Abstract: The apparatus for providing notices to a user interface concerning status of at least one item in a container involves a loading opening and a collection opening, a first sensor connected to the loading opening for generating a first signal when an item is inserted in the container, a second sensor connected to the collection opening for generating a second signal when the item is removed from the container, an intelligent device connected to the first and second sensors for receiving the signals and generating intelligent device signals, a communication system in contact with the intelligent device for receiving the intelligent device signals, a software interface in contact with the communication system that processes the intelligent device signals, and a user interface in contact with the software interface that receives the intelligent device signals processed from the software interface.

Abstract: The method for identifying the presence of an item to a user interface entails using a container having a loading opening and a collection opening, passing the item through the loading opening activating a first sensor, sending a first signal from the first sensor to an intelligent device, creating a first intelligent device signal from the intelligent device, communicating the first intelligent device signal to a communication system, opening the collection opening to collect the item, thereby activating a second sensor, sending a second signal from the second sensor to the intelligent device, creating a second intelligent device signal from the intelligent device, communicating the second intelligent device signal to the communication system, and using a software interface to process the first intelligent device signal and the second intelligent device signal and present the intelligent device signals processed by the software interface to the user interface.

Abstract: The automated selection of the best calibration for measuring selected physical, chemical or atomic properties of continuous moving sheets, or of a coating on the sheets, is provided by the use of an on-line qualitative multi-band infrared measurement of the material. The multi-band qualitative measurement produces a spectral pattern of the material, which is matched to a library of potential materials. Once the best spectral pattern match is selected, then the known calibration constant values are used to make quantitative measurements on selected properties of the sheet of material, or of a coating on the material. Typically, a property of interest is the weight per unit area (i.e., grams per square meter) of a plastic coating on a paper substrate. The automated selection may be done on a periodic basis to adapt to variations in the substrate material that would otherwise cause the quantitative measurements of the coating to become erroneous due to calibration errors.