Systems and methods for indicating a quality of grouped items

• US 8,068,029 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Re Community Holdings II, Inc. (Republic Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Re Community Holdings II, Inc. (Republic Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Langlois, Timothy A., Cronin, John, Kintzer, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/483,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/573.1, 340/573.5, 340/573.7, 340/571, 340/568.1, 340/568.5, 340/505, 340/10.1, 705/1.1, 705/28, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a relative quantity of recyclable items with respect to a total number of items are disclosed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer-implemented method includes reading an identifier respectively associated with at least some of a total number of items. The computer determines a number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items. The computer also receives the total number of items, and computes the relative quantity of recyclable items by dividing the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items by the total number of items.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a relative quantity of recyclable items with respect to a total number of items:

reading an identifier respectively associated with at least some of the total number of items;

receiving by the computer a number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items;

receiving at the computer the total number of items;

computing the relative quantity of recyclable items by dividing the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items by the total number of items; and

removing at least a portion of the total number of items when the relative quantity is less than a predetermined threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the computer accessing a data repository to determine the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising generating an alert if an identifier is associated with a banned waste item.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating an alert if an identifier is associated with a banned waste item.

5. A computer-implemented system for determining a quantity of recyclable items with respect to a total number of items, comprising:

a reader for reading an identifier respectively associated with at least some of the total number of items;

a computer that determines;

a number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items;

the total number of items; and

the relative quantity of recyclable items by dividing the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items by the total number of items;

a sorting station for removing at least a portion of the total number of items when the relative quantity is less than a predetermined threshold.

6. The computer-implemented system of claim 5, wherein the identifiers comprise radio frequency identifier tags.

7. The computer-implemented system of claim 5, further comprising the computer accessing a data repository to determine the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items and the number of identifiers associated with the total number of items.

8. A computer-implemented method for determining a relative quantity of recyclable items with respect to a total number of items:

reading at least one identifier respectively associated with at least some of the total number of items, wherein the at least one identifier comprises radio frequency identifier tags;

receiving by the computer a number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items;

receiving at the computer the total number of items;

computing the relative quantity of recyclable items by dividing the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items by the total number of items; and

removing at least a portion of the total number of items when the relative quantity is less than a predetermined threshold.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising the computer accessing a data repository to determine the number of identifiers associated with the recyclable items.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising generating an alert if an identifier is associated with a banned waste item.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising generating an alert if an identifier is associated with a banned waste item.