EP0868391A1

EP0868391A1 - Process for automatically billing and monitoring the distribution of beverages

Info

Publication number: EP0868391A1
Application number: EP96943939A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans-Peter Miller
Original assignee: Wilhelm Handke GmbH
Current assignee: Wilhelm Handke GmbH
Priority date: 1995-12-22
Filing date: 1996-12-12
Publication date: 1998-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2016-12-12
Also published as: WO1997023410A1; DE59602910D1; DE19548398C1; EP0868391B1; ATE183721T1

Abstract

A process is disclosed for automatically billing and monitoring the distribution of beverages. The amount of beverage tapped during each tapping operation is allocated to a calibration unit (K1, K2, ...) and recorded in a piece unit account only when the amount of tapped beverage corresponds to the set amount (1, 2, ...) of said calibration unit (K1, K2, ...), taking into account a certain variation range (S1, S2, ...). The amount of tapped beverage is however separately recorded by volume and allocated to a volume account when it lies outside said variation range (S1, S2, ...).

Description

Automatic billing and monitoring of beverage dispensing

The invention relates to a method for automatic billing and monitoring the dispensing of beverages according to the preamble of claim 1.

The delivery of drinks in restaurants without

Self-service usually takes place on dispensing systems (dispensing bars) by actuating a hand tap or on drinks machines by actuating a release button by a waiter.

The settlement between waiter and host can be done in different ways. One possibility is that the volume of drinks tapped by a certain waiter, for example the amount of beer, is automatically recorded in volume in the dispensing system and is assigned to a volume account of this waiter. Since the billing between waiter and guest is carried out in quantities of certain calibration units, for example two small beers of 0.2 1, one Pils of 0.33 1, three large beers of 0.4 1 etc., it is generally desirable to also do the billing between waiter and host in quantities of these calibration units. Only in this way is it possible to achieve exact correspondence between the waiter and guest on the one hand and waiter and host on the other. However, if the waiter and the host are billed based on the tapped volume, as mentioned above, there is a risk of manipulation at the expense of the host. For example, the waiter can fill the glass too little and, in the case of a tapped volume that would normally correspond to 100 large beers, be billed to the guest against 105 beers.

It is therefore fundamentally desirable to record the number of items, i.e. in quantities of certain calibration units, and not in volume. However, this is difficult to achieve, particularly in a dispensing system with a manual tap, since there may be deviations from normal operation when dispensing, for example due to repeated closing of the tap due to heavy foaming, discontinuities when changing the barrel, etc. This leads to the conclusion of a determined flow rate a calibration unit is not absolutely possible.

DE 43 27 337 C1 already discloses a possibility of carrying out the billing between the waiter and the host on the basis of a quantity-based recording of the tapped beverage quantities. An automatic portion recognition system is proposed there, whereby, by comparing with a previously entered dispensing characteristic, different portion sizes are automatically recognized by a processor-supported analysis of the volume and time-related volume flows, without prior selection of a portion using a keyboard necessary. It However, the case is not taken into account there with sufficient accuracy that the specified tap characteristic is not adhered to (e.g. due to an unintentional operating error) or cannot be maintained (e.g. due to technical deviations from normal operation, such as Foaming or barrel change). If a predetermined portion (calibration unit) is exceeded, the automatic detection device automatically accepts the next larger permitted portion and assigns it to the waiter. Deviations from normal tap operation, which can occur not only in the event of intentional manipulation, but also in the event of unintentional operating errors, foam formation, barrel changes etc., therefore always lead to overbooking at the expense of the waiter. The procedure proposed there therefore does not enable optimal billing between the waiter and the host in all applications.

A parallel recording of both the number of filled vessels of a given size and the volume is necessary for beverage dispensing devices, e.g. according to US 4,202,387 and DE 38 16 966 C2, known.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a method according to the preamble of claim 1, which enables improved correspondence between the billing system between the waiter and the host and the billing system between the waiter and the guest.

This object is achieved by the features of

Claim 1 solved. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of dependent claims 2 to 11.

In the method according to the invention, the tapped beverage quantity is assigned to a calibration unit and a

Entry on a quantity account only if the the tapped amount of beverage corresponds to the amount of this calibration unit, taking into account a certain spreading range, while the tapped amount of beverage is recorded separately in terms of volume and is assigned to a volume account if it lies outside of this scattering range.

In the method according to the invention, a “normal” dispensing process, in which the tapped amount of beverage corresponds to a specific calibration unit (for example 0.2, 0.33 or 0.4 l) taking into account a specific scattering range, and “other” are thus distinguished "Differentiate dispensing processes in which the dispensed quantity of beverage is so far away from the specified calibration unit that it is no longer within these scattering ranges. In both cases, the dispensed quantity of beverage is first recorded by means of a flow meter which is arranged in series in front of the dispensing valve If it is a dispensing process in which the flow rate measured by the flow meter, for example between two closing operations of the manual dispensing valve, is within the range of a specific calibration unit, for example within the range of 400 ml + 15 ml, the dispensed beverage is dispensed quantity in pieces of this calibration unit one pc ck¬ account number associated with this waiter. If, on the other hand, the measured flow rate lies outside this range, this flow rate is recorded separately in terms of volume and assigned to a volume account of the waiter, which is managed separately from the quantity account. This means that whenever the guidelines for a normal dispensing process are not adhered to, for example in the event of foam formation, barrel changes or operating errors, the dispensed quantity of beverage is recorded separately in the volume account.

