Abstract:
A system for remote volumetric sensing, reporting, analysis, and alerting utilizing linear distance sensing, an electronic messaging communications protocol, a digital data transmission protocol, an automated data message reading and distribution system, an interactive web site user interface for both accessing user data and reviewing, remotely administering and configuring an automated remote sensor analysis and reporting system with integrated monitoring and alerting functions.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims filing benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/769,446 having a filing date of Feb. 26, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    For years, solid waste removal and transport has generally required the waste removal provider to expend time, money, and resources, to physically access the receptacle in order to determine whether any material is ready to be removed from the receptacle&#39;s location. The same issues apply to all types of materials collected at a location. This is a terribly inefficient use of precious resources, usually including burning nonrenewable fossil fuels with the resulting adverse environmental impact, especially when the physical inspection of the receptacle reveals little or no material to be retrieved. Alternately, when a receptacle is filled to, or beyond capacity, and is not inspected, great consternation is caused to the material creator that the expected and contracted levels of service are not being provided by the solid material servicing company. 
         [0003]    Through the years many attempts have been made to remotely sense material volume in remote receptacles in order to provide information to the material recovery provider about the current status of material in the remote receptacle. These attempts have often failed to provide adequate, cost effective, reliable, simple technological and/or scalable solutions to the remote sensing challenges. An ongoing challenge is the requirement to provide cost effective power for the remote reporting functions of the remote sensor system. 
         [0004]    One company, SmartBin, offers a number of solutions for the remote volumetric monitoring of bins. http://www.smartbin.com Amongst other problems with applying these SmartBin sensors to indoor applications is their requirement to utilize cell phone infrastructure to report each bin&#39;s status to the central location. Without expensive and complex special technical infrastructure, many typical offices and buildings do not have adequate cell phone coverage to permit these systems to operate effectively. Often additional and expensive engineering and equipment is needed to provide cell phone coverage within buildings. Generally, cell phone carriers charge monthly fees for providing service in addition to charging usage charges based on the amount and frequency of data transmission through their system. In order for the remote material sensing system to be engineered and manufactured in a cost effective, and economically scalable manner it is very important for installation of the sensors to be able to be performed quickly and easily by workers without extensive technical training or background and must use, to the maximum extent possible, existing infrastructure with no additional monthly or usage charges. 
         [0005]    Another company, Big Belly Solar, http://bigbellysolar.com/, has U.S. patents for solar operated smart recycling, mailing and compacting bins. These include U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,680 to Poss, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,159 to Poss. These disclosures are primarily based on outside located, solar recharged, bin monitoring systems. As with the SmartBin disclosure above, BigBelly appears to use cellular telephone service to transmit data which has a monthly cost and does not work well within many inside building situations. Solar recharging does not work well with inside fluorescent lights as the light frequency is generally not compatible with standard photovoltaic cells for use in charging batteries from sunlight. One report from a Big Belly customer noted that the cost per receptacle was between $700 and $3,700 dollars, or over 37 times the cost of a normal wire waste receptacle. The cost factor alone would be extremely prohibitive in the highly competitive and commodity driven, for example, shredded paper recycling business, as well as for the collection and or storage of other similar material recovery businesses. For these reasons alone, the Big Belly technology is not acceptable for inside the office remote sensing. 
         [0006]    Other systems use mechanical sensors with moving parts that require expensive and/or time consuming maintenance. To be successful, a sensor must be able to be easily installed, often without tools, quickly and easily, in existing receptacles. There must be no moving parts that require service and there can be no hardwired connections for power or communications services. Mechanical sensors, such as the SmartBin system would not meet the cost, functionality and scalability requirements of a successful remote sensor system. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    As will be taught herein, although the basic concept of remote sensing is old and well known in the field, a remote sensing system that is easy to install and operate, provides significant system diagnostics, operates on existing communications infrastructure without additional infrastructure development, is not connected by hard line to power and communications systems, and is low cost to produce and operate, provides many engineering specifications and challenges that are not taught by current sensor systems. 
         [0008]    An object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that utilizes existing communications infrastructure that is easy and cost effective to operate and maintain. 
         [0009]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has no moving parts. 
         [0010]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that is not connected to power by hard line. 
         [0011]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that is intermittently connected to wireless communications systems to send electronic messages. 
         [0012]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that is easy to install, preferably without tools. 
         [0013]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that senses the linear distance between the top of a material receptacle and the top of the stack of material contained within the receptacle. 
         [0014]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a manual test switch for starting a scan cycle and accessing a setup menu. 
         [0015]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a door open sensor. 
         [0016]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that is battery operated with a long battery life span. 
         [0017]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that where the linear distance detection is by infrared frequency and analog to digital analysis. 
         [0018]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that sends the sensed data by SMTP format to a remote server. 
         [0019]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has diagnostics to sense battery voltage. 
         [0020]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has diagnostics that detect each step in the WiFi connection process to the WiFi access point. 
         [0021]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that outputs system diagnostics as serial data. 
         [0022]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that outputs system diagnostics through a USB connection. 
         [0023]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that utilizes WiFi security protocol such as WPA2 encryption. 
         [0024]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that stores the hex key from the WPA2 connection for faster connection cycle time to a WiFi access point to save battery life. 
         [0025]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a nonvolatile memory to store sensor settings. 
         [0026]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a nonvolatile memory for sensor readings. 
         [0027]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a microcontroller for software control of the sensor and communications functions. 
         [0028]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has field flash software upgrade capability. 
         [0029]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a sleep mode to save power when not actively sensing or in communicating modes. 
         [0030]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a real time clock for setting activation days and times with nonvolatile settings. 
         [0031]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has diagnostics for each step in sending each SMTP message. 
         [0032]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a watchdog timer to prevent the sensor system from hanging up in data acquisition and transmission functions. 
         [0033]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that utilizes an automatic SMTP email reading, distribution and storage system. 
         [0034]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a secure and interactive web interface with user login and roles so users can only access authorized information. 
         [0035]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can automatically find all sensors with data that have not been linked with a location in the system. 
         [0036]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a unique identifier for each sensor in the system. 
         [0037]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has the ability to remotely assign each sensor to a location. 
         [0038]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can create a unique client identifier for each client. 
         [0039]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can create locations linked to each client with all client and location information. 
         [0040]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that utilizes XML files to store and process data. 
         [0041]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can create reports for the latest reading of all sensors at a location. 
         [0042]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can provide a detailed report history of all readings for a sensor. 
         [0043]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can issue alerts based on battery voltage, receptacle material fill status, button press, and/or door sensor. 
         [0044]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a magnetic reed door sensor. 
         [0045]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can output data into other systems for process coordination, route scheduling, and further business process analysis. 
         [0046]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can automatically create routing and action reports to pick up material. 
         [0047]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can create analytical reports based on received data. 
         [0048]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that can automatically manage stored data in the system, deleting and archiving data as needed. 
         [0049]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that store each input in a separate XML field for further processing. 
         [0050]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a low cost remote sensor system that has a battery boost circuit to extend battery life. 
         [0051]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a rechargeable battery, preferably a sealed lead acid battery. 
         [0052]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide an efficient battery voltage regulator that will lower the battery voltage to the board level voltage and will shut down automatically if current is not currently required. 
         [0053]    Another object of the current invention is to provide a structural support mechanism to enable the batteries to easily be changed in the field without tools. 
         [0054]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide a power connected that can easily accept power from multiple sources and be easily changed in the field. 
         [0055]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a low power remote consumption volumetric sensing and reporting system is disclosed. The system includes at least one linear sensing device with an electronic output, a battery source of voltage electrically connected to said linear sensing device, and a microcontroller for processing said electrical output from said linear sensing device. The system further includes a non volatile memory connected to said microcontroller for storing settings and sensor readings, and a low power WiFi connection device connected to said microcontroller for intermittently transmitting the analyzed linear sensed data wherein each WiFi sensor has a unique identification number. The system further includes a storage receptacle for receiving and storing material having an input area for receiving material, said storage receptacle defining an area for containment of material input into said storage receptacle. The linear sensing device is connected to a top of said storage receptacle and said linear sensing device measures a linear distance between a top of said material in said storage receptacle and said top of said storage receptacle. The system further includes a WiFi access point for intermittently connecting to said low power WiFi connection device for receiving said analyzed linear sensed data, a server electronically connected to said WiFi access point for receiving said analyzed linear sensed data, a post office computer program application running on said server that automatically receives said analyzed linear sensed data and stores said sensed data on said server for additional processing, and an interactive web interface electrically connected to said server for selecting, analyzing and displaying said analyzed linear sensed data in a user defined graphical interactive format. 
         [0056]    Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention 
         [0057]    These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0058]    A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which: 
           [0059]      FIG. 1  is a high level block diagram of the invention. 
           [0060]      FIG. 2  is a drawing of a perspective view of a representative console receptacle. 
           [0061]      FIG. 3  is a drawing of a perspective view of a representative bin receptacle, 
           [0062]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the sensor, mechanical connections, door sensor, WiFi access point and email functions. 
           [0063]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of the sensor communications sequence. 
           [0064]      FIG. 6  is a screen shot of the post office program email operations functions. 
           [0065]      FIG. 7  is a screen shot of the post office program email sorting operations functions. 
           [0066]      FIG. 8  is a screen shot of an interactive web interface login screen. 
           [0067]      FIG. 9  is a screen shot of an interactive web interface portal screen once a user has successfully logged in. 
           [0068]      FIG. 10  is a screen shot of an interactive web interface sensor data history screen. 
           [0069]      FIG. 11  is a screen shot of an interactive web interface last sensor report for all sensors at one location. 
           [0070]      FIG. 12  is a perspective drawing of the battery shelf, battery, battery connector and mounting mechanisms for the sensor. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0071]    Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
         [0072]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of the low power remote sensing system, generally  2 , described and taught herein. A component of the system will be container or receptacle  22 , as shown in  FIG. 2  or  3 , which can be in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. For the purposes of this disclosure, a standard receptacle  22  for paper to be shredded will be described, as shown in  FIG. 2 , although it is noted that sensor  4  described herein may be affixed to many different kinds and configurations of receptacles  22 , including those with locking doors  24 , or having a hinged top  40 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , common to many waste receptacles, or even to receptacles not having a top or the ability to completely close. 
