The invention relates to inventory control systems and, more particularly, systems for managing expiration-dated products.
Current methods of managing expiration-dated products, e.g., just-in-time manufactured (e.g., fresh prepared foods in restaurants) and perishable packaged manufactured ingredients/products require the user/consumer to apply pre-printed or blank (to facilitate handwritten information) single-use adhesive materials (e.g., stickers) to the containers to facilitate notice of date of expiration. In many situations, the safety of the just-in-time manufactured or opened perishable packaged ingredient and product is defined by local and state law wherein the product cannot be portioned and then sold to consumers past a certain defined time period (e.g., seven days after preparation of a ready to eat food in retail food service establishments in the United States or after a “use by” date has occurred after a consumer/user has opened a packaged ingredient or product as defined by the ingredient/product manufacturer (including food, chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, laboratory reagents, vaccines, etc.)).
Typically, date marking adhesives (stickers) are passive devices that must be replaced each time the storage container is reused (e.g., when a restaurant reusable food container is washed, rinsed, and sanitized after the food in it is used or discarded). Likewise, preprinted labels with expiration date information do not actively alert users to when the product will and has expired upon opening (normally based on manufacturer recommendations and/or state and federal regulatory requirements). The information recorded on these adhesive materials often times becomes illegible due to the storage conditions that effect the inks, which can result in the information not being used properly or not used effectively. Further, remaining adhesives from the labels often become a source for contamination when left on reusable food containers. These situations can increase food safety risk to the consumer. More importantly, the safety, quality and thus value of all perishable just-in-time manufactured products and newly opened perishable packaged ingredients and products can be compromised when used beyond the expiration date. This is because there is no efficient means to track and make notice to users which just-in-time manufactured products and opened perishable packages of ingredients and products should be used first before their expiration date occurs, nor is there a current means to provide users/consumers with a caution as to when a perishable product no longer retains its safety/quality or value.
As can be seen, there is a need for an electronic system for managing expiration-dated products as well as for notifying users of the expiration dates for legal, safety, value, quality, and inventory purposes.
In summary, the invention is a system for managing expiration-dated products. In an embodiment, the system may include, among other things, a computer, an electronic label in communication with the computer, and a program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, the computer to transmit a data set containing expiration date information to the electronic label.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention.
Broadly, an embodiment of the invention provides a management system. The management system may include at least one computer with a user interface. The computer may have a program product including a machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, the computer to perform steps. The management system may include reusable, water proof, heat/cold resistant, relatively easy to use plurality of e-addressable displays configured to receive a plurality of mutable data sets, for example, an expiration date. The program product may manage the plurality of data sets associated with at least one e-addressable display affixed to a product container at the point of just-in-time manufacture or placed at the time of manufacture of perishable packaged ingredients/products.
Referring now to
The management system 10 may include the plurality of e-addressable displays 18. The plurality of e-addressable displays 18 may be a thin film having an adhesive side and a display side 20. The display side 20 may include display technologies designed to display mutable information transmitted from the computer 12 and/or program product, such as e-paper, electronic ink, electrophoretic deposition processes and the like. The adhesive side may be adapted to irremovably adhere to a plurality of product containers 22 and the materials they are typical comprised of, such as plastic or the like. The adhesive side may also be adapted to include a snap, pin, clip or the like to attach to the perishable ingredient/product containers 22. In certain embodiments, the adhesive side may be manufactured permanently on all new perishable ingredient/product storage containers 22 or affixed as a sticker by a user to reusable perishable ingredient/product containers 22.
As a result the plurality of e-addressable displays 18 may be reusable, for example on reusable retail food service food/chemical containers 22, by re-transmission to erase and display new information to the display side 20. In certain embodiments, the plurality of e-addressable displays 18 may be reused by re-transmission of radio-frequency energy or permanently programmed for single use with an integrated electronic timer and an autonomous battery.
