1. A system for tracking inventory comprising: an inventory store; one or more transceivers for interrogating one or more radio frequency identification devices associated with one or more articles; a processor in communication with the transceivers; code operable by the processor to increase the inventory when the one or more articles enter the inventory store; code operable by the processor to initiate a timer when the one or more articles are removed from the inventory store; code operable by the processor to decrease the inventory if one or more transceiver interrogations of a field indicate that the one or more articles removed from the inventory store does not respond to the interrogation or have been used; and whereby if one or more transceiver interrogations of a field indicate that the one or more articles removed from the inventory store have not been used, then the inventory is unchanged for the responding one or more articles provided that the timer has not timed out.
2. The system of claim 1, includes one or more transceiverrepeater combinations to enable interrogation of all associated radio frequency identification devices within a space.
3. The system of claim 1, including a universal product code reader to self purchase articles.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency identification device is adapted to be destroyed as an indication of the removed item being used.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein when the article is opened the antenna is dysfunctional as an indication of article usage.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein an associated pair of radio frequency identification devices are installed on an article.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the transceiver detects the reception of two associated radio frequency identification devices at different intervals of time as indication that the article has been used.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein two or more transceivers determine if an associated pair of radio frequency identification devices each installed on separate parts of an article produce receptions from different locations as an indication that the article has been used.
9. The system of claim 6, whereupon opening of the article a first radio frequency identification device antenna is made dysfunctional and a second radio frequency identification device antenna remains functional.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein different intervals of time indicate that the separate parts of the article associated with the pair of radio frequency identification devices have been separated.
11. A container comprising a disabling means and a radio frequency identification device antenna integral to a seal whereby the disabling means acts upon the seal to open the container and disable the antenna.
12. A container comprising a cap, a body and a tab, wherein an associated antenna is connected to the tab and the body of the container whereby when the tab is removed it disables the antenna.
13. The container of claim 11 wherein the container is one of a canister or bottle.
14. The container of claim 11 wherein the container is a shrink-wrap container.
15. The container of claim 11 wherein the associated antenna forms a grid.
16. A seal comprising a disabling means and a radio frequency identification device antenna integral to the seal whereby the disabling means acts upon the seal to disable the antenna.
17. The seal of claim 16 wherein the seal is a shrink band seal.
18. A label comprising a disabling means and a radio frequency identification device antenna integral to the label whereby the disabling means acts upon the label to disable the antenna.
19. The label of claim 18 wherein the label is a shrink label.
20. A method for tracking inventory comprising: stocking an inventory store; interrogating a radio frequency identification device associated with one or more articles in the inventory store; processing a communication to record the one or more articles entering the inventory store to increase inventory; initializing a timer when the one or more articles are removed from the inventory store; interrogating the one or more articles removed from the inventory store; and
(a) decreasing the inventory for the one or more articles if the radio frequency identification device of one or more articles removed from the inventory store indicate that the one or more articles have been used; and
(b) not changing the inventory for the responding one or more articles if the radio frequency identification device of one or more articles removed from the inventory store response indicate the one or more articles have not been used provided that the reentering the one or more articles into the interrogation field or the inventory store occurs before the timer times out.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the one or more articles have been used is determined if the radio frequency identification device is disabled.
22. The method of claim 20 wherein the one or more articles have been used is determined if the antenna is disabled on one or more articles.
23. The method of claim 20 wherein the one or more articles have been used is determined if an associated pair of radio frequency identification devices installed on an article produce receptions at different intervals of time.
24. The method of claim 20 wherein the one or more articles have been used is determined if an associated pair of radio frequency identification devices installed on an article produce receptions from different locations.
25. The method of claim 20 wherein the one or more articles have been used is determined if a first radio frequency identification device antenna is disabled and a second radio frequency identification device antenna remains functional.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
We claim:
1. A multi-purpose controller for maintaining a desired flow rate of solid material in transit on a conveyor belt, comprising:
means for inputting a desired flow rate reference signal into the controller;
means for receiving a signal from a material flow rate measurement sensor;
means for waiting a user-specified first time period, after the elapse of which said time period operating on said measured flow rate signal commences;
means for quantifiably interpreting said signal in terms of said flow rate occurring on said conveyor belt;
means for determining an index of said flow rate spanning over a user-specified second time period;
means for calculating the excess or deficiency of said flow rate index relative to said input desired flow rate, thereby creating an internal flow rate error;
means for determining a needed change in controller output based on said created internal flow rate error;
means for increasing or decreasing an earlier-determined controller output that is the input to a source flow rate actuator, thereby creating an updated controller output and changing said source flow rate in accordance with and in response to said updated signal from said flow rate controller;
means for repeating the cycle of receiving said flow rate signal, waiting said first time period, quantifiably interpreting, index determining, and controller output changing operations, thereby creating a repeating Change-and-Wait control strategy that continually provides controlled corrections to the process.
2. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 1 with an embedded electronic calculational device used to perform the necessary calculations.
3. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 1 wherein the flow rate index determination consists of time-averaging said flow rate measurement signal, and wherein the time-averaging occurs over said second time period selected by the user.
4. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 1, further including means for issuing secondary controller outputs in the event that said flow rate on said conveyor belt remains in violation of a user-specified tolerance relationship relative to said input desired flow rate; whereby a user of this controller benefits from additional means for controlling the process, such as shutting off the flow entirely if the flow exceeds the tolerance condition.
5. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 4, further including means for user entry of at least one tolerance condition that applies when said flow rate index is larger than said input desired flow rate, and at least one tolerance condition that applies when said flow rate index is smaller than said input desired flow rate.
6. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 5 wherein each of said tolerance conditions are comprised of two parts: said flow rate index being larger than said input desired flow rate and said flow rate index remaining larger than said input desired flow rate for a user-selected third time period; and a second tolerance condition wherein said flow rate index is smaller than said input desired flow rate and remains smaller for a user-selected fourth time period.
7. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 1 wherein said input desired flow rate can be a time-varying signal.
8. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 7 wherein said time-varying input desired flow rate signal is time-averaged over same said second time period as the flow rate measurement signal thereby ensuring that said internal flow rate error consists of two time-averaged indices determined over the same time period.
9. A multi-purpose controller for modulating the flow rate of solid, liquid, or gaseous material being transported in a suitable conduit means wherein the measurement point of said material flow rate is located some distance downstream of a flow rate actuator and for maintaining a correspondence between said material flow rate and a reference or desired flow rate, comprising:
means for inputting a desired flow rate reference signal into the controller;
means for receiving a signal from a material flow rate measurement sensor;
means for waiting a user-specified first time period, after the elapse of which said time period operating on said measured flow rate signal commences;
means for quantifiably interpreting said signal in terms of said flow rate occurring in said conduit;
means for determining a first index of said measured flow rate signal spanning a user-specified second time period;
means for calculating the excess or deficiency of said first flow rate index relative to the said reference flow rate, also commonly referred to as the set point in the control industry, thereby creating an internal flow rate error;
means for determining a needed change in controller output based on said created internal flow rate error;
means for increasing or decreasing an earlier-determined controller output that is the input to a source flow rate actuator, thereby creating an updated controller output and changing said flow rate in accordance with and in response to said updated signal from said flow rate controller;
means for repeating the cycle of receiving said flow rate signal, waiting said first time period, quantifiably interpreting, index determining, and controller output changing operations, thereby creating a repetitive Change-and-Wait control strategy applicable to a wide variety of applications where material is in transit in a suitable conduit.
10. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 9, having an embedded electronic calculational device used to perform the necessary calculations.
11. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 9, wherein the reference flow rate may be a time-varying reference flow rate signal.
12. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 11 wherein a second flow rate index is aggregated from said time-varying reference flow rate signal in a manner similar to the determination of said first index from said measured flow rate signal.
13. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 11 wherein said second flow rate index is combined with said first flow rate index; thereby creating an internal flow rate error based on two time-varying flow rate signals.
14. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 9, further including means for issuing secondary controller outputs in the event that said flow rate in said conduit remains in violation of a user-specified tolerance relationship relative to said reference flow rate, thereby enhancing the control capability of a Change-and-Wait controller.
15. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 14, further including means for user entry of at least one tolerance condition that applies when said first flow rate index is larger than said reference flow rate; and at least another tolerance condition that applies when said first flow rate index is smaller than said reference flow rate.
16. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 15 wherein each of said tolerance conditions is comprised of two parts: said first flow rate index being larger than said reference flow rate and said first flow rate index remaining larger than said reference flow rate for a user-selected third time period; and a second tolerance condition wherein said first flow rate index is smaller than said reference flow rate and remains smaller for a user-selected fourth time period.
17. A multi-purpose controller for controlling a process variable property of interest in a flowing system, comprising:
means for inputting a desired process variable property reference signal into said controller;
means for receiving a signal from a process variable property measurement sensor;
means for waiting a user-specified first time period, after the elapse of which said time period operating on said measured process variable property signal commences;
means for quantifiably interpreting said signal in terms of said process variable property occurring in said process variable;
means for determining a first index of said measured process variable property signal spanning a user-specified second time period;
means for calculating the excess or deficiency of said first index relative to said process variable property reference signal, also commonly referred to as a set point in the control industry, thereby creating an internal process variable property error;
means for determining a needed change in controller output based on said created internal process variable property error;
means for increasing or decreasing an earlier-determined controller output that is the input to one or the other of a pair of process variable property actuators, thereby creating an updated controller output and changing said process variable property in accordance with and in response to said updated signal from said controller;
means for repeating the cycle of receiving said process variable property signal, waiting said first time period, quantifiably interpreting, index determining, and controller output changing operations, thereby creating a repetitive Change-and-Wait control strategy applicable to a wide variety of applications where a property of a flowing material is being controlled.
18. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 17, further including means for issuing secondary controller outputs in the event that said process variable property signal first index is in violation of at least one of several sets of user-specified and user-entered tolerance conditions.
19. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 18 wherein said sets of tolerance conditions are comprised of user-entered positive or negative departures of said process variable property first index from a desired process variable property second index and also remains in said tolerance condition violation for a user-entered continuous time period.
20. A multi-purpose controller according to claim 17 wherein said desired process variable property reference signal may be a time-varying signal with an index-determining time period that is substantially the same as said second time period.