Fluid register system

• US 4,313,168 A
• Filed: 03/10/1980
• Issued: 01/26/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gull, Inc. (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Stephens, Walter R., Berstein, Patricio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wise, Edward J.
• Application Number:
  US06/128,647
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 364/465, 364/510, 364/571, 222/30, 235/92 FL
• US Class Current: 705/413
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/14 responsive to input of recorded programmed information, e.g. on punched cards
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/10 of flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

A method, system and data network for a fluid register system used for the delivery of fluid commodities to customers at various delivery sites features a portable data capsule containing pricing information; an electrical fluid delivery volume measurement device; and a vehicular mounted calculator for retrieving the pricing data from said data capsule and calculating a billing amount for each fluid delivery with respect to a fluid delivery volume measurement.

Claims

1. A method of effecting deliveries of fluid commodities to a number of customers at various, respective delivery sites, comprising the steps of:

(a) entering into a portable storage medium, customer pricing data and infomation relating to fluid commodities to be delivered to a number of select customers, said pricing data and information being unique for each customer, and which can be different for each customer;

(b) placing said portable storage medium into two-way communication with a calculator means to provide for a two-way flow of information and data between said portable storage medium and said calculator means;

(c) entering into said calculator select customer codes;

(d) obtaining a volume amount measurement of at least one fluid commodity being delivered to each given customer at a delivery site;

(e) retrieving from said portable storage medium select pricing data and information corresponding to each respective customer in accordance with said select customer codes;

(f) calculating from said volume amount measurements and said corresponding pricing data and information a bill amount for each delivery to each of said corresponding customers;

(g) printing each calculated bill amount upon a corresponding customer ticket; and

(h) storing each bill amount in said portable storage medium for subsequent retrieval.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(i) displaying each calculated bill amount.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said portable storage medium comprises a non-volatile memory capsule and said calculator means comprises a capsule insertion slot, step (b) of the method further comprising the step of:

(i) inserting said capsule into the calculator slot to provide communication between said storage means and said calculator means.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculator means is fixedly mounted upon a fluid commodity delivery vehicle, said method further comprising the steps of:

(i) transporting said calculator means to various delivery sites; and

(j) controlling the delivery of said fluid commodity via said calculator means.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(j) storing loading information in said portable storage medium.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(k) printing a compilation report for said loading and billing information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(j) removing said portable storage medium from communication with said calculator means; and

(k) placing said removed portable storage medium in a reader device to obtain stored billing information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(l) transferring billing information from said reader device to a central computer.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(l) displaying a compilation of the billing of a number of deliveries.