Patent ID: 8561320

Claim:
A system for determining status of a drying cycle and for controlling a dryer comprising: a controller operatively coupled to a dryer that is configured for separating a first substance from materials retained in a container; the controller configured to receive, at a first time, a first bladder pressure signal from one or more bladder pressure sensors configured and positioned so as to be responsive to changes in a weight of the container; the controller configured to receive, at a second time occurring a finite time interval later than the first time, a second bladder pressure signal from the one or more bladder pressure sensors; the controller configured to calculate a change in bladder pressure signal based on a difference between the second bladder pressure signal and the first bladder pressure signal; the controller configured to interpret the change in the bladder pressure signal as a change in the weight of the container; and the controller configured to calculate a rate of change in the weight of the container based on the change in the weight of the container and the length of the finite time interval.