Patent ID: 7999688
Filing Date: 2011-08-16
Classification: B65F

Abstract:
1. A monitoring system comprising: a waste receptacle having an interior; a camera attached to the waste receptacle wherein the camera is positioned so that it is capable of capturing a digital image of the interior of the waste receptacle and wherein the camera is capable of transmitting the image of the interior of the waste receptacle; a image analysis component, wherein the image analysis component comprises a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions are capable of receiving a first digital image captured at a first time and a second digital image captured at a second time of the interior of the waste receptacle from the camera and comparing the first image to the second image to determine a difference between the first and the second image; and a decision output component, wherein the decision output component comprises a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon wherein the computer-executable instructions are capable of providing an alert if the difference between the first and the second image is below a threshold value.