INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 3,863,724 A
• Filed: 09/20/1973
• Issued: 02/04/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telller
• Original Assignee: Nichola Dalia Jr
• Inventors: Dalia, Nichola Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilkinson, Richard B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miska, Vit. W.
• Application Number:
  US05/398,964
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 177/1-3,5,15,25,211,245 73/141 222/36,77
• US Class Current: 177/25.19
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00091 Bar management means
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 3/1406 combined with special measuring circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 3/142 Circuits specially adapted therefor

Abstract

A method is provided for determining the amount of alcoholic beverage, or other liquids or solids, dispensed, from a container, during a specific time interval which method includes the steps of sensing a first weight of said container including the contents thereof at a first given time, converting said first sensed weight into a corresponding first electrical signal, sensing a second weight of said container including the contents thereof at a second given time, converting said second sensed weight into a corresponding second electrical signal, comparing said first and second electrical signals, converting said first and second signals into a differential signal and converting said differential signal into a useful format indicating the comparative first and second weights of said container and the contents thereof. An apparatus is also provided for carrying out the above method, which apparatus includes container support means, weight sensing means responsive to the weight of said container and the material in said container, transducer means for converting weight sensed by said weight sensing means during first and second points in time into at least first and second electrical signals, and conversion means such as a central computer facility, for converting said electrical signals into a useful format relating to the weight of material in said container during said first and second points in time.

Claims

1. Apparatus for determining the amount of material dispensed from a container during at least first and second points in time, comprising, in combination:

container support means for supporting at least one container of material to be dispensed, said container support means comprising a housing including a container support surface which is at least partially flexible and is responsive to the weight of said container and the material therein, so that movement of said container support surface produced by said container and the material therein resting on said container support surface corresponds to the weight of said container and the material therein, transducer means mounted within said housing and responsive to movement of said container support surface for converting movement of said container support surface into a corresponding electrical signal, said electrical signal corresponding to the weight of said container and the material therein, and conversion means responsive to said transducer means for sampling the signals provided thereby at first and second points in time and converting said electrical signals into a useful format relating to the weight of material in said container during said first and second points in time and operating on said converted signals to determine the amount of material dispensed from said container between said first and second points in time.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including a deflecting member for sensing weight of said container and the material therein, mounted within said housing in contact with at least a portion of said container support surface, so that movement of said container support surface causes corresponding movement of said deflecting member which corresponds to the weight of said container and the material therein, and said transducer means is mounted on said deflecting member for converting motion of said deflecting member into a corresponding electrical signal, said electrical signal corresponding to the weight of said container and the material therein.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising amplifying means for amplifying said electrical signals before they are transmitted to said conversion means.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 further comprising analogue-digital converter means, in operative communication with said amplifying means, for receiving said amplified electrical signal and converting the same to a corresponding digital signal to be fed to said conversion means.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said transducer meanS comprises a strain gauge resistor bridge.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 further comprising amplifying means, in operative communication with said strain gauge resistor bridge, for amplifying said electrical signal before it is fed to said conversion means, and analogue-digital converter means, in operative communication with said amplifying means, for receiving said amplified electrical signal and converting the same to a corresponding digital signal to be fed to said conversion means.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising amplifying means disposed in said housing in operative communication with said transducer means.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7 further comprising analogue-digital converter means disposed in said housing and in operative communication with said amplifying means.

9. A system for determining the amount of alcoholic beverage dispensed from a plurality of individual bottles of alcoholic beverage, comprising in combination, a plurality of bottle support means each of said bottle support means being adapted to support a bottle of alcoholic beverage in its normal upright position, each of said bottle support means comprising a housing including a bottle support surface which is at least partially flexible and is responsive to the weight of said bottle and the alcoholic beverage therein, a deflecting member for sensing weight of said bottle and the alcoholic beverage therein, mounted in said housing in contact with at least a portion of said bottle support surface, so that movement of said bottle support surface causes corresponding movement of said deflecting member which corresponds to the weight of said bottle and the alcoholic beverage therein, transducer means mounted on said deflecting member, for converting motion of said deflecting member into a corresponding electrical signal, said electrical signal corresponding to the weight of said bottle and the alcoholic beverage therein;

and conversion means in operative communication with and responsive to each of said transducer means for sampling the electrical signals provided thereby at first and second points in time and converting said electrical signals into a useful format indicating the comparative weight of alcoholic beverage dispensed from its respective bottle during said first and second points in time.

10. The system as defined in claim 9 further comprising separate and distinct amplifying means in operative communication with each of said transducer means and separate and distinct analogue-digital converter means in operative communication with each of said amplifying means, all of said analogue-digital converter means being in operative communication with said conversion means.

11. In a method for operating a system for determining the amount of material dispensed from a container during at least first and second points in time, said system including container support means for supporting at least one container of material to be dispensed, said container support means comprising a housing including a container support surface which is at least partially flexible and is responsive to the weight of said container and the material therein, so that movement of said container support surface produced by said container and the material therein resting on said container support surface corresponds to the weight of said container and the material therein, transducer means mounted in said housing and responsive to movement of said container support surface for converting movement of said container support surface into a corresponding electrical signal, said signal corresponding to the weight of said container and the material therein, and conversion means responsive to said transducer means for sampling the signal provided thereby at first and second points in time, and converting said electrical signals into a useful format relating to the weight of material in said container during said first and second points in time, and operating on said conveRted signals to determine the amount of material dispensed from said container between said first and second points in time, said method including the steps of supplying at least first and second request signals to said transducer means to activate said transducer means to transmit first and second electrical signals corresponding to the weight of said container and the material therein at first and second points in time, to said conversion means, transmitting said first and second electrical signals to and storing said signals in said conversion means, comparing said first and second electrical signals, and providing a differential signal corresponding to said first and second electrical signals and to the comparative weight of the material in said container during said first and second points in time.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 further including the steps of transmitting first and second voltages from said transducer means to analogue-digital converter means, converting said first and second voltages to corresponding first and second digital signals, and transmitting said first and second digital signals to said conversion means.