It is therefore essential that, in the method according to the invention, several accounts, depending on the manner in which is tapped, set up and the tapped beverage quantities are optionally assigned to different accounts.

It is particularly advantageous here that a very precise and fair settlement between the waiter and the host can be carried out in a simple manner. For example, the quantities of beverages drawn according to the standard and under normal conditions are already on a quantity account, i.e. in quantities of the calibration units sold to the guest, and can easily be automatically converted into monetary amounts. Those beverage quantities which are tapped under abnormal conditions such as foam formation, barrel change, operating errors etc. and are therefore not credited to any quantity accounts are recorded separately in terms of volume and added to the volume account and can subsequently also be easily determined in quantities of certain calibration units and be converted into monetary amounts.

Unforeseen and undesirable deviations from normal operation can thus be taken into account very precisely and fairly.

The volume of beverages recorded in terms of volume are expediently quantified in numbers of one or more different calibration units and correspondingly assigned to one or more different number of items accounts. It can be particularly expedient here that the quantification takes place in numbers of the largest predetermined calibration unit (for example a large beer = 0.41). However, it is also easily possible to specify the volume of drinks recorded in 1 or 1/10 1.

The volumes recorded in terms of volume are advantageously drinking quantities used to monitor physical beverage parameters, in particular pressure and temperature. Based on the entries in the volume account, a statement can be made as to the extent to which the desired dispensing modalities were or could be complied with. If necessary, the barrel pressure or the barrel temperature can then be changed in the next billing period, so that carbonization (foam formation) is reduced and deviations from the desired workflow when dispensing can be avoided.

In addition to the various quantity accounts, additional accounts can be set up in addition to the volume account. It is thus advantageously possible to monitor beverage deliveries as a function of the closing frequency of the dispensing valve until the desired calibration unit is reached and to assign them to different quantity accounts. For example, it is possible to set up piece number accounts for drinks that were taken without interruption, or with one, or two, or three ... interruptions.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the beverage dispenses are monitored as a function of the dispensing time until the desired calibration unit is reached and are allocated to different quantity accounts accordingly. This means that quantity accounts are set up for beverage units, the tapping process of which lasted more than 5, 10, 30, 120, 240 seconds.

The recording of the tapped amount of beverage and the assignment to the quantity or volume account can be controlled by the closing operations of the manual tap valve. For example, it is possible to measure the tapped amount of beverage between two consecutive closing operations of the manual tap valve and the to compare the resulting flow rate with the target amounts for the corresponding calibration units. Such a detection is, however, only desirable for beverages which can normally be tapped in one go, in particular for non-foaming beverages. In the case of beverages which are tapped intermittently, for example Pils, such a recording would, in contrast, practically always result in a booking on the volume account, since the flow rate measured between two closing operations would never correspond to the total target amount (taking into account the spreading range). In particular for beverages that are tapped with interruptions, it is therefore advantageous if the tapped amount of beverages is automatically assigned to a quantity or volume account only after a device has been actuated to trigger the assignment process. Such a device could, for example, be a button that is pressed by the waiter when the flow rate detection is to be completed. The control is expediently designed in such a way that the detection process is only terminated due to the key being pressed when the manual valve is closed, ie when no flow is detected by the flow meter. The key actuation thus only has an influence on the acquisition period, but not on the opening and closing of the beverage line.

If there should be the possibility of dispensing several beverage units without the cock closing actuation in between, it is advantageous, based on several calibration units, to preselect the calibration unit (small, medium, large), preferably by pressing a button, before the start of the dispensing process, whereby the number of pieces is determined automatically. Alternatively, it is also possible to preselect the number of pieces, the calibration unit being determined automatically. The two The aforementioned alternatives are particularly suitable for types of drinks in which a calibration unit can normally be poured in without interrupting the volume flow.

For types of drinks in which a calibration unit can normally only be poured with interruptions in the volume flow, for example Pils, the possibility should be given to tap several beverage units with frequent tap closure operations, for example to slowly mature the beverage unit If several calibration units are used as a basis, it is advantageous to preselect the calibration unit (small, medium, large) before the start of the dispensing process, preferably by pressing a button, with the number of pieces being determined automatically. Alternatively, the number of pieces is preselected, the calibration unit being determined automatically.

The end of this dispensing process or the piece assignment is reached when over the permissible scattering range of z. B. a maximum of five calibration units is tapped (volumetric booking), or the end is set by pressing a button (quantity booking). It is advantageously only possible to set the end if the volume volume used is within the spreading range (eg spreading range of three middle calibration units).

