METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR FOOD PRODUCTS

• US 20130013524A1
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SureHarvest, Inc. (Where Food Comes From, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SureHarvest, Inc. (Where Food Comes From, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dlott, Jeffrey W., Rosenberg, Harry W., Ohmart, Clifford P., Connolly, Rebecca
• Granted Patent: US 9,619,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/317
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and apparatus for automatic certification of food products. In an example embodiment, apparatus comprises a hand-held device including a display and one or more input devices to sense product identification indicia associated with or affixed to a food product that is grown or raised in an agricultural operation. The hand-held device includes at least one processor to determine a machine-readable identification code from the product identification indicia and send the identification code to at least one remote server. The device also receives, from the at least one remote server, agricultural certification information that is associated with the product, the certification information indicating compliance of the product with at least one agricultural certification established by a certification authority and having one or more requirements.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a hand-held device including;

a display; and

one or more input devices to sense product identification indicia associated with or affixed to a food product that is grown or raised in an agricultural operation;

the hand-held device including at least one processor to;

a) determine a machine-readable identification code from the product identification indicia;

b) send the identification code to at least one remote server;

c) receive, from the at least one remote server, agricultural certification information that is associated with the product, the certification information indicating compliance of the product with at least one agricultural certification established by a certification authority and having one or more requirements, wherein the at least one agricultural certification is generated by an automatic, computerized certification process that determines compliance of the agricultural product with the at least one certification by comparing machine-readable product data associated with the product with respective machine-readable certification requirements for the at least one certification; and

d) display the certification information on the display in human readable form.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more input devices includes one or more of the following:

a keyboard;

bar code reader;

an audio device;

an imaging camera; and

, a radio frequency identification means.

3-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A system comprising one or more processors to:

a) receive a machine-readable identification code from one or more input devices, the machine-readable identification code corresponding to a food product;

b) receive or store agricultural certification information that is associated with the product, the certification information indicating compliance of the product with at least one agricultural certification established by a certification authority and having one or more requirements, wherein the at least one agricultural certification is generated by an automatic, computerized certification process that determines compliance of the agricultural product with the at least one certification by comparing machine-readable product data associated with the product with respective machine-readable certification requirements for the at least one certification; and

c) send to a display, in response to receiving the machine-readable identification code, at least some of the certification information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the processors is further to receive or store at least some of the certification information that is associated with the product at one or more remote servers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system further includes a computer or hand-held device comprising at least one of the processors, and wherein the at least one processor is further to receive, from the one or more remote servers, at least some of the certification information that is associated with the product.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer or hand-held device includes the display to which at least some of the certification information is sent.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more input devices includes one or more of the following:

a keyboard;

a bar code reader;

an audio device;

an imaging camera; and

, a radio frequency identification device.

12. (canceled)

13-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A computer-implemented method comprising using one or more processors to:

a) receive a machine-readable identification code from one or more input devices, the identification code corresponding to a food product;

b) receive or store agricultural certification information that is associated with the product, the certification information indicating compliance of the product with at least one agricultural certification established by a certification authority and having one or more requirements, wherein the at least one agricultural certification is generated by an automatic, computerized certification process that determines compliance of the agricultural product with the at least one certification by comparing machine-readable product data associated with the product with respective machine-readable certification requirements for the at least one certification; and

c) send to a display, in response to receiving the identification code, at least some of the certification information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing or receiving at least some of the certification information that is associated with the product at one or more remote servers.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising sending to a computer or hand-held device, from the one or more remote servers, at least some of the certification information that is associated with the product.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the computer or hand-held device includes the display to which at least some of the certification information is sent.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more input devices includes one or more of the following:

a keyboard;

a bar code reader;

an audio device;

an imaging camera; and

, a radio frequency identification device.

23. (canceled)

24. A method of processing data pertaining to an agricultural product, the method comprising receiving data from a custodian of an agricultural product, the data including product data pertaining to the agricultural product, the product data including certification information indicating compliance of the product with at least one agricultural certification established by a certification authority and having one or more requirements, wherein the at least one agricultural certification is generated by an automatic, computerized certification process that determines compliance of the agricultural product with the at least one certification by comparing machine-readable product data associated with the product with respective machine-readable certification requirements for the at least one certification.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein at least some of the product data is included in indicia applied to or affixed to the product.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein at least some of the product data is included in a bar code.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the product data is received from one or more custodians in a series of custodians, each controlling a custodial location along a chain of custody of the agricultural product.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein one or more of the custodians in the chain of custody performs a data capture operation to capture product data reflecting conditions pertaining to the product at the respective custodial location.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the product data further includes a visual image of the product at one or more of the custodial locations.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the product data further includes location data of the agricultural product at one or more of the custodial locations in the chain of custody.

31-50. -50. (canceled)

51. A certification apparatus, comprising:

a machine-readable computer database;

to store machine-readable certification requirement data in a computer database, the requirement data specifying certification requirements received from at least one certification authority for a product certification; and

to store machine-readable agricultural production data in the computer database, the agricultural production data received for a respective plurality of different agricultural products;

one or more programmed computers operable to;

determine compliance of at least one of the agricultural products with at least one product certification using the machine-readable certification requirement data and the machine-readable agricultural production data; and

produce a certification data product including certification data indicating compliance of the at least one agricultural products with the at least one product certification.

53. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the agricultural production data is selected from the group of:

production units;

production practices;

production inputs;

biological processes;

production time; and

, impacts on environmental, economic or social systems.

52. (canceled)