Method of on-site refueling using electronic identification tags, reading probe, and a truck on-board computer

• US 5,579,233 A
• Filed: 01/09/1995
• Issued: 11/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert R. Burns
• Original Assignee: Robert R. Burns
• Inventors: Burns, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US08/370,097
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478, 364/479, 364/425, 364/465, 364/510, 364/550, 340/825.35, 221/2, 221/5, 221/9, 222/14, 222/22, 222/23, 222/25-28, 222/52, 222/132
• US Class Current: 700/240
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/145 by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

A method of on-site refueling, i.e., delivering petroleum and similar products from a tank truck into customer vehicles or other tanks at a customer'"'"'s site, that ensures the accurate delivery of products in accordance with the instructions on a series of delivery lists. The method of delivery includes the use of a probe having digital memory and capable of comparing input signals from passive electronic tags with stored data and the use of a truck on-board computer able to read the truck'"'"'s accumulating gallonage meters, and able to set relay contacts to directly control the refueling of vehicles identified as critical vehicles. Each use of the probe in reading a tag is recorded in the probe stored in its memory, and later downloaded into the on-board computer used to calculate the gallons and identify the product delivered into each customer tank. At the end of the day, the on-board computer is downloaded into an office computer to complete customer billing records, evaluate driver compliance with the delivery process, and post inventory, sales, and financial records.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring accurate on-site delivery of petroleum or similar products from a delivery truck, through a pump, accumulating gallonage meter, and associated delivery hose, to the fuel tanks of customer vehicles or to customer storage tanks comprising:

(a) affixing to each customer site and to each of the fuel tanks at each site a machine-readable identifier carrying encoded information;

(b) providing the delivery truck with an on-board digital computer, said computer being able to periodically read said truck'"'"'s accumulating gallonage meter at pre-determined intervals, and store these readings and the time each reading is taken;

(c) providing to the driver of the truck a delivery list having information thereon concerning where and how to load the truck with a product and where to deliver the product, and a digital probe having a microprocessor and a RAM memory for storing therein at least some of the information from the delivery list;

(d) loading said truck at a storage facility with a product in accordance with the information contained on said delivery list;

(e) transporting said product to said customer site;

(f) using said digital probe to read said machine-readable identifier affixed to said customer site;

(g) using said digital probe to read said machine-readable identifiers affixed to said fuel tanks;

(h) comparing information read from said machine-readable identifiers affixed to said fuel tanks with information stored in said RAM memory of said digital probe for signaling said driver the proper product to be loaded into said fuel tanks;

(i) recording in said digital probe the time said probe touched said machine-readable identifiers affixed to said fuel tanks; and

(j) transferring the product from said truck into said fuel tanks of said customers through said delivery hose.

3. The method as recited in either claim 1 or 2 wherein said machine-readable identifier carrying encoded information comprises a passive read only memory device.

4. The method as recited in either claim 1 or 2 and further including the step of identifying certain customer vehicles as critical vehicles, and having said on-board computer directly control the unloading of fuel into said critical vehicles.

6. The method as recited in either claim 1 or 2 and further including the step of verifying at the end of each day compliance by said driver with the use of said method of delivery.

7. The method as recited in either claim 1 or 2 and further including the step of verifying that said digital probe provided to said driver matches an identification badge of said driver prior to loading said truck at the storage facility.

8. The method as recited in either claim 1 or 2 and further including the steps of:

(a) storing in said digital probe information read from said machine-readable identifiers;

(b) downloading all stored information, including the time the digital probe touched the machine-readable identifiers affixed to the tanks, from said digital probe into said on-board computer following the delivery of the products at each site;

(c) correlating the accumulating gallonage meter readings recorded by said on-board computer with the time and vehicle information downloaded from said digital probe for each machine-readable identifier affixed to a tank that was read by said digital probe;

(d) producing an exception report listing delivery errors needing driver attention in said on-board computer before said driver leaves each site; and

(e) producing in said on-board computer a refueling list for the customer, this list giving the exact gallons and exact product description of the fuel delivered into each tank.

9. The method as recited in either claim 1 or 2 and further including the steps of:

(a) downloading all stored information from said on-board computer into an office computer following the delivery of products; and

(b) processing in said office computer all downloaded information to produce at least one of final customer billing reports, driver evaluation reports, and postings to inventory, sales, and financial records.

2. A method for ensuring accurate on-site delivery of petroleum or similar products from a delivery truck, the truck being partitioned into a plurality of compartments for transporting more than one type of product, each in a separate compartment, the truck having a plurality of manifolds, each manifold being connected to an associated accumulating gallonage meter and an associated delivery hose, and each compartment having an outlet valve controlling the flow of the product to said delivery hose via an associated one of the manifolds;

and further including the steps of;

(a) affixing to each of a plurality of vehicle fuel tanks, to each of said delivery hoses and to each of said outlet valves a machine-readable identifier carrying encoded information;

(b) loading each of said truck compartments at a storage facility with products in accordance with the information contained on a delivery list;

(c) reading said machine-readable identifier affixed to a selected one of said delivery hoses and one of said vehicle fuel tanks using a digital probe, for confirming to a driver of said delivery truck that said selected delivery hose is proper to deliver the product into said one of said vehicle fuel tanks;

(d) reading said machine-readable identifier affixed to a selected one of said compartment outlet valves using said digital probe, when alternately unloading a plurality of products through a single meter and delivery hose, for confirming to said driver that said selected delivery hose and selected compartment are proper to deliver the product into said one of said vehicle fuel tanks;

(e) providing the delivery truck with an on-board digital computer, said computer being able to periodically read each of said truck'"'"'s accumulating gallonage meters, and separately store these readings and the time of each reading at predetermined intervals; and

(f) storing in said digital probe a time value as to when said digital probe touched said machine-readable identifier on said vehicle fuel tanks.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 and further including the step of verifying compliance by said driver with the use of the correct one of said delivery hoses and truck compartment outlet valves for each vehicle, before said driver leaves said customer site.

