Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
TRUCK SCALE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material, which is
subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it
appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves
all copyright rights
whatsoever.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent
Application Serial No.
16/839,768, entitled "TRUCK SCALE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD," filed on
April 3, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. Patent No. 10,634,547, entitled
"TRUCK SCALE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD," filed on June 25, 2019, which claims the
priority
of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/862,800, entitled "TRUCK SCALE
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM AND METHOD," filed on June 18, 2019, the disclosures of which are
hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This application generally relates to electronic scales for
weighing of heavy-duty
trucks, and in particular, to scales with customizable web-based kiosk
interfaces.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0004] Heavy duty truck scales are well known in the art. A truck scale
can be used to
check individual axle weights and gross vehicle weights to determine whether
the vehicle is safe
to travel on public roads or bridges without being stopped and fined by the
authorities for being
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
overloaded. A truck scale can also be used to check axle weights and gross
vehicle weights to
determine the weight of a load or amount of good being transported. By
weighing the vehicle
both empty and when loaded, the load carried by the vehicle can be calculated.
Truck scales are
used in industries that manufacture or move bulk items, such as in mines or
quarries, garbage
dumps / recycling centers, bulk liquid and powder movement, household goods,
and electrical
equipment. Since the weight of the vehicle carrying the goods is known (and
can be ascertained
quickly if it is not known by weighing the empty vehicle) they are a quick and
easy way to
measure the flow of bulk goods in and out of different locations.
[00051 Kiosk systems may be used with truck scales to manage the flow of
trucks in and
out of sites, such as a plant or facility. Kiosk devices can either be mounted
inside a scale house
or outside on a post or pedestal near the truck scale. The kiosk system may
facilitate vehicle
identification, capturing truck weight, and loading on site. A kiosk may
comprise a data
collection system that is designed specifically for those sites. As such,
these kiosks can integrate
with a facility's central office and accounting systems.
[00061 However, existing kiosk systems lack ease and versatility for
upgrades and
features that can be customized without the need of servicing technicians.
There is thus a need
for a truck scale kiosk system with improved scalability and customization for
scale owners and
drivers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[00071 The present invention provides a truck scale management system and
method.
According to one embodiment, the truck scale management system comprises a
server including
a processor and a memory having executable instructions stored thereon that
when executed by
the processor cause the processor to connect to a truck scale system through a
communication
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Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
interface via at least one virtual scale. The truck scale system comprises at
least one physical
truck scale. A first of the at least one virtual scale comprises a data
connection to the at least one
physical truck scale, wherein the first virtual scale includes attributes of
the at least one physical
truck scale and wherein the first virtual scale defines weighing capability,
behavior of the at least
one physical truck scale, and formatting of data streams transmitted from the
at least one
physical truck scale. The processor is further configured to retrieve, in
response to a request
from a client device, a virtual kiosk from a database. The virtual kiosk is
associated with the first
virtual scale and is communicatively accessible by the client device. The
virtual kiosk is
configured to execute weighment operations through the first virtual scale,
receive data streams
associated with the weighment operations from the at least one physical truck
scale, and parse
the data streams according to the formatting for display on the client device.
The processor is
further configured to cause the virtual kiosk to be loaded onto the client
device and facilitate
communication between the client device and the truck scale system via the
virtual kiosk.
[0008] The first virtual scale may include an axle specification that
specifies a number of
ports and a default weight unit. The axle specification may specify a number
of data streams
sent by the at least one physical truck scale and ports corresponding to the
data streams. The
axle specification may also specify which of steer, drive, trailer, and total
weight streams
con-espond to the ports.
[0009] The data streams may include one or more parts of a string
corresponding to
weight data, weight units data, and a motion flag. The data streams may
include a string
representative of axle weights comprising at least one of a steer weight, a
drive weight, and a
trailer weight. The formatting of the data streams may comprise a string
notation including a
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Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
plurality of sections. The plurality of sections may be configured in string,
set, variable number,
or fixed number formats.
[00101 The weighment operations may also include unlimited pre-ticketed
re-
weighments. In one embodiment. the virtual kiosk may further comprise a
payable kiosk
configured to receive a list of materials, prices associated with receiving
the materials, and
weight units for the materials and generate a price to be paid for receiving
the materials. In
another embodiment, the virtual kiosk may further comprise a receivable kiosk
configured to
receive a list of materials, prices associated with dumping the materials, and
weight units for the
materials and generate a price to be paid for dumping the materials. The
processor may be
further configured to connect to the truck scale system through an application
programming
interface from a self-driving or remotely controlled vehicle.
[00111 According to one embodiment, the method comprises connecting to a
truck scale
system through a communication interface via at least one virtual scale. The
truck scale system
comprises at least one physical truck scale. A first of the at least one
virtual scale comprises a
data connection to the at least one physical truck scale. The first virtual
scale includes attributes
of the at least one physical truck scale and defines weighing capability,
behavior of the at least
one physical truck scale, and formatting of data streams transmitted from the
at least one
physical truck scale. The method further comprises retrieving, in response to
a request from a
client device, a virtual kiosk from a database. The virtual kiosk is
associated with the first virtual
scale and is communicatively accessible by the client device. The virtual
kiosk is configured to
execute weighment operations through the first virtual scale, receive data
streams associated with
the weighment operations from the at least one physical truck scale, and parse
the data streams
according to the formatting for display on the client device. The method
further comprises
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
causing the virtual kiosk to be loaded onto the client device and facilitating
communication
between the client device and the truck scale system via the virtual kiosk.
[0012] The data streams may include one or more parts of a string
corresponding to
weight data, weight units data, and a motion flag. The data streams may also
include a string
representative of axle weights comprising at least one of a steer weight, a
drive weight, and a
trailer weight. The formatting of the data streams may comprise a string
notation including a
plurality of sections. The plurality of sections may be configured in string,
set, variable number,
or fixed number formats.
[00131 The weighment operations may include unlimited pre-ticketed re-
weighments. In
one embodiment, the virtual kiosk may further comprise a payable kiosk
configured to receive a
list of materials, prices associated with receiving the materials, and weight
units for the materials
and generate a price to be paid for receiving the materials. In another
embodiment, the virtual
kiosk may further comprise a receivable kiosk configured to receive a list of
materials, prices
associated with dumping the materials, and weight units for the materials and
generate a price to
be paid for dumping the materials. The method may further comprise connecting
to the truck
scale system through an application programming interface from a self-driving
or remotely
controlled vehicle.
