Multifunctional gas cylinder stand

Abstract

The invention relates to a multifunctional gas cylinder stand, comprising: - a stand base (12, 14, 16, 20, 22) with an upper support surface (19) on which at least one gas cylinder can be placed; - a fill level determination device which is designed to determine a current fill level of at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface; - a control unit which is designed to interact with the fill level determination device in order to continuously or – preferably – intermittently determine the current fill level of at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface or a value representing the current fill level and, by means of an associated communication arrangement, to report same via digital data communication to an associated display or monitoring unit; - an anti-tilt device (23) extending upwards from the stand base in the vertical direction, by means of which at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface is secured against tilting on the stand base by the supporting of a possible tilting moment.

Description

[0001] Multifunctional gas bottle coaster

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to the handling and management of gas cylinders, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2) gas cylinders, as used in particular in restaurants, hotels, and offices for the provision of beverages such as beer, sparkling drinks, water, etc., for the operation of beverage dispensing systems, especially dispensing and bar systems. It is not excluded that the invention is also used in connection with gas cylinders with other contents. Since CO2 gas cylinders have a wide range of applications, are used globally, and meet the needs of guests in a restaurant, bar, hotel, or office building with access to natural or sparkling water for the most uninterrupted supply of beverages and thus the most uninterrupted supply of CO2 gas in beverage dispensing systems, the focus here is on CO2 gas cylinders for such purposes.

[0004] Normally, a restaurant owner must keep at least one filled CO2 gas cylinder in reserve so that an empty gas cylinder can be quickly replaced with a new, filled one if necessary. Pressure reducers are available that use the pressure to provide information about the fill level of a CO2 gas cylinder, so that in principle it is possible for operating personnel, such as a bar owner, to order or replace a new gas cylinder in good time before the operating pressure drops below a set point. In practice, however, the risk is far too great that such checks will be forgotten or carried out too late in the event of unexpectedly large beverage consumption, so that keeping one or more reserve gas cylinders on hand is generally not omitted. In the context described, this also applies to other known methods of measuring or estimating the fill level of CO2 gas cylinders.

[0005] The need for efficient management, including the administration and ordering of CO2 gas cylinders, exists not only in the hospitality industry, including system catering, but also generally in companies and in building or facility management, for example, when office spaces are equipped with sparkling water dispensers to continuously supply employees with sparkling water. Satisfactory solutions suitable for CO2 gas cylinders in a wide range of usage situations, including restaurants, catering establishments, bars, pubs, and hotels, as well as office buildings of various sizes, are currently not available on the market. WO 2020 / 002688 A1 discloses a system for determining the status of gas cylinders or gas bottles, but this refers to LPG gas cylinders for cooking and heating purposes.

[0006] Especially in the context of CO2 gas cylinders, there are other important requirements in practice: it must be ensured that the respective gas cylinder is stable and cannot tip over. A common measure is the use of a wall mount for gas cylinders, which secures the gas cylinder with a chain or tensioning strap. Such cylinder mounts are also used in dispensing and beverage outlets.

[0007] dispensing systems used.

[0008] Against this background, it is an object of the invention to provide a technical solution that significantly simplifies gas cylinder handling and level monitoring.

[0009] To achieve this object, the invention provides a multifunctional gas cylinder coaster comprising the following elements and functionalities: a coaster base with an upper support surface on which at least one gas cylinder can be placed; a fill level determining device arranged and configured to determine a current fill level of at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface; a control unit configured to interact with the fill level determining device to continuously or - preferably - intermittently determine the current fill level of at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface or a value representing the fill level and to report it to an associated display or monitoring unit by means of an associated communication arrangement via digital data communication;an anti-tilt device extending vertically upwards from the coaster base, with which at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface can be secured against tipping by supporting any tipping moment on the coaster base;

[0010] The inventive gas cylinder coaster significantly simplifies gas cylinder handling and level monitoring. The inventive gas cylinder coaster can be used advantageously even in the smallest restaurant or pub, without requiring any specialists for installation and proper use.

[0011] Above all, it is intended that the upper support surface with the anti-tip device is dimensioned and designed so that exactly one gas cylinder, in particular a CO2 gas cylinder of a given conventional type, can be placed vertically on the upper support surface. However, it should not be ruled out that the coaster base and the anti-tip device are dimensioned and designed so that several gas cylinders can be placed on the upper support surface, in which case the fill level determination device is designed to individually determine the current fill level or the value representing the current fill level of each of these gas cylinders, with the control unit being designed accordingly to report the fill level or the value representing this level of each of these gas cylinders to the associated display and monitoring unit.

[0012] Such a multifunctional gas cylinder coaster is very easy to use; it is simply placed where the CO2 cylinder(s) previously stood in association with a beverage dispenser, dispensing system, dispensing system, or similar device for supplying CO2 gas. Thanks to the anti-tip device, additional safety measures such as the conventional solutions mentioned above are generally no longer required. Existing safety requirements, such as the technical rule TRGS 510 for technical occupational safety, are thus easily met.

[0013] The display and monitoring unit could in principle also be a simple, e.g. wired display unit that simply shows the fill level and allows the user, e.g. the bar owner, to monitor and reorder in a timely manner. The display unit could also have a monitoring function such that it issues an alarm when the fill level has fallen below a warning level. However, it is preferred and of primary importance that the monitoring unit has a function for automatically triggering reorders so that a replacement CCh gas cylinder is delivered in a timely manner. The monitoring unit is preferably connected wirelessly and can also be located away from the gas cylinder coaster. In this regard, a cloud-based server is primarily considered, which is provided by a service provider who also manages the gas cylinder coasters, e.g.on a rental or subscription basis.

[0014] The multifunctional gas cylinder coaster can advantageously be equipped with a gas detector to provide a visual and / or acoustic or digital alarm via the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster's communication system when gas leakage is detected, thus requiring action, for example, to avoid the risk of suffocation. This is particularly useful for all gases that are heavier than air, such as CO2.

[0015] The multifunctional gas cylinder coaster can also be equipped with other detectors or sensors. A temperature sensor is advantageous for detecting the ambient temperature and, for example, displaying it on a conveniently provided display on the coaster and / or providing a visual and / or acoustic or digital alarm via the communication system when a temperature threshold is exceeded. The background to this is that, for safety reasons, CO2 gas cylinders, for example, should not be stored at temperatures above a permissible temperature threshold, such as 31.5 degrees Celsius.

[0016] A humidity sensor that measures the humidity in the area surrounding the gas bottle coaster is also useful, allowing the humidity to be displayed on the coaster's display. This could also include a visual, acoustic, or digital alarm if a humidity threshold is exceeded.

