. Figures 4-5 illustrate the system of marking land of

the present invention using the planter device 10 and the probe 12 within a cemetery

or residential sub-division environment. Figures 6-7 illustrate a method of planting

and detecting the probe 12.

The present invention provides a land marking system which generally

comprises a planter device 10, a radio frequency tag or microchip 24, and a scanner

25. The probe 12 is inserted or planted into the ground using the planter device 10.

The planter device 10 has a body 14 connected to a planter head 16 that is adapted to

receive the probe 12. The planter head 16 preferably has a cylindrically shaped

portion 18, which has an opening sized to provide a friction fit with the generally

cylindrically shaped probe 12. The friction fit is sufficiently tight so that the probe 12

does not fall out of the cylindrically-shaped portion 18, but not too tight so that it

remains in the planter head 16 after the probe 12 is planted into the ground. The

probe 12 remains in the planter head 16 until it is driven into the ground and remains

in the ground after the planter head 16 is lifted. Other probe 12 / planter head 96

interfaces are anticipated for a variety of prove shapes and sizes.

The manual planter embodiment shown in Figure 1 has a handle 20 on one

end of the body 14 and a step 22 at the other end of the body proximate to the planter 8

head 16. The step 22 provides a means to use the weight of a user to drive the probe

12 into the ground. A stop plate 23 limits the depth that the probe is planted.

Additionally, a scanner 25 for detecting a microchip-containing probe 12 may be

attached to identify the probe and verify that it is operational and correctly placed in

the ground.

A tag or microchip 24 is inserted, molded or otherwise encapsulated in the

probe 12 which is adapted to be driven into the ground at a desired or predetermined

location. The probe 12 is preferably an elongated rod or spike formed from a material

that will not corrode or otherwise degrade in a moist underground environment, and

that will not interfere with the transmission of radio frequency signals between a

scanner and the microchip 24.

The microchip 24, such as the chips manufactured by Destron Fearing for

implanting into animals, is a tiny, passive electronic device that typically ranges in

length from about 11 to 28 millimeters and in diameter from about 2.1 to 3.5

millimeters. Those microchips 24, for example, are individually inscribed and

programmed to store a unique, permanent 10 to 15 digit alphanumeric identification

code and is coupled with an antenna and sealed in an inert capsule. The microchip is

inserted, molded, or otherwise encapsulated into the probe 12. The identification code

of the microchip 24 is recorded. The probe 12 is then loaded into the planter device

10 and driven into and below the surface of the ground G. The microchip 24 is

passive and remains inactive until it is read by a scanner, such as the scanner 25

shown in Figures 6-7. The scanner transmits a low radio frequency scanner signal 26

to the microchip 24, which provides the power needed by the microchip 24 to transmit

its unique code back to the scanner 25 as part of the microchip signal 28. The scanner 9

25 positively identifies the probe 12 by the detected microchip signal 28. Upon

reading the detected microchip signal, the scanner may display the unique code on a

display, or it may be interfaced with other equipment for further processing and

reporting.

The land marking system may be used to uniquely identify a predetermined

location in a parcel of land, a boundary for a parcel of land, or an underground hazard.

Additionally, the system may be used to provide land use and ownership information

for a parcel of land. The information may be provided in a variety of ways. Each

microchip 24 may contain a unique code. This code may be entered into a database

and related to information for the predetermined location in which the probe 12 is

planted. The identification of the detected microchip 24 is then cross referenced

against the database to extract the desired information. This database information is

then conveyed or otherwise provided to a user. Alternatively, the microchip 24 may

be designed to contain the desired information itself.

For example, Figure 4 illustrates a cemetery plat containing twenty-four grave

sites (Al-2, Bl-4, Cl-2, Dl-6, and El-10). A probe 12 may be planted in a corner of

each grave site. Grave sites A1-A2 represent deceased spouses, grave sites B1-B4

represent a deceased family of four, and grave sites C1-C2 represent spouses who are

alive but have marked their graves with a headstone H. Each of the associated or

family of grave sites A, B and C are identified by a visible marker, i.e. a headstone H.

The headstones H typically identify the person and the dates of birth and of death.

Grave sites D1-D6 represent grave sites that have been bought but have no visible

markers or headstones H, and grave sites E1-E10 represent grave sites that have not

been bought. The microchips 24 in the probes 12 uniquely identifies each probe 12 10

and the location of all of the grave sites. The probes 12 may also convey, either with

or without a database, additional information such as identifying the grave sites E

have not been bought, the owners of grave sites D that have been bought but are not

visibly marked with a headstone H, and the grave sites that are grouped together under

a family such as groups A, B, and C, the deceased person's relatives, and other

information about the deceased.

Another example is illustrated by the residential sub-division shown in Figure

5. Typically, a surveyor forms a sub-division plat by marking the boundary of the

entire subdivision S and each subdivision plat or lot L within the sub-divisions, the

rights-of-way RW for streets and sidewalks, and the easements E for utilities or access

within the sub-division plat. Subsequently, a civil engineer creates grading plans,

storm drainage plans, waterline plans, sanitary sewer plans, and street plans which are

marked during the construction of the sub-division. The microchip-containing probes

12 may be planted to uniquely identify or locate the boundaries of a lot L and may

further identify the location and type of underground hazard such as water lines WL

and electrical power lines EPL. Further, the probes 12 may provide ownership and

land use information including utility and lot access easements E, rights of way RW

for streets and sidewalks, covenants, and association affiliations. The probes 12 can

also be used as points of reference based on the civil engineer's plans during, among

other activities, the grading of the land and the construction of the storm and sanitary

sewers, the water lines, and the streets. This above-listed information is given as an

illustration and not an all-inclusive list of the variety of information that can be

contained by the microchips in the probes. 11

The descriptions above and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted

in the illustrative and not the limited sense. While the invention has been disclosed in

connection with the preferred embodiment or embodiments thereof, it should be

understood that there may be other embodiments which fall within the scope of the

invention as defined by the following claims. Where a claim, if any, is expressed as a

means or step for performing a specified function it is intended that such claim be

construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the

specification and equivalents thereof, including both structural equivalents and

equivalent structures, material-based equivalents and equivalent materials, and act-

based equivalents and equivalent acts.