Automated gas cylinder tracking system
AssigneeMillipore Corporation
InventorsHenry J. McCarrick, William T. Leyden, III, Khanh H. Tran, John F. Jordon, III, Kevin C. Ross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automated gas cylinder monitoring system includes: a data storage collar associated with a gas cylinder including a resident memory and an insulated housing, the insulated housing being configured for coupling with a gas cylinder; a read/write probe for writing data to and receiving data from the resident memory of said data storage collar; measuring devices for determining the volume of gas in a gas cylinder; and a host computer for transmitting information to and receiving information from the read/write probe.
Claims20
An automated gas cylinder monitoring system, comprising:
- a data storage device mounted to a gas cylinder, the data storage device including a resident memory and a housing, the housing having a configuration for mounting to a gas cylinder;
- a read/write device for accessing information stored in the resident memory of said data storage device;
- a measuring device electronically coupled to the data storage device, the measuring device monitoring a physical characteristic of the gas cylinder and transmitting data reflecting the recorded characteristic to the data storage device, the data storage device retaining information relating to the physical characteristic;
- and
- a host computer for transmitting information to and receiving information from the read/write device.
An inventory control system comprising:
- a data storage device including a circular housing configured for mounting on a gas cylinder, the data storage device having first and second conductive rings exposed on the top of the housing, the second conductive ring spaced from the first ring;
- a resident memory contained in the housing for storing information relating the gas cylinder;
- a read/write device for writing data to and reading data from the resident memory of the data storage device;
- a measuring device electronically coupled to the data storage device, the measuring device monitoring a physical characteristic of the gas cylinder and transmitting data reflecting the recorded characteristic to the data storage device, the data storage device retaining information relating to the physical characteristic;
- a host computer for transmitting data to and receiving data from the read/write means;
- and,
- a workstation coupled to the host computer for displaying information retrieved from the data storage device.
An inventory control system comprising:
- an inventory control module;
- a docking station for transferring data and program instructions to and from the inventory control module;
- a data storage device for use on a gas cylinder, the data storage device comprising an inventory control collar having a first conductive ring exposed on a top of the collar and electrically connected to a resident memory and a second conductive ring exposed on the top of the collar and electrically connected to the resident memory, the docking station further comprising:
- a collar clip;
- a first pair of contact pins disposed on a collar clip at a predetermined distance apart such that the contact pins may simultaneously contact the conductive rings of the inventory control collar when the collar clip is clipped onto the inventory control collar;
- and
- a measuring device electronically coupled to the data storage device, the measuring device monitoring a physical characteristic of the gas cylinder and transmitting data reflecting the recorded characteristic to the data storage device, the data storage device retaining information relating to the physical characteristic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.