[0017] Since multifunctional gas cylinder coasters are regularly used in close spatial proximity to water supply installations where leaks could occur, it also makes a lot of sense to equip the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster with a water or humidity sensor which, for example, uses electrodes which come into contact with the floor or subsurface of the gas cylinder coaster to respond to humidity spreading across the floor or subsurface and reaching the gas cylinder coaster, or water reaching the gas cylinder coaster. This sensor can then be used to visually and / or acoustically or / digitally issue an alarm via the communication arrangement of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster if increased humidity or water is detected and therefore action is required, perhaps because a flood which is just beginning to occur needs to be combated or avoided.

[0018] The fill level determination device is preferably designed to determine a current weight of the gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface as a measure of the current fill level and, for this purpose, has at least one load cell arranged in the coaster base such that it can be subjected to a weight force of the gas cylinder. The control unit can be designed to determine a corresponding relative fill level from weight data provided by the fill level determination device using predefined or predefinable calibration data, preferably relating to CO2 gas cylinders. Alternatively, the control unit can be designed to report values ​​representing the fill level to the display and monitoring unit from weight data provided by the fill level determination device. This applies accordingly to gases other than CO2, if provided.

[0019] Regarding the anti-tip device, it is proposed that it have a safety wall. The safety wall can extend vertically upward from the coaster base and can at least partially surround at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface in order to achieve a suitable height-to-width ratio. The safety wall can expediently be made of a metallic material.

[0020] In a further development, it is proposed that the upper support surface and the securing wall be dimensioned with respect to a predetermined gas cylinder diameter such that exactly one gas cylinder can be placed on the upper support surface and secured against tipping in all lateral directions by the securing wall. This can be expediently achieved by the securing wall extending in a ring-like manner around the gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface over a circumferential angle of 360 degrees or, forming a gap, over a circumferential angle of less than 360 degrees, wherein the gap is smaller than the predetermined gas cylinder diameter. This design requires that the gas cylinder be fed to the support surface from above in order to place the gas cylinder thereon.

[0021] According to an alternative embodiment, a purely lateral supply of the gas cylinder is also possible in order to place it on the support surface. For this purpose, it is specifically proposed that the securing wall laterally surround the at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface, forming an open access area. This open access area allows the supply of a gas cylinder to the upper support surface and the removal of the gas cylinder from the upper support surface along a predetermined lateral direction or from a lateral direction range.

[0022] To adequately secure the gas cylinder against tipping, including tipping through the open access area, the securing wall can have a holding magnet arrangement arranged at a vertical distance from the upper support surface on an inner side facing the upper support surface. This arrangement secures a gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface against tipping through the open access area. Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the open access area can be blocked off by means of a locking device, for example a locking chain, in order to secure a gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface against tipping through the open access area.

[0023] With regard to the anti-tilt device according to the invention, it is further proposed that the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster have at least one support area on an underside of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster. By means of the support area, lateral tilting forces on a support surface on which the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster stands can be supported. For this purpose, it is provided that the support area laterally exceeds a cylinder receiving area of ​​the support surface defined by the securing wall or is offset outwards in the laterally direction relative to the cylinder receiving area in such a way that a predetermined desired height-to-width ratio providing sufficient protection against tilting is met for the combination of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster and a gas cylinder placed on the cylinder receiving area of ​​the support surface, which the gas cylinder alone does not meet.

[0024] For the structural realization of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster, it is proposed that it has a multi-part housing, comprising a preferably one-part lid unit having the support surface with side wall sections preferably made of a metallic material, four corner units each having a support area on an underside, preferably made of a plastic material, and a base unit which at least partially delimits a housing interior downwards and which is coupled at least to the lid unit.In this case, it can be expediently provided that the base unit forms an inner housing with an inner wall unit, in which the control unit, if desired the communications arrangement preferably designed with at least one antenna, and if desired a preferably rechargeable battery unit are accommodated and which is accommodated below the cover unit within its side wall sections. The inner wall unit can have a wall section made of a plastic material that protrudes through a recess between two side wall sections or adjoins it flush. The plastic material of this wall section and optionally also the plastic material of the corner units enables the antenna arranged in the inner housing to transmit and optionally also receive radio signals, even in the case of a cover unit made of metallic material.

[0025] Regarding the arrangement of at least one load cell, there are basically many options. Preferably, at least two of the corner units each have a load cell integrated or mounted on the underside.

[0026] According to another advantageous approach, the anti-tilt device can have a safety support extending vertically upwards from the coaster base, preferably made of a plastic material, most preferably of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, to which at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface can be connected at a vertical distance from the support surface.

[0027] In this case, it can expediently be provided that the safety support is provided with at least one flexible tying element, preferably at least one tying strap, which can be guided and tightened around the gas cylinder in order to tie the gas cylinder to the safety support and thus secure it against tipping in all lateral directions. The tying strap can expediently be a strap with a Velcro fastener. In a further development, it is proposed that the safety support has, on a side facing away from at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface, at least one coupling element at a vertical distance from the support surface, which is or can be coupled in a form-fitting manner directly or indirectly to an associated counter-coupling element that is external to the gas cylinder coaster and supported in a stationary manner in order to support tipping forces.For this purpose, it is envisaged that the gas cylinder coaster can be placed in close proximity to a vertically extending support structure (for example a wall of a room or a cupboard or other special container) and can be positively coupled or coupled at its coupling element directly or indirectly, for example by means of a coupling chain, to the counter-coupling element firmly attached to the support structure.

[0028] The coupling element coupled with the counter-coupling element ensures particularly high security against tipping over of the gas cylinder, namely together with the gas cylinder coaster, without the coaster base having to have comparatively large dimensions in the horizontal direction.

[0029] In a further development, it is proposed that the tethering element be attached to the securing support by means of the coupling element. This reduces the number of parts and simplifies the attachment of the tethering element to the securing support. For this purpose, it is considered particularly advantageous for the coupling element to have a base section and a tab section protruding from a contact surface of the base section, which tab section has at least one coupling opening further away from the base section for direct or indirect coupling to the counter-coupling element and at least one holding opening closer to the base section for the tethering element, which is guided through the holding opening.

[0030] In this case, it can be expediently provided that the coupling element is inserted from an inner side of the securing support with the tab section into a receiving opening of the securing support, so that a region of the tab section having the coupling opening projects on an outer side of the securing support opposite the inner side, wherein the base section arranged on the inner side and brought into contact with its contact surface against a counter-contact surface of the securing support is preferably fixed to the securing support in a form-fitting manner.According to an advantageous implementation, the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster can have a multi-part housing, comprising an upper housing shell having or supporting the support surface and a lower housing shell, of which at least one, preferably both are made of a plastic material, most preferably of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, wherein the housing shells in the assembled state accommodate the control unit, if desired the communication arrangement preferably designed with at least one antenna and if desired a preferably rechargeable battery unit in a formed receiving space, wherein the upper housing shell has the support surface or supports it.

