Container screener

• US 20080116267A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Barber, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,748,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A container screener apparatus that uses container barcode (e.g. Universal Product Code) scanning, and one or more container and/or container content property measurements (e.g. photograph, description, weighing, acoustic measurement), and container comparison data stored in a database to determine if a container passes or fails a container screening based on predetermined pass/fail criteria.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting container alteration comprising:

A. a container screener comprising

a. a UPC code scanner for scanning a UPC code on a container and providing information for the UPC code;

b. one or more measurement units for providing one or more measured container parameters;

B a database containing stored container parameter data related to a plurality of UPC codes;

C. a computer, wherein the computer

a. retrieves the UPC code information from the scanner;

b. retrieves stored container parameter data in the database related to the UPC code information;

c. retrieves one or more measured parameters of the container related to the UPC code information; and

d. determines whether the one or more measured container parameters is within a predetermined limit of the respective one or more database stored container parameters; and

e. provides a signal of the determination; and

D. an indicator, wherein the indicator indicates to a user whether a container passes or fails the container alteration detection.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit measures one or more of the following parameters weight, temperature, acoustic properties, electromagnetic properties, and dimensional properties.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising two or more measurement units.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the measurement unit measures two or more of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of weight, temperature, acoustic properties, electromagnetic properties, and dimensional properties.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising three measurement units.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the measured parameters are weight, acoustic properties and electromagnetic properties.

7. An apparatus for screening a container comprising:

a. a bar code scanner for scanning a bar code on the container;

b. a measurement unit for measuring at least one pre-selected parameter associated with the container;

c. a database for storing at least one pre-selected parameter data for the container;

d. a computer operationally connected to the bar code scanner, measurement unit, and database, wherein the computer retrieves data from scanner, measurement unit and database and compares the pre-selected data from the measurement unit and database;

e. an indicator operationally connected to the computer for indicating to a user the result of the computer comparison.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the measurement unit measures one or more of the following parameters weight, temperature, acoustic properties, electromagnetic properties, and dimensional properties.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, comprising two or more measurement units.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the measurement unit measures two or more of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of weight, temperature, acoustic properties, electromagnetic properties, and dimensional properties.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, comprising three measurement units.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the measured parameters are weight, acoustic properties and electromagnetic properties.

13. A method for screening a container comprising:

a. scanning a bar code on the container;

b. measuring at least one pre-selected parameter associated with the container;

c. retrieving from a database at least one stored pre-selected parameter for the container that is equivalent to the measured parameter for the container, and that is associated with the scanned bar code;

d. comparing the at least one pre-selected parameter from the container measurement and the equivalent parameter stored in the database;

e. indicating to a user if the comparison in step d is within selected limits.

14. The method to claim 13, wherein the at least one or more preselected parameters are selected from the group consisting of weight, temperature, acoustic properties, electromagnetic properties, and dimensional properties.

15. The method according to claim 13, comprising two or more preselected parameters.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least two or more preselected parameters are selected from the group consisting of weight, temperature, acoustic properties, electromagnetic properties, and dimensional properties.

17. The method according to claim 13, comprising three or more preselected parameters

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the preselected parameters are weight, acoustic properties and electromagnetic properties.