Data acquisition system having selective communication capability

• US 5,376,930 A
• Filed: 04/22/1992
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maytag Corporation (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Maytag Corporation (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Ochsner, Douglas A., Merkle, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US07/872,062
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.35, 340/825.54, 340/825.55, 340/825.72, 340/825.06, 340/870.02, 340/870.28, 340/505, 340/539, 364/403, 364/404, 364/478, 364/479
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/08 Counting total of coins inserted
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/14 Calling by using pulses

Abstract

A data acquisition system having selective communication capability to enable the data acquisition system to communicate with other data acquisition systems. The probe of the present invention initiates communication with a data acquisition unit located in an appliance. The data acquisition unit maintains a collection record which indicates the current setup and counts of the appliance. When the probe communicates with the data unit, it identifies itself and based upon this identification, the data unit responds with a particular collection record which is compatible with the probe communicating with the data unit. In addition, if the probe is used to setup a data unit, the probe decides what type of setup record to send based upon the collection record received from the data unit.

Claims

1. A data collection system for use with one or more appliances of the type which provide services for money received, the data collection system comprising:

individual and separate data acquisition units resident in a plurality of appliances for sensing money received and the services dispensed for each appliance and for summarizing the data in at least a first format and a second format, the first format being different from the second format, each data acquisition unit having a memory for storing the summarized data and a transceiver for transmitting the summarized data in the first format or in the second format; and

a data probe for interrogating a plurality of data acquisition units to receive the summarized data from each data acquisition unit, wherein the data probe identifies itself to the data acquisition unit and the data acquisition unit transmits the summarized data in the first format or in the second format depending upon the identity of the data probe.

2. A data collection system according to claim 1 wherein the transceiver of the data acquisition unit includes an optical transmitter and an optical detector.

3. A data collection system according to claim 1 wherein the summarized data is transmitted electro-optically.

4. A method for collecting data from one or more appliances of the type which provide services for money received, the method comprising the steps of:

providing individual and separate data acquisition units resident in a plurality of appliances for sensing money received and the services dispensed for each appliance and for summarizing the data in a first format or in a second format, the first format being different from the second format, each data acquisition unit having a memory for storing the summarized data and a transceiver for transmitting the summarized data in the first format or in the second format;

providing a data probe for interrogating a plurality of data acquisition units;

using the data probe to interrogate a data acquisition unit by transmitting an interrogation signal, the interrogation signal including identification information;

receiving the interrogation signal in a data acquisition unit; and

responding to the interrogation signal by selecting the first format or the second format of the summarized data depending upon the identification information provided by the data probe and transmitting the summarized data in the first format or in the second format.