The program product may help a user manage product waste, safety/efficacy/quality of ingredients/products, and regulatory compliance to such. The user (e.g., a manufacturing company) may also preprogram expiration dates to the plurality of e-addressable displays 18 that may include an electronic timer so as to indicate through the display side 20, for example, the “use by” expiration date. In certain embodiments, such as the one shown in
A method of using the invention will now be described. The management system 10 disclosed above may be provided. A user may place at least one of e-addressable display 18 on at least one storage container 22. The at least one e-addressable display 18 may then receive a data set 30 that the user transmits from the computer 12. The data set 30 may include but is not limited to an expiration date. Then the at least one e-addressable display 18 may electronically display the data set 30 on the display side 20. The data set 30 may also be captured by the program product for associating the data set 30 with the at least one storage container 22. The program product may be configured to store the data set 30, manage a plurality of data sets 30 and/or notify the user regarding the data set 30 at a predetermined time.
In certain embodiments, the user inputs at least one data set 30 into the computer 12 to enable the user to enter data such as date of expiration and product name specific to an ingredient or product. This could include a list of all ingredients and products and important information about proper use so the program product quickly enables the user to scroll and pick (click on) the items on the user interface 14 so that the user may date mark. The at least one data set 30 may be transmitted to the transmitter 16 to the at least one e-addressable display 18, which may use radio-frequency energy to induce (activate) updates (e.g., when the storage container 22, to which the e-addressable display 18 is affixed, is washed and reused to prepare fresh product) to each e-addressable display 18 regarding date of expiration information and product name. The program product may enable tracking of a plurality of data sets 30 to each e-addressable display 18. The program product may provide utilities to manage ingredient/product use including alerts to the user to pending product expiration dates of individual containers 22 by accessing the data set 30 associated to the affixed e-addressable display 18. Each e-addressable display 18 may also display indicators for which product to use first (e.g., red, yellow or green) so users may quickly select those products with shorter shelf-life reducing waste.
In certain embodiments, if date of expiration may be defined, then based on current date the e-addressable display 18 may display and/or report pending and final expiration end point via numerical display and/or indicators of such.
In certain embodiments, the e-addressable display 18 may contain an electronic timer that will induce a preprogrammed change in the display based on the current date and defined expiration date entered while in use on the storage container with the perishable ingredient/product. For example, a green color change is displayed at first transmission (if before the expiration date) to indicate that the ingredient or product can be continually used, a yellow color change is displayed to indicate that it is close to expiration and thus should be used soon, or a red color indicator occurs to indicate to the user to stop using the ingredient or product (for when the product reaches its expiration date and then when it has expired and no longer safe or with efficacy or quality for use). In an embodiment, a black-and-white display showing visual elapsed time such as a clock icon, or such wording as “use first,” indicates that the ingredients or product can be continually used until the expired date, or visual elapsed time such as a clock icon shows the allotted time has been expended. The user then manages perishable ingredients/products easily by ensuring no display device on stored perishables reaches red, the black-and-white expiration date, or the visual display of elapsed time indicating that the allotted time has been expended (by using up the product before more is prepared); for example to define first use of perishable just-in-time manufactured food products stored in containers within, e.g., a restaurant walk-in cooler that will expire within 7 days (according to regulatory requirements) to avoid food waste, ensure regulatory compliance and food safety, and determine when new product should be prepared.
In certain embodiments, the management system 10 may be used in retail food service so as to reduce food loss (and cost) and improved food quality in restaurants (showing which products to use first using First-in-First-Out (FIFO) rules) as well as increasing value (reducing waste) for other users/consumers of perishable packaged ingredients and products.
In an embodiment, the program product may be pre-programmed by a manufacturer of packaged perishable ingredients/products for one-time use (to ensure consumer safety) in that the electronic timer within the e-addressable display 18 functions to alert the user to proper use and when the product expires based on manufacturer defined “upon opening” expiration dates. For example, when a user purchases the product and it is opened by the user (e.g., a consumer), it is activated and displays alerts (e.g., green to indicate that it can be continually used, yellow to indicate that it is close to its expiration date so use soon, or red to indicate to stop using) for when the product will reach its expiration date.
In certain embodiments, the management system 10 may be used with smart Internet based systems connected to home storage devices (e.g., refrigerators) to report to consumers which products are expired and no longer safe or edible and when to reorder those products (or automatic reorder linked to a service). Alternatively, the management system 10 may be used with other technology to improve logistics of perishable ingredient used to manufacture food (e.g. during food manufacturing to indicate which ingredients should be used before they expire) or for storage and distribution of food logistics.
