Dispensing Monitor

• US 20110180563A1
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Liquor Monitor LLC
• Original Assignee: Liquor Monitor LLC
• Inventors: Mikhail, Alexander, Fitchett, Jack
• Application Number:
  US13/014,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20110180563A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/1
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0051 dispensing by tilting
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0077 Electronic circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 13/00 Apparatus for measuring by volume and delivering fluids or fluent solid materials, not provided for in the preceding groups
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 13/006 measuring volume in function of time

Abstract

The disclosure herein includes a liquid pouring monitor cap that has an angle of orientation sensor. When the spout is attached to a liquor bottle, the orientation angle sensor determines the angle of the bottle with respect to the horizontal at all times while the dispensed substance is being poured from the bottle. This data regarding the duration of pouring at different pour angles may be stored for an entire pouring event in order to calculate the amount of liquid poured during the event.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the dispensing of a substance comprising:

a container for holding a substance;

a sensor attached to the container capable of measuring at least two different orientations of the container with respect to gravity; and

a monitoring station for receiving data from the sensor relating to the at least two orientations of the container.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes an accelerometer.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes at least two tilt sensors.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a gyroscope.

5. The device of claim 1 including a transmitter in electrical communication with the sensor that transmits the data from the sensor relating to the at least two orientations of the container to the monitoring station.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the monitoring station includes a processor for calculating the volume of the substance dispensed from the container.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a timer.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the substance is liquor and the container is a liquor bottle, and the sensor is integrated with a liquor pouring cap that removably connects to the liquor bottle.

9. A method for determining the amount of a substance dispensed comprising:

sensing at least two orientations of a container with respect to gravity during a pour event; and

determining an amount of substance dispensed based on the at least two orientations and a duration of time the container remains at the at least two orientations.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the total volume of the substance dispensed from the container is calculated.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein a flow rate of the substance out of the container is determined for each of the at least two orientations.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the flow rate is determined based on experimental data with the container.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the time the container is held at each of the at least two orientations is recorded.

14. A method for determining when a cap to a container has been removed or attached comprising:

providing a sensor on a cap that is able to sense the proximity of a container;

sensing a proximity of the container to the sensor; and

determining based on the proximity whether the cap is engaged or disengaged.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the sensor is an infrared proximity sensor.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the sensor is a magnetic sensing device.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the sensor is a mechanical sensing device.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the sensor transmits data based on a record of when the cap was engaged and disengaged to a monitoring station.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the data is compared to a record of data stored in a point of sale system to determine whether free liquor pours were served.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the cap is a liquor pouring cap, and the container is a liquor bottle.