PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16309984
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-12
Publication Date: 2019-05
Patent Classification: ["700", "236000"]

Abstract:
A system and method are provided for improving product usage prior to refill of product dispensers in service areas that include a plurality of such dispensers. Via a sensor configured with each of the product dispensers and a control system in communication with the sensors, a product level or amount condition of product in each dispenser is detected. Based on the information from the sensors, a visual or audio message is generated and transmitted to the patron that encourages the patron to use a first product dispenser that has a greater product fill amount as compared to a second product dispenser in the same or a different service area.

Claim (Index 11):
The method as in  claim 10 , wherein the first and second product dispensers are electronic towel dispensers within the same service area and are configured to switch operation between (1) a hanging-towel mode wherein a portion of a towel hangs from the towel dispenser and is visible to the patron, and a subsequent towel portion is automatically dispensed and hangs from the towel dispenser upon removal of the hanging towel by the patron, and (2) a hidden towel mode wherein a towel to be dispensed is contained completely within the towel dispenser and is not dispensed until the patron is detected adjacent to the dispenser, the method comprising:\n monitoring a towel fill level in both of the first and second towel dispensers while operating both of the towel dispensers in the hidden towel mode; upon one of the first or second towel dispensers reaching a setpoint low fill level, switching the other one of the first or second towel dispensers to hanging towel mode; and wherein the hanging towel portion of the towel dispenser operating in hanging towel mode acts as a visual message that encourages the patron to retrieve a towel from the towel dispenser operating in hanging towel mode.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 23.0
- Percentile: 98.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.80952
- Patent Class: 700.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15560198', '15552612', '15604883', '11971416', '15213910']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.4002066079306619
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.495982629960319
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.4097842101336276
- Mean Citation Score: 174.230844
- Max Citation Score: 195.051
- Similarity Product: 111.93683611106871

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test