Method and apparatus for matching amount and type of paint component in a paint manufacturing system

• US 7,865,264 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MicroBlend, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Microblend Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Titus, Andrew B., Hughes, Randall L., Boyle, Danny P., Mowen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBERTSON, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/348,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 700/265, 700/266, 700282-285, 700/177, 700/239, 524/417, 222/144.5, 222/129, 222/57, 366/132, 366/140, 366/141, 366/152, 366/177.1, 141/1
• US Class Current: 700/239
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/132 by controlling the flow of the individual components G05D11/133 takes precedence

Abstract

A paint manufacturing system, having a paint component storage system with a dispenser positioned below and a computer system which controls a flow of paint components. The paint component storage system having a plurality of paint component cartridges containing paint components; wherein at least two of the paint component cartridges contain the same paint component. A method for adding a component to a container involving: recognizing a volume of component in a container; generating a bar code that corresponds to the amount and type of component to be added; requesting the component; filling a tote with the component; relating the bar code with the filled tote; transporting the tote and related bar code to said container; scanning the tote bar code to verify the amount and type of component in the tote matches the amount and type of component requested; and filling the container when the tote bar code matches.

Claims

1. In a paint manufacturing system for manufacturing paint at a point of sale, a computer-implemented method for adding a component to a paint component container of the paint manufacturing system comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of the paint component containers, wherein each of the paint component containers contains a volume of paint component and wherein an amount and type of paint component needed to refill a paint component container is requested for at least one of the plurality of paint component containers, the amount of paint determined by a volume sensor coupled to the paint component container;

generating a bar code that corresponds to the amount and type of paint component requested to be added to the paint component container;

filling a tote with the amount and type of the paint component requested, placing the bar code on the filled tote, and transporting the tote to the paint component container;

scanning the bar code to verify that the amount and type of paint component in the tote matches with the amount and type of paint component requested for the paint component container; and

initiating pumping of the paint component from the tote to the paint component container upon verifying the bar code information matches the amount and type of paint component requested.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating step takes place before the requesting step.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining bar code information within the system; and

comparing the tote bar code to the maintained bar code information for verification purposes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an ultrasound sensor coupled to the paint component container.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a laser sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a report of the volume in the paint component container after filling.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the paint manufacturing system automatically requests the amount and type of paint component needed to refill the paint component container when the amount of paint component in the paint component container reaches a predetermined level.