Sealed container sensor device
OwnerMohsen Rezayatinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for managing and monitoring a small or large collection of sealed containers, such as wine bottles, barrels, medicine containers, or bags, as well as individual grapes, batches of must, and other liquids, whose contents may be volatile and difficult to access without destroying the seal and the contents or risking contamination of the liquid. The system performs automated monitoring tasks by communicating with specially manufactured bottles or traditional bottles that have had a sensor installed. Sensor installation can be accomplished with unmodified commercialy available equipment.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- (a) a sensor body comprising a sensor processor, a memory, and a power source;
- (b) a probe extending outwards from the sensor body, the probe comprising:
- (i) a sharpened tip at the distal end;
- (ii) an opening on a side exterior of the probe proximate to the sharpened tip;
- (iii) a tip chamber accessible via the opening;
- and
- (iv) a sensor intake within the tip chamber, wherein a first side of the sensor intake is accessible via the tip chamber and a second side of the sensor intake is within a capillary that is sealed from the tip chamber;
- and
- (c) a micro-sensor within the capillary and proximate to the second side of the sensor intake, the micro-sensor situated to contact a substance entering the sensor intake from the tip chamber;
- wherein the sensor processor is configured to:
- (i) receive a characteristic data from the micro-sensor when the micro-sensor is in contact with the substance;
- and
- (ii) store the set of characteristic data on the memory, wherein the set of characteristic data describes one or more characteristics of the substance.
A method for measuring attributes of a substance comprising the steps
- (a) placing a measuring device in a substance, the measuring device comprising a probe and a memory, the probe having a sharpened tip, an opening on a side exterior of the probe proximate to the sharpened tip, a tip chamber accessible via the opening, a sensor intake within the tip chamber, and a micro-sensor within a capillary proximate to the sensor intake, wherein:
- (i) a liquid that enters the tip chamber via the opening is received by a first side of the sensor intake that is within the tip chamber,
- (ii) the liquid contacts the micro-sensor at a second side of the sensor intake that is within the capillary, and
- (iii) the capillary is sealed from the tip chamber,
- (b) measuring a set of characteristic data for the substance with the micro-sensor;
- and
- (c) storing the set of characteristic data on the memory.
An apparatus comprising:
- (a) a sensor processor;
- (b) a probe comprising:
- (i) a sharpened tip at a distal end of the probe;
- (ii) an opening on a side exterior of the probe proximate to the sharpened tip;
- (iii) a tip chamber accessible via the opening;
- and
- (iv) a sensor intake within the tip chamber, wherein a first side of the sensor intake is accessible via the tip chamber and a second side of the sensor intake is within a capillary that is sealed from the tip chamber;
- and
- (c) a micro-sensor within the capillary and proximate to the second side of the sensor intake in order contact a substance entering the sensor intake from the tip chamber, the micro sensor configured to provide a signal to the sensor processor based on the substance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.