[0031] In this case, it can be expediently provided that the securing support (if present in an embodiment according to the invention) has a lower fastening formation which is or can be fastened in a releasably form-fitting manner to a counter-fastening formation of the housing, in particular the upper housing shell, preferably by producing at least one screw connection.

[0032] An advantageous embodiment is characterized by an electronic display interacting with the control unit and / or at least one operating element interacting with the control unit. Such a further development is also contemplated for the embodiment variant with the securing wall. In the case of the embodiment variant with the housing shells, the display can expediently be arranged on an upper side of the upper housing shell adjacent to the support surface, and / or the at least one operating element interacting with the control unit can be arranged on an upper side of the upper housing shell adjacent to the support surface, preferably closely adjacent to the electronic display.

[0033] The multifunctional gas cylinder support is preferably equipped with at least two, preferably at least three or four load cells, which are preferably arranged horizontally offset from one another in the interior. The load cells can be supported directly or indirectly on the upper housing shell and each have a load-bearing element projecting downward through a respective opening in the lower housing shell, via which the gas cylinder support is or can be supported on a surface.

[0034] In practice, it can be very useful if the support surface is formed by a flat support element that can be detachably placed or placed on the coaster base or housing. This support element is preferably made of a flexible material, preferably with a rubbery or rubber-like flexibility. Such a support element can be easily cleaned, for example, if rust from a gas cylinder adheres to it. In the case of a metal coaster base, rusting of a metallic support surface is prevented.

[0035] In a further development, it is proposed that the upper housing shell has a support area for the base element, which is structured and / or delimited by a limiting structure in such a way that the base element placed on the support area is positively secured against slipping in lateral directions.

[0036] The multifunctional gas cylinder coaster can advantageously be characterized by a sensor arrangement integrated therein for providing at least one sensor-based additional function controlled by the control unit, wherein the sensor arrangement preferably comprises at least one, preferably several of the following sensors: a gas detector, in particular a CO2 detector, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a water sensor, a moisture sensor.

[0037] Please refer to the previous explanations on such sensors.

[0038] For the function of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster, it is further proposed that the control unit with the fill level determination device and the communication arrangement be designed to periodically switch from a passive energy-saving mode to an active determination and data transmission mode and back to the passive energy-saving mode. This ensures that a power supply, preferably implemented using a rechargeable battery, only needs to provide very little electrical energy over time. This results in the advantage that the battery only needs to be recharged at long intervals, or that a depleted, non-rechargeable battery only needs to be removed and replaced with a new one at long intervals.Preferably, the control unit signals to the associated display or monitoring unit and / or by means of a local, preferably acoustic alarm, that the rechargeable battery needs to be recharged or that the non-rechargeable battery needs to be replaced with a new one. In principle, in addition to a battery-based power supply, a wired power supply from the mains is also possible. For this purpose, the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster could have an integrated power supply unit.

[0039] Regarding the communications system, the primary consideration is that it is designed for wireless data communication according to at least one specified data communications standard. This data communications standard can be the Narrowband IoT (NB-IOT) standard. This so-called "narrowband internet" is a low-power wide-area network radio technology standard developed by 3GPP for mobile devices and services. Various mobile network providers offer corresponding tariffs, and corresponding radio modules are available from various suppliers for implementing the communications system.

[0040] Other low-power wide-area network standards and technologies can also be used, such as LoRaWAN, mioty, LTE-M, Wi-Fi HaLow, and the like. The communication device can also be designed to connect to a local gateway connected to the internet via a router using a Bluetooth standard (such as Bluetooth LE), ZigBee, and the like. Another possibility is for the communication device to be designed with a WiFi / WLAN module to communicate via a local WiFi / WLAN network and a router over the internet. LTE-M and, of course, WiFi / WLAN are particularly relevant in the office environment.

[0041] According to the above, it has already been mentioned that the communication arrangement can be configured or configurable to communicate with the remotely provided display or monitoring unit via at least one data communication network.

[0042] The invention also provides a gas cylinder monitoring system for monitoring the fill level of a plurality of gas cylinders, preferably a plurality of spatially distributed gas cylinders, which comprises a plurality of multifunctional gas cylinder supports whose communication arrangement is configured to communicate with the remotely provided display or monitoring unit via at least one data communication network. The gas cylinder monitoring system has at least one, preferably cloud-based, server serving as a monitoring unit for the multifunctional gas cylinder supports, which receives current gas cylinder fill levels or values ​​representing the current fill level from the associated gas cylinder supports.In the case of receiving values ​​representing current fill levels, the server can advantageously have a determination functionality in order to determine a respective corresponding relative current gas cylinder fill level from these values ​​using predetermined or predeterminable calibration data, preferably relating to CCh gas cylinders.

[0043] In a further development, it is proposed that the server transmit current gas cylinder fill levels via data communication to user devices assigned to at least one of the gas cylinder coasters. This allows a user, such as a bar owner, to be informed of the current gas cylinder fill level, also to trigger an ordering process from the user device if necessary. This also allows the user to be informed that a battery needs to be charged or replaced.

[0044] Alternatively or additionally, it is proposed that the server provide an ordering functionality for ordering filled gas cylinders and, if necessary, for picking up empty gas cylinders, whereby ordering processes can be triggered automatically based on received or determined current gas cylinder fill levels and / or via a user device. This very simple or automatic reordering functionality enables a continuous compressed gas supply or CO2 gas supply and thus a continuous supply of beverages in a bar, restaurant, and the like.

[0045] If the multifunctional gas cylinder coasters are equipped with one or more sensors of the types mentioned above, sensor measurement data and any alarms provided are preferably also transmitted to the server and / or the respective user device.

[0046] The invention also provides corresponding operating methods for the system components of the system according to the invention and a corresponding fill level monitoring method for CO2 gas cylinders. In particular, an operating method for operating a multifunctional gas cylinder support according to the invention and an operating method for a gas cylinder monitoring system according to the invention comprising a plurality of multifunctional gas cylinder supports according to the invention, at least one server, and user terminals preferably assigned to the multifunctional gas cylinder supports are provided.

[0047] Accordingly, the following procedures are provided, among others:

[0048] A procedure (Procedure V1) is provided with the following procedural steps:

[0049] S1a: preferably: transition to the determination and data transmission mode (optional process step)

[0050] S2a: Measure the weight of the gas cylinder standing on the support surface (alternatively and more generally: determine a value representing the current filling level)

[0051] S3a: Calculating the fill level from the measured weight value

[0052] S4a: Transferring the fill level via data communication to the cloud server

[0053] S5a: preferably: transition to energy saving mode (optional process step)

[0054] A method (method V2) with the following steps is also provided:

[0055] S1b: Receiving a current fill level

[0056] S2b: Transmission of the fill level via data communication to an assigned terminal device

[0057] S3b: preferably: comparing the fill level with a predefined threshold value (optional process step)

[0058] S4b: preferably: If the fill level falls below the threshold: triggering a reorder (optional process step)

[0059] Furthermore, an overall procedure comprising procedures V1 and V2 is provided.