         [0073]    The main engineering requirement is that sensor  4  must run for long periods of time on self-contained low voltage power, such as batteries  58  as, in use, receptacles  22  cannot be connected to wired power and must remain mobile as most receptacles  22  will usually be located inside office buildings usually having fluorescent lights. Attempting to charge batteries  58  will not be successful as the light frequency of fluorescent lights is generally not supportive of the light frequencies required to operate photovoltaic cells. 
         [0074]    While sensor  4  taught herein may be used with many different types of receptacles  22 , it would be helpful to describe the features of a typical receptacle  22  and describe how these features impact the engineering requirements of sensor  4 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , a receptacle  22  will usually be an intermittently locked receptacle in order to maintain the security of the material contained within receptacle  22 . Such a receptacle  22  will generally have a top  26 , a bottom  28 , and generally three sides  30 ′,  30 ″ and  30 ″, rigidly connected between top  26  and bottom  28 . In some configurations, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a hinged door  24  will be rotatably connected to at least one side, such as  30 ″, for intermittent opening and closing. Locking mechanism  32 , connected to door  24  will usually intermittently engage a side, such as  30 ′ when in the locked configuration to prevent gaining access to the stored material in receptacle  22  when in a locked status. 
         [0075]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , instead of having a hinged door  24 , a common alternate receptacle  22  configuration is with a fixed front panel  38  having a hinged and locking top  26  in place of fixed top  26 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the locking mechanism is usually disposed between hinged top  26  and front side  38 . 
         [0076]    Many receptacles  22  have wheels, shown by  34 ′,  34 ″,  34 ″′ and  34 ″″ affixed to bottom  28  to permit receptacle  22  to be easily moved to a location for loading, unloading, storage and use. It is because a design requirement is that receptacle  22  be mobile, that any sensor  4  must be powered without any wire connection to an external power source and any data transmission be by WiFi  8 . 
         [0077]    A feature of most receptacles  22  will be slot  36 , which is formed in many different manners depending on the size and shape of the material to be placed into receptacle  22 . Slot  36  is often either disposed in the front  38  panel, which is connected to sides  30 ′ and  30 ″, or in top  26 . Slot  36  will be sized to be able to receive material, but also to prevent easy access to the material stored in receptacle  22 , whereby material in receptacle  22  can only easily be retrieved from receptacle  22  by either opening lock  32  and door  24 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , or similarly opening lock  32  and top  26 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0078]    Usually sensor  4  will be attached to the inside top  26  of receptacle  22 . The physical attachment may be by any now known or future means, but an efficient means of connection is through the use of industrial strength hook and loop material  46 , commonly known as Velcro®, where one part is affixed to sensor  4  and the mating other section is affixed to the inside top  26  of receptacle  22 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , preferably, sensor  4  should be configured with mounting holes  200  disposed in sensor  4  pcb. Mounting holes  200  should be disposed in axial alignment with mating holes disposed in sensor case  202 . In this configuration, mounting screws  204  can be passed through holes in cases  202 , though aligned holes in pcb  200 , and then screwed into inside top  26  of receptacle  22 . In many instances receptacle  22  is made from composite wood and self tapping commonly available composite woods screws  200  will easily and securely mount sensor  4  to receptacle  22 . Mounting of sensor  4  to receptacle  22  can be accomplished in seconds with standard tools such as power screwdriver drills by non highly skilled personnel. 
         [0079]    In units where top  26  of receptacle  22  is hinged, additional tie downs  42  may be affixed to top  26  or receptacle  22  by means such as a pop rivet to hold the tie down  42  to top  26 . Materials, such as plastic wire ties, commonly known as tie-wraps  44 , can be placed through tie downs  42  and around sensor  4 , thereby further physically securing sensor  4  to top  26 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . As indicated above, mounting screws  200 , with mating vibration resistant nuts, such as nylon insert nuts, can be used to mount sensor  4  to plastic topped receptacles  22 . Additional standard mounting hardware, such as backing plates and washers, can be used to insure a secure connection of sensor  4  to receptacle  22 . This is especially important to maintain sensor  4  in contact with top  26  in instances where receptacle  22 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is emptied by hydraulic mechanical means where receptacle  22  is flipped upside down at great force and top  26  generally slaps into an open position for emptying the material stored in receptacle  22 . 
         [0080]    An important consideration for placement of sensor  4  within receptacle  22  is that sensor  4  is physically out of the path of any material being inserted into receptacle  22 , for example through slot  36 , so that the material does not contact sensor  4  on its path into receptacle. Furthermore, sensor  4  should be placed at a location, for example, on top  26  that will prevent unauthorized access to sensor  4  from the outside of receptacle  22 , thereby utilizing the existing securing features, such as lock  32  and door  24 , to secure sensor  4 , at the same time, permitting easy access to sensor  4  by authorized personnel who have unlocked lock  32  and opened door  24 . In this manner batteries  56  and data through communication port  80 , can be easily accessed by authorized personnel. 
         [0081]    The location of sensor  4  should be such that infra red transmitter  96  and infra red receiver  98  are aimed at a central position of the material stored in receptacle  22  to be able to measure the linear distance between these two points. In one embodiment, transmitter  96  and receiver  98  are disposed through the bottom face of case bottom  52  and depend downwardly from the bottom of PCB  56  for ease and cost effectiveness of sensor  4  assembly and manufacture. It will be understood that many types of cases  52 ,  54  and sensor devices, now known or hereinafter invented, such as sonar and laser, can be used as required by the types of material placed in receptacle  22  and the physical requirements thereof. 
         [0082]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , sensor  4  is shown generally. Although there can be many variations to the nature and design of sensor  4  depending on application and engineering requirements, a representative sensor  4  with its core features is shown and described herein. To be commercially and technologically successful, sensor  4  must be inexpensive to manufacture, be able to withstand a rugged physical environment and be easy to set up and operate. 
         [0083]    A case to protect and support sensor  4  can be, for example, a fire resistant PVC plastic case having bottom  52  and top  54  which mate with interlocking ridges for added structural security. Sensor  4  may be mass manufactured on a PCB  56  that is configured to be securely affixed within case bottom  52  by such means as screws or silicon sealer to absorb vibration. 
         [0084]    Sensor  4  is preferably battery powered and therefore may require at least one battery  58 , or in the alternative, have a power receptacle  206 . The battery power can be of any standard, low cost type, now known or hereinafter developed. It has been found that AA sized alkaline or lithium ion batteries can provide power for this type of application wherein there is ready access to sensor  4  by service personnel. In instances where sensor  4  has internal batteries, case top  54  should preferably have a sliding battery access door to permit easy and secure access to battery  58  without having to separate case bottom  52  from case top  54  to change the batteries. It is noted that many different types of battery door  60  and case bottom  54  and top  54  configurations can be successfully used for sensor  4 . Case top  54  can be attached to case bottom  52  through screws  62 ′,  62 ″ through a mating hole in case top  54  to screw holes  64 ′,  64 ″ in case bottom  52 . 
         [0085]    The key to successful, secure, long term, low maintenance remote sensing is inexpensive and rugged battery power configurations. After trying numerous standard AA sized battery configurations with standard and new style alkaline and lithium battery configurations and voltages, it became apparent, at least at the current state of the battery technology, that such configurations will not easily be successful in commercial practice. Furthermore, having to access and service batteries located in sensor case  52 ,  54  presented numerous security issues and permitted unnecessary risk to sensor  4  integrity and operations. 
         [0086]    At a minimum, AA size battery configurations create an environmental hazard of disposal of the used batteries. The placement of the batteries in sensor case  52 ,  54 , and replacement of the batteries in the sensors  4  in the field, proved very problematic in actual operations. The battery change operations took too much time and the wear and tear on sensor  4  components also proved commercially challenging, which decreased the life and integrity of sensor  4 . Such a configuration leads to faster failure of both the business model and sensors  4  over time. 
         [0087]    After much experimentation, a number of facts on long term battery life and maintenance became apparent. Each of the following engineering and business operational factors are interrelated and were required to be addressed for successful implementation of battery power for sensor  4 . 
         [0088]    It is now common practice for electronic components on pcb boards that will run on battery power to run at 3.3 volts DC (VDC). In testing, even with voltage boost systems that could boost the battery voltage from 2 VDC to 3.3 VDC, the expected long term battery life did not occur. While technologically feasible, this approach failed in practice, 
         [0089]    It was determined that it would be better engineering practice to start with a battery with a high starting voltage, for example 12 VDC or 7 VDC, and use an efficient buck voltage regulator that would convert the higher voltage to the sensor&#39;s  4  required 3.3 VDC. An efficient voltage regulator would be smart and would shut itself down to further conserve battery power when sensor  4  went into its sleep mode, which is 99% of the time. Such buck voltage regulators are commonly available and are made by companies such as Analog Devices. 
         [0090]    Further, mechanically separating battery  58  from sensor  4  and providing an industrial standard power connector  208  enables battery  58  to easily be changed in the field with no tools, while preserving the physical integrity of sensor  4 . Additionally, with a standard power connector  208 , such as a 2.1 mm center positive barrel power connector, sensor  4  could also be easily powered from wall transformer and other power sources where the application requirements would permit such a connection, without any alteration to sensor  4 . In this configuration, battery  58  is connected to battery power cable  210  via crimp, or other types of connectors,  212 . Preferably power connector  208  should be integrally formed and permanently connected to power cable  210 . Power cable  210  can be any reasonable length as required by the application, but care should be give to make sure power cable  210  is not disposed in a manner that would interfere with material being deposited in receptacle  22  through slot  36 . Crimp connections  212  should securely mechanically and electrically connect battery  58  terminal to power cable  210  Heat shrink crimp connectors perform this connection function especially well. 
         [0091]    Sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries are commonly available, relatively inexpensive, rugged, safe, and perhaps most importantly easily rechargeable from standard inexpensive smart chargers. These chargers are plugged in to commercial power, or perhaps solar power to be more environmentally efficient, connected to the battery with simple clips, or through a power receptacle  206 , and battery  58  is charged. No special procedures are required to recharge these SLA. The smart chargers automatically throttle back their charge rate as battery  58  charges to prevent overcharging and damage to the battery. 
