Cellar management system and methods for managing a wine cellar

• US 20070162357A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hill, Scott, Levinsky, Gregory, Woodrow, Rebecca, Banerjee, Shilpa, Rickabaugh, Brian, Back, Philip
• Application Number:
  US11/305,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20070162357A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/105 Heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the conditioning of articles and their storage dispensers for food articles requiring a processing by temperature treatment or conditioning before they are ready for dispensing G07F17/0064

Abstract

An inventory management system is provided for a wine cellar that includes a plurality of walls defining cells for receiving bottles of wine. The system includes a database for storing data relating to the wine cellar and inventory within the wine cellar, a user device for use by a user to access the data stored in the database, and a processor coupled to the database and the user device. The processor is configured to generate an image of each wall of the wine cellar, including individual cells of the wall, when a predetermined parameter of the wine cellar is entered with the user interface device. The processor is also configured to display information stored in the database on the user device regarding the inventory within the cellar.

Claims

1. An inventory management system for a wine cellar that includes a plurality of walls defining cells for receiving bottles of wine, said system comprising:

a database for storing data relating to the wine cellar and inventory within the wine cellar;

a user device for use by a user to access the data stored in said database; and

a processor coupled to said database and said user device, said processor configured to;

generate an image of each wall of the wine cellar, including individual cells of the wall, when a predetermined parameter of the wine cellar is entered with said user interface device; and

display information stored in said database on said user device regarding the inventory within the cellar.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to run a Macromedia Flash program to generate the image.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a printer operatively coupled to said processor, said printer configured to print information about the bottles.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said system further comprises a user system connected with said processor via a high-speed network, said user system configured to access said database and display the stored information regarding the inventory within the cellar.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said user device comprises a touch screen that enables a user to manage the bottles on said computer-based device.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor configured to create a replica of each wine rack in the cellar.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor further configured to graphically move from one cell to another cell by at least one of selecting the cell and by using a navigator on the screen.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor configured to locate and display on said user device, a particular cell that includes a specific bottle of wine.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor configured to utilize a volume based algorithm to determine how much space remains empty on a particular shelf in the cellar.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the algorithm accounts for cells that are sized to include multiple bottles of wine.

11. A cellar management system for managing a wine cellar having a plurality of cell walls, said system comprising:

a database;

a user device; and

a processor coupled to said database and said user device, said processor configured to display an image of at least one wall of the cellar on said user device and enable a user to navigate the image to select a particular bottle of wine.

12. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said database includes specific features of each wine bottle and parameters of the wine cellar.

13. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said processor configured to utilize a volume based algorithm to determine how much space remains empty on a particular shelf of the cellar.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the algorithm accounts for cells that are sized to include multiple bottles of wine.

15. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said processor is configured to run a Macromedia Flash program to generate the graphic image.

16. A system in accordance with claim 11 further comprising a printer operatively coupled to said processor, said printer configured to print information about the bottles.

17. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said system further comprises a user system connected with said processor via a high-speed network, said user system configured to access said database and display the stored information regarding the inventory within the cellar.

18. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said user interface device comprises a touch screen that enables a user to manage the bottles on said computer-based device.

19. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said processor configured to create a replica of each wine rack within the cellar.

20. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said processor further configured to graphically move from one cell to another cell by at least one of selecting the cell and using a navigator on the screen.

21. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said processor configured to locate and display on said user interface device, a particular cell that includes a specific bottle of wine.

22. A method of managing a cellar which includes a plurality of walls defining cells for receiving bottles of wine, the method utilizes a system including a database, a user device, and a processor coupled to the database and the user device, said method comprising:

displaying a computer generated image of at least one wall of the cellar on the user device; and

enabling a user to navigate the image to select a particular bottle of wine.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein the database includes specific features of each wine bottle and parameters of the wine cellar.

24. A method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising utilizing a volume based algorithm to determine how much space remains empty on a particular shelf of the cellar.

25. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein the algorithm accounts for cells that are sized to include multiple bottles of wine.

26. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said method utilizes a Macromedia Flash program to generate the graphic image.

27. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein the system further includes a user system connected with the processor via a high-speed network, said method comprising accessing the database and displaying the stored information regarding the inventory within the cellar with the user system.

28. A method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising creating a replica of each wine rack within the cellar.

29. A method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising:

graphically moving from one cell to another cell on the user device; and

locating and displaying on the user device, a particular cell that includes a specific bottle of wine.