SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT UTILIZING BARCODE INDICATORS

• US 20110006115A1
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nemet, Yaron, Brand, Ephraim
• Granted Patent: US 8,540,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/437
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/005 Indication of measured value by colour change
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/14 of inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/10 in respect of time, e.g. reacting only to a quick change of temperature
• 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 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0615 the marking being of the rewritable type, e.g. thermo-chromic barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A barcoded quality indicator operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one product quality threshold by at least one product quality affecting parameter, the barcoded quality indicator including a changeable barcode including at least one material having at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic which gradually changes as a function of changes in the at least one product quality affecting parameter and a background having at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic which is not variable or not variable in the same way as is the barcode. The machine-readable indication of exceedance being represented by a machine-readable difference between the at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic and the at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic, the barcoded quality indicator providing a first machine-readable indication prior to the exceedance of the at least one threshold and a second machine-readable indication, different from the first machine-readable indication.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A barcoded quality indicator operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one product quality threshold by at least one product quality affecting parameter, said barcoded quality indicator including a changeable barcode including at least one material having at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic which gradually changes as a function of changes in said at least one product quality affecting parameter and a background having at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic which is not variable or not variable in the same way as is the barcode, said machine-readable indication of exceedance being represented by a machine-readable difference between said at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic and said at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic, said barcoded quality indicator providing a first machine-readable indication prior to said exceedance of said at least one threshold and a second machine-readable indication, different from said first machine-readable indication, following said exceedance of said at least one threshold.

44. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein at least one of said product quality affecting parameters is selected from the group consisting of time and temperature.

45. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said barcoded quality indicator is operative to provide indications of exceedance of several different thresholds and wherein an indication of exceedance may be provided for one threshold at a time when an indication of exceedance is not provided for another threshold.

46. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said barcoded quality indicator is operative to provide said machine-readable indication only following actuation thereof.

47. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said barcoded quality indicator is machine-readable at all times, after first becoming readable, including times prior to, during and immediately following exceedance of said at least one threshold by said at least one product quality affecting parameter.

48. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said machine-readable difference between said at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic and said at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic corresponds to a specific operational range of said at least one product quality affecting parameter.

49. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said changeable barcode includes at least a plurality of bars printed with at least one material having a variable visually-sensible characteristic which changes in response to a change in a product quality affecting parameter.

50. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said changeable barcode includes at least a plurality of bars printed with at least one material having a visually-sensible characteristic which does not change in response to a change in a product quality affecting parameter.

51. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 43 and wherein said at least one material having at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic is a thermochromic material.

52. A quality management system for products comprising:

a multiplicity of barcoded quality indicators operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one product quality threshold by at least one product quality affecting parameter, said barcoded quality indicators including a changeable barcode including at least one material having at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic which gradually changes as a function of changes in said at least one product quality affecting parameter and a background having at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic which is not variable or not variable in the same way as is the barcode, said machine-readable indication of exceedance being represented by a machine-readable difference between said at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic and said at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic, said barcoded quality indicators providing a first machine-readable indication prior to said exceedance of said at least one threshold and a second machine-readable indication, different from said first machine-readable indication, following said exceedance of said at least one threshold;

a barcode indicator reader operative to read said barcoded quality indicators and to provide output indications based on a difference between said at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic of said background and said at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic of said barcode; and

an indication interpreter operative to receive said output indications and to provide human sensible product quality status outputs.

53. A quality management system according to claim 52 and wherein said indication interpreter is further operative to receive an input in addition to said output indications, said input being necessary to provide product quality status outputs.

54. A quality management system according claim 53 and wherein said indication interpreter forms part of or is otherwise connected to a computer comprising a product status table useful to provide product quality status outputs based on said output indications and said input.

55. A method of producing a multiplicity of quality indicators including a changeable barcode, said quality indicators being operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one product quality threshold by at least one product quality affecting parameter, the method comprising:

printing a background using a first material having at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic which is invariable with respect to said at least one product quality affecting parameter; and

printing a changeable barcode using a second material having at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic which gradually changes as a function of changes in said at least one product quality affecting parameter, said machine-readable indication of exceedance of said at least one product quality threshold being represented by a machine-readable difference between said at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic and said at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic.

56. A method of producing a multiplicity of quality indicators according to claim 55 and also comprising:

receiving non indicator-specific inputs including characteristics of a first plurality of materials each having at least one selectable visually-sensible characteristic which is invariable with respect to a plurality of product quality affecting parameters;

receiving non indicator-specific inputs including characteristics of a second plurality of materials each having at least one variable visually-sensible characteristic which gradually changes as a function of changes in said plurality of product quality affecting parameters;

receiving an indicator-specific input including a set of thresholds of product quality affecting parameters whose exceedance is to be indicated by said multiplicity of barcoded quality indicators; and

selecting said first material based on said characteristics thereof for printing said background and said second material based on said characteristics thereof for printing said changeable barcode in order to provide said machine-readable indication of exceedance of said at least one product quality threshold by said at least one product quality affecting parameter.

57. A method of providing quality management for products according to claim 55 and wherein said plurality of materials having variable visually-sensible characteristics is a plurality of thermochromic materials.