         [0092]    It is for these operational features that these batteries have been traditionally used in long life, low maintenance alarm systems. Perhaps, most importantly, not only do rechargeable batteries make economic sense, but they prevent the hazardous material disposal issues presented by the AA alkaline and lithium batteries. The SLA batteries are safer than the lithium batteries which have had a recent engineering history of fire issues in large applications such as airplanes. It is for this reason that lithium batteries are not permitted on airplanes, which would cause additional logistical issues for the deployment of batteries  58  and sensors  4 . 
         [0093]    To complete the effective installation of sensors  4 , a separate, rugged battery shelf  214  was designed. Shelf  214  physically protects battery  58  and, with integral front and back lips  216 ,  216 ′ and sides  218 ,  218 ′, maintains battery  58  in place in receptacle  22  while in use. Shelf  214  can be securely screwed to receptacle top  26  utilizing screw holes  224 . 
         [0094]    Battery shelf  214  is configured to enable sensor  4  service person to access and replace the battery with just fingers with no tools required. Battery  58  is grasped between service person&#39;s thumb and index fingers and is lifted up and over lip  216 . Battery power connector  208  is slidably removed from power receptacle  206 . The process is quickly reversed with a charged battery  58 . Thus changing battery  58  is fast, efficient and safe. 
         [0095]    Servicing personnel will know which batteries  58  need to be changed as part of the servicing order as the battery voltage is detected with each sensing routine and is automatically transmitted as part of each report  168 . 
         [0096]    The electronics of sensor  4  must be configured to run on as little current as possible to prolong battery  58  life to increase the time between required battery changes as much as possible to increase efficiency and reduce the time and cost of battery changes to keep sensor  4  in operation. 
         [0097]    An important element in sensor  4  power management is microcontroller  66 . This microcontroller  66  should be chosen to be able to idle at a very low current rate in the micro amp range. Firmware should turn off all peripheral features, both within microcontroller  66  and on PCB  56  circuit any time they are not required to be using current. Firmware in microcontroller  66  should be able to easily be field flash programmable through, for example, RJ45 socket  68 . Programming socket  68  should be disposed to be able to be accessible through battery compartment door  60 , or other case orifice, so case top  54  does not need to be separated from case bottom  52  in order to field reflash microcontroller  66  firmware. 
         [0098]    Microcontroller  66  should preferably have an external, non volatile flash memory  70  to store settings and sensor readings. 
         [0099]    Many different communication types and devices can be used in sensor  4 , as now known or hereinafter developed. A very common communication method in use today is WiFi  72 , generally, and using the 802.11b/g/n protocols to send wireless data through internet  76 . With the growing popularity of WiFi  72 , there are many more accessible WiFi access points  74  located throughout the world that connect to the worldwide internet, shown generally as  76 . 
         [0100]    WiFi  72  has many advantages over other communications systems, such as cell phones, that have been used in prior art remote monitoring systems. These include that WiFi  72  generally has no individual connection monthly access charge or usage charges, as does most cellular systems. It is very common for buildings to be wired with wireless access points  74 , but not with cellular systems due to the complexity and expense of cellular systems, and the very real issues of creating cellular interference without close coordination with the cellular carrier or carriers. 
         [0101]    WiFi  72  has another advantage of enhanced WiFi security, such as WPA2, that can secure the authentication between WiFi  72  on sensor  4  and access point  74 . WiFi access point  74  has a name identifier called a SSID. The SSID ID, combined with the access point  74  password, creates a hex key. To cut down on connection time, and hence time for power consumption for data transmission, after the first successful WiFi  74  connection event, the hex key can be recovered by microcontroller  66  firmware and automatically stored in eeprom  70  to speed future connections to the same access point  74 . Firmware should automatically clear and re-write the hex key in case the connection is either not successful or has otherwise changed. It is important that every event in the firmware be self correcting for changed conditions to the greatest extent possible to make sensor  4  communications as automated as possible. 
         [0102]    Firmware should be created to permit sensor  4  to act as a self troubleshooting device. A serial data interface, such as a USB controller  78 , can be connected to microcontroller  66  and also to USB receptacle  80 . Firmware should be developed to have each step in the WiFi connection process, from WiFi unit  72  to WiFi access point  74 , be output as serial data from microcontroller  66  to USB interface  78  to USB connection  80 . This in turn can be interfaced to most standard computers and is especially useful when the computer is running serial interface software as described later herein. In this manner sensor  4  is able to pinpoint each step in the WiFi  72  connection process and errors are automatically identified for diagnostic purposes. 
         [0103]    Further, sensor  4  should have a sound device, such as a simple piezo buzzer  220  to provide audible confirmation of the state of sensor  4 &#39;s operational status. Different beep sequences can be provided by microcontroller  66  to give an audible indication that, for example, sensor  4  has power, variable have been loaded and are ready, the email sequence has begun, and also that the email sequence has terminated, and indicate whether it has terminated successfully or unsuccessfully. Buzzer  220  operations can also be coordinated with LED  94  flashes to provided detailed optical indications of WiFi  72  connection status and success. These include whether a DHCP IP address has been allocated to sensor  4 , whether sensor  4  is connected to WiFi  72  access point, whether data is being successfully transmitted on the WiFi  72  access point through TCP/IP and other data status indications. These visual flashes should be able to be disabled in the settings if needed to preserve power if required for proper operation of sensor  4 . 
