Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Plural materials – material supplies or charges in a receiver – Selectively utilized sources
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-04
2003-03-04
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Plural materials, material supplies or charges in a receiver
Selectively utilized sources
C141S094000, C222S129000, C222S023000, C222S037000, C700S242000, C700S238000, C705S413000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06527020
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oil supply station system, and in particular to an oil supply station system equipped with an oil supply apparatus of a self-service system that has an oil supply guiding apparatus for guiding an oil supply setup.
The term “oil” as used in the present application means liquid hydrocarbons which function as fuels and lubricants for vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Therefore, the term “oil” is inclusive of gasoline, motor oil and diesel fuel. An “oil supply station system” of the preset invention dispenses one or more of gasoline, motor oil and diesel fuel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years have observed an increasing number of oil supply stations employing a self-service system for clients to render their own services such as for wiping automobile windows, for labor cost reduction, etc. In such a self-service type oil supply station, clients follow an oil supply guide by indication or voice, such as on or from an oil supply apparatus, to perform key operations for an oil supply setup, before entering oil supply work.
However, the oil supply setup to be performed by clients at an oil supply apparatus in the past had a plurality of setting items allotted to a plurality of keys, and additionally the key indication was small, so that the setup was incomprehensible and took much time for the operation. Moreover, in the case of an oil supply station equipped with a plurality of oil supply apparatuses, as the oil supply was payable in cash needing a change, the provision of change payers installed at or near respective oil supply apparatuses gave a rise to the installation cost, with an increased complexity and degraded operability of oil supply apparatus, in addition to the necessity of a monitoring inadaptive for a few workers to perform.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved with such points in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide an oil supply station system which is equipped with an oil supply apparatus having an oil supply guiding apparatus adapted for items of setup of an oil supply operation guide to be clearly indicated at a single point, with an increased visibility of an operation button and facilitated confirmation, and which is low of installation cost and facile of changing process.
To achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an oil supply station system comprising: a plurality of oil supply apparatuses standing within a site of an oil supply station, and each respectively having at a body case thereof an oil supply mechanism adapted for a client to render as own services an oil supply setup and oil supply work, and a touch-panel indicator for indicating an oil supply guide, and having a printer for recording a change on an oil supply slip for oil supply payable in cash; a change payer disposed in a vicinity of a building of an office of the oil supply station, for reading the oil supply slip to discharge a change; and a POS terminal connected in a data communicatable manner with the plurality of oil supply apparatuses and the change payer, for providing a discharge permission of the change to the change payer. It can thus eliminate the need of provision of a plurality of change payers, with a reduced installation cost, allowing for oil supply apparatuses to be improved in operability without increase in complexity, as well as for a monitoring to be performed by a few workers in a building of an office.
Further, to achieve the object, according to a second aspect of the invention, the body case of a respective oil supply apparatus has a human body sensor attached thereto for detecting the client, the touch-panel indicator being adapted to start indication in response to a detection signal of the human body sensor, and an oil supply guiding apparatus is provided to be adaptive by operation confirmation for a sequential indication of setup image frames having a select button disposed every setup item. Accordingly, by provision of a touch-panel indicator attached to the body case for indicating a setup image frame, it is allowed for an oil supply operation guide to be clearly indicated every setup item at a single point, with an increased visibility of an operation button and facilitated confirmation.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the select button of a setup image frame indicated on the touch-panel indicator has a deformed button configuration to indicate a selection when pressed. Because a button configuration is deformed when pressed, the operation confirmation is facilitated.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the oil supply station system further comprises a speaker for a voice guide to be performed in correspondence to a setup image frame indicated on the touch-panel indicator. Because a speaker gives a voice guide in correspondence to a setup image frame, it is ensured to perform an operation for each setup item in a short while.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the touch-panel indicator has a plurality of still images randomly selected to be indicated thereon one by one at intervals of a constant time during an oil supply waiting period before oil supply or after oil supply. Because a plurality of still images are randomly indicated at constant intervals during an oil supply waiting period, the indication is attractive even before or after oil supply.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the touch-panel indicator has, as a background of a setup image frame indicated thereon, one of a plurality of wall paper image frames randomly selected to be indicated up to an end of the oil supply setup. It therefore is possible to randomly change a wall paper image frame, allowing for setup image frames to be indicated without wearing.
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patent: 4247899 (1981-01-01), Schiller et al.
patent: 5867403 (1999-02-01), Sasnett et al.
patent: 6036055 (2000-03-01), Mogadam et al.
patent: 6089284 (2000-07-01), Kaehler et al.
patent: 06-135498 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 07-132997 (1995-05-01), None
Araki Masahiko
Kanamori Akifumi
Yamazaki Kengo
Douglas Steven O.
Tatsuno Corporation
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