Claims
- 1. A delivery system of delivering a liquid from a container into an accumulator, the system comprising:the container for delivering the liquid into the accumulator, said container comprising a puncturable seal; the accumulator for receiving the liquid from the container; a first sensor to determine a first pre-defined specification of the liquid in the accumulator; a first delivery mechanism for loading the container into a container carrier; a second delivery mechanism for delivering the liquid in the container into the accumulator; a release mechanism for releasing the container carrier of the delivery system; and a locking mechanism for securing the container in the delivery system.
- 2. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the liquid is a germicide.
- 3. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the container holds a fixed volume of liquid.
- 4. A The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the capacity of the accumulator is greater than the capacity of the container.
- 5. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the container comprises a removable sealing mechanism to retain the liquid in the container.
- 6. The delivery system of claim 1 further comprising an opening mechanism to puncture the seal of the container.
- 7. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor detects the level of the liquid in the accumulator.
- 8. The delivery system of claim 1 further comprising a second sensor to determine a second pre-defined specification of the container.
- 9. The delivery system of claim 8, wherein the second sensor is a bar code scanner.
- 10. The delivery system of claim 8, wherein the second pre-defined specification is lot code information.
- 11. The delivery system of claim 8 further comprising a third sensor to detect the flow of liquid from the container into the accumulator.
- 12. A delivery system of delivering a liquid from a container into an accumulator, the system comprising:the container for delivering the liquid into the accumulator; the accumulator for receiving the liquid from the container; a first sensor to determine a first pre-defined specification of the accumulator; a second sensor to determine a second pre-defined specification of the container; a first delivery mechanism for loading the container into a container carrier; a second delivery mechanism for delivering the liquid in the container into the accumulator; a release mechanism for releasing the container carrier of the delivery system; and a locking mechanism for securing the container in the delivery system.
- 13. The delivery system of claim 12, wherein the second sensor is a bar code scanner.
- 14. The delivery system of claim 12, wherein the second predefined specification is lot code information.
- 15. The delivery system of claim 12, further comprising a third sensor to detect the flow of liquid from the container into the accumulator.
- 16. A method of delivering a liquid from a container into an accumulator via a container delivery system, the method comprising:determining whether the liquid in the accumulator satisfies a first pre-defined specification; generating a signal prompting the loading of the container into the container delivery system; releasing the container delivery system to accept the loading of the container into the container delivery system; loading the container into the container delivery system; closing the container delivery system; locking the container delivery system to secure the container in the container delivery system; and delivering the liquid from the container into the accumulator by puncturing a seal on the container.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the liquid is a germicide.
- 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising sensing the flow of liquid from the container to the accumulator.
- 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the puncturing a seal on the container occurs at the same time as the closing of the container delivery system.
- 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the container delivery system comprises a container carrier assembly with a locking mechanism.
- 21. The method of claim 16, wherein the releasing the container delivery system to accept the loading of the container into the container delivery system comprises:pushing the container carrier assembly in towards the container delivery system in order to release the locking mechanism; and pulling the container carrier assembly out away from the container delivery system after the locking mechanism is released.
- 22. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining whether the liquid in the accumulator satisfies a first pre-defined specification comprises sensing the level of the liquid in an accumulator.
- 23. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining whether the liquid in the container satisfies a second pre-defined specification.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the determining whether the liquid in the container satisfies a second pre-defined specification comprises sensing an identifier unique to the container.
- 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the identifier unique to the container is a bar code.
- 26. The method of claim 23, wherein the second pre-defined specification is lot code information.
- 27. A method of delivering a liquid from a container into an accumulator via a container delivery system, the method comprising:determining whether the liquid in the accumulator satisfies a first pre-defined specification; generating a signal prompting the loading of the container into the container delivery system; releasing the container delivery system to accept the loading of the container into the container delivery system by pushing the container carrier assembly in towards the container delivery system in order to release the locking mechanism; and pulling the container carrier assembly out away from the container delivery system after the locking mechanism is released; loading the container into the container delivery system; closing the container delivery system; locking the container delivery system to secure the container in the container delivery system; and delivering the liquid from the container into the accumulator.
- 28. A method of delivering a liquid from a container into an accumulator via a container delivery system, the method comprising:determining whether the liquid in the accumulator satisfies a first pre-defined specification; generating a signal prompting the loading of the container into the container delivery system; releasing the container delivery system to accept the loading of the container into the container delivery system; loading the container into the container delivery system; determining whether the liquid in the container satisfies a second pre-defined specification; closing the container delivery system; locking the container delivery system to secure the container in the container delivery system; and delivering the liquid from the container into the accumulator.
- 29. A method of delivering a liquid from a container into an accumulator via a container delivery system, the method comprising:determining whether the liquid in the accumulator satisfies a first pre-defined specification; generating a signal prompting the loading of the container into the container delivery system; releasing the container delivery system to accept the loading of the container into the container delivery system; loading the container into the container delivery system; closing the container delivery system; locking the container delivery system to secure the container in the container delivery system; delivering the liquid from the container into the accumulator; and sensing the flow of liquid from the container to the accumulator.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/499,418, filed Feb. 7, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,622.
US Referenced Citations (20)