Performing an on-demand book balance to physical balance reconciliation process for liquid product

• US 20060157150A1
• 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: Pilot Travel Centers LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Blakeslee, Alan D., Hillam, John D., Peterson, Richard D., Cate, Kerby L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/198
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/3209 relating to spillage or leakage, e.g. spill containments, leak detection leak detectors for underground fuel dispensing systems G01M3/2892
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer program products for performing an on-demand book balance to physical balance reconciliation process for liquid product. The method can include receiving an indication that a delivery of product is about to occur at a retail facility. Based on the received indication, and optionally while fuel is dispensed from one or more storage tanks, a first book balance to physical balance reconciliation can be initiated for one or more storage tanks at the retail facility prior to receiving a delivery of liquid product. Following completion of the first book to physical balance reconciliation, an amount of liquid product as indicated on a delivery document is delivered and then the system automatically performs a second book to physical reconciliation process to identify one or more discrepancies between the amount of liquid product in the storage tanks and a physical amount of liquid product actually delivered.

Claims

1. A method for performing an on-demand book balance to physical balance reconciliation process, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a delivery of product is about to occur;

based on the received indication, automatically initiating a first book balance to physical balance reconciliation of one or more liquid product storage tanks at a retail facility prior to receiving a delivery of liquid product;

following completion of the first book to physical balance reconciliation, delivering an amount of liquid product as indicated on a delivery document;

upon receiving an indication that an amount of liquid product has been delivered, automatically performing a second book to physical reconciliation process to identify one or more discrepancies between said indicated amount of liquid product and a physical amount of liquid product actually delivered to said one or more liquid product storage tanks.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said first book balance to physical balance reconciliation is capable of being conducted while fuel is dispensed from said one or more liquid product storage tanks.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a centralized management system determines whether the amount of liquid product has actually been delivered to said retail facility.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said amount is indicated on a delivery document provided by a carrier of the liquid product.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein both a gross volume and a temperature measurement is taken for all measurements in the reconciliation process, said volume and temperature measurements being used to convert all measured volumes into a net volume at 60°

Fahrenheit.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising appending a time-stamp to all physical measurements of the liquid product and converting all of said measurements to a common time.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising reporting a discrepancy between amounts reportedly delivered and amounts that were actually delivered to at least one of a carrier, the retail facility, and a centralized management system.

8. In a system having a centralized management system, a method for performing an on-demand reconciliation process, the method comprising:

using the centralized management system, initiating a book balance to a physical balance reconciliation of one or more liquid product storage tanks at a retail facility, said reconciliation is capable of being conducted while a liquid product is dispensed from said one or more liquid product storage tanks;

receiving a delivery of an amount of said liquid product; and

following delivery of the liquid product, performing a second book to physical reconciliation process to identify one or more discrepancies between (A) the amount of said liquid product reportedly delivered to said one or more storage tanks; and

(B) the physical liquid product actually contained within said one or more liquid product storage tank.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said amount is indicated on a delivery document provided by a carrier of the liquid product.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein both a gross volume and a temperature measurement is taken for all measurements in the reconciliation process, said volume and temperature measurements being used to convert all measured volumes into a net volume at 60°

Fahrenheit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising appending a time-stamp to all physical measurements of the liquid product and converting all of said measurements to a common time.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising reporting a discrepancy between amounts reportedly delivered and amounts that were actually delivered to at least one of a carrier, the retail facility, and the centralized management system.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

notifying a carrier in the event that a reported amount of liquid product was not actually delivered to the retail facility.

14. In a system having a centralized management system, a method for performing an on-demand reconciliation process, the method comprising:

initiating a book balance to a physical balance reconciliation of one or more liquid product storage tanks at a retail facility, said reconciliation capable of being conducted while fuel is dispensed from said one or more liquid product storage tanks; and

following said reconciliation, performing at regular intervals additional book to physical reconciliation processes to identify one or more discrepancies between (A) an amount of liquid product reportedly contained within said one or more liquid product storage tanks; and

(B) physical liquid product actually contained within said one or more liquid product storage tanks.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein both a gross volume and a temperature measurement is taken for all measurements in the reconciliation process, said volume and temperature measurements being used to convert all measured volumes into a net volume at 60°

Fahrenheit.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising appending a time-stamp to all physical measurements of the liquid product and converting all of said measurements to a common time.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the additional book to physical reconciliation process are performed at five minute intervals.

18. A computer program product for implementing a method for performing an on-demand reconciliation process, 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:

initiating a book balance to a physical balance reconciliation of one or more liquid product storage tanks at a retail facility, said reconciliation capable of being conducted while fuel is dispensed from said one or more liquid product storage tanks; and

following said reconciliation, performing at regular intervals additional book to physical reconciliation processes to identify one or more discrepancies between (A) an amount of liquid product reportedly contained within said one or more liquid product storage tanks; and

(B) physical liquid product actually contained within said one or more liquid product storage tanks.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein both a gross volume and a temperature measurement is taken for all measurements in the reconciliation process, said volume and temperature measurements being used to convert all measured volumes into a net volume at 60°

Fahrenheit.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising appending a time-stamp to all physical measurements of the liquid product and converting all of said measurements to a common time.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the additional book to physical reconciliation process are performed at five minute intervals.