US 7,321,859 B2
Billing system and method for determining transportation charges for packages
Gordan C. Cooper, Toronto (Canada); Todd Teal, Fort Erie (Canada); and Richard H. Cooper, Kleinburg (Canada)
Assigned to Global Sensor Systems, Inc., Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)
Filed on Jun. 10, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/166,572.
Claims priority of application No. 2388895 (CA), filed on Jun. 04, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2003/0225712 A1, Dec. 04, 2003
Int. Cl. G06Q 99/00 (2006.01); G01B 5/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 705—1  [702/159] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A billing system for determining transportation charges for packages movable along a conveyor, said billing system comprising:
a reader to read a package identifier associated with said package, said reader generating a package identification signal and transmitting the signal to a microprocessor;
a package sizer having (1) a first plurality of spaced non-contact optical sensors spaced along an x-axis, (2) a second plurality of spaced non-contact optical sensors spaced along a y-axis, and (3) a third plurality of spaced non-contact optical sensors spaced along a z-axis, each optical sensor being located at a known position and oriented relative to said conveyor so that packages passing past said sizer are detected by a reduction in an amount of ambient light reaching at least a portion of said optical sensors being covered by said packages, said sizer producing a signal correlated to a size of said package; and
a microprocessor to receive and correlate said package identification signal and said package size signal for billing purposes, said microprocessor including a data table for billing charges based on package sizes, whereby said measured package size can be compared to said data table to determine a transportation charge for said measured package.