Color Chip Dispenser

• US 20190311320A1
• Filed: 06/23/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BEHR Process Corporation (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEHR Process Corporation (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: FURNARI, Sarah Joanna
• Granted Patent: US 10,984,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided and include a card shuffler device, an optical code reader, a robotic arm, a display area having display windows and light sources, and a controller. The controller receives a selected coating color, searches color chips for the selected coating color by controlling the card shuffler device and the optical code reader to identify a particular color chip that matches the selected coating color based on a machine-readable optical code displayed in an optical code area of the particular color chip, receives a light source selection, and controls the robotic arm to display the particular color chip in a display window that has an associated light source that corresponds to the received light source selection.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a card shuffler device configured to receive a plurality of color chips, each color chip including a sample area displaying a color and an optical code area displaying a machine-readable optical code associated with the color;

an optical code reader configured to read machine-readable optical codes;

a robotic arm configured to receive and grip color chips;

a display area having a plurality of display windows and a plurality of light sources, each display window of the plurality of display windows being associated with a different light source of the plurality of light sources; and

a controller in communication with the optical code reader, the card shuffler device, and the robotic arm, the controller being configured to

(i) receive a selected coating color,

(ii) search the plurality of color chips for the selected coating color by controlling the card shuffler device and the optical code reader to identify a particular color chip from the plurality of color chips that matches the selected coating color based on the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of the particular color chip,

(iii) receive a light source selection, and

(iv) control the robotic arm to display the particular color chip in a display window of the plurality of display windows that has an associated light source that corresponds to the received light source selection.

2. The system recited by claim 1, further comprising a touch-screen device in communication with the controller, wherein the touch-screen device is configured to receive the light source selection from a user and communicate the received light source selection to the controller.

3. The system recited by claim 1, further comprising a touch-screen device in communication with the controller, wherein the touch-screen device is configured to receive the selected coating color and communicate the selected coating color to the controller.

4. The system recited by claim 1, wherein the display area includes a plurality of input buttons in communication with the controller, each input button being associated with a corresponding display window, and wherein the light source selection is received based on actuation of one of the input buttons.

5. The system recited by claim 1, further comprising a dispensing receptacle, wherein the controller is further configured to control the robotic arm to dispense the particular color chip to the dispensing receptacle.

6. The system recited by claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to search the plurality of color chips for the selected coating color by controlling the card shuffler device and the optical code reader to sequentially move each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips in front of the optical code reader to read the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips, by receiving and decoding the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips, and by determining whether each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips matches the selected coating color based on the decoded machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each of the color chips.

7. The system recited by claim 1, wherein the card shuffler device includes a motorized card shuffler that sequentially moves each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips in front of the optical code reader so that the optical code reader can read the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each color chip.

8. The system recited by claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a color selection and coordination system and to receive the selected coating color from the color selection and coordination system.

9. The system recited by claim 1, wherein the machine-readable optical code associated with the color includes at least one of a barcode, a QR code, and an alphanumeric code.

10. The system recited by claim 1, wherein the plurality of color chips includes duplicate color chips, each being associated with the same coating color, and wherein the controller is further configured to perform an inventory of the plurality of color chips and to store inventory information in a computer-readable storage medium, the inventory information including identification information and amount information for each type of color chip in the plurality of color chips.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, with a card shuffler device of a color chip display apparatus, a plurality of color chips, each color chip including a sample area displaying a color and an optical code area displaying a machine-readable optical code associated with the color, the color chip display apparatus having an optical code reader configured to read machine-readable optical codes, a robotic arm configured to receive and grip color chips, and a display area having a plurality of display windows and a plurality of light sources, each display window of the plurality of display windows being associated with a different light source of the plurality of light sources;

receiving, with a controller, a selected coating color, the controller being in communication with the optical code reader, the card shuffler device, and the robotic arm;

searching, with the controller, the plurality of color chips for the selected coating color by controlling the card shuffler device and the optical code reader to identify a particular color chip from the plurality of color chips that matches the selected coating color based on the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of the particular color chip;

receiving, with the controller, a light source selection; and

controlling, with the controller, the robotic arm to display the particular color chip in a display window of the plurality of display windows that has an associated light source that corresponds to the received light source selection.

12. The method recited by claim 11, further comprising receiving, with a touch-screen device in communication with the controller, the light source selection and communicating the received light source selection to the controller.

13. The method recited by claim 11, further comprising receiving, with a touch-screen device in communication with the controller, the selected coating color and communicating the selected coating color to the controller.

14. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the display area includes a plurality of input buttons in communication with the controller, each input button being associated with a corresponding display window, the method further comprising receiving, with the controller, the light source selection is received based on actuation of one of the input buttons.

15. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the color chip display apparatus further comprises a dispensing receptacle, the method further comprising controlling, with the controller, the robotic arm to dispense the particular color chip to the dispensing receptacle.

16. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the searching, with the controller, includes controlling the card shuffler device and the optical code reader to sequentially move each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips in front of the optical code reader to read the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips, receiving and decoding the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips, and determining whether each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips matches the selected coating color based on the decoded machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each of the color chips.

17. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the card shuffler device includes a motorized card shuffler that sequentially moves each of the color chips in the plurality of color chips in front of the optical code reader so that the optical code reader can read the machine-readable optical code displayed in the optical code area of each color chip.

18. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a color selection and coordination system, the method further comprising receiving, with the controller, the selected coating color from the color selection and coordination system.

19. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the machine-readable optical code associated with the color includes at least one of a barcode, a QR code, and an alphanumeric code.

20. The method recited by claim 11, wherein the plurality of color chips includes duplicate color chips, each being associated with the same coating color, the method further comprising performing, with the controller, an inventory of the plurality of color chips and storing, with the controller, inventory information in a computer-readable storage medium, the inventory information including identification information and amount information for each type of color chip in the plurality of color chips.