[0060] A method (method V3) is provided with the following method steps: S1c: preferably: transition to the determination and data transmission mode (optional method step)

[0061] S2c: Measure the weight of the gas cylinder standing on the support surface (alternatively and more generally: determine a value representing the current filling level)

[0062] S3c: Transfer of the measured weight value (or the specific value representing the current fill level) via data communication to the cloud server

[0063] S4c: preferably: transition to energy saving mode (optional process step)

[0064] A procedure (Procedure V4) with the following procedural steps is also provided:

[0065] S1d: Receiving a respective current fill level (alternatively and more generally: Receiving a respective value representing the current fill level)

[0066] S2d: Calculate the fill level from the weight value (or from the value representing the current fill level)

[0067] S3d: Transmission of the fill level via data communication to an assigned terminal device

[0068] S4d: preferably: comparing the fill level with a predefined threshold value (optional process step)

[0069] S5d: preferably: If the fill level falls below the threshold: triggering a reorder (optional process step)

[0070] Furthermore, an overall procedure comprising procedures V3 and V4 is provided.

[0071] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures. Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0072] Figure 2 shows the fully assembled gas cylinder coaster of Figure 1 in grid model-like representations from different directions, namely in Figure 2a in a slightly oblique view from the front, in Figure 2b in a slightly oblique view from above, in Figure 2c in a view from below and in Figure 2d in an oblique view from below.

[0073] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an overall system according to a preferred embodiment, which comprises a plurality of multifunctional gas cylinder coasters (only one of which is shown), a plurality of user terminals (only one of which is shown) and at least one cloud-based server which interacts with the gas cylinder coasters and the user terminals via data communication.

[0074] Figure 4 shows schematic flow diagrams representing a program section of an operating program of a multifunctional coaster (Figure 4a) and an associated program section (Figure 4b) of a service program of an associated server, according to a first schematic embodiment.

[0075] Figure 5 shows schematic flow diagrams representing a program section of an operating program of a multifunctional coaster (Figure 5a) and an associated program section (Figure 5b) of a service program of an associated server, according to a second schematic embodiment.

[0076] Figure 6 shows an example of a multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to the invention according to a second embodiment, with sub-figures 6a), 6b), 6c), and 6d showing the gas cylinder coaster with a CO2 gas cylinder placed and secured thereon from different perspectives and directions. Figure 7 shows the gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment in a frontal view.

[0077] Figure 8 shows the gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment in a side view.

[0078] Figure 9 shows the gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment in a plan view.

[0079] Figure 10 shows the gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment in a perspective view obliquely from above.

[0080] Figure 11 shows the gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment in a perspective view obliquely from below.

[0081] Figure 12 shows an exposure diagram of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment.

[0082] Figure 1 shows an example of a multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to the invention in an exploded view. The gas cylinder coaster 10, dimensioned as a coaster for CO2 gas cylinders of a predetermined format, has a lid unit 12 made of a metallic sheet material, two front foot and corner units 14, and two rear foot and corner units 16, which fit into a respective complementarily designed cutout of a side wall 18 of the lid unit 12. The wall, formed from a front wall section 18a, two side wall sections 18b, and a rear wall section 18c, extends obliquely outwards and downwards from a planar section of the lid unit providing a gas cylinder support surface 19 in a first region and then downwards in a second region, wherein the front wall section 18a is designed with a further recess.

[0083] The foot and corner units 14 and 16 can be screwed to the planar section of the cover unit by means of a respective fastening opening and an associated fastening screw 19. Four additional screws 19 with corresponding fastening openings serve to screw the cover unit 12 to an inner wall unit 20, which accommodates a base unit 22 carrying a control unit with an associated communications arrangement comprising at least one antenna. A base plate of the base unit 22 can be connected, e.g., screwed, to the inner wall unit 20.

[0084] The inner wall unit 20 can be made of plastic or metal. The inner wall unit 20 also includes a front wall section 20a, which is preferably made of plastic material to allow radio waves to pass through.

[0085] A tipping protection device 23, here designed with a securing wall 24, serves to secure a gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface. The securing wall 24 has four anchoring tabs 26 on a lower edge, which can be inserted into a respective through-slot of the section of the lid unit providing the support surface 19 and can be secured to the underside of the planar section by twisting and bending. The securing wall 24 is then firmly connected to the lid unit 12 and can support even larger tipping forces acting on the securing wall on the lid unit 12.

[0086] The securing wall 24 extends around a CCh gas cylinder placed on the support surface 19 in such a way that it cannot tip over or fall over, even through an open area (opening area) 24a realized in the illustrated embodiment. This open area has an opening width that is smaller than the diameter of the gas cylinder, so that it is effectively clamped around it.

[0087] Alternatively or additionally, the gas cylinder can be secured by a magnet arrangement on the inside of the securing wall 24a and / or by a chain or other locking device closing the opening area 24a. The opening area 24a can then have an opening width that exceeds the diameter of the gas cylinder.

[0088] In the embodiment shown, two load cells are provided, which are mounted in receiving sections 14a of the two front foot and corner units 14. These receiving sections 14a are designed as recesses on the underside of the two foot and corner units 14, so that the gas cylinder coaster is supported on the support surface on which the gas cylinder coaster stands via the load cells on the front. The two rear foot and corner units 16 can also be equipped with such load cells. However, two front or two rear load cells are sufficient, and the two other foot and corner units can expediently have an anti-slip function, e.g., with a rubber section resting on the support surface. Simple cable connections, e.g., three-wire cables, can be routed from the load cells having a base support area to the control unit.

[0089] In Figure 1, the base unit 22 is shown with a cuboid-shaped element 22a, which may represent a control unit housing, which may also accommodate a preferably rechargeable battery. However, such a housing is not mandatory, and the components forming the control unit and the communication arrangement may also be arranged openly on a circuit board. Element 22a may simply represent these components.

[0090] In the case of a rechargeable battery, the gas cylinder coaster preferably has a connector, e.g., a USB-C port, at a suitable location, via which the battery can be charged. Such a connector can, for example, be integrated into the wall section 20a of the inner wall unit 20.

[0091] Figure 3 schematically shows a spatially divided gas cylinder monitoring system comprising a plurality of separate, multifunctional gas cylinder coasters that are spatially distributed and are each assigned, individually or in groups, to an assigned user terminal 30 of a plurality of user terminals. Preferably, however, no direct communication is provided between the user terminals and the multifunctional gas cylinder coasters 10. Instead, they are designed or programmed to communicate with an assigned, remotely located server 32, preferably a cloud server. The user terminals can expediently be mobile phones of the "smartphone" type. The smartphone can be equipped with a suitable application (so-called app) for this communication. However, there are no restrictions regarding the user terminals that can be used.In principle, a user can select any device with an internet browser, such as a laptop, a desktop PC, or the like, if the server 32 has the appropriate functionality, as is preferred. Access can thus be achieved using a web-based application (so-called web app).