[0014] According to another embodiment, the truck scale management system
comprises
a server including a processor and a memory having executable instructions
stored thereon that
when executed by the processor cause the processor to connect to a truck scale
system through a
communication interface via at least one virtual scale. The truck scale system
comprises at least
one physical truck scale. A first of the at least one virtual scale comprises
a data connection to
the at least one physical truck scale. The first virtual scale includes
attributes of the at least one
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
physical truck scale and defines weighing capability, behavior of the at least
one physical truck
scale, and formatting of data streams transmitted from the at least one
physical truck scale. The
processor is further configured to retrieve, in response to a request from a
tablet kiosk device, a
virtual tablet kiosk from a database. The virtual tablet kiosk is associated
with the first virtual
scale and is communicatively accessible by the tablet kiosk device via a
single login mode using
messaging communication. The virtual kiosk is configured to execute weighment
operations
through the first virtual scale based on messaging communication information,
receive data
streams associated with the weighment operations from the at least one
physical truck scale,
parse the data streams according to the formatting for display on the tablet
kiosk device, and
send weighment tickets using the messaging communication information. The
processor is
further configured to cause the virtual tablet kiosk to be loaded onto the
tablet kiosk device and
facilitate communication between the tablet kiosk device and the truck scale
system via the
virtual tablet kiosk.
[0015] The weighment operations may include tracking a weighment ticket
and directing
weighment flow for a user of the virtual tablet kiosk for one or more weighing
methods. The
virtual kiosk may be further configured for inbound/outbound weighing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying
drawings which are
meant to be exemplary and not limiting, in which like references are intended
to refer to like or
corresponding parts.
[0017] Fig. I illustrates a computing system according to an embodiment
of the present
invention.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100181 Fig. 2 illustrates a data flow diagram of a truck scale management
system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] Fig. 3 presents a data flow diagram of a truck scale management
system according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
[00201 Fig. 4 presents another data flow diagram of a truck scale
management system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary data string format according to an
embodiment of
the present invention.
[0022] Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary screen for managing scales
according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0923] Figs. 7A and 7B illustrate exemplary interfaces for adding scales
according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] Figs. 8 through 18 illustrate exemplary interfaces for specifying
streams for scales
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] Figs. 19 through 26 illustrate exemplary screen interfaces for
configuring virtual
scales and kiosks in a truck scale management system according to an
embodiment of the present
invention.
[0026] Figs. 27 through 30 illustrate exemplary screen interfaces for
operating a scale
with a truck scale management system according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0927] Figs. 31 and 32 illustrate a tablet kiosk device according to an
embodiment of the
present invention.
[0028] Fig. 33 illustrates a scale view of a virtual scale supporting a
virtual tablet kiosk
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
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Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100291 Fig. 34 illustrates an exemplary interface for adding a new
virtual kiosk for a
virtual scale according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[00301 Figs. 35 through 46 illustrate exemplary screen interfaces for
inbound/outbound
weighing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
10031] Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of
illustration,
exemplary embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Subject matter
may, however,
be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed
subject matter is
intended to be construed as not being limited to any example embodiments set
forth herein;
example embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. It is to be
understood that other
embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without
departing from the
scope of the present invention. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed
or covered
subject matter is intended. Throughout the specification and claims, terms may
have nuanced
meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an explicitly stated meaning.
Likewise, the
phrase "in one embodiment" as used herein does not necessarily refer to the
same embodiment
and the phrase "in another embodiment" as used herein does not necessarily
refer to a different
embodiment. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matter include
combinations of
exemplary embodiments in whole or in part. Among other things, for example,
subject matter
may be embodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. Accordingly,
embodiments
may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware or any
combination thereof
(other than software per se). The following detailed description is,
therefore, not intended to be
taken in a limiting sense.
8
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100321 The present application discloses a truck scale management system
that provides
web-accessible kiosk interfaces to truck scales. The truck scale management
system may include
a platform for creating and editing virtual kiosks that associate
functionalities and workflow with
truck scales. A virtual kiosk may comprise software associated with a scale
for logistics,
weighing method (e.g., tare then gross weight ("TG"), gross then tare weight
("GT"), tare weight
only ("TO"), or gross weight only ("GO"), re-weighment), payments, and billing
that can be
customized to meet the need of a specific customer by defining entries in
specific tables in a
database. The virtual kiosk may also be configured for inbound/outbound
weighing such that a
driver user can specify whether a truck is inbound or outbound or be
determined based on
inbound and outbound weights. For example, the virtual kiosk may determine a
tare weight and
a gross weight from truck weighings. Specifically, the lower of the two
weights may be
determined as the tare weight and the higher may be the gross weight. The
virtual kiosk may
also then determine a net weight (e.g., of a cargo load) based on a difference
of the inbound and
outbound weights.
[00331 The platform may allow customers to specify the type of data that
they want their
software-defined kiosks to collect and how they want to subsequently access
that data for further
analysis. A given virtual kiosk may be associated with a particular scale or a
scale management
system. Additionally, multiple virtual kiosks, that perform different
functions, may also be
connected to the same scale. In another embodiment, multiple scales may be
allowed to share
the functionality of multiple virtual kiosks. The disclosed system is also
applicable to any scale
that streams a weight over an electronic indicator, such as a food scale in a
food processing
factory, etc., and where the infaimation from the scale is recorded
electronically along with other
related information.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100341 The platform may include a web interface that provide scale owners
with
administrative capabilities to create and modify virtual scales and associated
kiosks. Scale-
owners and trucking companies, as well as drivers, may create accounts and
view weighment
reports. In one embodiment, client devices such as smart phones may be used by
drivers to
connect to and interact with scales. A security layer may be established where
drivers can login
to use particular scales.
[09351 The disclosed system may increase flexibility with re-
provisioning, adding, or
expanding kiosk/scale features. The system's device and location independence
enables users to
access a kiosk and scale using a web application or browser regardless of
their location or what
device they use. (e.g,., PC, mobile device). As kiosk and scale interfaces are
off-site and accessed
via a network, such as the Internet, users can connect to the kiosk and scale
from anywhere. As
such, the presently disclosed system provides flexibility of being able to
change the virtual kiosk
in real-time and being able to attach any number of virtual kiosks to a given
scale at a time.
[0036] Fig. I illustrates a computing system according to an embodiment
of the present
invention. The system presented in Fig. 1 includes truck scale system 102,
communication
interface 104, server(s) 106, network 108, truck scale administrator computing
device 110, and
truck driver device 112. Truck scale system 102 may comprise structures and
devices that are
integrated with a weighing apparatus that can measure a weight of a rail or
road vehicle and their
contents by truck, axle, or load. Exemplary weighting apparatuses of the
disclosed system
include weighbridges, onboard truck weighing systems, axles scales, and wheel
weighing pads.
The truck scale system 102 may include electronic components such as a load
cell including a
transducer that converts an analog signal into a digital weight readout.