         [0104]    Sensor  4  should also have a power switch  82  to stop all current from battery  58  from draining when sensor  4  scanning and communications functions are not in operation. Cycling power on switch  82  will reset and reboot the firmware in microcontroller  66  when needed. Firmware can be developed to have microcontroller  66  enter a menu set up mode through USB port  80  to configure WiFi  72  and other sensor  4  operations. In the alternative, the power switch can be deleted where the power is connected by power connector  208  to power receptacle  206  wherein microcontroller  66  can be reset by disconnecting and reconnecting power connector  208 . A menu button  222  can be added to access the menu settings. Pressing menu button  222  resets sensor  4  to all default settings, which can enable a field reset of sensor  4  without requiring the use of any tools. 
         [0105]    Many peripheral inputs to microcontroller  66  can be added including momentary switch  84 . Momentary switch  84  can be configured in firmware to initiate a scan routine and send an alert message. This feature is especially useful while configuring and troubleshooting sensor  4  features and operations. Many operational plans require a positive confirmation of ‘touch’ of sensor  4 , which is the equivalent of the old fashioned guard station key locations to ensure that an area has been checked by the guard during his rounds. The confirmation of button press is reported in the alert report  170 . 
         [0106]    Door switch system  90 ,  92  can be connected to microcontroller  66  to automatically detect door opening activity. This might include a set of mating connectors  86 ′ and  86 ″, a door switch wire  88  and a reed door switch  90 . When door switch  90  is removed from proximity from door switch magnet  92 , door reed switch  90  sends an electronic signal to microcontroller  66  to activate preprogrammed sensor  4  and messaging firmware. As door switches will not be used in all settings, mating connectors  86 ′ and  86 ″ should be preferably electronically mateable, but not permanently connected. 
         [0107]    One or more LED  94  signaling lights can be connected to microcontroller  66  to indicate various firmware status activities, such as successfully sending a WiFi  72  message. 
         [0108]    All of the peripheral units should be connected to microcontroller  66  in ways to limit the monitoring current to the greatest extent possible in order to preserve battery  58  life. 
         [0109]    The actual sensors to determine the amount of material in receptacle  22  can be of many types including sonar, infra red, and or weight sensing etc. The key considerations are cost, battery power required, and the nature of the material to be sensed. In a closed receptacle, a matched wavelength set of infra red transmitter  96  and infra red receiver  98 , are preferable to be optimal for cost, power consumption, and data output features. Since the sensed receptacle is generally closed, the readings should not be affected by external light wave sources, such as fluorescent lights. The transmitter  96  and receiver  98  are relatively inexpensive discrete components that will not draw power when are not in use. 
         [0110]    A ‘beam’ of infra red energy from transmitter  96  is ‘bounced’ off the top of the stack of material in receptacle  22  which is then received by receiver  98  can accurately measure the distance between the top of receptacle  26  and the top of the stack of material contained within receptacle  22 . This analog voltage is then interpreted by an analog to digital convertor within microcontroller  66  to result in a precise value which can be sent in an alert message from microcontroller  66  though Wifi  72 . 
         [0111]    Another important automatic reading is the remaining battery  58  voltage which can, in a similar manner be interpreted by an analog to digital reading within microcontroller  66  which can also be sent in an alert message from microcontroller  66  though Wifi  72 . 
         [0112]    A sensor is of little value unless it can communicate cost and data efficiently, and is scalable. Many systems and protocols now known or hereinafter developed can be used. The efficiency of the data communication throughput directly affects battery life and hence the overall efficiency of the sensor system. 
         [0113]    Perhaps as important to efficiency is power saving modes during the vast majority of time that sensor  4  is not sensing or transmitting data. This idle mode is very critical to battery  58  life. Often the best power saving mode is to have microcontroller  66  turn off power to all peripheral units both within and external to microcontroller  66  and then for the firmware to place microcontroller  66  in a sleep mode which turns off the oscillator for minimum power drain. Referring to the sensing steps in  FIG. 5 , watch dog timer within microcontroller  66  is used to wake up microcontroller  66  from sleep mode on at least one of three events, which are time clock  102  sensing a preset time has passed, a button press  104  of momentary button  84 , and/or a door open event  106 . The watch dog timer will check, on a preset periodic basis, for any of these three events occurring. Once any one of the events has occurred, a data acquisition event  108  is initiated and the event or events that initiated the events are noted and placed in the outbound message transmitted by WiFi  72 . 
         [0114]    The clock time out  102  event can be simple or sophisticated based on need. In its simplest form, a simple microcontroller  66  register is loaded with a value, usually an integer, and periodically the register is decremented until the value is zero which initiates the data acquisition sequence  108 . The time value is set in the microcontroller  66  and saved in eeprom  70  through a firmware menu accessed through USB port  80  wherein the data is interfaced with humans through a serial program running on a personal computer or similar interface device. 
         [0115]    In a more sophisticated version, a real time calendar and clock with functions within microcontroller  66 , and menu set through USB port  80 , can choose days of the week and precise times to activate. In this way the most power intensive functions, the WiFi  72  functions, can be limited to, for example, to alternate days or to not trigger on weekends and holidays, when it is likely that no additional material was deposited in receptacle  22 . The real time clock can be set to limit activations to only when absolutely necessary in order to preserve precious battery life. 
