Apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10358259-B2
Application number	US-201515312873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	May 21, 2014
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A pallet comprising: a plurality of container seats wherein each seat is adapted to carry a fluid container; a data obtainer arranged to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a fluid container to be carried; a processor coupled to the data obtainer and configured to provide a signal based on the container data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pallet comprising:
a plurality of container seats, wherein each container seat is adapted to carry a fluid container, wherein each container seat is operable to retain the fluid container so as to inhibit removal of the fluid container from the container seat, and wherein each container seat is operable to reject the fluid container so as to inhibit carrying of the fluid container by the container seat;
a data obtainer arranged to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a particular fluid container to be carried by the pallet; and
a processor coupled to the data obtainer and configured to provide a signal based on the container data, wherein the signal comprises an indication as to whether to retain or reject the particular fluid container from which the container data was obtained.

2. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the processor is coupled to provide the signal to a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats to control the particular container seat.

3. The pallet of claim 1 comprising a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote device.

4. The pallet of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to provide the container data to the remote device.

5. The pallet of claim 4 wherein the signal is based on data received from the remote device in response to the container data.

6. The pallet of claim 1 wherein each container seat of the plurality of container seats comprises a seat key to engage with a complementary key of a fluid container that is to be carried by the container seat and the data obtainer is configured to obtain data from the container seat in response to the seat key engaging with the fluid container.

7. The pallet of claim 6 wherein, for each container seat of the plurality of container seats, the seat key is configured to limit at least one of the position and orientation of the fluid container carried by the container seat so that when the seat key is keyed with the fluid container, the fluid container is arranged to provide data to the data obtainer.

8. The pallet of claim 7 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain data from a fluid container seated in a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats in response to the seat key of the particular container seat engaging with a complementary key of the fluid container.

9. The pallet of claim 8 wherein the seat key comprises at least one of a latch and an asymmetric geometry of the container seat.

10. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the signal comprises at least one of an audible or visible alert signal.

11. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the data obtainer comprises at least one of a wireless or wired electronic communication interface configured to communicate with a fluid container seated in a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats.

12. The pallet of claim 11 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain measurement data indicating at least one property of a fluid carried in the fluid container seated in the particular container seat.

13. The pallet of claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to provide the signal based on comparing the measurement data with container data obtained from a machine readable property of the fluid container seated in the particular container seat.

14. The pallet of claim 1 , wherein a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats is operable to retain the particular fluid container so as to inhibit removal of the particular fluid container from the particular container seat in response to the particular container seat receiving the signal comprising an indication to retain the particular fluid container.

15. The pallet of claim 1 , wherein a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats is operable to reject the particular fluid container so as to inhibit carrying of the particular fluid container by the particular container seat in response to the particular container seat receiving the signal comprising an indication to retain the particular fluid container.

16. A pallet comprising:
a plurality of container seats, wherein each container seat is adapted to carry a fluid container, and wherein each container seat comprises a seat key to engage with the fluid container that is to be carried by the container seat;
a data obtainer arranged to obtain container data from a data provider carried by a particular fluid container to be carried by the pallet, wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain data from a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats in response to the seat key of the particular container seat engaging with the particular fluid container; and
a processor coupled to the data obtainer and configured to provide a signal based on the container data.

17. The pallet of claim 16 wherein, for each container seat of the plurality of container seats, the seat key is configured to limit at least one of the position and orientation of the fluid container carried by the container seat so that when the seat key is keyed with the fluid container, the fluid container is arranged to provide data to the data obtainer.

18. The pallet of claim 16 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain data from a fluid container seated in a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats in response to the seat key of the particular container seat engaging with a complementary key of the fluid container.

19. The pallet of claim 16 wherein the seat key comprises at least one of a latch and an asymmetric geometry of the container seat.

20. The pallet of claim 16 wherein each container seat of the plurality of container seats is operable to retain the particular fluid container so as to inhibit removal of the particular fluid container from the container seat.

21. The pallet of claim 16 wherein each container seat of the plurality of container seats is operable to reject the particular fluid container so as to inhibit carrying of the particular fluid container by the container seat.

22. The pallet of claim 16 wherein the signal comprises an indication as to whether to retain or reject the particular fluid container from which the container data was obtained.

23. The pallet of claim 16 wherein the processor is coupled to provide the signal to a particular container seat of the plurality of container seats to control the particular container seat.

24. The pallet of claim 16 comprising a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote device.

25. The pallet of claim 24 wherein the processor is configured to provide the container data to the remote device.

26. The pallet of claim 25 wherein the signal is based on data received from the remote device in response to the container data.

27. The pallet of claim 16 wherein the signal comprises at least one of an audible or visible alert signal.

28. The pallet of claim 16 wherein the data obtainer comprises at least one of a wireless or wired electronic communication interface configured to communicate with a fluid container seated in a particular container seat.

29. The pallet of claim 28 wherein the data obtainer is configured to obtain measurement data indicating at least one property of a fluid carried in the fluid container s

Assignees

• Castrol Ltd

Inventors

• Andersen Jens
• Goodier Steven Paul
• Hellman Hanna
• Leeson Andrea

Classifications

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G07F7/0609

  by fluid containers, e.g. bottles, cups, gas containers · CPC title

• B65D2203/10

  Transponders · CPC title

• G07G1/009

  the reader being an RFID reader · CPC title

• B65D71/0096

  the dimensions of the supports corresponding to the periphery of the load, e.g. pallets · CPC title