Food information management system

• US 20020059175A1
• Filed: 07/11/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakano, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A food information management system includes a food database (11) containing food cooking conditions for cooking foods, and nutritive ingredients, energy-producing values and weight of foods, and information storage mediums (20, 20a). Each information storage medium is attached to a food package (21a) containing a processed food (21) and storing food information including food ID information specifying a food. When cooling the processed food (21), the food ID information stored in the food information storage medium (20, 20a) is read by a read means. Food information about a food specified by the food ID information is retrieved from the food database (11), an output means receives the food information, and a display means displays the food information.

Claims

1. A food information management system comprising:

a food database kept in a food information center and storing pieces of food information classified by food identification information;

information storage mediums each incorporated into a food and storing at least food ID information specifying the food;

a read means capable of reading the food ID information from the information storage medium and sending the food ID information to the food information center; and

an output means capable of receiving food information from the food information center;

wherein the food information center retrieves food information about a food specified by food ID information given thereto by the read means and sends the same to the output means.

2. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the food information stored in the food database includes cooking conditions for cooking foods, and nutritive ingredients, energy-producing values and weight of foods.

3. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the food information stored in the food database includes nutritive ingredients, forbidden ingredients, energy-producing values and weight of foods.

4. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the read means and the output means are incorporated into a cooking device.

5. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the read means and the output means are incorporated into a refrigerator.

6. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

a display means capable of displaying food information about a food is connected to the output means.

7. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the read means and the output means are linked to the food database by the Internet.

8. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the information storage medium is a two-dimensional bar code marked on the food.

9. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the information storage medium is a noncontact IC tag provided with an IC chip and placed on the food.

10. The food information management system according to claim 1, wherein

the read means and the output means are included in a read/output device on the side of a consumer.

11. The food information management system according to claim 10, wherein

the read/output device is provided with a refrigerating condition determining means capable of determining a refrigerating condition on the basis of the food information provided by the output means.

12. The food information management system according to claim 10, wherein

the read/output device is provided with a food quality determining means capable of determining quality of a food on the basis of food information provided by the output means.