Collecting and communicating temperature and volume data directly from a dispenser

• US 20060157143A1
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pilot Travel Centers LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flying J Inc.
• Inventors: Hillam, John D., Memmott, Vincent J., Shellabarger, Gary I.
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/198
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/06 with means for prepaying basic charges, e.g. rent for meters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer program products for collecting and communicating temperature and volume data directly from a dispenser for use during a book to physical reconciliation process. The temperature and volume readings can be received directly from a dispenser by at least one of a retail system and a central inventory management system. The method can include collecting flow data indicative of a volume of a liquid product dispensed from the dispenser at a plurality of times during a defined time interval and collecting temperature data indicative of a temperature of the liquid product dispensed from the dispenser at the plurality of times during the defined interval. Once collected, the temperature data and the flow data can be transmitted to at least one of a retail system and a central inventory management system.

Claims

1. A method of real-time communication of temperature and volume readings directly from a dispenser, the method comprising:

collecting flow data indicative of a volume of a liquid product dispensed from the dispenser at a plurality of times during a defined time interval;

collecting temperature data indicative of a temperature of the liquid product dispensed from the dispenser at the plurality of times during the defined interval; and

transmitting said flow data and said temperature data to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said flow data and said temperature data are transmitted via the Internet, frame relay or a wireless connection.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein collecting flow data further comprises accumulating at a control module within the dispenser a plurality of pulses from a dispenser pulser, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing the volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating at said control module a time-stamp for one or more of said plurality of pulses.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising associating said time-stamp with one or more of said temperature data.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising collecting dispenser status data indicative of a status of one or more sales transactions at the dispenser.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising calculating an offset time for the dispenser, said offset time being the difference between a first time associated with a start of a reconciliation process and a second time associated with an end of the reconciliation process.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein transmitting said flow data and said temperature data comprises periodically transmitting said flow data and said temperature data.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein transmitting said flow data and said temperature data comprises transmitting said flow data and said temperature data upon the dispenser receiving a request from at least one of the retail system and the centralized inventory management system

7. The method as recited in claim 0, further comprising associating said time-stamp with one or more of said dispenser status data.

11. A method of real-time communication of temperature and volume readings directly from a dispenser to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, the method comprising:

collecting a plurality of flow data at a plurality of times at the dispenser, each of the plurality of flow data corresponding to a volume of liquid product dispensed from the dispenser during a time interval;

while said liquid product is dispensed from the dispenser, collecting a plurality of temperature data at a plurality of times within said time interval, each said temperature data being representative of a temperature of said liquid product at one of said plurality of times; and

transmitting said plurality of flow data and said plurality of temperature data to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said plurality of flow data is transmitted via the Internet, frame relay or a wireless connection.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the dispenser, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing the volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser; and

generating a time-stamp for one or more of said plurality of pulses.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the dispenser, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing said volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser; and

generating a plurality of time-stamps for the defined time interval; and

associating each time-stamp of said plurality of time-stamps with said volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising collecting dispenser status data indicative of sales transaction status of the dispenser.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising associating a plurality of time-stamps with said dispenser status data.

17. A computer program product for implementing a method of real-time communication of temperature and volume readings directly from a dispenser to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, the computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, can cause the distributed computing system to perform the following:

collecting a plurality of flow data at a plurality of times at the dispenser, each of the plurality of flow data corresponding to a volume of liquid product dispensed from the dispenser during a time interval;

while said liquid product is dispensed from the dispenser, collecting a plurality of temperature data at a plurality of times within said time interval, each said temperature data being representative of a temperature of said liquid product at one of said plurality of times; and

transmitting said plurality of flow data and said plurality of temperature data to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said plurality of flow data is transmitted via the Internet, frame relay or a wireless connection.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the dispenser, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing the volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser; and

generating a time-stamp for one or more of said plurality of pulses.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the dispenser, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing said volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser; and

generating a plurality of time-stamps for the defined time interval; and

associating each time-stamp of said plurality of time-stamps with said volume of liquid dispensed from the dispenser.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising collecting dispenser status data indicative of sales transaction status of the dispenser.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising associating a plurality of time-stamps with said dispenser status data.