Apparatus and Method

• US 20170190466A1
• Filed: 05/21/2015
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Castrol Limited (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: Castrol Limited (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Andersen, Jens, Goodier, Steven Paul, Helman, Hanna, Leeson, Andrea
• Granted Patent: US 10,358,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/00 Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered in devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes B66F9/12
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/44 Elements or devices for locating articles on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00815 on the pallet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 71/0096 the dimensions of the supports corresponding to the periphery of the load, e.g. pallets
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2011/0483 with a lubricant cartridge for facilitating the change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0609 by fluid containers, e.g. bottles, cups, gas containers
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A pallet comprising: a plurality of container seats wherein each seat is adapted to carry a fluid container; a data obtainer arranged to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a fluid container to be carried; a processor coupled to the data obtainer and configured to provide a signal based on the container data.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising:

a plurality of container seats wherein each seat is adapted to carry a fluid container;

a data obtainer arranged to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a fluid container to be carried; and

a processor coupled to the data obtainer and configured to provide a signal based on the container data.

2. The pallet of claim 1 wherein each seat of the plurality of container seats is operable to retain a container so as to inhibit removal of said container from the seat.

3. The pallet of claim 1 wherein each seat of the plurality of container seats is operable to reject a container so as to inhibit carrying of the container by the seat.

4. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the signal comprises an indication as to whether to retain or reject a container from which the container data was obtained.

5. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the processor is coupled to provide the signal to control the container seat.

6. The pallet of claim 1 comprising a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote device.

7. The pallet of claim 6 wherein the processor is configured to provide the container data to the remote device.

8. The pallet of claim 7 wherein the signal is based on data received from the remote device in response to the container data.

9. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the container seats comprise a seat key to engage with a complementary key of a container that is to be carried in the seat and the data obtainer is configured to obtain data from a container seat in response to the seat key engaging with a container.

10. The pallet of claim 9 wherein the seat key is configured to limit at least one of the position and orientation of a container carried by the seat so that when the seat key is keyed with a container, the container is arranged to provide data to the data obtainer.

11. The pallet of claim 10 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain data from a container in a particular seat in response to the seat key of the particular seat engaging with a complementary key of a container.

12. The pallet of claim 11 wherein the seat key comprises at least one of a latch and an asymmetric geometry of the container seat.

13. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the signal comprises at least one of an audible or visible alert signal.

14. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the data obtainer comprises at least one of a wireless or wired electronic communication interface configured to communicate with a container seated in a particular seat.

15. The pallet of claim 14 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain measurement data indicating at least one property of a fluid carried in said container seated in said particular seat.

16. The pallet of claim 15 wherein the controller is configured to provide the signal based on comparing the measurement data with container data obtained from a machine readable property of the particular container.

17. A transporter for carrying containers of fluid, the apparatus comprising:

a carrier configured to hold a plurality of fluid containers;

an enclosure surrounding the carrier and arranged to inhibit entry of fluid containers to the carrier;

an access controller operable to selectively enable a fluid container to enter the carrier;

a data obtainer configured to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a particular fluid container; and

a processor configured to operate the access controller to permit or deny entry of the particular fluid container to the carrier based on the container data.

18. The transporter of claim 17 wherein the access controller comprises a loader and the access controller is configured to secure a particular container with the loader prior to the container data being obtained.

19. The transporter of claim 18 wherein the processor is configured to release the particular container from the loader to the carrier to permit entry of the particular fluid container to the carrier based on the container data.

20. The transporter of claim 17 comprising a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote device.

21. The transporter of claim 20 wherein the processor is configured to provide the container data to the remote device.

22. The transporter of claim 20 wherein the processer configured is to operate the access controller based on data received from the remote device in response to the container data.

23. The transporter of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to trigger at least one of an audible or visible alert signal in the event that it operates the access controller to deny entry of the fluid container to the carrier.

24. The transporter of claim 17 wherein the data obtainer comprises at least one of a wireless or wired electronic communication interface configured to communicate with a container.

25. The transporter of claim 17 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain measurement data indicating at least one property of a fluid carried in said particular fluid container.

26. The transporter of claim 25 wherein the controller is configured to provide the signal based on comparing the measurement data with container data obtained from a machine readable property of the particular container.

27. A system comprising a server configured to communicate via a communications network with at least one of:

(i) at least one transporter for carrying containers of fluid, the apparatus comprising;

a carrier configured to hold a plurality of fluid containers;

an enclosure surrounding the carrier and arranged to inhibit entry of fluid containers to the carrier;

an access controller operable to selectively enable a fluid container to enter the carrier;

a data obtainer configured to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a particular fluid container;

a processer configured to operate the access controller to permit or deny entry of the particular fluid container to the carrier based on the container data; and

a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote device; and

(ii) at least one pallet comprising a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote device.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the container data comprises an identifier of a particular container, and the server is configured to compare the measurement data with stored data associated with the identifier and to send a signal to the at least one of a transporter and a pallet based on the comparison.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the at least one transporter comprises a vehicle and the server is configured to send a collection or delivery instruction to said vehicle based on received container data.

30. A transporter for carrying containers of fluid, the apparatus comprising:

a carrier configured to hold a plurality of fluid containers;

a data obtainer configured to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a particular fluid container; and

a processer configured to trigger an alert based on the container data to instruct an operator that a container should not be carried in the container.