[0092] Communication with the server 32 preferably takes place in the usual way via the Internet, by means of a provider's mobile phone network using a common standard LTE, 5G, etc., or via a local WLAN network and then a router and a common Internet connection at a respective location.

[0093] The gas cylinder coasters 10 have a communication arrangement 32 with at least one antenna 32a for communicating with the server 32 via data communication, for example, via a local Wi-Fi network, a local router, and then via the site's internet connection, or alternatively according to any other common communication standard. This particularly applies to standards intended for machine-to-machine communication or IoT communication, such as NB-iOT and the like. Communication via a mobile communications standard such as LTE (4G) and 5G is also possible.

[0094] According to Figure 3, the multifunctional gas cylinder coasters 10 have a power supply unit 34 which contains a rechargeable battery or rechargeable battery arrangement 34a and is provided with a charging connection 34b.

[0095] A control unit 36 ​​has a processor 36a, EPROM memory or EEPROM memory 36b and RAM memory 36c and is connected to at least one load cell 38 of the gas cylinder coaster.

[0096] Figures 4 and 5 show two non-limiting examples of possible implementations of an operating program of the control unit 36 ​​of the gas cylinder coaster 10 and the server 32.

[0097] According to both figures, the control unit 36 ​​and thus the gas cylinder coaster can enter an energy-saving mode or sleep mode with minimal energy consumption and a determination and data transmission mode. According to figures 4a and 5a, the control unit 36, together with the associated components such as the communication arrangement 32 and the path cell 38, is periodically "woken up" from the energy-saving mode, for example, interrupt-controlled, in order to transition to the determination and data transmission mode. The weight of the gas cylinder standing on the support surface is then measured. According to figure 4a, the current fill level is calculated from the measured weight value and then transmitted to the cloud server. The gas cylinder coaster is then put back into energy-saving mode. The process is similar according to figure 5a. However, the fill level is not calculated from the measured weight value on the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster.Instead, the measured weight value is transmitted to the cloud server. As shown in Figure 4b, the server receives the current fill level from the assigned gas cylinder coasters and transmits it via data communication to an assigned terminal device. The fill level is then compared with a predefined threshold. If the fill level falls below the threshold, a reorder for a gas cylinder is triggered in time to ensure that the cylinder is always available to the user when the currently used gas cylinder is empty or can no longer supply sufficient operating pressure.

[0098] According to Figure 5b, the server receives a current weight value from the assigned multifunctional gas cylinder coaster, calculates the fill level of the respective gas cylinder, transmits the fill level to an assigned terminal, and compares the fill level with a predefined threshold. As in Figure 4b, the server in Figure 5b also triggers a reorder if the fill level falls below the threshold.

[0099] The server-side program is preferably configurable via the user device to determine whether the reorder function should actually be triggered automatically. Alternatively, a warning could simply be sent to the user device, and the reorder could then be triggered by the user device 30 via the server 32.

[0100] The application or app on the user's device can also provide a rental warning function that, in the case of rented gas cylinders, indicates after a period defined by the provider that additional charges will be incurred if a reorder is not initiated soon. The application or app on the user's device can also have a QR or barcode scanning function to read information stored on a gas cylinder by the gas cylinder supplier, such as a tare weight, and use it to initialize the system.

[0101] The multifunctional gas cylinder support according to the invention, as shown in Figures 6 to 12, is designated 110 in these figures. The gas cylinder support 110 also has a clip-lock device 123. Figure 6 shows the gas cylinder support with a CCh gas cylinder 111 placed on an upper support surface 119, which is secured against tipping by means of a tethering strap 125 to a securing support 124 extending vertically from a support base 113. The tethering strap can be easily loosened and opened or tightened and closed. For this purpose, the tethering strap 125 can have a metal loop or other type of loop at one end, through which the other end of the tethering strap is passed and then, after tightening, closed and secured by means of a hook-and-loop fastener, as is generally well known for straps and strap-like elements with hook-and-loop fasteners.

[0102] The glass bottle coaster 110 can have a securing element 150 in an upper region of the securing support 124 on the side opposite the glass bottle 111, which can be coupled directly or indirectly to a counter-securing element 152, for example, a counter-securing eyelet. The counter-securing element 152 is an element external to the gas bottle coaster but associated with the gas bottle coaster. It is attached to any stationary support structure, for example, the interior wall of a room or an interior wall of a container, so that any tilting forces that occur can be supported on this support structure, thus securing the gas bottle 111 with the gas bottle coaster 110 against tipping.

[0103] It can be provided that the counter-safety element 152 is designed identically to the safety element 150 in order to reduce the variety of parts.

[0104] In the embodiment shown, the securing element 150, like the counter-securing element 152, is designed with a fastening section 154 extending in a longitudinal direction, which has through openings 156 in its two end regions, which serve to mount the element on an associated structure, in the case of the securing element 150 on the securing support 124 and in the case of the counter-securing element 152 on the support structure external to the gas cylinder support.

[0105] In the illustrated embodiment, the securing element 150 and the counter-securing element 152 are identical, with a tab section 158 protruding from the fastening section 154. This section has a through-opening 160, which, together with a surrounding web section of the tab section 158, serves as a securing eyelet and counter-securing eyelet, respectively. These eyes can be used, for example, to positively connect the securing element 150 to the counter-securing element 152 by means of a securing chain.

[0106] The securing element 150 can advantageously also fulfill an additional function, namely for mounting the tether 125 on the securing support 124.

[0107] For this purpose, the tab section 158 can have a further through-opening 162 between the through-opening 160 and the base section, which serves to guide the safety belt 125 through and thus firmly couple it to the safety support 124.

[0108] For this purpose, the securing element 150 can be inserted from the inside of the securing support 124 above the support surface 119 into a fastening and through-opening formation with the tab section 158 in front and pushed through, so that the tab section 158 protrudes on the back of the securing support 154 with the eyelet section 160. The securing element 152 is then fastened in the assembled state by means of fastening screws that are screwed through the openings 156 in the internal thread of the securing support 154. This fixes the securing element 150 to the inside of the securing support 124 while clamping the tether strap 125.

[0109] The base 113 can be advantageously designed as a substantially two-shell housing with an upper housing shell 112 and a lower housing shell 122, as can be seen in Figure 12. These housing shells, as well as the securing support 124, can be made of a rigid plastic material, for example, a fiber-reinforced plastic material.

[0110] As can be seen in Figure 10, the safety support 124 can be designed with a ribbed structure on the inside to save material while still achieving high rigidity. Magnetic elements 162 can also be provided on the inside of the safety support (in the case of Figure 10, three vertically spaced magnetic elements 162), which facilitate the correct positioning of a gas cylinder 111 on the support surface 119 in direct contact with the inside of the safety support 124.