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100371 The truck scale system 102 may be configured with or connected to
a
communication interface 104. A truck scale management system comprising
server(s) 106 may
connect to communication interface 104 to establish communications over
network 108. The
communication interface 104 may comprise hardware and software including
networking
components, control systems, sensors, positioning systems, and wired/wireless
connections that
allow server(s) 106 to communicate with and control the truck scale system 102
in a variety of
autonomous, semi-autonomous, or manual modes.
[0038] The truck scale system 102 operating in an autonomous manner may
operate
automatically based upon information provided by server(s) 106, without the
need for human
operator input. Further, the truck scale system 102 operating semi-
autonomously may include an
operator, either within a vicinity of the truck scale system 102 or remotely,
who performs some
tasks or provides some input while other tasks are performed automatically
based upon
instructions provided by the server(s) 106. That is, truck scale system 102
may be used for self-
driving and remotely controlled trucks. The truck scale system 102 would then
not be accessed
by a truck driver but rather by an operator of a remote controlled truck or by
others who are
responsible or own the self-driving truck, or by the self-driving system on
the truck itself.
[0039] Server(s) 106, as described herein, may vary widely in
configuration or
capabilities but are comprised of at least a special-purpose digital computing
device including at
least one or more central processing units and memory. The server(s) 106 may
also include one
or more of mass storage devices, power supplies, wired or wireless network
interfaces,
input/output interfaces, and operating systems, such as Windows Server, Mac OS
X, Unix,
Linux, FreeBSD, or the like. In an example embodiment, server(s) 106 may
include or have
access to memory for storing instructions or applications for the performance
of various
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
functions and a corresponding processor for executing stored instructions or
applications. For
example, the memory may store an instance of the server(s) 106 configured to
operate in
accordance with the disclosed embodiments.
[0040] According to another embodiment, server(s) 106 may comprise cloud
computing
data centers configured to provide client devices with access to an
application, service, or
platform. For example, Software-as-a Service ("SaaS") provides the capability
to use a
provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications
are accessible from
various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
or an application.
Cloud computing includes a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,
on-demand
network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g.,
networks, network
bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines, and services)
that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or
interaction with
a provider of the service.
[0041] Server(s) 106 may connect to truck scale system 102 through
communication
interface 104 using a virtual scale and communicate operating instructions to
the truck scale
system 102 based on software-defined kiosk workflow and information stored in
database 114.
The truck scale management system may include a platform for creating and
editing virtual
kiosks that associate functionalities and workflow with truck scale system
102. The platform
may include a web interface that can be accessed over network 108 to provide
administrative
capabilities to truck scale administrator computing device 110 to create and
modify scales and
their associated kiosks.
[0042] The virtual kiosks may be accessed by and rendered on truck driver
mobile device
112 through network 108 to utilize truck scale system -102. For example, a
scale owner user
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Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
(110) may sign on to server(s) 106 via a web portal to create and define a
virtual scale. Virtual
kiosks may be further controlled through an application programming interface
("API") from a
self-driving or remotely controlled truck. As such, functionalities provided
by truck scale system
102 may be accessed and utilized without any direct human interaction at a
physical location
associated with truck scale system 102.
[0043] A virtual scale may comprise a software representation of a
physical truck scale,
specifically, the virtual scale definition describes how the truck scale
operates and includes a
data connection to the physical scale. A virtual scale can have one or more
virtual kiosks
connected to it. Truck drivers (112) can connect to a scale's different
virtual kiosks, depending
upon how they need to use the scale and the types of authorization they have
been given.
[0044] Network 108 may be any suitable type of network allowing transport
of data
communications across thereof. The network 108 may couple devices so that
communications
may be exchanged, such as between servers and client devices or other types of
devices,
including between wireless devices coupled via a wireless network, for
example. A network
may also include mass storage, such as network attached storage (NAS), a
storage area network
(SAN), cloud computing and storage, or other forms of computer or machine
readable media, for
example. In one embodiment, the network may be the Internet, following known
Internet
protocols for data communication, or any other communication network, e.g.,
any local area
network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) connection, cellular network, wire-
line type
connections, wireless type connections, or any combination thereof.
Communications and
content stored and/or transmitted to and from devices may be encrypted using,
for example, the
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with a 128, 192, or 256-bit key size, or
any other
encryption standard known in the art.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100451 Truck scale administrator computing device 110 may comprise
computing
devices (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDA),
cellular phones,
smartphones, tablet computers, or any computing device having a central
processing unit and
memory unit capable of connecting to a network). Truck driver mobile device
112 may
comprise computing devices and vary in terms of capabilities or features, for
example, a cell
phone, a tablet computer, a laptop, and in-dash car computer, or the like. The
truck driver
mobile device 112 may comprise a web-enabled client device, which may include
one or more
physical or virtual keyboards, mass storage, one or more accelerometers, one
or more
gyroscopes, global positioning system (GPS) or other location identifying type
capability, or a
display with a high degree of functionality, such as a touch-sensitive color
2D or 3D display.
100461 Fig. 2 presents a data flow diagram of a truck scale management
system according
to an embodiment of the present invention. A trucking site may include truck
scale(s) 202 and
site machinery 204. Truck scale(s) 202 may comprise one or more weighing
apparatuses for
measuring the weight of a truck and/or its load. Site machinery 204 may
comprise equipment or
hardware that are used in conjunction with truck scale(s) 202 such as
automated equipment,
sensors, and cameras for loading/unload, scanning, and signaling. Truck
scale(s) 202 and/or site
machinery 204 that may be Internet protocol (IP)-enabled devices connected to
the truck scale(s)
202, such as sensors that indicate if a truck is fully on the truck scale(s)
202 may be operable by
via virtual scale and kiosk interfaces that are provided by server(s) 106 to
truck driver mobile
device 11.2.
100471 Server(s) 106 includes database connection 210, account manager
212,
scale/kiosk controller 214, notification service 216, report generator 218,
and application/cloud
gateway 220. A virtual scale and kiosk may be retrieved by truck driver mobile
device 112 by
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
logging in or accessing an account with account manager 212. Application/cloud
gateway 220
may comprise an intermediary that allows communication between server(s) 106
and truck driver
mobile device 112. The application/cloud gateway 220 may provide high-level
secure network
system communication. For example, when truck driver mobile device 112
requests access to
resources of server(s) 106 such as files, Web pages and databases, the truck
driver mobile device
may first connect with a proxy server, which then establishes a connection
with the main server.
Account manager 212 may save and load virtual scales and kiosks through
database connection
210.
