Fuel source recognition and gating apparatus and associated method
First Claim
1. A gating device for controlling coupling of a fuel container with a fuel cell, the gating device comprising:
- a. a fuel container identification device;
b. a gating engine coupled to the fuel container identification device; and
c. a retractable barrier coupled to the gating engine;
wherein upon the fuel container identification device recognizing the fuel container, the gating engine opens the retractable barrier.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A gating device (100) and associated method (900) for identifying a fuel container (101) used to refill a fuel cell (102) are presented. A fuel source identification device (103) identifies a fuel container (101) to verify that it is compatible with the fuel cell (102). Upon identification, a gating engine (105) opens a retractable barrier (106), thereby providing access to the fuel cell (102). The gating engine (105) moves the retractable barrier (106) from a closed position to an open position when a control circuit (803) indicates that the fuel container (101) is compatible with the fuel cell (102). The fuel container identification device may be an impedance detector (201), a connectivity detector (301), a barcode reader (401), a memory reader (501), a radio-frequency identification device (601), a label reader (701), or other similar device.
23 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A gating device for controlling coupling of a fuel container with a fuel cell, the gating device comprising:
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a. a fuel container identification device; b. a gating engine coupled to the fuel container identification device; and c. a retractable barrier coupled to the gating engine; wherein upon the fuel container identification device recognizing the fuel container, the gating engine opens the retractable barrier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A hybrid electronic device, comprising:
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a. a power source comprising at least a fuel cell and a battery; b. a fuel input coupled to the fuel cell; c. a fuel container identification device comprising a control circuit; d. a barrier retractor coupled to the fuel container identification device; and e. a retractable barrier coupled to the barrier retractor, the retractable barrier blocking access to the fuel input when in a closed position; wherein the barrier retractor is configured, upon the fuel container identification device identifying a fuel container, to cause the retractable barrier to move from the closed position to an open position, thereby allowing access to the fuel input. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification