Collecting and communicating temperature and volume data directly from a dispenser

• US 7,689,371 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2007
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pilot Travel Centers LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flying J Inc.
• Inventors: Shellabarger, Gary I., Hillam, John D., Memmott, Vincent J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau; Tung S
• Application Number:
  US11/676,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 702/55
• US Class Current: 702/55
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/06 with means for prepaying basic charges, e.g. rent for meters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer program products for collecting and communicating temperature and volume data directly from a dispenser for use during a book to physical reconciliation process. The temperature and volume readings can be received directly from a dispenser by at least one of a retail system and a central inventory management system. The method can include collecting flow data indicative of a volume of a liquid product dispensed from the dispenser at a plurality of times during a defined time interval and collecting temperature data indicative of a temperature of the liquid product dispensed from the dispenser at the plurality of times during the defined interval. Once collected, the temperature data and the flow data can be transmitted to at least one of a retail system and a central inventory management system.

Claims

1. In a liquid fuel product storage and delivery system wherein liquid fuel product flows from one or more liquid fuel product storage tanks to one or more liquid fuel product dispensers where it is dispensed, a method of real-time communication of temperature and volume readings directly from a liquid fuel product dispenser, the method comprising:

collecting flow data from a dispenser volume measurement device provided at a liquid fuel product dispenser that is indicative of a volume of a liquid fuel product dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser at a first time during a defined time interval;

collecting temperature data from a dispenser temperature measurement device provided at the liquid fuel product dispenser that is indicative of a temperature of the liquid fuel product dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser at a plurality of times during the defined interval;

measuring a volume of liquid fuel product stored in one or more liquid fuel product storage tanks at a second time during said defined time interval, said second time differing from said first time; and

transmitting said flow data and said temperature data to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, wherein said at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system uses said flow data to calculate a volume dispensed from said dispenser corresponding to said second time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said flow data and said temperature data are transmitted via the Internet, frame relay or a wireless connection.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein collecting flow data further comprises accumulating at a control module within the liquid fuel product dispenser a plurality of pulses from a dispenser pulser, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing the volume of liquid dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating at said control module a time-stamp for one or more of said plurality of pulses.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising collecting dispenser status data indicative of a status of one or more sales transactions at the liquid fuel product dispenser.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising associating said time-stamp with one or more of said dispenser status data.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising calculating an offset time for the liquid fuel product dispenser, said offset time being the difference between a first time associated with a start of a reconciliation process and a second time associated with an end of the reconciliation process.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein transmitting said flow data and said temperature data comprises periodically transmitting said flow data and said temperature data.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein transmitting said flow data and said temperature data comprises transmitting said flow data and said temperature data upon the liquid fuel product dispenser receiving a request from at least one of the retail system and the centralized inventory management system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a gross volume of liquid fuel product dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser during said defined time interval based on said flow data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined interval comprises a duration of a sales transaction.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting density data that is indicative of a density of the liquid fuel product dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser during the defined interval.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of times comprises the start of a sales transaction and the end of a sales transaction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said retail system comprises a computer capable of storing a volume of liquid fuel product dispensed from said liquid fuel product dispenser during a sales transaction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed from said dispenser between said first time and said second time.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed from said dispenser at a time equal to said second time.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed during said defined time interval.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed through said second time.

19. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising associating said time-stamp with one or more of said temperature data.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculating a temperature adjusted volume of liquid fuel product dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser during said defined time interval based on said gross volume and said temperature data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein calculating a temperature adjusted volume of liquid fuel product comprises converting said gross volume to a net volume at a standardized temperature.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein calculating a temperature adjusted volume of liquid fuel product comprises multiplying said gross volume by a conversion factor dependent upon at least one of said temperature data, a density of the liquid fuel product, a specific gravity of the liquid fuel product, and a coefficient of expansion of the liquid fuel product.

23. In a liquid fuel product storage and delivery system wherein liquid fuel product flows from one or more liquid fuel product storage tanks to one or more liquid fuel product dispensers where it is dispensed, a method of real-time communication of temperature and volume readings directly from a liquid fuel product dispenser to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, the method comprising:

collecting a plurality of flow data at a first time from a dispenser volume measurement device provided at one or more liquid fuel product dispensers, each of the plurality of flow data corresponding to a volume of liquid fuel product dispensed from the liquid fuel product dispenser during a time interval;

while said liquid fuel product is dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers, collecting a plurality of temperature data from a dispenser temperature measurement device provided at the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers at a plurality of times within said time interval, each said temperature data being representative of a temperature of said liquid fuel product at one of said plurality of times;

measuring a volume of liquid fuel product stored in one or more liquid fuel product storage tanks at a second time during said time interval, said second time differing from said first time; and

transmitting said plurality of flow data and said plurality of temperature data to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, wherein said at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system uses said plurality of flow data to calculate a volume dispensed from said dispenser corresponding to said second time.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said plurality of flow data is transmitted via the Internet, frame relay or a wireless connection.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing the volume of liquid dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers; and

generating a time-stamp for one or more of said plurality of pulses.

26. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing said volume of liquid dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers; and

generating a plurality of time-stamps for the defined time interval; and

associating each time-stamp of said plurality of time-stamps with said volume of liquid dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers.

27. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising collecting dispenser status data indicative of sales transaction status of the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed from said one or more dispensers between said first time and said second time.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed from said one or more dispensers at a time equal to said second time.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed during said defined time interval.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein said calculated volume comprises a volume dispensed through said second time.

32. The method as recited in claim 27, further comprising associating a plurality of time-stamps with said dispenser status data.

33. A computer program storage product for implementing a method in connection with a liquid fuel product storage and delivery system wherein liquid fuel product flows from one or more liquid fuel product storage tanks to one or more liquid fuel product dispensers where it is dispensed, the method including real-time communication of temperature and volume readings directly from a liquid fuel product dispenser to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, the computer program product comprising one or more computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the distributed computing system to perform the following:

collecting a plurality of flow data at a first time from a dispenser volume measurement device provided at a one or more liquid fuel product dispensers, each of the plurality of flow data corresponding to a volume of liquid fuel product dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers during a time interval;

while said liquid fuel product is dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers, collecting a plurality of temperature data from a dispenser temperature measurement device provided at the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers at a plurality of times within said time interval, each said temperature data being representative of a temperature of said liquid fuel product at one of said plurality of times;

measuring a volume of liquid fuel product stored in one or more liquid fuel product storage tanks at a second time during said time interval, said second time differing from said first time; and

transmitting said plurality of flow data and said plurality of temperature data to at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system, wherein said at least one of a retail system and a centralized inventory management system uses said plurality of flow data to calculate a volume dispensed from said dispenser corresponding to said second time.

34. The computer program storage product of claim 33, wherein said plurality of flow data is transmitted via the Internet, frame relay or a wireless connection.

35. The computer program storage product of claim 33, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing the volume of liquid dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers; and

generating a time-stamp for one or more of said plurality of pulses.

36. The computer program storage product of claim 33, wherein collecting a plurality of flow data further comprises:

accumulating a plurality of pulses from a pulser disposed within the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers, each pulse of said plurality of pulses representing said volume of liquid dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers; and

generating a plurality of time-stamps for the defined time interval; and

associating each time-stamp of said plurality of time-stamps with said volume of liquid dispensed from the one or more liquid fuel product dispensers.