A method of making an electronic label such as an e-addressable display 18 according to the invention may include the following: First, an individual may produce the e-addressable display 18 that contains an electrically addressable bistable electrically active ink display with an adhesive that can be mass produced via electronic paper printing that includes (a) electrically active ink contained in a thin film semi-flexible substrate such as plastic-based liquid crystal display-like twisted nematic, supertwisted nematic, polymer dispersed liquid crystal, or bistable cholesteric liquid crystals; (b) the radio frequency energy receiver materials linked to this substrate to induce change to the bistable electronic ink; (c) an electronic timer within the device to enable change of the display at intervals before and after the expiration date occurs; (d) an adhesive to enable the device to be attached permanently to any type storage container 22 including but not limited to plastic, metals, and other composites found in reusable storage containers, and/or associated with all packaging of perishable consumer products. The e-addressable display 18 may be sold to manufactures of perishable packaged ingredients or products or sold to users to affix using permanent adhesive on reusable ingredient/product storage containers 22.
The computer and/or program product may enable the user to enter data such as date of expiration and product name specific to an ingredient or product and enable tracking and alerts of data sets 30. A transmitter 16 within the computer 12 updates to the bistable electrically active materials in the e-addressable display 18 with date of expiration information and product name. The transmitter 16 is manufactured with a radio frequency energy that will induce the bistable electrically active ink in e-addressable display 18 only via close proximity to the transmitter 16. The program product may manage a plurality of data sets 30.
The e-addressable display 18 may receive radio frequency energy necessary to properly enable expiration date management and tracking. A computer 12 and program product that works on the computer 12 may capture the inputted data sets 30 and then transmit the data sets 30 via the proper radio frequency energy to the device necessary to change and display the information or is pre-programmed on the e-addressable display 18 for one-time use on packaged perishable ingredients or products. The program product may be adapted to transmit the proper radio frequency energy.
Additional programming of the program product may include a management system to enable high cost perishable use and sharing within enterprises such as a colleges and universities. For example, medical research universities spend a great deal of labor to acquire research grants to purchase high cost perishable reagents (e.g, enzymes or catalyst for molecular biology research) for use in experiments. Because many of these reagents are not always purchased based on volume needs, many partially used perishable reagents sit in laboratories unused and then expire. If these reagents were linked to this system, a software management process could be developed to enable collaborative use across the university among other research labs before the reagents expire thereby reducing the cost of research to other laboratories in the university.
Additional programming of the software could link this system to a lean manufacturing process and reorder system in retail food service establishments, for example, wherein the system would alert the establishment to prepare more perishable product as needed based on customer demand and availability of current just-in-time manufactured product in storage. The system when linked to an enterprise software solution could enable just-in-time reorder of ingredients/products from approved distribution sources to reduce the storage needs before needed to make just-in-time manufactured perishable products. The invention may help consumers reduce food waste in their refrigerators and freezers and alert them to reorder foods via the program product via, for example, text alerts, before they drive home and/or ensure expired pharmaceuticals are not consumed.
Referring to
Referring to
Still referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The computer-based data processing system and method described above is for purposes of example only, and may be implemented in any type of computer system or programming or processing environment, or in a computer program, alone or in conjunction with hardware. The invention may also be implemented in software stored on a computer-readable medium and executed as a computer program on a general purpose or special purpose computer. For clarity, only those aspects of the system germane to the invention are described, and product details well known in the art are omitted. For the same reason, the computer hardware is not described in further detail. It should thus be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific computer language, program, or computer. It is further contemplated that the present invention may be run on a stand-alone computer system, or may be run from a server computer system that can be accessed by a plurality of client computer systems interconnected over an intranet network, or that is accessible to clients over the Internet. In addition, many embodiments of the invention have application to a wide range of industries. To the extent this specification discloses a system, the method implemented by that system, as well as software stored on a computer-readable medium and executed as a computer program to perform the method on a general purpose or special purpose computer, are within the scope of the invention. Further, to the extent this specification discloses a method, a system of apparatuses configured to implement the method are within the scope of the invention.
While the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it should be understood that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the essential scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments, but that the invention shall include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.
This relates to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/985,048, filed on Apr. 28, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61985048 | Apr 2014 | US |