Inventory taking utilizing tone generation

• US 3,876,863 A
• Filed: 02/12/1973
• Issued: 04/08/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack M. Boone
• Original Assignee: Jack M. Boone
• Inventors: Boone, Jack M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook, Daryl W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kilgore, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US05/331,517
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 179/1.1R,1.1A,2DP 235/61.11E,61.11D,61.11A,61.11B,61.7B,61.6J,61.9,61.1R,159,61.7R 340/147,149X,146.3SY 178/2E
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/06 combined with other apparatus having a different main function

Abstract

The accuracy and speed of inventory taking are enhanced through provision for calculation and recordation of sub-totals by means of equipment carried by the inventory taker, or alternate recordation of tones representative of numerical values, and also voice instructions, by means of equipment carried by the inventory taker, the tones being later decoded as signals used to operate an electronic calculator.

Claims

1. For use in a system for taking an inventory wherein values are recorded, the values being representative of articles, and wherein generator means is operable to generate a sequence of differently modulated signals corresponding to a sequence of said values, recording means is responsive to the generating means to record on a recording medium that sequence of signals for subsequent readout, and voice instruction input means is connected with the recording means for intermittently recording, on said recording medium, voice instructions concerning said articles, the improvement comprising a. readout means for reading the recording medium, and having a signal sequence output and a voice instruction output, b. a calculator operatively connected with the readout means to be responsive to the signal sequence output for accumulating calculated value totals for display and transcription purposes, c. and a loudspeaker operatively connected with the readout means to be responsive to the voice instruction output to reproduce the voice instructions in audible form, d. there being speaker control circuitry and means operatively connected therewith and with the readout means to enable the speaker in response to the absence of said signal sequence output, and also to control start-stop operation of the readout means while the speaker is so enabled.

2. The combination of claim 1 including said generator means, recording means and voice instruction input means as defined in claim 1, and also comprising a. a platform having a table portion and a generally upright wall shaped to clamp against the inventory taker'"'"''"'"'s body, b. the generator means having a keyboard operable to produce signals to operate an electronic calculator, and c. means removably connecting the module to the platform table portion.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said generating means is responsive to the signal output of the keyboard to generate a sequence of differently modulated code signals subject to later decoding to operate the calculator.