Inventory system

• US 20030034392A1
• Filed: 08/17/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Birch Street Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dean P. Grimm, Roger L. Grimm
• Inventors: Grimm, Roger L., Grimm, Dean P.
• Granted Patent: US 6,616,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A computer-based system for taking the physical inventory of beverages dispensed in full and partially full containers so as to effectively control the theft and overpouring. The products to be inventoried, such as liquor bottles are identified by conventional barcodes that can be scanned by a scanner that is operably interconnected with a hand-held computer. The step of scanning the barcodes produces, on the touch-sensitive screen of the hand-held computer, product information concerning the product contained within the scanned bottle including a silhouette of the bottle. In accomplishing the inventory, the user indicates by touching on the silhouette of the bottle the fluid level within the bottle. This information is inputted in the computer data storage and is used to calculate the volume of beverage remaining in the bottle.

Claims

1. A system for taking inventory of product contained within coded containers each having a readable code, said system comprising:

(a) input means for generating and transmitting for each coded container a signal identifying the product contained within the coded container and the silhouette of the coded container;

(b) data processing means operably associated with said input means for receiving said signal from said input means, said data processing means having data storage means containing, for each code on the coded containers, product information, including the type of product and the silhouette of the container associated with the code, said data processing means upon receiving said signal from said input means, operatively responding to correlate said signal with said product information corresponding to said code to produce a product description that includes an identification of the silhouette of the container within which the product is contained, said data processing means comprising;

(i) display means for displaying said product description, including a visual display of the silhouette of the container;

(ii) information entering means for entering product record information into the data storage means, including an indication on said silhouette of the coded container of the level of product remaining in the coded container; and

(iii) program memory means containing data for controlling said data processing means and for creating at least one inventory report by operatively correlating said product identification information with said product record information to calculate the quantity of product contained within the coded container.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 in which said input means comprises sensor means for sensing the readable code of the coded container.

3. The system as defined in claim 2 in which said readable code comprises a label identifying the product contained within the coded container.

4. The system as defined in claim 2 in which said readable code comprises a barcode.

5. The system as defined in claim 4 in which said sensor means comprises a barcode reader.

6. The system as defined in claim 5 wherein the coded containers from which the liquor is dispensed are glass bottles.

7. The system as defined in claim 6 wherein the code associated with each glass bottle is a barcode attached to the bottle.

8. A system for taking inventory of beverages contained within coded containers having a readable barcode, said system comprising:

(a) a barcode reader for reading the barcode and for generating and transmitting for each coded container a signal identifying the product contained within the coded container and the silhouette of the container;

(b) a computer operably associated with said barcode reader for receiving said signal from said barcode reader, said computer having a touch sensitive screen and data storage means containing, for each code on the coded containers, product information, including the type of product and the silhouette of the container associated with the code, said computer upon receiving said signal from said barcode reader, operatively responding to correlate said signal with said product information corresponding to said barcode to produce a product description that includes an identification of the silhouette of the container within which the product is contained, said computer comprising;

(i) display means for displaying on said touch sensitive screen said product description, including a visual display of the silhouette of the container;

(ii) information entering means for entering product record information into the data storage means by means of said touch sensitive screen, said product record information including an indication on said silhouette of the coded container of the level of the beverage contained within the coded container; and

(iii) program memory means containing data for controlling said computer and for creating at least one inventory report by operatively correlating said product identification information with said product record information to automatically calculate the quantity of beverage contained within the coded container.

9. The system as defined in claim 8 wherein the product dispensed is of a liquor type.

10. The system as defined in claim 9 wherein the containers from which the liquor is dispensed are glass bottles.

11. A method for taking inventory of product contained within coded containers using a computer having data storage means for containing product information, including the type of product and the silhouette of the container containing the product, input means for generating and transmitting for each coded container a signal identifying the product contained within the coded container and a silhouette of the coded container, program memory means containing data for controlling the computer, information entering means for entering information into the data storage means, said information entering means comprising a touch sensitive screen, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the input means identifying on the touch-sensitive screen the product including the silhouette of the container containing the product; and

(b) using the information entering means, entering information comprising a fluid level indication on the silhouette appearing on the touch-sensitive screen of the level of the product remaining within the container, said computer means operatively responding upon receipt of the fluid level indication to enter into data storage means said fluid level indication.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 including the further step of transmitting the fluid level indication from the data storage means to a central computer for using the level indication to calculate the quantity of product remaining in the coded container.