[0111] In the illustrated embodiment, the support surface 119 is not formed directly by a surface portion of the upper housing shell 112, but rather by a separate, preferably rubber-like base element 164, which can also be referred to as a base mat. The base mat 164 fits positively into a surface structure 166 of the upper housing shell to prevent it from slipping sideways relative to the housing 112, 122. The base mat 164 can also be designed with pin-like projections on the underside that fit into retaining openings 168 of the upper housing shell 112. As shown in Figure 12, the upper housing shell can be designed with an opening 170 that is covered by the base mat 164 in the operating state.

[0112] In the illustrated embodiment, the securing support 124 of the upper housing shell 112 is designed with a positioning foot 172 that fits into a receiving formation 174 of the upper housing shell 112 and is fastened to the upper housing shell 112 with a retaining disc 176 having an elongated hole using a screw bolt 178 and a screw nut 180. The positioning foot 172 is then positioned on the top side and the retaining disc 176 on the bottom side of the upper housing shell 112. The screw bolt 178 is inserted from below through an elongated hole in the retaining disc 176, a through-opening in the upper housing shell 112, and a through-opening in the positioning foot 172. The screw nut 180 can then be easily positioned and tightened from above with a washer 182 placed therebetween.

[0113] The underside of the lower housing shell 122 is shown in Figure 11. In a plan view, the two housing shells are essentially square with rounded corners, and two fastening screws 184 can be seen in each of the four corner areas of the underside of the lower housing shell 122, which are screwed into suitable screw holes in the upper housing shell 112 to connect the two housing shells into one housing.

[0114] The lower housing shell 112 is provided with a receiving compartment 186, which accommodates a preferably rechargeable battery 188. The receiving compartment 186 is closed at the bottom by a cover 190, which is suspended in a longitudinal edge region in holder structures of the receiving compartment 186 and can be secured or secured in the closed position by a screw 192 adjacent to its opposite longitudinal edge.

[0115] On the underside of the upper housing shell 112, in the corner areas of the formed housing, four load cells or load cells 194 are mounted by means of fastening screws 196. Each load cell has a load-bearing pin 198 that protrudes slightly downward through through-holes in the underside of the lower housing shell 122. The gas cylinder support, positioned on a support surface, for example, the floor, is then supported on the ground by these load-bearing pins 198, so that the load cells 194 are loaded according to the weight of the gas cylinder support, or the total weight of the gas cylinder support including the gas cylinder positioned on it.

[0116] Within the housing formed by the two housing shells 112 and 122, a control unit 136 is housed and mounted. This control unit is designed with an integrated communications device and is associated with a display unit 137, which is shown in Figure 12 in a state connected to the control unit 136. The display unit can advantageously be designed as an LCD display or as a so-called E-Ink display and is visible to a user through a window in the upper housing shell 112 in a front edge region of the upper housing shell opposite the securing support 124. Adjacent to this display 137 are two control buttons, for which the button electronics are located on a circuit board 139 that is also connected to the control unit 136. The two control buttons can use a common rubber button element 141, which is accessible through another through-opening in the upper housing shell 112.

[0117] Figure 12 shows further holding, fastening and cable connection elements, which are generally designated with x in Figure 12 and are of no further interest, since it is a purely technical task for the person skilled in the art to position, assemble and connect the above-mentioned components in a suitable manner within the housing.

[0118] Advantageously, the control unit 136 can be assigned or comprise a preferably integrated sensor arrangement, for example, for detecting an ambient temperature, ambient humidity, and other environmental parameters. For safety reasons, a CO2 sensor is particularly important for detecting escaping CO2 gas and, if necessary, issuing an alarm.

[0119] For such sensors, the lower housing shell 122, as shown in Figure 11, is designed with circular passage slots 200 that allow ambient air to enter the interior of the housing. In the case of a CO2 sensor, the CO2 gas flowing downward in the event of a leak would enter the interior of the housing 122, 122 through these slots and would then be detected by the CO2 sensor, or the CO2 concentration could be measured. An alarm would then be triggered acoustically and / or visually and / or digitally via data transmission.

[0120] A humidity sensor can also be provided. An integrated water or moisture sensor, which responds to moisture or water on the surface on which the gas cylinder coaster stands, can also prove particularly advantageous. For this purpose, separate pin electrodes of such a moisture or water sensor, preloaded with a slight spring force, could be provided. These pin electrodes protrude downward through additional openings in the housing base 122 and come into contact with the surface. It would also be possible to design the load-bearing pins 198 of the load cells 194 as sensor electrodes of such a moisture or water sensor.

[0121] Due to the display 137 and the control buttons 141, the gas cylinder coaster of the second embodiment has advantages over the first embodiment described above. For example, functions of the gas cylinder coaster can be programmed using these display and control elements and their parameters can be defined. In the figures, the upper button is marked with the letter W, which stands for "weight," and the lower button with the letter T, which stands for "tare." By pressing these two buttons together, the weight of each gas cylinder without the gas fitting and the weight with the gas fitting fully installed can be measured. This allows the current condition of the cylinder to be determined, taking into account the unknown empty cylinder weight. Both full and underfilled CO2 gas cylinders can be used. The empty cylinder weights are preferably stored in an external database of the gas cylinder provider.

[0122] The following data and statuses can be displayed on the display 137, for example: fill level in %, battery charge level, for example, as a bar graph with approximately 25% per bar, weight calibration (tare) completed, connection quality, transmission frequency, communication standard, and the like. The two control buttons allow you to start the calibration process, and following a successful calibration, the corresponding data is then sent to an assigned external server, for example, a cloud server.

[0123] The control unit is programmed by its firmware in such a way that it wakes up from an energy-saving sleep mode into a level measurement mode at regular intervals, for example every four hours, and carries out a weight or volume measurement.

[0124] It performs a fill level measurement, sends the corresponding data to the external server, and updates the display with the fill level before returning to sleep mode. The aforementioned E-Ink display design is advantageous for this, as the fill level is then displayed without any energy consumption.

[0125] The invention advantageously enables an automatic ci This includes digitalized level measurement and the ordering process for CO2 gas cylinders, which leads to significant simplifications and efficiency gains for users, as well as for service providers and, if applicable, CO2 gas cylinder suppliers.

[0126] With an inventive, preferably IoT and platform-based solution, customers (users) not only save time and money and reduce their carbon footprint, but can also, for the first time, manage the inventory of all gas cylinders and optimize the process across all locations (asset tracking). Furthermore, protection against tipping over of gas cylinders can be achieved without special measures, for example, in order to meet the technical occupational health and safety requirements according to the technical rule TRGS 510.

