Fresh Departments Management System

• US 20130275236A1
• Filed: 04/09/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sealed Air Corporation US (Sealed Air)
• Original Assignee: Sealed Air Corporation US (Sealed Air)
• Inventors: Koke, John, Sperry, Charles, Piucci, Vincent, Smith, Stephen, Healey, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/859,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275236A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0078 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts

Abstract

The system comprises a central processing module that is configured to interconnect the fresh departments and operational functions. These tasks can include facilitated order fulfillment, inventory and accounting functions, sanitation, maintenance, traceability and others. This is a system that integrates various sub-systems within the fresh departments, as well as integrating the fresh departments together. The system may also utilize a plurality of slicing machines that communicate with the centralized processing unit. The software modules resident in the processing unit receive inputs that represent customer orders, and dispatch these orders to the plurality of slicing machines. The slicing machines are in communication with the software modules such that the modules are aware of the food product that is currently placed on the slicer. In this way, the software modules are able to direct specific orders to a particular slicing machine, minimizing human interaction and customer wait time.

Claims

1. An automated custom food preparation system, comprising:

a plurality of automated slicing apparatus;

an output device; and

a computer system, comprising

an order input module for accepting orders from a customer, a dispatch manager for instructing one of said automated slicing apparatus to slice said order; and

a notification module in communication with said output device to notify an operator as to the identity of said automated slicing apparatus that is slicing said order.

2. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 1, wherein said output device comprises a visual indicator on which said order and said automated slicing apparatus slicing said order is shown.

3. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 2, wherein said visual indicator shows orders which cannot be automatically performed by any of said plurality of automated slicing apparatus.

4. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 3, wherein said visual indicator shows a customer identifier for said order.

5. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 3, further comprising at least one manual slicing apparatus, wherein an operator uses said manual slicing apparatus for orders which cannot be automatically performed by any of said plurality of automated slicing apparatus.

6. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 2, wherein said visual indicator shows the status of said order on said automated slicing apparatus.

7. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 3, wherein said computer system is aware of the food item loaded on each of said automated slicing apparatus.

8. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 7, wherein said computer system informs an operator as to which food item is be placed on each of said plurality of automated slicing apparatus.

9. The automated custom food preparation system of claim 7, wherein said automated slicing apparatus has an input device, wherein it is made aware of the identity of a food item placed thereon, and said automated slicing apparatus reports said identity to said computer system.

10. An automated custom food preparation method, comprising:

entering a customer'"'"'s order into a computer, said computer in communication with a plurality of automated slicing apparatus and an output device;

slicing at least part of said customer'"'"'s order on one of said plurality of automated slicing apparatus; and

notifying an operator using said output device of an identity of said one of said plurality of automated slicing apparatus.

11. The automated custom food preparation method of claim 10, further comprising notifying said operator that a part of said customer'"'"'s order cannot be fulfilled using any of said plurality of automated slicing apparatus.

12. The automated custom food preparation method of claim 10, further comprising notifying said operator of a status of said customer'"'"'s order.

13. The automated custom food preparation method of claim 10, wherein said customer enters said order via an input device.

14. The automated custom food preparation method of claim 10, wherein said operator enters said customer'"'"'s order via an input device.

15. An automated process of creating pre-packaged food items, comprising:

using an automated slicing apparatus to slice said pre-packaged food item;

estimating consumption of said pre-packaged food item; and

slicing additional pre-packaged food items based on said estimated consumption using said automated slicing apparatus.

16. The automated process of creating pre-packaged food items of claim 15, wherein said estimating comprises monitoring sales of said pre-packaged food item.

17. The automated process of creating pre-packaged food items of claim 15, wherein said estimating comprises monitoring a display case containing said pre-packaged food item.

18. The automated process of creating pre-packaged food items of claim 15, wherein said estimating comprises monitoring waste associated with said pre-packaged food item.

19. The automated process of creating pre-packaged food items of claim 15, wherein said estimating comprises using historical data to estimate future requirements.