Inventory control system

Apparatus for monitoring the sale of articles including inventory item components and detecting discrepancies between the article identified as sold and the inventory item components actually depleted from inventory, comprising:

• (A) storage means associating with each article for sale, its name, the price thereof, the inventory item component or components thereof, and the quantity of each inventory item component in the article;
• (B) entry means for entering data representing each article sold;
• (C) print means for printing a statement including indicia identifying the article sold as entered in each entry means by its name and the price thereof as associated in said storage means with the article sold;
• (D) display means for displaying data representing inventory item components and the quantities thereof actually depleted from inventory;
• and
• (E) decrementing means for decrementing from the data represented on said display means the inventory item components and quantities thereof associated in said storage means with the articles represented by the article sold data entered on said entry means.

Apparatus for monitoring the sale of articles including inventory item components and detecting discrepancies between the articles identified as sold and the inventory item components actually depleted from inventory, comprising:

• (A) storage means associating with each article for sale, its name, the price thereof, the inventory item component or components thereof, and the quantity of each inventory item component in the article;
• (B) entry mans for entering data representing each article sold by the name and number of the article;
• (C) print means for printing a statement including indicia identifying the article sold as entered in said entry means by its name and the price thereof as associated in said storage means with the article sold;
• (D) display means for displaying data representing inventory item components, and the quantities thereof actually depleted from inventory, the locations from which they were taken, and the times at which they were taken;
• (E) decrementing means for decrementing from the data represented on said display means the inventory item components and quantities thereof associated in said storage means with the articles represented by the article sold data entered on said entry means;
• and
• (F) means for signalling when the data displayed on said display means remains over a predetermined period of time.

An apparatus for automatically determining the volume contents of a plurality of containers, each of the containers having a surface portion with a unique light reflector thereon, comprising:

• (A) a plurality of assemblies, each defining a volume and comprising (i) a surface for supporting a container, (ii) a transducer in operative contact with said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the weight of a container placed on said supporting surface, and (iii) a light sensor disposed within said volume in operative relationship with a container on said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the light reflected by the light reflector on the surface portion of the container;
• (B) means for receiving said transducer output signals and said sensor output signals and, for each container on said supporting surface, for computing the volume of the signal, and for identifying the container based on said sensor output signal;
• and
• (C) a light source disposed in said volume, a first transparent section in said supporting surface for accommodating light transmission from said source to said light reflector, and a second transparent section in said supporting surface for accommodating light transmission from said light reflector to said sensor.

An apparatus for automatically determining the volume contents of a plurality of containers, each of the containers having a surface portion with a unique element thereon, comprising:

• (A) a plurality of assemblies, each comprising (i) a surface for supporting a container, (ii) a transducer in operative contact with said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the weight of a container placed on said supporting surface, and (iii) a sensor in operative relationship with a container on said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the unique element on the surface portion of the container;
• (B) means for receiving said transducer output signals and said sensor output signals and, for each container on said supporting surface, for computing the volume of the contents of each container based on said transducer output signal, and for identifying the container based on said sensor output signal;
• and
• (C) a multiplexing circuit for sequentially scanning the output signals from each enclosure and transmitting the same to said receiving and computing means.

Apparatus for automatically determining the weight of a plurality of articles, each of the articles having a surface portion with a unique light reflector, comprising:

• (A) a plurality of assemblies, each defining a volume and including (i) a surface for supporting an article, (ii) a transducer in operative contact with said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the weight of an article placed on said supporting surface, and (iii) a light sensor disposed within said volume in operative relationship with an article on said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the light reflected by the light reflector on the surface portion of the article;
• (B) means for receiving said transducer output signals and said sensor output signals and, for each article on said supporting surfaces, for computing the weight of the article based on said transducer output signal and for identifying the article based on said sensor output signal;
• and
• (C) a light source disposed in said volume, a first transparent section in said supporting surface for accommodating light transmission from said source to said light reflector, and a second transparent section in said supporting surface for accommodating light transmission from said light reflector to said sensor.

Apparatus for automatically determining the weight of a plurality of articles, each of the articles having a surface potion with a unique element thereon, comprising:

• (A) a plurality of assemblies, each including (i) a surface for supporting an article, (ii) a transducer in operative contact with said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the weight of an article placed on relationship with an article on said supporting surface for producing an output signal indicative of the unique element on the surface portion of the article;
• (B) means for receiving said transducer output signals and said sensor output signals and, for each article on said supporting surfaces, for computing the weight of the article based on said transducer output signal and for identifying the article based on said sensor output signal;
• and
• (C) a multiplexing circuit for sequentially scanning the output signals from each enclosure and transmitting the same to said receiving and computing means.