DISTRIBUTED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS THEREFOR

• US 20100268560A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Beverage Net, Inc.
• Original Assignee: US Beverage Net, Inc.
• Inventors: Danial, Patrick J., Raghunathan, Prabhu R., Young, Mark E,
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00089 Remote control means, e.g. by electromagnetic signals
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00091 Bar management means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A distributed intelligent system. The distributed network includes at least one gateway server configured for receiving meter data from one or more nodes of a distributed meter network and at least one subscriber station in communication with the at least one gateway server via a communication network. The at least one gateway server is further configured to selectively distribute the received meter data to the at least one subscriber station in accordance with a policy.

Claims

1. A distributed intelligent system comprising:

at least one gateway server configured for receiving meter data from one or more nodes of a distributed meter network; and

at least one subscriber station in communication with the at least one gateway server via a communication network;

wherein the at least one gateway server is further configured to selectively distribute the received meter data to the at least one subscriber station in accordance with a policy.

2. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein each gateway server is remotely located with respect to each node.

3. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein each subscriber station is remotely located with respect to each gateway server.

4. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein the distributed meter network comprises a distributed flow meter network.

5. The distributed intelligent system of claim 4, wherein each node of the distributed meter network is associated with a point-of-sale (POS) location, and wherein the meter data comprises at least one of a beverage flow rate or a beverage flow total for each of one or more beverages dispensed at the POS location.

6. The distributed intelligent system of claim 5, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to transmit an inventory control message based on the meter data.

7. The distributed intelligent system of claim 5, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to transmit an advertisement message based on the meter data

8. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway server is further configured for receiving meter data from one or more of the nodes responsive to polling requests transmitted thereto by the at least one gateway server.

9. The distributed intelligent system of claim 8, wherein the at least one gateway server is further configured for adaptively changing a polling frequency of the one or more polled nodes based upon a characteristic of the meter data received therefrom.

10. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein the policy is a content-based policy.

11. The distributed intelligent system of claim 10, wherein the content-based policy comprises one or more content-based criteria for identifying the meter data to be selectively distributed.

12. The distributed intelligent system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more content-based criteria is selected from the following:

a beverage product, a beverage brand, and a POS location.

13. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein the policy is a condition-based policy.

14. The distributed intelligent system of claim 13, wherein the condition-based policy comprises one or more predetermined conditions for identifying the meter data to be selectively distributed.

15. The distributed intelligent system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the predetermined conditions is a predetermined flow total condition.

16. The distributed intelligent system of claim 5, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to generate a consumption pattern model.

17. The distributed intelligent system of claim 16, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to automatically control a beverage inventory at the POS location in accordance with an inventory control policy, wherein the inventory control policy is based at least in part upon the consumption pattern model.

18. The distributed intelligent system of claim 16, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to automatically generate an advertisement message in accordance with an advertisement policy, wherein the advertisement policy is based at least in part upon the consumption pattern model.

19. The distributed intelligent system of claim 5, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to generate a consumer model.

20. The distributed intelligent system of claim 19, wherein the at least one gateway server is configured to automatically generate an advertisement message in accordance with an advertisement policy, wherein the advertisement policy is based at least in part upon the consumer model.

21. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein the gateway server comprises a load-balancing policy stored therein.

22. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, further comprising at least one redundant backup gateway server.

23. The distributed intelligent system of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

24. A method comprising:

receiving meter data from one or more nodes of a distributed meter network at at least one gateway server; and

selectively distributing via a communication network the received meter data to at least one subscriber station in accordance with a policy.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein receiving meter data from one or more nodes of the meter network includes receiving at least one of a beverage flow rate or a beverage flow total for each of one or more beverages dispensed at a POS location.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising transmitting an inventory control message based on the meter data.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising transmitting an advertisement message based on the meter data.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving meter data from the one or more nodes responsive to polling requests transmitted thereto by the at least one gateway server

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising adaptively changing a polling frequency of the one or more polled nodes based upon a characteristic of the meter data received therefrom.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein selectively distributing the received meter data to at least one subscriber station in accordance with a policy comprises selectively distributing the received meter data in accordance with a content-based policy.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein selectively distributing the received meter data to at least one subscriber station in accordance with a policy comprises selectively distributing the received meter data in accordance with a condition-based policy.

32. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating a consumption pattern model based on the meter data.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising automatically controlling a beverage inventory at the POS location in accordance with an inventory control policy, wherein the inventory control policy is based at least in part upon the consumption pattern model.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising automatically generating an advertisement message in accordance with an advertisement policy, wherein the advertisement policy is based at least in part upon the consumption pattern model.

35. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating a consumer model based on the meter data.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising automatically generating an advertisement message in accordance with an advertisement policy, wherein the advertisement policy is based at least in part upon the consumer model.

37. A distributed intelligent system comprising at least one gateway server that generates a real time reconciliation report based on a reconciliation of real time meter data and real time sales data received from a node of a distributed meter network.

38. The distributed intelligent system of claim 37, further comprising a subscriber station in communication with the at least one gateway server for receiving the report.

39. The distributed intelligent system of claim 37, wherein the distributed meter network comprises a distributed flow meter network.

40. The distributed intelligent system of claim 39, wherein the node of the distributed meter network is associated with a point-of-sale (POS) location, wherein the meter data comprises a flow total for each of one or more beverages dispensed at the POS location, and wherein the sales data comprises a sales amount for each of the one or more dispensed beverages.