[0127] According to the invention, the following solution features can be realized:

[0128] 1. Digitalized level measurement

[0129] A gas cylinder coaster according to the invention can measure the fill level of the respective CO2 gas cylinders at regular intervals using at least one suitable weighing cell by means of a weight-based measurement. The fill level is then transmitted, for example, via narrowband IoT and a mobile transmission frequency, to an assigned IoT platform and automatically assigned to the respective user in a device management system. The user can thus monitor a gas cylinder change and initiate a change to prevent unplanned idle time. The user can also configure the IoT platform to trigger automatic ordering processes.

[0130] 2. Protection against the gas cylinder falling over

[0131] Due to their excessive height / width ratio (the height of the gas cylinder is too large in relation to the width or diameter of the gas cylinder), gas cylinders must be secured against tipping over in accordance with TRSG 510. Conventionally, this is achieved using a sheet metal device with a chain that secures the cylinder. By comparison, or for ease of understanding, butane gas cylinders, for example, have the necessary height / width ratio, meaning that these cylinders are physically sufficiently secured in themselves and do not need to be attached. With the help of a gas cylinder coaster according to the invention, the combination of the coaster and the gas cylinder can be given a sufficient height / width ratio, which eliminates the need for additional safety measures and significantly simplifies handling.

[0132] 3. Cylinder Inventory Management (Asset Tracking) / Smart Gas Ordering

[0133] As already mentioned, the IoT platform can include functionality for automated reordering. Other management functions could also be provided, such as cylinder inventory management, which allows a customer to comprehensively manage all of their assets (gas cylinders). This allows the customer (user), possibly with the setup of additional factors such as, for example,

[0134] Safety stock, avoidance of minimum quantity surcharges and similar, partially or fully automated ordering and return of new gas cylinders or have it triggered automatically.

[0135] 4. Overall process

[0136] An overall process can, for example, proceed as follows:

[0137] 1. Order of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster by the customer.

[0138] 2. Installation of the multifunctional gas cylinder coaster via QR code and app on-site; alternatively, by importing suitable figures in a spreadsheet format (e.g., CSV or xlsx) by the company's dedicated account manager.

[0139] 3. Measurement of the CO2 fill level at a predefined or specifiable rhythm, for example a four-hour rhythm: a. The gas bottle coaster is switched from energy-saving mode to active mode after a certain time has elapsed, b. the weight is measured using an integrated scale, c. the weight value is sent to the cloud using an integrated modem (e.g. NB-IOT / LTE), d. the value for each customer is processed and interpreted in the cloud, e. the remaining fill level is sent to the customer for each registered location / gas bottle coaster on a user device, f. repetition starting with step a.After the specified time interval, approximately every 4 hours, the customer is notified of the fill level depending on the settings when a certain critical fill level (approximately 75 / 50 / 35%) is reached. This is preferably done by comparing the customer's average consumption with the supplier's average delivery time to the site to enable precise, on-time deliveries by the supplier. Invoicing and restarting the process.

Claims

Claims 1. A multifunctional gas cylinder coaster (10; 110), comprising: a coaster base (12, 14, 16, 20, 22; 112, 124) with an upper support surface (19; 119) on which at least one gas cylinder (111) can be placed; a fill level determining device (38) arranged and configured to determine a current fill level of at least one gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface (19); a control unit (36; 136) which is designed to cooperate with the fill level determination device in order to continuously or preferably intermittently determine the current fill level of at least one gas cylinder (111) placed on the upper support surface (19; 119) or a value representing the fill level and to report it to an associated display or monitoring unit (32) by means of an associated communication arrangement (32, 32a) by digital data communication;an anti-tilt device (23; 123) extending vertically upwards from the coaster base, with which at least one gas cylinder (111) placed on the upper support surface (19; 119) can be secured against tipping by supporting any tilting moment on the coaster base; 2. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 1, characterized in that the fill level determining device (38) is designed to determine a current weight of the gas cylinder (111) placed on the upper support surface (19; 119) as a measure of the current fill level and for this purpose has at least one load cell (38; 194) which is arranged in the coaster base in such a way that it can be subjected to a weight force of the gas cylinder.

3. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit (36; 136) is designed to determine a corresponding relative filling level from weight data provided by the filling level determination device (38) using predetermined or predeterminable calibration data, preferably relating to CO2 gas cylinders, or that the control unit (36) is designed to to report the weight data provided by the fill level determination device (38) to the display and monitoring unit as values ​​representing the fill level.

4. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the anti-tilt device (23) has a securing wall (24) extending vertically upwards from the coaster base, preferably made of a metallic material, which wall surrounds at least one gas bottle placed on the upper support surface (19) at least in part.

5. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper support surface (19) and the securing wall (24) are dimensioned with respect to a predetermined gas cylinder diameter such that exactly one gas cylinder can be placed on the upper support surface and can be secured by the securing wall against tipping in all lateral directions.

6. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 5, characterized in that the securing wall (24) extends in a ring-like manner around the gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface (19) over a circumferential angle of 360 degrees or, forming a gap (24a), over a circumferential angle of less than 360 degrees, wherein the gap (24a) is smaller than the predetermined gas cylinder diameter.

7. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to claim 4, characterized in that the securing wall (24) laterally surrounds the at least one gas bottle placed on the upper support surface (19) to form an open access area (24a), wherein the open access area enables the supply of a gas bottle to the upper support surface (19) and the removal of the gas bottle from the upper support surface along a predetermined lateral direction or from a lateral direction range.

8. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 7, characterized in that the securing wall (24) on an inner side facing the upper support surface (19) has a vertically spaced upper support surface arranged holding magnet arrangement to secure a gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface against tipping through the open access area.

9. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the open access area can be locked by means of a locking device, for example a locking chain, in order to secure a gas cylinder placed on the upper support surface against tipping through the open access area.

10. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized by at least one support area (14, 16) on an underside of the multifunctional gas bottle coaster (10), wherein lateral tilting forces on a support surface on which the multifunctional gas bottle coaster stands can be supported by means of the support area, and wherein the support area (14, 16) laterally exceeds a bottle receiving area of ​​the support surface defined by the securing wall (24) or is offset outwards in the lateral direction relative to the bottle receiving area in such a way that a predetermined desired height-width ratio providing sufficient protection against tilting is met for the combination of the multifunctional gas bottle coaster (10) and a gas bottle placed on the bottle receiving area of ​​the support surface (19), which the gas bottle alone does not meet.

11. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it has a multi-part housing, comprising a preferably one-part lid unit (12) having the support surface with side wall sections (18a, 18b, 18c) preferably made of a metallic material, four corner units (14, 16) each having a support area on an underside, preferably made of a plastic material, and a base unit (22) which at least partially delimits a housing interior at the bottom and which is coupled at least to the lid unit (12).

12. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 11, characterized in that the base unit (22) forms an inner housing with an inner wall unit (20) into which the control unit (36), if desired the preferably designed with at least one antenna Communication arrangement and, if desired, a preferably rechargeable battery unit are accommodated and which is accommodated below the cover unit (12) within its side wall sections (18a, 18b, 18c).

13. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to claim 12, characterized in that the inner wall unit (20) has a wall section (20a) made of a plastic material which protrudes through a recess between two side wall sections or is at least approximately flush therewith.

14. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to at least one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that at least two of the corner units (14, 16) each have a load cell integrated or mounted on an underside.

15. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the anti-tilt device (123) has a safety support (124) extending vertically upwards from the coaster base, preferably made of a plastic material, most preferably of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, to which at least one gas bottle (111) placed on the upper support surface (119) can be connected at a vertical distance from the support surface.

16. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 15, characterized in that the safety support (124) is provided with at least one flexible tying element (125), preferably at least one tying belt (125), which can be guided and tightened around the gas cylinder (111) in order to tie the gas cylinder to the safety support (124) and thus secure it against tipping in all lateral directions.

17. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the safety support (124) has, on a side facing away from at least one gas bottle (111) placed on the upper support surface (119), at least one coupling element (150) at a vertical distance from the support surface (119), which coupling element is or can be coupled in a form-fitting manner directly or indirectly to an associated counter-coupling element (152) which is external to the gas bottle coaster and supported in a stationary manner in order to support tilting forces.

18. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 17, characterized in that the gas cylinder coaster (110) can be placed in close proximity to a vertically extending support structure and is or can be positively coupled at its coupling element (150) directly or indirectly, for example by means of a coupling chain, to the counter-coupling element (152) fixedly attached to the support structure.

19. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 16 and according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the connecting element (125) is fastened to the securing support (124) by means of the coupling element (150).

20. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 19, characterized in that the coupling element (150) has a base section (154) and a tab section (158) protruding from a contact surface of the base section, which tab section has at least one coupling opening (160) further from the base section (154) for direct or indirect coupling with the counter-coupling element (152) and at least one holding opening (162) closer to the base section (154) for the connecting element (125), which is guided through the holding opening (152).

21. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 20, characterized in that the coupling element (150) is inserted from an inner side of the securing support (124) with the tab section (158) into a receiving opening of the securing support (124), so that a region of the tab section having the coupling opening (160) projects on an outer side of the securing support (124) opposite the inner side, wherein the base section (154) arranged on the inner side and brought into contact with its contact surface against a counter-contact surface of the securing support (124) is preferably fixed to the securing support (124) in a form-fitting manner.

22. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to one of claims 1 to 3 and 15 to 21, characterized in that it has a multi-part housing (112, 122) comprising an upper housing shell (112) having or supporting the support surface (119) and a lower housing shell (122), of which at least one, preferably both, are made of a plastic material, most preferably of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, wherein the housing shells (112, 122) in the assembled state accommodate the control unit (135), if desired the communication arrangement preferably designed with at least one antenna and if desired a preferably rechargeable battery unit in a formed receiving space, wherein the upper housing shell (112) has the support surface (119) or supports it.

23. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 22, characterized in that the securing support (124) has a lower fastening formation (172) which is or can be fastened in a releasably form-fitting manner to a counter-fastening formation (174) of the housing, in particular the upper housing shell (112), preferably by producing at least one screw connection.

24. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to one of claims 1 to 23, characterized by an electronic display (139) cooperating with the control unit (36, 136), preferably on an upper side of the upper housing shell (112) adjacent to the support surface (119), and / or characterized by at least one operating element (141) cooperating with the control unit (36, 136), preferably on an upper side of the upper housing shell (112) adjacent to the support surface (119), most preferably closely adjacent to the electronic display (139).

25. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that it is equipped with at least two, preferably with at least three or four load cells (194), which are preferably arranged horizontally offset from one another in the interior, wherein the load cells (194) are most preferably supported directly or indirectly on the upper housing shell (112) and each have a load-bearing member (198) projecting downwards through a respective opening in the lower housing shell (122), via which load-bearing member the gas bottle coaster (110) is or can be supported on a base.

26. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to one of claims 1 to 25, characterized in that the support surface is formed by a flat support element (164) which is detachably placed or can be placed on the coaster base or the housing (112, 122), which preferably consists of a flexible material with most preferably rubbery or rubber-like flexibility.

27. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to claim 26 and claim 22, characterized in that the upper housing shell (112) has a support area for the base element (164), which is structured and / or delimited by a limiting structure in such a way that the base element (164) placed on the support area is positively secured against slipping in lateral directions.

28. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to one of claims 1 to 27, characterized by a sensor arrangement integrated therein for providing at least one sensor-based additional function controlled by the control unit, wherein the sensor arrangement preferably comprises at least one, preferably several of the following sensors: a gas detector, in particular a CO2 detector, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a water sensor, a moisture sensor.

29. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the control unit (36, 136) with the fill level determination device (38) and the communication arrangement (32, 32a) are designed to periodically switch from a passive energy saving mode to an active determination and data transmission mode and back to the passive energy saving mode.

30. Multifunctional gas bottle coaster according to one of claims 1 to 29, characterized in that the communication arrangement (32, 32a) is designed for wireless data communication according to at least one predetermined data communication standard.

31. Multifunctional gas cylinder coaster according to one of claims 1 to 30, characterized in that the communication arrangement (32, 32a) is configured or configurable to communicate via at least one data communication network to communicate with the remotely provided display or monitoring unit.

32. Gas cylinder monitoring system for monitoring the fill level of a plurality of gas cylinders, preferably a plurality of spatially distributed gas cylinders, comprising a plurality of multifunctional gas cylinder coasters (10; 110) according to claim 31 and at least one preferably cloud-based server (32) serving as a monitoring unit for said multifunctional gas cylinder coasters, which server receives current gas cylinder fill levels or values ​​representing the current fill level from the associated gas cylinder coasters (10), wherein the server (32), in the case of receiving values ​​representing current fill levels, has a determination functionality in order to determine a respective corresponding relative current gas cylinder fill level from these values ​​using predetermined or predeterminable calibration data, preferably relating to CO2 gas cylinders.

33. Gas cylinder monitoring system according to claim 32, characterized in that the server (32) transmits current gas cylinder filling levels via data communication to user terminals (30) which are assigned to at least one of the gas cylinder coasters (10).

34. Gas cylinder monitoring system according to claim 32 or 33, characterized in that the server (32) provides an ordering functionality for ordering filled gas cylinders and, if necessary, for collecting empty gas cylinders, wherein ordering processes can be triggered automatically on the basis of received or determined current gas cylinder filling levels and / or by means of a user terminal (30).

35. Operating method for operating a multifunctional gas cylinder coaster (10; 110) or a gas cylinder monitoring system (10, 30, 32; 110, 30, 32) according to one of the preceding claims.

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