Apparatus and methods for controlling fluid dispensing
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling the flow of fluid through an outlet comprising:
- (a) means for manually controlling the flow of fluid through an outlet;
(b) sensing means adapted for placement adjacent to the outlet for detecting the presence of a fluid-containing receptacle closer than a predetermined distance from the sensing means, without requiring the physical contact between the receptacle and either the sensing means or the outlet, and for sensing the response of material forming the fluid-containing portion of the receptacle to a field;
(c) signalling means coupled to the sensing means for altering the state of a signal when the sensing means both detects said receptacle and measures a predetermined response of
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices and methods are disclosed for controlling the dispensing of fluid, particularly hazardous or flammable fluids, such as automobile gasoline. A recurring problem is the dispensing, particularly by untrained members of the public, into unsuitable or unapproved containers or into no container at all, which can cause leakage, fire, damage to the container, or environmental or health hazards. The invention detects the presence of a container closely adjacent to the outlet of the pump or other dispenser and attempts to determine whether a detected container is of a suitable type by generating a field, such as an electromagnetic field, and measuring the reaction of the container to the field, thus identifying information about selected physical characteristics of the container, such as its metallic or non-metallic material composition. Unless a suitable container is detected in a predetermined position, the invention will block dispensing of the fluid. More complex embodiments can determine several attributes, by measuring several types of response to a number of different tests or fields, and permitting more refined discrimination among containers, or recognize as suitable containers that have been tagged with passive elements having a known response to a field.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling the flow of fluid through an outlet comprising:
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(a) means for manually controlling the flow of fluid through an outlet; (b) sensing means adapted for placement adjacent to the outlet for detecting the presence of a fluid-containing receptacle closer than a predetermined distance from the sensing means, without requiring the physical contact between the receptacle and either the sensing means or the outlet, and for sensing the response of material forming the fluid-containing portion of the receptacle to a field; (c) signalling means coupled to the sensing means for altering the state of a signal when the sensing means both detects said receptacle and measures a predetermined response of - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of controlling the dispensing of fluid through an outlet comprising the steps of:
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(a) placing a detecting element that generates a signal field adjacent to a manually controlled outlet; (b) detecting the presence of a fluid-containing receptacle closer to the outlet than a predetermined distance; (c) generating a field and measuring the response of material of which the fluid-containing portion of the receptacle is comprised to the field; (d) altering the state of a signal upon said detection and upon measurement of a predetermined response; and (e) permitting the flow of fluid through the outlet when the signal is in the altered state.
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Specification