ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- United States Patent no. 12,474,313, issued on Nov. 18.
"Sample collector for particulate material and method" was invented by Roger J. Malcolm (San Clemente, Calif.) and Stuart Hersey (San Diego).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A sample collector for extracting a particulate material specimen from a container includes a needle for puncturing the container and capturing an amount of specimen inside a chamber in mechanical communication with the needle. A spring-loaded continuously and progressively retractable and extendable sheath protects the tip of the needle from inadvertent contact with a human user and encloses the puncture site on the container during collecti...