         [0116]    Pressing momentary switch  84  acts as a positive verification that sensor  4  has been accessed and door  24  of receptacle  22  has been opened. Pressing switch  84  also tests the sensor and communication system for testing and troubleshooting purposes. 
         [0117]    Many applications require an automatic alarm type of activation of the sensor sequence which is activated by magnetic door switch  90  being removed from proximity of magnet  92 . 
         [0118]    As stated above, it is very important to have the peripheral monitoring activities be supervised with the lowest possible current drain to preserve battery life. 
         [0119]    There are many known methods for transmitting data over WiFi  72 . The key requirements are simplicity, connection and time efficiency, cost, and scalability. After trying many methods, we found that having microcontroller  66  format an XMI, tagged message  110  with each of the data fields, such as bin material level, battery voltage level, sensor unique identifier, whether a button press and/or a door open event has occurred, etc. can all be done very efficiently in firmware by microcontroller  66 . This message can be saved in sensor  4 , for example in eeprom  70 . The distance measuring sensors, such as infra red transmitter  96  and infra red receiver  98 , are only powered for a short time periods during data acquisition event  108  to save battery power. 
         [0120]    As each Wifi  72  unit has a worldwide unique identifier called a MAC address, firmware in microcontroller  66  quires and acquires WiFi unit  72  MAC address and places this information in an XML tag in the alert message. In this way, the sending unit is automatically identified by the WiFi  72  unit. 
         [0121]    The next step in the sequence is for microcontroller  66  to power up and connect to access point  74  using the above described SSID and password, or in later connection attempts, to use the WPA2 hex key to save on connection power. 
         [0122]    Once a connection has been made between microcontroller  66  and Wifi  72  and access point  74 , the next step is to connect to an external server through the internet  76 . 
         [0123]    Sending the formatted message by SMTP email is very efficient. The MAC address is used as a component of the subject line. The XML formatted message is the body of the SMTP email. The SMTP connection details are set by the user in the menu through microcontroller  66  through the USB connection  80 . 
         [0124]    It is important for microcontroller  66  to monitor each step in the connection sequence and to stop an attempt and go back to sleep if the connection attempt has failed in order to preserve precious battery life. This self monitoring supervisory function is programmed as part of the firmware in microcontroller  66  firmware. As described above, audible piezo  220 , and LED  94  indication of WiFi communications  72  are provided to effectively monitor communications status without external or sophisticated tools. 
         [0125]    Microcontroller  66  will monitor the SMTP message transmission progress and will determine whether it was a success  118 , or a failure  120 , and will then, after logging the sequence status in eeprom  70 , perhaps with day, date and time stamp if real time clock  124  is implemented, places sensor  4  back in sleep mode  122 , until the next activation sequence. Alternately, the date and time stamp can be added by the server when it receives the message from sensor  4 . 
         [0126]    Optimally, the entire activation sequence through SMTP message formation and transmission and back to sleep should be less then 1 minute and perhaps less then 30 seconds. Efficiency in message formation and transmission will preserve battery life and directly increase efficiency. 
         [0127]    By using a standard SMTP server for receiving sensor  4  data, all of the features required to manage data in a database, for example, a SQL database, are not required to be recreated. The SMTP server takes care of authentication issues and each individual email is essentially equivalent to a record in a traditional database. A major benefit is the ability to use the SMTP standard interface functions in place of complex SQL queries and therefore not having to format response reports to troubleshoot and review data. For example, a low level technician setting up a sensor  4  at a customer location will not only be able to see the message formatting and creation sequence by sensor  4  through USB connection  80 , but will also be able to see each step in the connection to access point  74  and connection to the SMTP server  100 , as well as whether the message was successfully transmitted. The technician will also be able to access the email account through a standard program such as Microsoft Outlook, and be able to easily search for and read the email without all of the security and technical requirements needed to access a standard online database. The technician can use standard email search features to look for the unique MAC address of sensor  4 , which makes up a component of the SMTP message subject line. The SMTP server  100  day, date and time stamps each message. In this manner, many firewall and network security set up requirements are not required to implement this system. 
         [0128]    Each message is usually less than 1 k bytes. Email accounts are amply available with many gigabits of storage for very reasonable fees each month. Email troubleshooting is usually provided by the email server host. It is for these reasons that this system of using email for data transmission and storage meets all of the requirements of operational cost and IT management efficiency, and hence is financially reasonable and scalable. 
         [0129]    It will be understood that while SMTP email is a current communications protocol and system, that this overall system will be adaptable to future communications technologies currently existing or that will be invented in the future. This disclosure will focus on currently existing communications technology as representative of future technologies. 
         [0130]    Once the sensor data is in XML format and arrives at an SMTP email server  100 , a separate program called the post office  130  automatically ‘reads’ all new and unread emails and processes them.  FIGS. 6 and 7  are screenshots of the post office program  130 , generally. The function of the post office program  130  is to simply, and repeatedly, check the designated email account for new emails. When unread emails are found they are imported into post office program  130  and then the content is parsed. The data is then sorted and saved into a data storage server, similar to the functions provided by the post office of getting and sorting incoming letters and placing them into pigeon holes to be ready for final delivery. In this case these functions are all completed automatically and electronically by post office program  130 . 
