SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING DELIVERIES OF LIQUID PRODUCTS AND THE LIKE

• US 3,688,085 A
• Filed: 05/24/1971
• Issued: 08/29/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Claude R. Tetar
• Original Assignee: Claude R. Tetar
• Inventors: Tetar, Claude R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Daryl W.
• Application Number:
  US05/146,065
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 235/61.11R,61.11A,61.7B,61.6R,151.34 222/2 340/149,149A 141/83,95,113,192,198
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

The system comprises as many delivery control circuits as are delivery stations of products and, from each delivery station, the corresponding delivery control circuit may be loaded with data concerning the nature and quantity of the product to be delivered and the special nature of the delivery operation proper. After such settings of delivery control circuits, a prepunched card is introduced into a cardreader of step-by-step operation, each step reading out a product nature code and a product quantity code. Each step activates a logics organization which interrogates the delivery control circuits for identification of the one loaded with corresponding data and activation of the thus identified delivery station.

Claims

1. A card reader monitored system for controlling deliveries of liquid products and the like at a plurality of delivery stations, each step of the reader delivering a code which is significant of a nature of a product and a code which is significant of a quantity of this product, wherein each delivery control circuit, attached to a corresponding delivery station of said plurality, includes means for electrical representations of a nature and of a quantity of a product and of particulars of a delivery operation proper, comparator means of the said electrical representations of a nature and of a quantity of a product to electrical representations of a nature and a quantity of a product derived from said read-out codes and means responsive to a positive response of said comparator means for activation of the delivery control circuit and the consequent activation of the delivery station to which it is attached, said delivery station including means for controlling in said delivery control circuit the settings of said electrical representation means, and wherein interrogation means attached to the card reader are activated at each step thereof for forming said electrical representations of nature and quantity of a product from said read-out codes and applying same to all the said comparator means in said delivery control circuits and for activating said comparator means in each one of the delivery control stations.

2. Card reader monitored system according to claim 1, wherein each one of the said delivery control circuits, including means for receiving the signals from said interrogating means, includes means for relaying the signal of activation of its comparator means irrespective of the answer of such comparator means to another one of the said delivery control circuits, which, from such a relaying operation, are cascaded connected in an interrogation arrangement starting from an output interrogation line from said interrogation means and ending in a return line from the last delivery control circuit of such a cascade to the step-by-step control equipment of the card reader.

3. Card reader monitored system according to claim 2, wherein, the moving carriage of said card reader being permamently sollicitated for advance from a permanently rotating electrical motor, said advance being stopped from application of electrical brake means to the drive of said carriage, said interrogation means includes means for activating said brake means during at least any interrogation period.

4. Card reader monitored system acCording to claim 3, wherein part at least of the delivery stations present particulars of their delivery operation adapted for a self-control of the delivered quantity of a product and wherein said interrogation means further includes means for deactivating said brake means from the activation of said interrogation signal return line.

5. Card reader monitored system according to claim 4, wherein part at least of the delivery stations present particulars of their delivery operation adapted for a control of the delivered quantity from a code comparison with the quantity code read out from the card and wherein said interrogation means includes means for inhibiting the deactivation of said brake means from the activation of said interrogation signal return line and for substituting thereto a signal significant of an identity between the code of quantity read out from the card and a code permanently measuring the actual quantity of the product delivered in a delivery operation.

6. Card reader monitored system according to claim 3, wherein, the card reader being of a type wherein the card is fixed and the moving carriage drives the read-out heads, in two separate and independantly moving parts each of which reads a separate zone of the card, one of them displaying the codes of the natures of the products to deliver, the other one displaying the codes of the quantities of such products to deliver, each zone of each card presents prior the data codes a special code distinct from any data code and marking the beginning of the useful part of said zone and wherein said carriage parts starting from respective rest positions at each introduction of a card into the reader, said interrogation means includes means for detecting the respective passages of these parts over said marking codes, applying the brake means to the respective drives of said parts and initiating an interrogation operation of the delivery control circuits, the response of which initiates the first step advance of the head carriage parts.

7. Card reader monitored system according to claim 6, wherein said interrogation means includes means for separately decoding the decades of the digital registers of the read-out data from the card for deriving thereof analog representations of said codes, means for routing said analog representations to the delivery control circuits for comparison thereat with the corresponding analog electrical representations set in said circuits from the attached delivery stations, and local comparator means for comparing the decoded marking codes to preset electrical representations thereof.

8. Card reader monitored system according to claim 7, wherein in one at least of the zones of the card at least one additional mark position is present and means are included in said interrogation means to route to said delivery control circuits complete or partial representations of the read out codes from the said decade decoders in accordance with the read-out of the said additional mark position in the said zone of the card.

9. Card monitored system according to claim 4, wherein said self-control of a delivery operation includes level sensor means at the concerned delivery station connected to inputs of the attached delivery control circuit for monitoring therein means responsive to the sensed conditions from said sensors, during a delivery operation.

10. Card reader monitored system according to claim 5, wherein code comparison controlled operation includes an encoder actuated from a flowmeter at the concerned delivery station, the output of said encoder being brought back to a comparator in said interrogation means, and outputs of said encoder are connected to inputs of the attached delivery control circuit for monitoring therein means responsive to the passage to appropriate values of the output of said encoder.

11. Card reader monitored system according to claim 1, wherein each one of the said delivery control circuit includes means responsive to the application of a special electrical coNdition, i.e. ground, at the attached delivery station for authorizing the activation of said delivery control circuit upon selection thereof from the said interrogation means.