[00481 Scale/kiosk controller 214 may define and associate user interface
controls with
physical features of truck scale(s) 202 and site machinery 204. The
scale/kiosk controller 214
may communicate with truck scale(s) 202 and/or site machinery 204 through
communication
interface 104. Communication interface 104 includes network component 206. The
network
component 206 may comprise network-related devices (e.g., communication
devices, routers
(e.g., wireline or wireless routers), switches, etc.). In some
implementations, one or more
network-related devices of the network component 206 can be connected to or
interfaced with
truck scale(s) 202 and site machinery 204 to facilitate collecting data
industrial-
automation-system-related data) from the truck scale(s) 202 and site machinery
204 or
communicating information (e.g., control signals, parameter data,
configuration data, etc.) to the
truck scale(s) 202 and site machinery 204.
[00491 Account manager 212 may also facilitate billing and payment
functions associated
with the usage of truck scale(s) 202. Report generator 218 may generate
reports of activity,
billings, payments, maintenance, and errors. Notification service 216 may
generate alerts or
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
messages to truck driver mobile device 112 and truck scale administrator
computing device to
report tickets, invoices, confirmations, reminders, warnings, and other system
reports.
[09501 Fig. 3 presents a data flow diagram of a truck scale management
system according
to an embodiment of the present invention. A web interface may be provided by
a truck scale
management system on server(s) 106 for scale owners to create virtual scales
and kiosks
associated with the virtual scales. A truck scale administrator computing
device 110 may access
the truck scale management system to initialize a process (302) for creating a
virtual scale 304.
Virtual scale 304 may comprise a representation of a physical scale at truck,
scale system 102 that
is defined with certain attributes. Attributes of virtual scale 304 may
comprise hardware
specifications of the. scale including make and model number, scale type,
weighing capability,
behavior of the scale, a service set identifier (SSID), and a port number. In
one embodiment, an
administrative user may add scale definitions to a database table of the
system where users may
be able to select from when creating their own user defined scales. Virtual
scale 304 may be
created either manually or with the use of a template, or through an API.
[09511 Virtual scale 304 may also be associated with a company, for
example, by linking
the virtual scale to a name and location of the company. The location may
include data that
contains the latitude and longitude of the scale's location. For example,
truck driver mobile
device 112 using truck scale management system to weigh a truck may be
presented with a scale
having a location nearest to a current location of truck driver mobile device
112. According to
one embodiment, the location of the company may also be linked to virtual
scales for a plurality
of locations for a pick-up and drop-off, e.g., the case of a haul-back job,
where materials are
picked up at one location, dropped at a second location, and then more
material is picked up and
brought back to either the original or a third location. The virtual scale 304
may also include a
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special code that an owner of the scale can specify to differentiate scales
when multiple scales
are present on a site. The special code can also be used to locate a scale, if
for example, location
services on truck driver mobile device 112 is not available.
[0052] According to one embodiment, the location data of the scale may be
used to
create a geo-fence that specifies a distance that the truck driver mobile
device 112 can be away
from the scale in order to make a valid connection. A pre-configured or user-
specified distance
and units of distance may be used to set the geo-fence. The default distance
units may be
configured for the country where the scale is located. If truck driver mobile
device 112 is within
the geo-fence of a scale, the truck driver mobile device 112 may attempt to
connect to the scale
and notify of a successful connection to the scale. Server(s) 106 or truck
driver mobile device
112 may also not allow or lockout a mobile device of a driver (e.g., close
enough to obviate the
geo-fence) who is waiting on line to get on a scale until the scale becomes
available.
[0053] Virtual scale 304 may include a virtual locking functionality to
ensure that only
one driver is able to communicate with a physical scale at a given time (e.g.,
weighing session).
Specifically, when a current driver is on a given physical scale and has
successfully connected to
it, other drivers may be blocked from also connecting to the given physical
scale so that other
drivers are unable to communicate with the given physical scale or obtain the
weight of the truck
that is currently on the given physical scale. Other drivers waiting to use
the given physical scale
may be presented with a message, such as "scale is currently in use, please
wait." When the
current driver completes weighment, the given physical scale may be virtually
unlocked so that a
next driver in a queue can connect to it. If a driver currently on a scale
doesn't complete their
weighment and hence, unlock the scale, truck scale system 102 or virtual scale
304 may
17
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
automatically time out the connection, after a predetermined amount of time
(e.g., one minute) of
being connected, to ensure that the scale isn't permanently locked.
[0054] In one embodiment, a truck driver may remotely interact with a
mobile device
that is connected to a virtual scale and kiosk, such as in the case of a
driver operating a drone
truck and weighing the truck on a scale and having the remote driver operate
aspects of the client
interface, such as the way a driver would work with the kiosk as if the driver
was in the truck.
The virtual scale 304 may also be configured with a weighmaster option that
indicates that a
driver needs to call the weighmaster at the scale-house to perform. the
weighment or to provide a
personal identifier number (PIN) or code for a driver to connect to the
virtual scale 304.
[0055] The truck scale administrator computing device 110 may further
initialize a
process (306) to create virtual kiosk 308 using the truck scale management
system. Virtual kiosk
308 can also be created through an API. Virtual kiosk 308 may include a
workflow for display
on a truck driver mobile device 112. The create kiosk 306 process may include
defining
attributes of the virtual kiosk 308, such as pages, user interface (UI)
elements, and billing
options. Virtual kiosk 308 may be created manually or selected from pre-
created templates.
[0056] Virtual kiosk 308 may be configured with "pay-to-weigh" and
"company-owned"
operating modes. A pay-to-weigh mode may allow scale-owners to charge drivers
for each
weighment, whereas the company-owned mode may not charge drivers. The company-
owned
mode allows the disclosed system to be used in cases where no payment is
needed, such as in a
plant where the aggregate producer owns the scale and doesn't charge for
weighing a truck. A
starting ticket value may be configured for generating custom ticket numbering
sequences. The
type of billing may also be configured for pay-to-weigh operation including
billing to a
18
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
customer's account or requesting a PIN associated with an account be
specified, or billing to a
credit card.
[0057] Weight units may also be specified to indicate units to be used
for weighnaent, for
example, tons, pounds, kilograms. and metric-tons. The disclosed system may be
certified in
accordance with the National Type Evaluation Program ("NTEP") where weights
that are
collected, displayed, and processed by the disclosed system are considered
"legal weights" and
can be used as part of a financial transaction.
[0058] Weighing methods may also be configured for the virtual kiosk 308
including
"tare-then-gross weight," "gross-then-tare weight," "gross-weight only," "tare-
weight only" (that
allows for a truck's tare weight to be stored, independent of other work flows
or weighments).
In one embodiment, virtual kiosk 307 may comprise a "tare weight kiosk", where
a truck's tare
weight is acquired and stored in the cloud for future use. The stored tare
weight may expire and
a notification may be sent to a truck owner associated with the tare weight
before the tare weight
expires. According to one embodiment, virtual kiosk 308 may also be created
with weighment
work flow across an arbitrary number of scales. The weighment work flow may
include an
ability to have a truck weigh-in on a first scale using a first virtual kiosk
and then weigh-out on a
second scale using a second virtual kiosk. The server(s) 106 may generate a
net weight for the
two weighments, such that the first weighment is a gross weight and the second
weighment is a
tare weight, or vice versa. Workflows may be created through a computer
scripting language
(e.g., scale control and logistics environment).