The end does not have to be set using a separate key, but can also be set by preselecting a new one

Calibration unit at the beginning of a new dispensing process, for example a new dispensing sequence.

An expedient detection of the delivery quantity can be carried out by means of a flow meter connected upstream of the dispensing valve, which can be arranged in series with an automatic shut-off valve. A warning tone is expediently given whenever an assignment to the volume account is made, which warns the waiter that the tapped amount of beverage is outside the permissible range.

The invention is explained below with reference to the drawing. In this show:

FIG. 1: a schematic representation of a “measuring cup” to clarify the method according to the invention and

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of various calibration units.

A measuring cup is shown in FIG. 1, on the basis of which the different detection and assignment of different amounts of drinks, which are drawn off from a dispensing bar by means of a hand tap valve (not shown), are explained in more detail.

Markings are drawn on the measuring cup at three different heights, which indicate the respective target quantity 1, 2 and 3 for a small, medium and large calibration unit K1, K2, K3. For example, the small calibration unit K1 could be 0.2 1, the medium calibration unit K2 0.33 1 and the large calibration unit K3 0.4 1 (see also FIG. 2), in which case the corresponding target quantity markings 1, 2, 3 in FIG. 1 would not be drawn to scale.

If a flow meter is measured by a flow meter, which is arranged in series in front of the hand tap valve in or on the beverage supply line, between two closing operations of the manual tap valve, which corresponds to the target amount 1, the quantity account for the small calibration Unit Kl (for example a small beer with 0.2 1) in an automatic computer system increased by one counting unit. In the same way, a quantity account for the middle calibration unit K2 is increased by one counting unit if the measured flow rate corresponds to the target quantity 2 (for example a beer with 0.33 liters). A quantity account for the large calibration unit K3 is increased by one counting unit if the measured flow rate corresponds to the target amount 3 (for example a beer with 0.4 l).

Since slight volume fluctuations cannot be avoided in the case of manually carried out tapping operations and can also be tolerated within a certain narrow range, the tapped beverage quantities are also assigned to the corresponding unit number accounts if the tapped quantities are within certain, in the figures 1 and 2 shown scattering areas Sl, S2, S3 are around the target quantities 1, 2, 3. For example, a scattering range S1, S2, S3 of ± 3% around the individual target quantities 1, 2, 3 could be tolerated.

If, on the other hand, the flow meter detects a delivery quantity during a dispensing process that is outside the spread ranges S1, S2, S3, i.e. in the volume field VI, volume field V2, volume field V3 or volume field V4, this tap quantity is recorded in terms of volume (for example in ml) on a separate volume account of the corresponding waiter. Those beverage quantities of a certain waiter that lie outside the tolerable scatter ranges S1, S2, S3 around the target quantities 1, 2 and 3 are added up in this volume account of the corresponding waiter and can be specified in volume units or subsequently in one or several different calibration units K1, K2, K3 and thus monetary units are converted.

Claims

Expectations;

l. Method for the automatic billing and monitoring of the dispensing of beverages, the dispensing taking place via a manually operable dispensing valve, in particular a manual dispensing tooth of a dispensing system, and a quantity detection device upstream of the dispensing valve, the quantity of beverage dispensed per dispensing process being one or more several different calibration units (K1, K2, ...) are assigned, characterized in that the quantity of drinks tapped per dispensing operation is assigned to a calibration unit (K1, K2, ...) and is only recorded in a quantity account, if the tapped amount of beverage corresponds to the target amount (1, 2, ...) of this calibration unit (Kl, K2, ...) taking into account a certain range (S1, S2, ...), while the volume of tapped beverage is separately is recorded and assigned to a volume account if it lies outside this range (S1, S2, ...).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the volume of beverage quantities recorded in quantities of one or more different calibration units (Kl, K2, ...) quantified and correspondingly assigned to one or more different quantity accounts.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the volume of beverage quantities recorded in quantities of the largest predetermined calibration unit (e.g. K3) quantified and assigned to a corresponding quantity account.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the volume of beverage quantities recorded for monitoring physical beverage parameters, in particular pressure and temperature, are used.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that beverage deliveries are monitored as a function of the closing frequency of the dispensing valve and are assigned accordingly to different quantity accounts.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that beverage deliveries are monitored in dependence on the dispensing time until the desired calibration unit (K1, K2, ...) is reached and correspondingly assigned to different quantity accounts.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection of the amount dispensed takes place by means of a flow meter connected upstream of the nozzle valve.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the automatic allocation of the tapped beverage quantity to a quantity or volume account is only carried out after actuation of a device for triggering the allocation process.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that before the start of the dispensing process the type of calibration unit (Kl, K2, ...) or a certain number of calibration units (Kl, K2, ...) is preselected.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the assignment process is triggered by the preselection of a new calibration unit (Kl, K2, ...) or a certain number of a calibration unit (Kl, K2, ...) for the next dispensing process becomes.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that whenever an assignment to the volume account is made, a warning tone is emitted, which indicates to the waiter that the tapped amount of beverage is outside the permissible scattering range (Sl, S2, ...).