Draft beer supply chain system and method
A device for measuring a keg for beer is disclosed. The keg has a tap opening at its top and a recessed cavity at its bottom. The recess is defined in part by an inside wall around the bottom of the keg. The measuring device disclosed may have an mountable/unmountable housing adapted to be installed to the keg by being mounted on the bottom of the keg at least in part in the recessed cavity. The measuring device disclosed may have a weight sensor on the housing for sensing the weight of the keg.
1. A system comprising:
a keg sensor/transmitter mounted to a bottom of a keg, the keg sensor/transmitter comprising:
a weight sensor configured to determine a weight of the keg; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the weight of the keg, and a serial number of the keg sensor/transmitter;
an uplink/gateway configured to receive the weight of the keg and serial number of the keg sensor/transmitter, construct an uplink/gateway data string that comprise the weight of the keg, the serial number of the keg sensor/transmitter, and a serial number of the uplink/gateway; and
a database configured to receive the uplink/gateway data string, and date and time stamp the uplink/gateway data string.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein
the serial number of the uplink/gateway is associated with a location of the uplink/gateway.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the database associates a location of the keg sensor/transmitter based on the serial number of the uplink/gateway.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said database relates said weight of the keg, and said date and time stamp
the brand of beer in a respective keg based at least on the serial number of the keg sensor/transmitter.
5. The system of claim 1 and further comprising at least one radio receiver device adapted for receiving data strings from said transmitter and for sending said data strings to said database.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the uplink/gateway data strings further includes longitude and latitude data.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein said weight related data is collected periodically but said transmitter transmits said weight related data only if said weight value has changed.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein said database is adapted to send an alert when beer in a keg is running low based on the weight of the keg.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a consumer phone based application adapted to access said database and locate availability of a brand of beer at or near a location of said consumer phone.
10. A system including a plurality of keg sensor/transmitter mounted to a bottom of a respective keg of a plurality of kegs, the system comprising;
each of the plurality of keg sensor/transmitter including:
a pressure sensor configured to determine a combined weight of their respective keg and a liquid contained therein; and
a transmitter configured to periodically transmit a respective keg sensor/transmitter data string, wherein the respective keg sensor/transmitter data string comprises the combined weight of their respective keg and the liquid contained therein, and a respective keg sensor/transmitter serial number;
an uplink/gateway configured to receive the periodic transmission of the keg sensor/transmitter data strings from each of the plurality of keg sensor/transmitter, and compile an uplink/gateway data string comprising each of the plurality of plurality of keg sensor/transmitter data strings, and an uplink/gateway serial number, and further configured to transmit the uplink/gateway data string; and
a database configured to receive the uplink/gateway data string.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the database stores and relates the combined weight of their respective keg and the liquid contained therein from each of the plurality of keg sensor/transmitters to a purchaser of the respective kegs.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said database further relates the combined weight of their respective keg and the liquid contained therein from each of the plurality of keg sensor/transmitters to time and date data.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein said database is adapted to send an alert when beer in a keg is running low.
14. The system of claim 11 , comprising a consumer phone based application adapted to access said database and locate availability of a brand of beer at or near a location of said consumer phone.