System and method for monitoring and control of beverage dispensing equipment
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A remote data acquisition and transmission system and method are disclosed. A plurality of application controllers are interfaced with remote beverage dispensing equipment from which operation data is acquired by the application controllers. The application controllers communicate with an application host via a local area network, and the application host can communicate with a network operations center using a wide area network interface.
-
Citations
88 Claims
-
1-50. -50. (canceled)
-
51. A remote data acquisition and transmission system comprising:
-
an application controller coupled to and interfacing with equipment to acquire inventory data and equipment status data from the equipment;
an application host connected to and associated with the application controller;
the application host including a WAN wireless transceiver operable to communicate across a wireless data network;
the application host including a wide area network interface for communicating with a network operations center;
the network operations center communicating with the application host via the wide area network to receive data acquired by the application controller from the equipment; and
the network operation center maintaining a database storing the data from the equipment and providing secure third party access to the database.
-
-
52. A remote data acquisition and transmission system for beverage dispensing devices, comprising:
-
at least a first application controller interfacing with a beverage dispensing controller associated with a respective beverage dispensing device from which operation data is acquired by the first application controller;
at least a second application controller interfacing with a beverage dispensing controller associated with a respective beverage dispensing device from which operation data is acquired by the second application controller;
an application host communicating with at least one of the application controllers via at least one local area network to receive the operation data from the associated beverage dispensing devices;
the application host including a wide area network interface for communicating with a network operations center;
the network operations center communicating with the application host via the wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the application controllers from the respective beverage dispensing devices;
the network operations center maintaining a database storing the operation data from the respective beverage dispensing devices and providing third party access to the database;
the network operations center communicating with the application host via the wide area network to transmit operation data to the application controllers for the respective beverage dispensing devices;
the operation data including configuration information, firmware and other information used to operate the respective beverage dispensing devices; and
the network operations center having at least one device monitoring and control unit. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
-
-
61. A remote data acquisition and transmission system operable to manage devices that collect data from remote corporate assets, comprising:
-
a first application controller interfacing with a first device to acquire operation data from the first device;
a second application controller interfacing with a second device to acquire operation data from the second device;
an application host communicating with at least one of the application controllers via a local area network (LAN) to receive the operation data from the first and second devices;
a wide area network (WAN) interface in the application host for communicating with a network operations center;
a first transceiver in the first application controller operable to transmit the operation data from the first device to the second application controller;
a second transceiver in the second application controller operable to transmit the operation data from the second device to the first application controller;
the first transceiver operable to receive the operation data from the second application controller and communicate the operation data from the second device to the application host on behalf of the second application controller when the second transceiver is not operable to transmit the operation data from the second device to the application host;
the second transceiver operable to receive the operation data from the first application controller and communicate the operation data from the first device to the application host on behalf of the first application controller when the first transceiver is not operable to transmit the operation data from the first device to the application host;
the network operations center communicating with the application host via the WAN to receive the operation data acquired by the first and second application controllers;
the network operations center transmitting data for the first and second devices via the WAN to the application host;
the application host transmitting the data to at least one of the first and second application controllers via the LAN; and
the first and second application controllers providing the data to the first and second devices, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
-
-
71. A remote data acquisition and transmission system for beverage dispensing devices, comprising:
-
at least first and second application controllers;
the first application controller interfacing with a beverage dispensing controller associated with a first beverage dispensing device from which operation data is acquired by the first application controller and the second application controller interfacing with a beverage dispensing controller associated with a second beverage dispensing device from which operation data is acquired by the second application controller;
an application host communicating with at least one of the application controllers via at least one local area network to receive the operation data from the associated beverage dispensing devices;
the application host having at least one a wide area network interface for communicating with a network operations center;
the network operations center communicating with the application host via at least one wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the first and second application controllers from the associated beverage dispensing devices;
the first application controller operating as a relay when necessary to establish communication between the application host and the second application controller, such that the first application controller relays the operation data from the second beverage dispensing device to the application host on behalf of the second application controller;
the second application controller operating as a relay when necessary to establish communication between the application host and the first application controller, such that the second application controller relays the operation data from the first beverage dispensing device to the application host on behalf of the first application controller;
the network operations center maintaining a database storing the operation data from the associated beverage dispensing devices and providing third party access to the database;
the network operations center communicating with the application host via the wide area network to transmit operation data to the first and second application controllers for the associated beverage dispensing devices; and
the operation data including configuration information, firmware and other information used to operate the associated beverage dispensing devices. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
-
-
78. A method for remote data acquisition and transmission, comprising:
-
interfacing at least two of application controller with respective remote beverage dispensing devices from which operation data is acquired by the respective application controller;
communicating between an application host and each application controller;
communicating between the application host and a network operations center using a wide area network interface;
communicating between the application host and the application controllers via a local area network; and
communicating between a network operation center and the application host via a wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the application controllers. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88)
-
Specification