Gas cylinder counting system
AssigneeRatermann Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorGeorge W. Ratermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas cylinder counting apparatus that has bins with aligned parallel rows of industrial gas cylinders stored in a cage having upright posts with gas cylinder movement detectors. Gas cylinders in each bin are separated from each other to form a cylinder array. Proximity sensors attached to posts count cylinder removals by changes of state of the cylinder array and report removal of a cylinder from the bin to a local server. When gas cylinders are removed from other cages, local servers report to a remote server and to the management software for gas cylinder ordering and delivery.
Claims20
A gas cylinder counting system comprising:
- a cage having a plurality of parallel gas cylinder bins having a width accommodating only one gas cylinder and a depth accommodating several gas cylinders;
- a gas cylinder sensor associated with each bin detecting removal of a cylinder from a bin;
- a logic device communicating with all sensors having a first logic state signaling a cage state prior to removal of cylinders and other logic states signaling removal of cylinders from bins of the cage.
A gas cylinder counting system comprising:
- a cage having a floor with upright posts joined on by a plurality of horizontal side rails, with some of the posts and side rails spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than the diameter of a tank, with adjacent pairs of parallel side rails defining a gas cylinder bin, the floor having sufficient posts and rails for at least two gas cylinder bins with each bin having an openable front and a back closed by a back rail;
- and
- a gas cylinder sensor attached to at least one post and associated with a logic device having a first logic state signaling a first state relating to gas cylinders in the cage and a second logic state different from the first logic state signaling removal of a gas cylinder from the bin of the cage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.