[0059] According to one embodiment, a scale-owner may configure virtual
kiosk 308 to
provide discounts for re-weighments, where the cost for re-weighment is less
than an initial
weighment cost within a maximum amount of time that can elapse between the
initial weighment
19
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
and the re-weighment in order to receive the discounted price. Changes in re-
weighment cost
and time may also be tracked for future analysis. A special prefix may be
assigned to re-
weighment tickets. In addition, a scale-owner may configure virtual kiosk 308
to provide
unlimited pre-ticketed re-weighments, such that a driver can reweigh their
truck as often as they
like and then only have the actual weigh ticket generated when the driver
indicates completion,
e.g., selects a "done" button.
[0060] Virtual kiosk 308 may also be created as a "payable kiosk" where a
list of prices
associated with a list of materials may be provided to a truck, driver user
along with the weight
units for those materials, and have the system generate the price to be paid
for receiving these
materials, such as in a scrap metal yard. Similarly, virtual kiosk 308 may be
created as a
"receivable kiosk" where a list of prices may be provided to a truck driver
user, along with a list
of materials and weight units, for dumping the materials at a site, such as a
landfill, and generate
the pricing for dumping the material.
[0061] Truck driver mobile device 112 may be used by truck drivers to
connect to and/or
interact with truck scale system 102 through virtual scale 304 and virtual
kiosk 308. Truck
driver mobile device 112 may connect to truck scale system 102 via virtual
scale 304 that may be
downloaded to truck driver mobile device 112. Virtual scale 304 may include a
SS1D (or IP
address, or public static IP) and a port number that a Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) connection can be made to connect with truck scale system
102.
[0062] A location specified by a truck driver user or as determined by
truck driver mobile
device 112 may be provided to virtual kiosk 308 to verify a correct virtual
scale 304 to connect
to. Virtual kiosk 308 may comprise an interface with virtual scale 304 that
allows inter-process
communications of data from a physical scale at truck scale system 102.
Server(s) 106 may
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
create (310) kiosk pages and user interface elements 312 for rendering on a
screen of truck driver
mobile device 112 as defined by virtual kiosk 308. Kiosk pages and user
interface elements 312
may include custom text fields, button, drop-down selectors for inputs that
have a set of options
to choose from.
100631 In addition, the virtual scale 304 can be configured to allow a
device to run in a
"Tablet Kiosk Mode." The "Tablet Kiosk Mode" may comprise an interface running
on a site-
provided client device, such as a tablet-kiosk for public use. The "Tablet
Kiosk Mode" may
allow the interface to execute the disclosed weighment workflows but allow a
driver to use a
phone number or email address to operate the device, rather than logging in to
a customer
account In the event that a client device loses connection to the server, a
weighing session or
activity may be saved on the client device and synchronize with the server
when the connection
is re-established.
[00641 Fig. 4 presents a data flow diagram of a truck scale management
system according
to an embodiment of the present invention. A user from a device (such as truck
driver mobile
device 112) may connect to virtual scale 404 through via a TCP/IP connection
(402). The virtual
scale 404 may be automatically selected for a truck driver user on their
device based coordinates
or location code. For example, truck driver mobile device 112 may include a
location services
feature that can detect the location of the device using location data, such
as GPS. A virtual
kiosk 406 may be connected to or associated with virtual scale 404 and
automatically
downloaded to the truck driver device to display workflow on the device (408).
[00651 Payments may be solicited where they are processed (410) by
payment 412.
Users may pay by methods such as credit card/debit or company account-based
billing and/or
account pin. Selected payment methods are assigned (414) to accounts 416. For
example, a
21
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
trucking company can have an account and where the driver needs only to enter
a PIN, rather
than a credit card. Scale owners may create accounts for trucker users or
owner operators.
Accounts optionally have PINs for increased security and may be restricted to
specific kiosks.
100661 After payment is processed, ticket(s) are generated (418) and may
be stored in a
database. Ticket(s) 420 may comprise a digital ticket that is generated based
on data from the
scale and any information generated from virtual kiosk 406. Data on ticket(s)
420 may be
displayed via the virtual. Invoices can be generated (422) when ticket(s) 420
are created.
[0067] The disclosed system may also include an instrumentation protocol
for
transmitting axle weights from a physical scale device to a mobile computing
device or any other
type of computer. Users, through a user interface, may specify multiple types
of string formats
that provide the axle weights and associated data, to the truck scale
management system platform
or any other scale management system. String formats may be specified in a
serial data format
may be used to interface with such computing devices. Fig. 5 presents an
exemplary data string
format that may be selected for generating output data from a scale. The
serial data may be
transmitted in an ASCII-compatible format.
[0068] Users may create and define virtual scales by, for example,
signing on to a web
portal of a truck scale management system. A virtual scale may comprise a
software
representation of a physical truck scale, specifically, the virtual scale
definition describes how
the truck scale operates. Fig. 6 presents an exemplary screen for managing
scales that are owned
or managed by an administrative user under an account according to one
embodiment of the
present invention. The user may create, remove, edit, and view virtual scales.
Virtual scales
may comprise a digital analog corresponding to a physical scale.
22
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100691 A pop-up interface may be provided to add a new virtual scale as
illustrated in
Fig. 7A. The user may input information for creating the scale, such as scale
hardware, a scale
nickname. SSID, port number, location code and information (including latitude
and longitude,
and/or scale address), and a weighmaster requirement option.
l00701 Fig. 7B presents an exemplary interface for providing axle weights
to a new
virtual scale according to an embodiment of the present invention. If a scale
device has axle
weighing capability, a multi-port stream representation may be configured as a
default data
stream transmitted. The virtual scale may override this default and to specify
exact ports over
which different axle strings, containing different axle weights, can be sent.
The format of the
string/streams that the scale device transmits can be customized by the scale-
owner to
accommodate their own specific needs. By providing a user interface to
graphically describe the
format of the string(s) makes it easier for the user to specify how to
electronically communicate
with an axle weighing scale.
[0071] Axle weights may comprise a steer weight, drive weight, and a
trailer weight.
Alternatively, the scale device may also provide a data stream with the sum of
these three
weights, also known as the total weight. A weight sum is not required to be
specified, as this
value may be calculated from the other three weights. Virtual scales may send
weighrnent
streams in a given stream format to a kiosk or any server connected to the
physical scale for
obtaining weighment data for given weighmera workflows. A scale-owner may
specify any type
of stream (format) that a virtual scale sends for a physical scale.
