Method and apparatus for tracing components of a production chain

• US 20040078289A1
• Filed: 08/14/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starbucks Corporation
• Original Assignee: TraceAssured Ltd.
• Inventors: Barid, Kenneth James
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A method of tracking, at a remote, central information store 140, elements in a production chain. The chain comprises a plurality of processes, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, each process having one or more input ingredients 10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110 and one or more output products, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110, 130. The central information store 140 is remote from the location of at least one of the processes. The method comprises carrying out the following steps in respect of each of the processes 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120: (1) recording at the remote central information store 140, via a telecommunications link, an identifier identifying each of the input ingredients of the process; (2) marking each of the output products of the process with a respective identifier; and (3) recording at the remote central information store 140, via a telecommunications link, the identifiers of each of the output products.

Claims

1. A method of tracking, at a remote central information store, elements in a production chain, the chain comprising a plurality of processes, each process having one or more input ingredients and one or more output products, and the central information store being remote from the location of at least one of the processes, the method comprising carrying out the following steps in respect of each of the processes:

(1) recording at the remote central information store, via a telecommunications link, an identifier identifying each of the input ingredients of the process;

(2) marking each of the output products of the process with a respective identifier; and

(3) recording at the remote central information store, via a telecommunications link, the identifiers of each of the output products.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which an identifier identifying the process is recorded at the central information store.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the identifier marked on the output product identifies the process.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, in which the identifier marked on the output product includes a preallocated element identifying the process.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the identifier marked on the output product identifies the date and time of production.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the production chain is producing a food product.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, in which the food product is for human consumption.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, in which the food product is for animal consumption.

9. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the input ingredients are marked with a barcode representing the identifier and the method comprises the step of scanning the barcodes to read the identifier that is to be recorded at the central information store.

10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the identifier that is marked on each of the output products is a barcode.

11. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, in which the identifiers identifying any or all of the input ingredients, the process or the output products is a Radio Frequency Identification Chip.

12. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, in which the identifiers identifying any or all of the input ingredients, the process or the output products are recorded in the central information store by manual entry into a computer-readable form.

13. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the identifiers are recorded using a secure communications protocol.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which the identifiers are recorded using a virtual private network.

15. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the method further comprises the step of querying the central information store to identify ingredients, processes and/or products upstream or downstream from a specified ingredient, process or product.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, in which a telecommunications link is utilised in querying the central information store.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, in which the query is communicated to the central information store using a secure communications protocol.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which the query is communicated to the central information store using a virtual private network.

19. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 18, in which the method further includes the step of communicating to operators of processes related to a query a request for authorisation to release data in response to that query and processing their responses.

20. A production-chain-element tracing apparatus for tracing elements in a production chain that comprises a plurality of processes, the tracing apparatus comprising a central information store that is remote from the location of at least one of the processes and that comprises a plurality of records, each record comprising identifiers of one or more ingredients input into a process and identifiers of one or more products output from the process, the apparatus further comprising an interface for recording, via a telecommunications link, identifiers in the records, an interface for inputting a query regarding relationships between the ingredients, the processes and/or the products, and a query engine for generating, in response to the query, at least part of the web of ingredients, processes and products upstream or downstream of an ingredient, process or product that has been specified in the query.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 20, in which the interface for recording identifiers and/or the interface for inputting a query is a secure communications link.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, in which the interface for recording identifiers and/or the interface for inputting a query is a virtual private network.