Food product tracing system, program and method thereof

• US 6,892,943 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2003
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pentax Corporation (Hoya Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US10/602,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20040089716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/383, 235/487, 426/231, 340/573.3, 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The system includes a storage including records created for every product at every stage and a processor operated by first and second processes. Each record includes a first stage information at which the food product is processed, a first time information for specifying the time period of processing at the first stage, a second stage information at which the livestock product processed at the first stage is received as material and a second time information for specifying the time period of processing at the second stage. The first process specifies a target record whose first stage and time information are coincident with that of an original product. The second process specifies a new target record whose first stage and time information are coincident with the second stage and time information of the previous target record. The second process is repeated until a new target record cannot be specified.

Claims

1. A food product tracing system that traces food products coming from an original product and distributed along a distribution channel that has a plurality of stages at which material is processed to form a product, said system comprising:

a storage that includes records created for every food product at every stage of processing, said records include first stage information for identifying the first stage at which the food product is processed, first time information that specifies a time period of processing at said first stage, second stage information for identifying the second stage at which the food product processed at said first stage is received as material and second time information that specifies the time period of processing at said second stage; and

a processor that operates according to programs having a first process and a second process, said first process specifying a target record whose first stage information and first time information are coincident with the stage and the time at which said original product is processed, said second process specifying a new target record whose first stage information and first time information are coincident with the second stage information and the second time information of a previous target record, wherein said second process is repeated until a new target record cannot be specified.

2. The food product tracing system according to claim 1, wherein a definition of said original product includes a domestic animal and the definition of said processing includes a breeding of the domestic animal.

3. The food product tracing system according to claim 1, wherein each of said first time information and said second time information comprise a start time and an end time of the time period.

4. The food product tracing system according to claim 1, wherein said processor executes said second process for each target record when a plurality of target records are specified by the previous second process.

5. The food product tracing system according to claim 1, wherein said processor outputs contents of a latest target record when said second process cannot specify a new target record.

6. The food product tracing system according to claim 5, wherein said second process cannot specify a new target record when the previous target record does not include said second time information.

7. The food product tracing system according to claim 5, wherein said processor executes said first and second processes based on information transmitted from a terminal through a network and sends the contents of the latest target record to said terminal through said network.

8. The food product tracing system according to claim 7, wherein said processor starts said first process for every terminal that transmits a start command.

9. The food product tracing system according to claim 7, wherein said processor makes the terminal display a message to indicate that the food product represented by said latest target record exists at the stage represented by said first stage information of said latest target record.

10. The food product tracing system according to claim 7, wherein said processor makes the terminal display a message to indicate that the food product represented by the latest target record is taken out from the distribution channel at the stage represented by the second stage information of the latest target record.

11. A food product tracing program that traces food products coming from an original product and distributed along a distribution channel that has a plurality of stages at which material is processed to form a product, said program running on a computer that can access a storage that includes records created for every food product at every stage, said records including first stage information for identifying the first stage at which the food product is processed, first time information that specifies a time period of processing at said first stage, second stage information for identifying the second stage at which the food product processed at said first stage is received as material and second time information that specifies a time period of processing at said second stage, said program comprising:

a first process that specifies a target record whose first stage information and first time information are coincident with the stage and the time at which said original product is processed, and

a second process that specifies a new target record whose first stage information and first time information are coincident with the second stage information and the second time information of the previous target record,

wherein said second process is repeated until a new target record cannot be specified.

12. A food product tracing method that traces food products coming from an original product and distributed along a distribution channel that has a plurality of stages at which material is processed to form a product, said method comprising:

storing records created for every food product at every stage, said records include first stage information for identifying the first stage at which the food product is processed, first time information for specifying a time period of processing at said first stage, second stage information for identifying the second stage at which the food product processed at said first stage is received as material and second time information for specifying the time period of processing at said second stage;

executing a first process, said first process specifying a target record whose first stage information and first time information are coincident with the stage and the time at which said original product is processed; and

executing a second process, said second process specifying a new target record whose first stage information and first time information are coincident with the second stage information and the second time information of the previous target record, wherein said second process is repeated until a new target record cannot be specified.