         [0131]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , post office program  130  is configured with many parameters to enable the program to access and read email boxes including email server  132 , logged in user  134 , and various required connection details such as port numbers, passwords and reading time cycle counter  136 . With each cycle, all new incoming email messages are read into incoming email grid  138  wherein each component of each email parsed, including date sent  140 , from  142 , subject  144 , and message  146 . As stated above, a key component of the subject line is the unique MAC address of the sending sensor. 
         [0132]    Once each email message acquisition session is completed, post office program  130  then authenticates each new email and filters out any messages that are not permitted to be processed. Referring to  FIG. 7 , post office program  130  then further parses all incoming data  140 ,  142 ,  144 ,  146 ,  148  and creates and saves a separate XML file with day, date and time stamp, for each sensor  4  reading in a designated data storage server. Post office program  130  will automatically check for and create appropriate directories as needed to properly sort each reading for easy access by the interactive website program as shown in  FIGS. 8-11 , to be described herein. The data is stored in flat and small data files for easy data access and processing. Such a system is designed for cost efficiency and scalability. 
         [0133]      FIG. 8  is a screen shot of the secure client and administrative web site login page which requires a user to provide a user name  150 , a password  152 , and press login button  154 . The site uses SSL and https for security purposes. 
         [0134]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , once a user has successfully logged in, the user&#39;s assigned role is verified by the web site. If the user is not an administrator, the user is permitted by the web site to see only the sensor information assigned to that user when that user clicks the Logged In User Data  156  button. The user is then displayed a web page,  FIGS. 10 and 11 , that lets the user choose the locations of sensors  4  assigned to that user. The information can be a history of the readings from a specific sensor  4  by pressing Details button  158 , or the Latest Report for All Bins At This Location  160  button.  FIG. 10  is a history report by pressing Details button  158 .  FIG. 11  is a report on the Latest Report All Bins At This Location  160  button. 
         [0135]    Color highlighted information displayed in case includes Bin Number (Mac Address)  162 , Day/TimeStamp  164 , receptacle fill status  166 , battery status  168 , button press  170 , door open  172  and sensor firmware revision information. 
         [0136]    If the user has been assigned an administrator role, referring to  FIG. 9 , the user/administrator will be given access to administrator functions including assigning users to roles using the Role Manager button  176 , assign User/Location Link Manager  178 , Create/Manage Bin  180 , Create Location  182  and Create Client  184  functions. 
         [0137]    While the sensors  4  provide a great deal of information that is automatically accessible from the web site, as shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . this information, without the ability to have it automatically analyzed for maintenance issues, and/or the ability to extract current status information for input into other systems will severely limit the usefulness of the system in commercial applications and large scale operation. Accordingly, other administrative and data functions of the system include the ability to automatically report on the status of all sensors in the system, including location, battery, fill level and location and the ability to output this information, filtered as necessary to be useful, for example by zip code, in data formats to be useful, such as in XML format to be automatically input into billing and/or route scheduling programs to assist in administering the entire business process. The system will send alerts, by text and email, or by other communications now known or invented in the future, to automatically alert users and administrators of important operational events. 
         [0138]    This precise information will assist in not only keeping the business profitable, but also in saving time, money and precious energy by sending fewer resources to check empty receptacles  22 . Additionally, routes will be more efficiently planned based on reviewing only those receptacles  22  that require service, and customers will be happier as when a bin is approaching full level the bin will actually, in effect, schedule its next service call automatically. 
         [0139]    As should be generally understood, a computing device may be utilized for performing various steps and displaying the various information as disclosed herein. The computing device can take any appropriate form, such as a personal computer, smartphone, desktop, laptop, PDA, tablet, or other computing device. The computing device includes appropriate input and output devices, such as a display screen, touch screen, touch pad, data entry keys, speakers, and/or a microphone suitable for voice recognition. A user can perform steps, provide inputs and/or receive outputs in accordance with the present disclosure by, for example, accessing computing device. The computing device can then perform the various steps and functions as disclosed herein and provide outputs, such as those provided in  FIGS. 6 through 11 , to the user through any suitable output device, such as a display screen. 
         [0140]    The computing device includes a processor(s) and a memory, and may include for example server  100 . The processor(s) can be any known or future invented processing device. Memory can include any suitable computer-readable medium or media, including, but not limited to, RAM, ROM, hard drives, flash drives, or other memory devices. Memory stores information accessible by processor(s), including instructions that can be executed by processor(s). The instructions can be any set of instructions that when executed by the processor(s), cause the processor(s) to provide desired functionality. For instance, the instructions can be software instructions rendered in a computer-readable form. When software is used, any suitable programming, scripting, or other type of language or combinations of languages may be used to implement the teachings contained herein. Alternatively, the instructions can be implemented by hard-wired logic or other circuitry, including, but not limited to application-specific circuits. 
         [0141]    Memory can also include data that may be retrieved, manipulated, or stored by processor(s). For instance, memory can store data points, formulas, equations, and other suitable data required to perform the various steps as disclosed herein. 
         [0142]    It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.