System, apparatus and methods for estimating the amount of nutrients released from environmentally-friendly wear material
AssigneeGrndUp LLC
InventorsThomas Besford Bogle, Eugene F. Kelly
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
System, apparatus, articles of manufacture and methods useful for determining an approximate amount of one or more ingredients of wear material released from the wear portion of an item that wears during use of the item involve the use of a material release tracker that is associated with the wear portion and which can be used to estimate the amount of one or more ingredients released from the wear portion.
Claims21
A system for determining an approximate amount of nutrients released from the wear portion of an item that abrades due to friction during use of the item, the system comprising:
- regenerative wear material provided in the wear portion of the item, the regenerative wear material including nutrients;
- and
- a material release tracker associated with the wear portion, the material release tracker being configured to provide material release information based upon abrasive wear to the wear portion from use of the item, the material release information being used to estimate the amount of nutrients released from regenerative wear material shedded from the wear portion of the item.
A system for determining an approximate total amount of nutrients released from the wear portion of an item at different times during use of the item based upon wear to the wear portion, the wear portion being constructed at least partially of regenerative wear material that includes nutrients, the system comprising:
- a material release tracker provided on or in the item and associated with the wear portion;
- and
- a material release converter indicating an estimated total amount of nutrients released from the wear portion of the item that corresponds with an estimated amount of wear to the wear portion and is based upon the material release tracker.
A method of determining an approximate amount of nutrients output from the wear portion of an item at different times during the life of the item based upon wear to the wear portion with the use of a material release tracker that includes a visible configuration of multiple material discharge features associated with the wear portion, the wear portion including nutrients, the method comprising:
- the material release tracker displaying a first variation of the visible configuration of material discharge features at a first point in time during the life of the item;
- providing a first estimated total amount of nutrients output from the wear portion of the item based upon the first variation of the visible configuration of material discharge features;
- the material release tracker displaying a second variation of the visible configuration of material discharge features at a second point in time during the life of the item;
- and
- providing a second estimated total amount of nutrients output from the wear portion of the item based upon the second variation of the visible configuration of material discharge features, wherein the second point in time is chronologically after the first point in time and the second estimated total amount of nutrients output from the wear portion is greater than the first estimated total amount of nutrients output from the wear portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.