CONTACTLESS MEMORY INFORMATION STORAGE FOR SAMPLE ANALYSIS AND HAND-HOLDABLE ANALYZER FOR USE THEREWITH

摘要

An analytical instrument (400, 500, 600) stores and/or reads information related to a sample (100, 904) in a contactless memory (102, 202, 422, 704, 706, 708, 802, 804, 806), such as a passive or active radio-frequency identification (RF-ID) tag. The information may include information about: composition of the sample, one or more analytical instruments (400, 500, 600) that were used to analyze the sample, operator(s) (902) who used the instrument(s) to analyze the sample, user-entered data about the sample (such as an origin of the sample) or a combination thereof or the like. The memory may be attached to the sample or to a container (300), in which the sample is stored or transported. One or more copies of such a memory may be loosely stored with the sample, such as with soil in a plastic bag or a rail car. When the memory is attached to, or stored with, the sample, the sample becomes essentially self- documenting. Information about the sample, such as its composition or origin, may be read by a contactless memory reader, such as an RF-ID reader. An analytical instrument (900) includes a contactless memory reader, such as an RF-ID reader. Each person (902) authorized to use the instrument carries a contactless memory (908), such as an RF-ID tag in an identification (ID) badge (906). The instrument (900) scans for a contactless memory (908) containing information identifying an authorized user (902) prior to performing an analysis or prior to operating in a predetermined mode, thus preventing unauthorized persons from operating the instrument (900) or from operating the instrument in an unauthorized mode. An analytical instrument (1000) may be docked in a stand (1002, 1200). The stand (1002, 1200) provides electrical power, cooling, gas to purge air from an analytical gap within the instrument and/or other supplies or services to the instrument (1000). The stand (1002, 1200) contains a contactless memory (1020, 1400), such as an RF-ID tag, which stores information about the supplies and/or services the stand (1002, 1200) is capable of providing to the instrument. The instrument (1000) reads the stand's contactless memory (1020, 1400) and automatically sets operational parameters of the instrument (1000) in accordance with the supplies and/or services the stand (1002, 1200) is capable of providing. Thus, the instrument may automatically operate in an enhanced mode, such as at a higher x-ray beam power, as a result of being mounted in the stand.