Direct interface between fuel pump and computer cash/register
First Claim
1. A dispenser system for dispensing a material comprising:
- a plurality of material dispensers;
a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected wit said peripheral bus;
a controller and an internal bus connected with said controller, said internal bus adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and another device connected with said internal bus;
first communication means for providing communication between said controller and said material dispensers; and
second communication means connected with said internal bus and said peripheral bus for providing bidirectional communication between said controller and said peripheral bus, said second communication means including a memory means for storing code and access means for allowing each of said internal bus and said peripheral bus access to said memory means such that said controller and said computer system can write code to said memory means and retrieve code from said memory means, said access means determining which of said internal bus and said peripheral bus has access to said memory means.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An interface unit for interfacing a peripheral bus of a computer system with a dispensing system for dispensing a material, such as gasoline, and which includes a plurality of dispensers for controlling the dispensing of the material. The interface unit includes a controller and a first communication link for providing bidirectional communication between the controller and the material dispensers. A second communication link is connected with an internal bus on the interface unit and the peripheral bus of the computer system to provide bidirectional communication between the controller and the computer system. The second communication link includes a window memory for storing code and a bus interface. The bus interface includes an access control port for communicating access codes between the peripheral bus and the controller and a memory control for selectively connecting either the internal bus or the peripheral bus with the window memory in a manner that only one of the controllers and the peripheral bus may access the window memory at a time. A database of dispensing data collected from the plurality of dispensers is defined in a controller memory. Polling commands are sent from the controller to the dispensers and responses are collected over the first communication link. The controller is programmed to repetitively generate polling commands for the dispensers and to update the database with resulting responses. Inquiry commands are served from the computer system to the database for retrieving from the database data that is responsive to the inquiry commands.
46 Citations
68 Claims
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1. A dispenser system for dispensing a material comprising:
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a plurality of material dispensers; a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected wit said peripheral bus; a controller and an internal bus connected with said controller, said internal bus adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and another device connected with said internal bus; first communication means for providing communication between said controller and said material dispensers; and second communication means connected with said internal bus and said peripheral bus for providing bidirectional communication between said controller and said peripheral bus, said second communication means including a memory means for storing code and access means for allowing each of said internal bus and said peripheral bus access to said memory means such that said controller and said computer system can write code to said memory means and retrieve code from said memory means, said access means determining which of said internal bus and said peripheral bus has access to said memory means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A dispenser system for dispensing a material comprising:
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a plurality of material dispensers; a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected with said peripheral bus; a controller and an internal bus connected with said controller, said internal bus adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and another device connected with said internal bus; first communication means for providing communication between said controller and said material dispensers; a memory device; memory control means connected with said memory device, said internal bus and said peripheral bus for granting access of one of said internal bus and said peripheral bus to said memory device, said memory control means adapted to determining which of said internal bus and said peripheral bus has access to said memory means; and a control port connected with said internal bus and said peripheral bus for communicating access codes between said internal bus and said peripheral bus. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 29)
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11. In a dispensing system for dispensing a material including a plurality of dispensing means, each for controlling the dispensing of the material being dispensed, a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected with the peripheral bus, and an interface unit interconnecting said plurality of dispensing means with said computer system, said interface unit comprising:
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a controller; first communication means for bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and said dispensing means; and second communication means for bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and said peripheral bus including a window memory means for storing code and a bus interface, said bus interface including an access control port for communicating access codes between said peripheral bus and said controller and a memory control adapted to selectively connecting one of said controller and said peripheral bus with said window memory means in a manner that only one of said controller and said peripheral bus may access said window memory means at a time. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In a dispensing system for dispensing a material including a plurality of dispensing means, each for controlling the dispensing of the material being dispensed, a computer system having a peripheral bus, and an interface unit interconnecting said plurality of dispensing means with said computer system peripheral bus, said interface unit comprising:
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a first communication means for communicating with more than one of said dispensing means; a controller and an internal bus for exchanging data within said interface unit including the exchange of data between said controller and said first communication means; and a second communication means for exchanging data between said internal bus and said peripheral bus;
said second communication means including a control port interconnected with said internal bus and said peripheral bus for communicating access codes between said peripheral bus and said internal bus, a window memory including an access port for writing code to and retrieving code from said window memory, and a memory control interconnected with said access port, said internal bus and said peripheral bus for selectively enabling one of said internal bus and said peripheral bus with said access port;
wherein, said control port and said memory control isolate said internal bus from said peripheral bus. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. In a fuel dispensing system for dispensing fuel including a plurality of remote units including at least one fuel pump for controlling the dispensing of fuel, said remote units being capable of receiving commands from a computer, retaining remote data at the remote units, and providing remote data to a computer in response to a polling command, said fuel dispensing system further including a computer having a peripheral bus, and an interface unit interconnecting said plurality of remote units with said computer, said interface unit comprising:
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a controller including a memory and a database defined in said memory of remote data derived from said plurality of remote units; a first communication channel between said controller and said plurality of remote units for communicating polling commands from said controller to said remote units and remote data from said remote units to said controller; said controller being programmed to repetitively generated polling commands for said remote units and to update said database with resulting remote data from said remote units; a second communication channel for communicating inquiry commands from said computer system to said database and for retrieving data from said database that is responsive to the inquiry commands from said computer system without converting said inquiry commands and said retrieved data between serial and parallel formats; and wherein said controller is programmed to be non-multi-tasking. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A fuel dispensing terminal comprising:
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a plurality of intelligent remote units wherein said plurality of remote units include at least one fuel pump, each of said remote units capable of at least one of receiving commands from a computer and providing data to a computer; a computer having a multiple-byte peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchange multiple-byte code words with peripheral devices connected with said peripheral bus; a direct interface unit including a processor, said processor being connected with said plurality of intelligent remote units for transferring commands to said remote units and receiving data from said remote units, said processor being connected with said peripheral bus to communicate commands from said computer to said processor and to communicate data received from said plurality of remote units from said processor to said computer, wherein said direct interface unit interacts with said computer as a peripheral device of said computer; and an access control regulating which of said processor and said computer is communicating at a particular moment. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. In a fuel dispensing system for dispensing fuel including a plurality of remote units, at least one remote unit for controlling the dispensing of fuel, said remote units being capable of receiving commands from a computer, retaining remote data at the remote units, and providing remote data to a computer in response to a polling command, said fuel dispensing system further including a computer having a peripheral bus, and an interface unit interconnecting said plurality of remote units with said computer, said interface unit comprising:
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a controller including a memory and a database defined in said memory of remote data derived from said plurality of remote units; a first communication channel between said controller and said plurality of remote units for communicating polling commands from said controller to said remote units and remote data from said remote units to said controller; said controller being programmed to repetitively generated polling commands for said remote units and to update said database with resulting remote data from said remote units; a second communication channel for communicating inquiry commands from said computer system to said database and for retrieving data from said database that is responsive to the inquiry commands from said computer system; and wherein said memory includes a first memory portion accessible by said controller and a second memory portion accessible by both said controller and said second communication channel and wherein said controller is programmed to repetitively copy at least a portion of the data in said first memory portion to said second memory portion, such that remote data are applied to said first memory portion and computer system inquiry commands are served on said second memory portion. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47)
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48. A fuel dispensing terminal comprising:
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a plurality of remote units including at least one fuel pump each of said remote units capable of at least one of receiving commands from a computer system and providing data to a computer system; a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected with said peripheral bus; a controller, an internal bus connected with said controller and a random access memory addressable by said controller for storing operating code to control said controller, said internal bus adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and another device connected with said internal bus; a first communication channel for providing communication between said controller and said remote units; and a second communication channel connected with said internal bus and said peripheral bus for providing bidirectional communication between said controller and said peripheral bus and adapted to down-loading operating code from said computer system to said controller. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A fuel dispensing terminal comprising:
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a plurality of remote units including at least one fuel pump each of said remote units capable of at least one of receiving commands from a computer system and providing data to a computer system; a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected with said peripheral bus; a controller and an internal bus connected with said controller, said internal bus adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and another device connected with said internal bus; a first communication channel for providing communication between said controller and said remote units; and a second communication channel connected with said internal bus and said peripheral bus for providing bidirectional communication between said controller and said peripheral bus, said second communication channel including a shared memory for storing code and an access control for allowing each of said internal bus and said peripheral bus access to said shared memory such that said controller and said computer system can write code to said shared memory and retrieve code from said shared memory, wherein said access control determines which of said internal bus and said peripheral bus has access to said shared memory. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. In a fuel dispensing terminal for dispensing fuel and having a plurality of remote units including at least one fuel pump, a computer system having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected with the peripheral bus, and an interface unit interconnecting said plurality of dispensing means with said computer system, each of said remote units capable of at least one of receiving commands from said computer system and providing data to said computer system, said interface unit comprising:
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a controller; a first communication channel for bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and the remote units; and a second communication channel for bidirectionally exchanging code between said controller and the peripheral bus including a shared memory for storing code and a bus interface, said bus interface including an access control port for communicating access codes between said peripheral bus and said controller and a memory control adapted to selectively connecting said controller and said peripheral bus with said shared memory. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A fuel dispensing terminal control, wherein the fuel dispensing terminal has a plurality of remote units, including at least one fuel pump, and each of said remote units capable of at least one of receiving commands and providing data, said control comprising:
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a computer having a multiple-byte peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging multiple-byte code words with peripheral devices connected with said peripheral bus; a direct interface unit including a processor, a first communication channel, and a second communication channel, said first communication channel transferring commands from said processor to remote units and data from remote units to said processor, said second communication channel between said processor and said peripheral bus to communicate commands from said computer to said processor and to communicate data received from remote units from said processor to said computer, wherein said direct interface unit interacts with said computer as a peripheral device of said computer; and an access control regulating which of said processor and said computer is communicating on said second communication channel.
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68. An interface between a plurality of fuel dispensing terminal remote units and a computer having a peripheral bus that is adapted to bidirectionally exchanging code with a peripheral device connected with the peripheral bus, said remote units including at least one fuel pump, each of the remote units capable of at least one of receiving commands and providing data, said interface comprising:
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a processor, a first communication channel for bidirectionally exchanging code between said processor and remote units, and a second communication channel between said processor and a peripheral bus of a computer to communicate commands from said computer to said processor and to communicate data received from remote units from said processor to said computer;
wherein said interface interacts with said computer as a peripheral device of said computer; andan access control regulating which of said processor and said computer is communicating on said second communication channel.
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Specification