SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN A PRODUCT LOGISTIC CHAIN

• US 20090230182A1
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nemet, Yaron, Brand, Ephraim
• Granted Patent: US 8,196,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/12 using changes in colour, translucency or reflectance
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/04 in respect of time
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/221 for investigating pH value
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/229 for investigating time/temperature history
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/84 involving inorganic compounds or pH
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1408 the method being specifically adapted for the type of code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A quality management system for products including a multiplicity of product unit specific indicators, each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, an indicator reader operative to read the product unit specific indicators and to provide output indications and a product type specific indication interpreter operative to receive the output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.

Claims

1. A quality management system for products comprising:

a multiplicity of product unit specific indicators each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, said machine-readable indication comprising a variable bar code having a first readable state and at least a second readable state, each readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia, at least two digital indicia being different between said second readable state and said first readable state;

an indicator reader operative to read said product unit specific indicators and to provide output indications; and

a product type specific indication interpreter operative to receive said output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.

2. A quality management system for products according to claim 1 and wherein at least one of said multiplicity of product unit specific indicators is operative to provide machine-readable indications of exceedence of at least two thresholds by at least one product quality determining parameter.

3. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said indicator reader is a bar code reader.

4. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said bar codes are one-dimensional bar codes.

5. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said bar codes are two-dimensional bar codes.

6. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one threshold includes at least a temperature threshold.

7. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one threshold includes at least an elapsed time threshold.

8. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one threshold includes at least a pH threshold.

9. A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said variable bar code has a third readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia and wherein at least two digital indicia are different between said third readable state and said second readable state.

10. A product unit specific indicator operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, said machine-readable indication comprising a variable bar code having a first readable state and at least a second readable state, each readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia, at least two digital indicia being different between said second readable state and said first readable state;

11. A product unit specific indicator according to claim 10 and wherein said variable bar code has a fixed bar code portion and at least one selectably appearing bar code portion, both said fixed bar code portion and said at least one selectably appearing bar code portion being readable by a bar code reader.

12. A product unit specific indicator according to claim 11 and wherein said at least one selectably appearing bar code portion disappears in response to exceedence of said at least one threshold.

13. A method for quality management for products comprising:

employing a multiplicity of product unit specific indicators to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, said machine-readable indication comprising a variable bar code having a first readable state and at least a second readable state, each readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia, at least two digital indicia being different between said second readable state and said first readable state;

reading said product unit specific indicators and providing output indications therefrom; and

interpreting said output indications to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.