[00721 Fig. 8 presents an exemplary interface for axle specification
according to an
embodiment of the present invention. A scale owner user may select an axle
specification for
attaching to a scale, such as a previously created (company) axle
specification. Existing axle
23
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
specifications may be edited (Fig. 9). Additionally, a new axle specification
may also be created
using an interface that may allow a user to specify a name for the new axle
specification, a
number of ports needed, and a default weight unit, if any. The scale owner
user may indicate
how many data streams can be sent by a physical scale device and over which
ports.
Specifically, the user may enter the number of ports, the port numbers, and
which of the steer,
drive, trailer, and total weight streams are specified on which port(s).
1100731 Fig. 10 presents an interface for configuring port streams
according to an
embodiment of the present invention. A given port may be assigned a name, an
IP address or
service set identifier (SS1D), a string notation used (e.g., a new string
format or a Condec (ISO
9001 certified corporation) string format), and number of sections for the
string notation.
Selecting a Condec string format may pre-fill forms for string sections based
on the selected
format. A user may indicate other formats of the string(s) or string notation
by typing it in or
selecting from a list and graphically indicating where e.g., the steer weight,
drive weight, and
trailer weight, and total weight are in the string. For multiple ports, the
user may configure the
format of a particular string sent over the specified port. The user may also
configure which
weight string, e.g., steer or drive or trailer weight, is sent over which
port. The user can also
configure if a total weight is sent and over which port. The user may
configure which parts of
the string corresponds to weight, weight units, and motion flag. The user may
also configure
where a motion flag, if one exists, and where the weight units are located
within each string.
100741 Figs. 11 through 18 present exemplary port string notation section
forms
according to embodiments of the present invention. Sections of a string
notation may be
configured as "String," "Set," "Variable Number," or "Fixed Number" formats
according to a
given string notation (e.g., Condec Continuous String).
24
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
100751 Headers and trailers may be used to delineate blocks of port
stream data. For
example, first and last sections of a port string notation may be configured
using a "String"
format, e.g., "lx02" to denote a start of transmission (Fig. 11.) and "\r\n"
to denote an end of the
transaction (Fig. 12).
[0076] Middle sections of a string notation may include information
carried by port
streams. Information may be indicated in string notation sections using a
"Set" format. The
"Set" foi mat includes a representation field identifying what a given
section represents. The
representation field may include parameters that define character(s) to look
for and what it would
mean.
[0077] Fig. 13 presents an exemplary interface for configuring a set
format section to
represent polarity according to an embodiment of the present invention. As
illustrated, "Section
2" of a given string notation comprises a "Set" format that is configured to
represent polarity.
Given values in section 2 are defined with corresponding meanings. An empty
space character is
defined to indicate positive polarity and a `-` character is defined to
indicate negative polarity.
100781 Fig. 14 presents an exemplary interface for configuring a fixed
number format
section to represent axel weight type according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
"Section 3" of a given string notation comprises a "Fixed Number" format that
is configured to
represent axel weight type. In the illustrated example, steer weight is
chosen, however, other
axel weight types may be selected, e.g., drive weight, trailer weight, total
weight, etc. The fixed
number is specified with a given length and padding with empty space.
[00791 Fig. 15 presents an exemplary interface for configuring a set
format section to
represent weight units according to an embodiment of the present invention. As
illustrated,
"Section 4" of a given string notation comprises a "Set" format that is
configured to represent
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
weight units. An character is defined as indicating pounds ("LB") and a 'K'
character is
defined as indicating kilograms ("KG").
[0080] Fig. 16 presents an exemplary interface for configuring a set
format section to
represent weighment type according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As illustrated,
"Section 5" of a given string notation comprises a "Set" format that is
configured to represent
weighment type. A `G' character is defined as indicating gross weighment and a
'N' character is
defined as indicating net weighment.
[0081] Fig. 17 presents an exemplary interface for configuring a set
format section to
represent error according to an embodiment of the present invention. As
illustrated, "Section 6"
of a given string notation comprises a "Set" format that is configured to
represent error types.
An empty space character is defined as indicating no error, an 'M' character
is defined as
indicating a motion error, and an '0' character is defined as indicating an
over/under range error.
[0082] Fig. 18 presents an exemplary string notation using a variable
number format
according to another embodiment of the present invention. "Section 1" is
configured as a
variable number format representing axel weight type. In the illustrated
example, steer weight is
chosen, however, other axel weight types may be selected, e.g., drive weight,
trailer weight, total
weight, etc. The variable number is also specified as having a minimum and
maximum length.
[0083] When interfacing between scale and client devices an API may
obtain, save, and
annotate strings with appropriate delimiters so that they can be matched
against a regular
expression that describes how the string(s) are to be parsed. The system may
parse a scale owner
user-indicated format of the string and ask the user to confirm that each
value is correct. If the
values are not correct, then the user may be shown the problematic part of the
string and be given
an opportunity to fix it. After fixing the string, the user can have the
system try to parse a string
26
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
again. Once a string representation has been successfully parsed and saved, an
API may be able
to retrieve it, so that scale owner users or administrators can modify it. A
user may take the
result of the API and display it, for example, on the web, so that the user
can see which parts of
the string(s) represents the steer, drive, trailer weight, and the other parts
of the string(s) that
were originally saved.
[0084] Any one of created virtual scales may be selected for viewing of
scale information
and details. The exemplary illustration of Fig. 19 presents a scale view of a
given one of existing
virtual scales in the account. The scale view displays a location of a
physical scale (e.g., map
view including address, coordinates, and location code) and scale information
that was provided
in creating the virtual scale. In the illustrated example, the scale
information includes geo-fence
distance, weigh master requirement, and a support email address. The scale
view also allows the
user to modify the scale (information) or duplicate the virtual scale to
create another virtual scale
entry.
[0085] The scale view further includes one or more virtual kiosks
connected to the virtual
scale. The scale view includes an option to view, create, and remove kiosks
for the virtual scale,
as provided in the illustration of Fig. 20. A virtual kiosk may be created to
electronically
document the use of a scale, for example, to accept credit card payments or
account billing for
pay to weigh scales. A virtual kiosk may also be configured to record items
such as truck and
trailer IDs as well as the material being weighed. Multiple kiosks may be
created for a scale.
Truck driver users may connect to a scale's different virtual kiosks,
depending upon how they
need to use the scale and the types of authorization they have been given.
[00861 Fig. 21 presents an exemplary kiosk view of a given kiosk created
for a virtual
scale according to one embodiment of the present invention. The user may view
and edit a given
27
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
virtual kiosk and its pages. Each kiosk may include a workflow of pages that
can be added and
edited. A user may create pages that define the workflow for the kiosk, as
illustrated in Fig. 22.