10. A method for ensuring accurate on-site delivery of petroleum or similar products from a delivery truck to the fuel tanks of customer vehicles or to customer storage tanks located at the site, comprising:

(a) providing a delivery truck partitioned into a plurality of compartments for transporting more than one type of product, each in a separate compartment, the truck having a plurality of manifolds, each manifold being connected to an associated accumulating gallonage meter and an associated delivery hose, and each compartment having an outlet valve controlling the flow of product to said delivery hose via an associated one of the manifolds;

(b) affixing to each one of said delivery hoses and said compartment outlet valves a machine-readable tag carrying encoded information;

(c) affixing to each customer site and each of the tanks at each site a machine-readable tag carrying encoded information;

(d) providing the delivery truck with an on-board digital computer, said computer being able to periodically read each of said truck'"'"'s accumulating gallonage meters, and separately store these readings and the time of each reading at pre-determined intervals;

(e) providing to the driver of the truck a delivery list having information thereon concerning where and how to load the truck with products and where to deliver the products, and a digital probe having a microprocessor and a RAM memory storing therein at least some of the information from the delivery list;

(f) loading each of said compartments at a storage facility with the products in accordance with the information contained on said delivery list;

(g) transporting said products to said customer sites;

(h) using said digital probe to read said machine-readable tag affixed to said site;

(i) using said digital probe to read said machine-readable tags affixed to said tanks;

(j) comparing information read from said machine-readable tags affixed to said tanks with information stored in said RAM memory of said digital probe for signaling said driver the proper product to be loaded into said tank;

(k) recording in said digital probe the time said digital probe touched said machine-readable tags affixed to individual ones of said tanks;

(l) using said digital probe to read said machine-readable tag affixed to a selected one of said delivery hoses for confirming to said driver that the selected delivery hose is proper to deliver the product into said tank;

(m) using said digital probe to read said machine-readable tags affixed to said compartment outlet valves when alternately unloading a plurality of products through a single meter and delivery hose, for confirming to said driver that said selected delivery hose and selected compartment are proper to deliver the product into said tank; and

(n) transferring the product from said truck into said tank of said customer through said selected delivery hose, following the confirmation.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said machine-readable tags carrying encoded information comprise a passive read only memory device.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 and further including the step of identifying certain customer vehicles as critical vehicles, and having said on-board computer directly control the unloading of fuel into said critical vehicles.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 and further including the step of verifying compliance by said driver with the use of the correct ones of said delivery hoses and truck compartment outlet valves for each vehicle, before said driver leaves said customer site.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 and further including the step of verifying at the end of each day compliance by said driver with the use of said method of delivery.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 and further including the step of verifying that said digital probe provided to said driver matches an identification badge of that driver prior to loading said truck at the storage facility.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 and further including the steps of:

(a) storing in said digital probe information read from said machine-readable tags; and

(b) downloading all stored information, including the time the digital probe touched the machine-readable tags affixed to the tanks, from said digital probe into said on-board computer following the delivery of the products at each site;

(c) correlating the accumulating gallonage meter readings recorded by said on-board computer with the time and vehicle information downloaded from said digital probe for each machine-readable tag affixed to a tank that was read by said digital probe;

(d) producing an exception report listing delivery errors needing driver attention in said on-board computer before said driver leaves each site; and

(e) producing in said on-board computer a refueling list for the customer giving the exact gallons and mandated product description of the fuel delivered into each tank.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 and further including the steps of:

(a) downloading all stored information from said on-board computer into an office computer following the delivery of products; and

(b) processing in said office computer all downloaded information to produce at least one of final customer billing reports, driver evaluation reports, and postings to inventory, sales, and financial records.

18. A method for delivering petroleum or similar products from a delivery truck to the tanks of a plurality of vehicles located on a customer'"'"'s site, through an elongated hose, the delivery truck having an accumulating gallonage meter and an on-board microprocessor, the microprocessor having a means for periodically sensing and recording readings of the gallonage meter at predetermined time intervals, comprising the steps of:

(a) affixing to the tank of each of the plurality of vehicles at the site a machine-readable identifier carrying encoded information;

(b) providing the driver of the delivery truck with a digital probe having a microprocessor and associated memory for storing the times upon which said digital probe is used to interrogate said machine-readable identifiers on said tanks;

(c) interrogating a machine-readable identifier affixed to the tank of one of the plurality of vehicles, and storing in the memory of said digital probe the information read from said machine-readable identifier, prior to dispensing fuel into the tank of the one vehicle;

(d) repeating step (c) for each of the plurality of vehicles to be refueled;

(e) downloading the information stored in the memory of said digital probe into said on-board microprocessor of said delivery truck following step (d), and correlating the gallonage meter readings recorded by said on-board microprocessor with the times stored in the memory of said digital probe; and

(f) preparing a document reflecting the gallonage of fuel delivered to each of the plurality of vehicles.