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US 8,275,665 B2Granted
Monitoring unit depletion in an independent real-time mass storage unit system by using an estimated tare mass of the item
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsWilliam K. Bodin, Michael L. Masterson, Stephen J. Watt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for estimating, refining, and using the tare mass for an item to determine and monitor item depletion. In response to detecting an initial presence of an item in the storage unit, a controller collects data about the item. The controller then searches a database for a recorded item containing the same item identification. The tare mass of the item is set equal to the refined tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database. The tare mass is then used to calculate a depletion threshold for the item.
Claims22
A method for monitoring a storage unit, the method comprising:
- responsive to a computer detecting an initial presence of an item in the storage unit, collecting, by the computer, an item identification of the item, a product type of the item, and an initial mass of the item;
- and
- searching, by the computer, a database for a recorded item containing the item identification;
- retrieving, by the computer, a total mass of the recorded item from the database;
- comparing, by the computer, the initial mass of the item with the total mass of the recorded item;
- and
- responsive to a difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is less than a predetermined amount, setting, by the computer, a tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database;
- responsive to the computer detecting the item has been removed and replaced in the storage unit, collecting, by the computer, a current mass of the item;
- and
- determining, by the computer, a mass depletion of the item as the current mass of the item minus the tare mass of the item;
- and
- responsive to the mass depletion of the item reaching a threshold depletion, the computer alerting a user.
9 more elements
A computer program product for monitoring a storage unit, the computer program product comprising:
- a computer readable storage device;
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to detect an initial presence of an item in the storage unit and responsive to detecting the initial presence of the item in the storage unit, collect an item identification of the item, a product type of the item, and an initial mass of the item;
- and
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to search a database for a recorded item containing the item identification;
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to retrieve a total mass of the recorded item from the database;
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to compare the initial mass of the item with the total mass of the recorded item;
- and
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to set a tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database, responsive to a difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is less than a predetermined amount;
- and
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to collect a current mass of the item responsive to detecting that the item has been removed and replaced in the storage unit;
- and
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to determine a mass depletion of the item as the current mass of the item minus the tare mass of the item;
- and
- program code, stored on the computer readable storage device, configured to alert a user, responsive to the mass depletion of the item reaching a threshold depletion.
11 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a user interface;
- a tag reader;
- and
- a controller, wherein the controller further comprises:
- a bus;
- a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains a computer usable program product;
- and
- a processor unit, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to detect an initial presence of an item in a storage unit and responsive to detecting the initial presence of the item in the storage unit, collect an item identification of the item, a product type of the item, and an initial mass of the item;
- and search a database for a recorded item containing the item identification;
- retrieve a total mass of the recorded item from a database;
- compare the initial mass of the item with the total mass of the recorded item;
- and responsive to a difference between the initial mass of the item and the total mass of the recorded item that is less than a predetermined amount, set a tare mass of the item equal to a tare mass of the recorded item retrieved from the database;
- and responsive to detecting the item has been removed and replaced in the storage unit, collect a current mass of the item;
- and determine a mass depletion of the item as the current mass of the item minus the tare mass of the item;
- and responsive to the mass depletion of the item reaching a threshold depletion, alert a user.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.