Pages of a kiosk may define types of data that are solicited by the kiosk. An
order of which
pages presented by the kiosk may also be configured. For example, to customize
the order of
kiosk pages, an attribute box (e.g., "MATERIAL DESTINATION," INSURANCE
PROVIDER," OR TRUCK INFORMATION") may be dragged and rearranged in a desired
order. Pages may contain a title, description, a UI element type, and UI
element attributes. Fig.
23 presents an exemplary interface for adding a new UI element on a given page
according to
one embodiment. A Ul element may be used to define a predefined list of inputs
that may be
selected from, e.g., text-fields, buttons, and drop-down selectors.
[00871 Fig. 24 presents an exemplary tickets interface according to one
embodiment of
the present invention. The administrative user may be able to view scale
tickets and driver
tickets produced by the scale management system from the operation of the
kiosk and scales.
Tickets may be retrieved for any period, e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, annual,
etc. A ticket may
include information, such as scale name, location code, weight, payment
method, and weighment
cost.
[00881 The disclose truck scale management system may be a highly secured
system with
role-based application entitlement. The administrator user may be allowed to
create user access
to truck scale management system, as illustrated in Fig. 25. Users may be
invited as either a
truck driver user, an administrator, or a scale distributor. The ability to
create virtual
scales/kiosks and authorize invoice payments may he limited to administrators,
whereas truck
driver users may be limited to accessing the virtual kiosk/scales to weigh
their trucks. A scale
28
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
distributor may be configured to be associated with the scale owner's company
such that the
scale distributor can perform scale configurations on behalf of the scale
owner.
[0089] Fig. 26 presents an exemplary interface for exporting weighing and
invoice data,
e.g., in the form of weigh tickets and invoices from the scales and kiosks
according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The interface may allow for selection of
particular weigh
ticket and invoice data to export, such as from particular scales or kiosks.
Scale and kiosk data
may be exported in file formats, such as Portable Document Folinat (PDF),
spreadsheet (e.g.,
Excel), and Comma-Separated Values (CSV). Weighments and invoices may also be
exported
to another upstream system, such as enterprise system software from SAP, via
an API.
[0090] Figs. 27 and 28 present exemplary interfaces for using accessing
and utilizing a
scale configured with a truck scale management system according to an
embodiment of the
present invention. A truck driver may pull onto a truck scale and tap a
"connect to scale" button
on an application executing a virtual kiosk on a mobile device to connect to a
scale. For
example, the truck driver or mobile device of the truck driver may specify a
location to locate a
nearest scale and initiate a workflow for weighing via a virtual kiosk. Scale
location codes may
be employed when pick-ups or deliveries are made to help locate a scale, if
for example, location
services aren't turned on.
[0091] The virtual kiosk can be one of many, or a same virtual kiosk used
for a plurality
of users at a truck scale system or a particular truck scale. The virtual
kiosk may connect to the
scale via an SSID (or IP address, or static IP address) and port number and
parse a string
(according to a given string format) containing axle weights of a truck
including steer, drive,
trailer, and gross weight ("Weigh In"). The weight is displayed on the
driver's mobile device. If
the driver has not turned on data location services on the mobile device, then
a location code
29
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
displayed at the truck site may be inputted to tell the server the location.
This may enable the
mobile device to automatically connect to the scale.
[0092] Once connected to the scale ("Connect.. .successful"), the
application may
download an appropriate virtual kiosk for the truck driver. The application
may then build and
render custom views based on the parameters from the pages defined in the
virtual kiosk. The
application may then guide the truck driver through the customized work flow
of the virtual
kiosk ("Weigh In," "Step 1," "Step 2," "Step 3," "Location ¨ Address,"
Review," and
"Payment...completed.").
[0093] In one example, if weighing gross weight, the driver may be asked
if the truck is
already on the. scale and ready for gross weigh in. Once the driver taps yes,
weight may be
captured and saved, along with date and time of the weighing. The driver may
be prompted to
confirm the weight and the fact that a gross weight was captured should be
recorded. If a
weighmaster is required (as configured in the virtual kiosk), then the driver
may be told to call
the weighmaster to complete the weighment. Additionally, in the event of
weighing by TG and
the current weighing is the gross weighing, a re-weighment cost may be given
for this ticket.
Similarly, if weighing by GT and the current weighing is tare weighing, a re-
weighment cost
may be given for this ticket.
[0094] For pay to weigh virtual kiosks, the truck driver may input credit
card or company
account information for automatic billing in order to pay for the weighment. A
ticket may then
be generated in a database. In cases where no payment is required for the use
of the scale, then
no payment information is requested. The virtual kiosk may allow a scale owner
to have his
scale used as either a credit card or an account-based pay to weigh scale or
as a free scale,
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
depending on who is using it. Different types of information and work flow may
be collected
and presented, depending on the truck driver who is using the kiosk.
[0095] Users can view a history of all tickets generated for a particular
virtual kiosk/scale
(as shown in Fig. 29) and view any data associated with the virtual
kiosk/scale. This includes,
but is not limited to, data inputted on the virtual kiosk, exemplified in Fig.
30.
[0096] Figs. 31 and 32 present a tablet kiosk device according to an
embodiment of the
present invention. A tablet kiosk device may comprise a site-provided client
device that allows a
driver to use the disclosed weighment workflows. According to one embodiment,
a site may
comprise a plurality of tablet kiosk devices allowing for a plurality of users
to execute
weighment workflows simultaneously. Virtual tablet kiosks may execute on the
tablet kiosk
devices to enable the public use of weighment workflows via a single login
mode user using
messaging communications, such as email and/or SMS to send weigh tickets to
the user.
[0097] Fig. 33 presents a scale view of a virtual scale supporting a
virtual tablet kiosk
according to an embodiment of the present invention. The scale view displays a
location of a
physical scale (e.g., map view including address, coordinates, and location
code) and scale
information that was provided in creating the virtual scale (e.g., geo-fence
distance, weigh
master requirement, and support information). The scale view also allows the
user to modify the
scale (information), axel specification, or duplicate the virtual scale to
create another virtual
scale entry.
[0098] The scale view further includes one or more virtual kiosks
connected to the virtual
scale. As illustrated, the virtual scale can be interfaced with a virtual
tablet kiosk. Parameters of
the virtual tablet kiosk may be edited. The parameters include a default
language, an email
address or phone number for support, single login, user login, send tickets
through short message
31
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
service ("SMS"), and send tickets through email address. A virtual tablet
kiosk may be executed
on a computing device (e.g., a tablet computer) to communicate with the
virtual scale. The
computing device may connect to the virtual scale via a communication network
by specifying a
SSID or location identifier to a server.
