Food information monitoring system

• US 6,856,932 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unified Brands, Inc. (Electrolux Professional AB)
• Original Assignee: A La Cart, Inc.
• Inventors: Wallace, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Washburn, Douglas N
• Application Number:
  US10/423,374
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 621/25, 621/26, 621/27, 621/29, 622/37, 165/267, 219/620, 219/621, 702/81, 702/127, 702/130, 702/135, 702/136, 702/178, 702/182, 702/188, 702/173
• US Class Current: 702/130
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/026 arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing

Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying food information to a user, involving assigning each of a plurality of remote sensor units to a designated food receptacle containing food, categorizing each food receptacle into one of a plurality of food receptacle types, and displaying, in a central location, an indication of the type of food receptacle to which the remote sensor unit is assigned and an indication of the food stored therein.

Claims

1. A food information system, the system comprising:

a plurality of remote units, each having a sensor device that detects data indicative of a particular food condition, wherein each remote unit is assigned to a designated food receptacle containing food, and wherein the food receptacle and the food are each of a categorizable type;

a central computer that gathers data from the plurality of remote units; and

a graphical user interface, operable in conjunction with the central computer, that displays to a user;

a graphical entry for each remote unit,

an indication of the type of food receptacle to which each respective remote unit is assigned, and

an indication of the type of food contained in the food receptacle to which each respective remote unit is assigned.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is further operable, in conjunction with the central computer, to display to a user the data detected by each remote unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each sensor device includes a temperature sensor, and wherein the detected data includes a temperature measurement.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical entries for the plurality of remote units are arranged in a table.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical entry for each remote sensor unit is an icon.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the indication of the food receptacle type is a text message superimposed over the respective remote sensor unit icon.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the indication of the food type is a text message superimposed over the respective remote sensor unit icon.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein a unique icon is associated with each different food receptacle type, and wherein the type of icon that is displayed for each remote unit is indicative of the food receptacle type to which the respective remote unit is assigned.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein a unique icon is associated with each different food type, and wherein the type of icon that that is displayed for each remote unit is indicative of the type of food contained in the food receptacle to which the respective remote unit is assigned.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is further operable, in conjunction with the central computer, to display to a user a unique identification number for each remote unit.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is further operable, in conjunction with the central computer, to display to a user an indication of whether or not an alarm condition exists for each remote unit.

12. A method in a computer system for displaying food information to a user, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning each of a plurality of remote sensor units to a designated food receptacle containing food;

categorizing each food receptacle into one of a plurality of food receptacle types; and

for each assigned remote sensor unit, displaying, at a central location;

an indication of the type of food receptacle to which the remote sensor unit is assigned, and

an indication of the food stored in the food receptacle to which the remote sensor unit is assigned.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of categorizing foods that may be stored in each food receptacle into one of a plurality of food types.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of displaying, for each remote sensor unit, an indication of the food stored in the food receptacle to which the remote sensor unit is assigned includes displaying an indication of the type of food stored in the food receptacle.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of detecting, at each remote sensor unit, data indicative of a particular food condition.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the particular food condition is a food temperature.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of displaying, at a central location, the data detected by each remote sensor unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the detected data is displayed in real time.