RFID system and method for tracking food freshness

• US 6,982,640 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Lindsay, Jeff, Reade, Walter C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US10/301,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 3405721-5729, 340/10.1, 340/692, 340/10.51, 235/462.01
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure

Abstract

A method is provided for tracking the freshness or expiration dates of food products put into storage. The food products placed into storage are provided with smart tags, the smart tags containing food product information regarding the freshness or expiration date of the food product. The food products are scanned with a smart tag scanner prior to placing the products into storage, the scanner configured to retrieve the food product information from the smart tags. The user may be alerted if the retrieved information indicates that the food product being placed into storage has expired or is no longer fresh. The food products are placed in storage, and the user may be alerted when any of stored products have expired or are no longer fresh.

Claims

1. A method for tracking the freshness or expiration dates of food products put into storage, said method comprising:

providing food products placed into storage with smart tags, the smart tags being associated with food product information wherein said food product information comprises at least one of product identification data, freshness data, or expiration date data;

scanning the food products that are placed into storage with a smart tag scanner, the scanner configured to retrieve the food product information associated with the smart tags;

storing the food product information for the food products in storage;

storing a voice message and associating said voice message with said food product information; and

alerting the user when the retrieved food product information indicates that at least one of the following events has occurred;

(a) a food product in storage is expired;

(b) a food product in storage no longer fresh; and

(c) a food product being placed into storage has expired or is no longer fresh.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the scanner is disposed at a point of entry of the food products into storage.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the smart tags are incorporated with packaging of the food products.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the smart tags are passive tags and the food product information is entered into the tags by one of the manufacturer, supplier, and vendor of the food product.

5. The method as in claim 3, wherein the smart tags are passive tags with an identification code that is associated with food product information provided externally on data storage means.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the smart tags are incorporated into a reusable container.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the scanner gives a visual display of at least a portion of the retrieved food product information to the user.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the scanner alerts the user with any combination of visual or audible alarm upon occurrence of any one of said events.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein said scanner is functionally integrated with a computer system, the computer system providing the user with a variety of options based on the food product information retrieved from the smart tags.

10. The method as in claim 1, comprising sorting the food product information to display the stored products by date.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the date is one of the date the food product expires or is no longer fresh, the date the food product was purchased, or the date the food product was placed into storage.

12. The method as in claim 10, wherein the date is the date the food product was placed into storage.

13. The method as in claim 10, comprising sorting the food product information to display the stored products by type or food group.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein the smart tags are active tags such that additional information may be added to or deleted from the tags.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein the additional food product information is automatically added to the smart tags by a transmitter at a point of purchase of the food products.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the additional food product information includes the date purchased.

17. The method as in claim 14, wherein the additional food product information is added by a user prior to placing the food product into storage.

18. The method as in claim 14, wherein the scanner is functionally integrated with a computer system that provides the user with interactive capabilities to add or delete information in the smart tags and to manipulate the food product information retrieved and stored from the smart tags.

19. The method as in claim 1, wherein the food product information includes a link to a remote database having information regarding the food product.

20. The method as in claim 19, wherein the scanner accesses the remote database and displays information therefrom to the consumer.

21. The method as in claim 20, wherein the remote database is an Internet site, the scanner being an Internet accessible device or functionally configured with an Internet accessible computer system.

22. The method as in claim 1, wherein the smart tags are provided with storage containers in which consumers place food products to be stored.

23. The method as in claim 22, wherein the smart tags are active tags, the consumer entering the food product information in the tags or associated with the tags, prior to placing the food products into storage.

24. The method as in claim 1, wherein the consumer provides said voice message by speaking a message into a voice recording system.

25. The method as in claim 1, wherein said voice message is a synthesized voice message.

26. The method as in claim 1,wherein the customer is presented with food product information for a item-of-interest after sneaking a product identification phrase into a voice recognition system.

27. A system for tracking the freshness of a food item in a storage location, comprising:

an RFID tag comprising an RFID code associated with product information for the item, the RFID tag being associated with the item in the storage location;

an RFID scanner cooperatively associated with the storage location adapted for scanning the RFID code from the smart tag and retrieving the associated product information;

a processor associated with data storage means for recording storage information pertaining to the item;

a voice recording system associated with said processor for recording a custom voice message wherein said custom voice message is associated with said RFID code;

means for comparing the storage information with predetermined criteria for the item to determine the freshness state of the item;

means for automatically recommending or causing an action to be taken with the item responsive to the freshness state of the item; and

means for a consumer to review storage-related information comprising at least a subset of the recorded storage information or the freshness state information derived from the storage information.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein a plurality of items are tracked, each item comprising an RFID tag associated with its respective product information.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the storage location is refrigerated.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for a consumer to review storage-related information comprises a consumer-operated RFID scanner adapted for scanning a product RFID tag associated with a product comprising or derived from the item, said product RFID tag comprising information associated with the storage-related information, said RFID scanner cooperatively associated with display means for displaying the storage-related information.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the smart tag is attached to a container.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the smart tag is attached to the food item.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein means for automatically recommending or causing an action to be taken comprise means for issuing an audible or visible alert indicating that the food is not fresh.

34. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location, said method comprising:

associating a first electronic tag with a unconverted item placed into storage, the first electronic tag configured for storing item-information wherein said item-information comprises at least one of identification data, freshness data, or expiration data;

scanning said first electronic tag with an electronic scanner, the scanner configured to retrieve at least part of the item-information stored in said first electronic tag;

storing the retrieved item-information in a memory associated with said electronic scanner;

prompting a user to provide an item-voice-message wherein said item-voice-message is stored in said memory and associated with at least part of said retrieved item-information; and

presenting said item-voice-message to a user when at least one of (a) an item is taken out of storage, (b) automatically when item-information is presented to a user, or (c) when requested by a user.

35. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 34, wherein said electronic tag is an RFID smart tag and said electronic scanner is an RFID smart tag scanner.

36. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 34, further comprising the step of evaluating said retrieved item-information and alerting the user when an item has experienced an item-event, said item-event comprising at least one of (a) an item has been in storage for a predefined period time, (b) the current date is greater than an item'"'"'s expiration date, (c) the current date is greater than an item'"'"'s freshness date, or (d) an item'"'"'s identification data indicates the item may not be safe.

37. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 36, wherein the user is further alerted when the retrieved item-information indicates that an item being placed into storage has expired or is no longer fresh.

38. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 34, wherein said item-voice-message is a spoken message provided by said user by speaking into at least one of a voice recording system or a speech recognition system associated with said electronic scanner and said memory.

39. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 34, further comprising the steps of:

associating a second electronic tag with a converted item, said converted item comprising at least a portion of said unconverted item;

said second electronic tag configured for storing item-information associated with said converted item, wherein said item-information comprises at least one of identification data, freshness data, or expiration data;

associating at least part of the unconverted item'"'"'s item-information with said converted item'"'"'s item-information;

requesting a user to provide an item-voice-message; and

associating said item-voice-message with said converted item'"'"'s item-information.

40. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 34, further comprising the step of converting said spoken message into a text message and presenting said text message to a user when at least one of (a) an item is taken out of storage, (b) automatically when item-information is presented to a user, or (c) when requested by a user.

41. A method of associating information with items placed into a storage location as in claim 34, further comprising the steps of:

requesting the user to provide a voice-tag, said voice-tag being a voice-message to be used to identify at least one item in storage;

storing the user provided voice-tag in said memory and associating said voice-tag with the item-information for at least one item in storage;

detecting when a user speaks a voice-tag; and

presenting the user with at least part of the item-information associated with the voice-tag.

42. A system for associating information with items placed in a storage location, comprising:

at least one electronic tag configured for storing item-information associated with an item;

an electronic scanner cooperatively associated with a storage location and adapted for retrieving information stored in said at least one electronic tag;

a processor associated with said electronic scanner;

an audio system associated with said processor, said audio system comprising components for playing an audio message and recording an audio message;

at least one memory associated with at least one of said processor or said audio system;

wherein said processor is configured to use said electronic scanner to retrieve at least part of the item-information stored in at least one electronic tag associated with an item-of-interest, said item-of-interest being one of (a) an item being placed into a storage location, or (b) an item located in a storage location;

wherein said processor is further configured to store at least part of the retrieved item-information in said memory;

wherein said audio system is further configured to record a user generated message;

wherein one of said processor or said audio system is configured to store said user generated message in said memory in one of digital form or analog form; and

wherein said processor is further configured to associate said user generated message with at least part of the retrieved item-information for the item-of-interest.

43. A system for associating information with items placed in a storage location as in claim 42, wherein said electronic tag is an RFID smart tag and said electronic scanner is an RFID smart tag scanner.

44. A system for associating information with items placed in a storage location as in claim 42, wherein the processor is further configured to present an audio-message associated with an item upon the occurrence of at least one of (a) removing the item form the storage location, (b) a manual user request for item-information about an item, or (c) automatically in response to a general user request.

45. A system for associating information with items placed in a storage location as in claim 42, further comprising:

voice recognition technology associated with said processor;

wherein said voice recognition technology is further configured to receive an item-voice-tag, said item-voice-tag being an spoken message used to identify an item and wherein said item-voice-tag comprises one of a synopsized audio message or a recording of a message spoken by the user;

wherein the processor is further configured to store said item-voice-tag in said memory and associate said item-voice-tag with at least part of the item-information stored in memory for said item; and

wherein the processor is further configured to present at least part of the item-information associated with an item-voice-tag when said voice recognition technology detects that said item-voice-tag has been spoken.