100991 The virtual tablet kiosk may be configured to operate in a single
login mode that
allows truck weighing and provides fields for entering in a driver's (e.g.,
virtual tablet kiosk
user) phone number or email address. The "single login" mode may comprise a
guest login
feature that solicits the email address or phone number from driver to execute
workflows
associated with weighments, ticket generation, and payment (for pay-to-weigh)
operations as
disclosed above. A server communicating with the virtual tablet kiosk for
executing the
workflows may use the driver provided email address or phone number to track a
weighment
ticket and direct weighment flow for the virtual tablet kiosk user, e.g., TG,
GT, and TO
weighings. The driver email address or phone number may be used to send the
weighment ticket
and saved as part of the ticket. For pay-to-weigh, the driver may enter credit
card or payment
details prior to truck weighing.
[001001 The virtual tablet kiosk may also be configured to operate in a
"user login" mode
where the driver may login with a user account as disclosed above.
[00101] The scale owner may be able to see a ticket history for a
particular virtual tablet
kiosk on their scale ticket history report. A scale-owner may also view
activities on a plurality of
virtual tablet kiosks and indicate on a ticket report that certain tickets
originated from a particular
virtual tablet kiosk.
[00102] Fig. 34 presents an exemplary interface for adding a new kiosk for
a virtual scale
according to an embodiment of the present invention. A virtual kiosk may be
created with data
32
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
fields including name, description, payment type, starting ticket number,
weighing method, and
weight units. The virtual kiosk may be configured to operate in a single login
mode (e.g., for a
virtual tablet kiosk) and/or include unlimited pre-ticket weighrnent.
Unlimited pre-ticketed re-
weighments may comprise configuring a virtual kiosk such that a driver can
reweigh their truck
as often as they like and have a weigh ticket generated when the driver
indicates completion,
e.g., selects a done button.
[00103] An inbound/outbound weighing method may also be configured for a
virtual
kiosk such that the driver user can specify whether a truck is inbound or
outbound or determined
based on inbound and outbound weights. For example, the virtual kiosk may
determine a tare
weight and a gross weight from truck weighings. Specifically, the lower of the
two weights may
be determined as the tare weight and the higher may be the. gross weight.
[00104] Figs. 35 through 46 present exemplary screen interfaces for
inbound/outbound
weighing according to an embodiment of the present invention. A computing
device may be
provided at a weighing site for accessing a scale device. The computing device
may execute an
application including e.g., a virtual tablet kiosk configured in a single
login mode. As illustrated
in Fig. 35, the virtual tablet kiosk presents a guest login interface that
solicits for an email
address and/or phone number from a driver.
[00105] Upon an email address and/or phone number, the virtual tablet
kiosk instructs the
driver to position their truck on the scale device and provides a button to
connect to the scale
device to weigh the truck (Fig. 36). The virtual tablet kiosk may identify and
connect to a nearby
scale device (Fig. 37). Once connected to a scale device, the driver may
proceed to initiate
weighment, Figs. 38 and 39.
33
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
1001061 As shown in Fig. 40, the driver may specify that the current
weighment session
comprises an inbound weighing. The virtual tablet kiosk generates an overview
(Fig. 41) of the
inbound weighing including weight information (e.g., gross, tare, net,
inbound, and outbound),
weighment date, and weighment time. The virtual tablet kiosk also confirms
success of the
inbound weighing and displays a weighing summary (Fig. 42).
[OHM] The workflow illustrated in Figs. 35 through 37 may be repeated
for outbound
weighing. Fig. 43 presents an interface for initiating the outbound weighment.
The driver may
then proceed to confirm that the current weighment session comprises an
outbound weighing
(Fig. 4/1). The virtual tablet kiosk generates an overview (Fig. 45) of the
outbound weighing
including weight information (e.g., gross, tare, net, inbound, and outbound),
weighment date, and
weighment time. The virtual tablet kiosk may determine a gross weight from the
heavier of the.
inbound and outbound weights. Conversely, the virtual tablet kiosk may
determine a tare weight
from the lighter of the inbound and outbound weights. The virtual tablet kiosk
may also then
determine a net weight (e.g., of a cargo load) based on a difference of the
inbound and outbound
weights. The virtual tablet kiosk also confirms success of the outbound
weighing and displays a
weighing summary (Fig. 46).
[00108] Figures 1 through 46 are conceptual illustrations allowing for an
explanation of
the present invention. Notably, the figures and examples above are not meant
to limit the scope
of the present invention to a single embodiment, as other embodiments are
possible by way of
interchange of some or all of the described or illustrated elements. Moreover,
where certain
elements of the present invention can be partially or fully implemented using
known
components, only those portions of such known components that are necessary
for an
understanding of the present invention are described, and detailed
descriptions of other portions
34
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
of such known components are omitted so as not to obscure the invention. In
the present
specification, an embodiment showing a singular component should not
necessarily be limited to
other embodiments including a plurality of the same component, and vice-versa,
unless explicitly
stated otherwise herein. Moreover, applicants do not intend tor any term in
the specification or
claims to be ascribed an uncommon or special meaning unless explicitly set
forth as such.
Further, the present invention encompasses present and future known
equivalents to the known
components referred to herein by way of illustration.
[00109] It should be understood that various aspects of the embodiments of
the present
invention could be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or
combinations thereof. In
such embodiments, the various components and/or steps would be implemented in
hardware,
firmware, and/or software to perform the functions of the present invention.
That is, the same
piece of hardware, firmware, or module of software could perform one or more
of the illustrated
blocks (e.g., components or steps). In software implementations, computer
software (e.g.,
programs or other instructions) and/or data is stored on a machine-readable
medium as part of a
computer program product and is loaded into a computer system or other device
or machine via a
removable storage drive, hard drive, or communications interface. Computer
programs (also
called computer control logic or computer-readable program code) are stored in
a main and/or
secondary memory, and executed by one or more processors (controllers, or the
like) to cause the
one or more processors to perform the functions of the invention as described
herein. In this
document, the terms "machine readable medium," "computer-readable medium,"
"computer
program medium," and "computer usable medium" are used to generally refer to
media such as a
random access memory (RAM); a read only memory (ROM); a removable storage unit
(e.g., a
magnetic or optical disc, flash memory device, or the like); a hard disk; or
the like.
Date Regue/Date Received 2022-09-26
1001101 The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so
fully reveal the
general nature of the invention that others can, by applying knowledge within
the skill of the
relevant art(s) (including the contents of the documents cited and
incorporated by reference
herein), readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific
embodiments, without
undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the
present invention.
Such adaptations and modifications are therefore intended to be within the
meaning and range of
equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance
presented herein.
It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the
purpose of description
and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present
specification is to
be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance
presented herein, in
combination with the knowledge of one skilled in the relevant art(s).
36
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-09-26
