Method and system of setting and/or controlling of a food product dispensing machine using a tag-type communication device

• US 7,032,818 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA), Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Thomas, Kevin R., Hu, Ruguo, Cardwell, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): ST CYR, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US09/898,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20030006281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/381, 235/383, 235/436, 235/462.13, 235/462.46, 235/472.02
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0884 Means for controlling the parameters of the state of the liquid to be dispensed, e.g. temperature, pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0888 Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0811 provided with coded information
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

A method of and system for providing machine-readable tags, preferably programmable RFID tags are provided. In one embodiment of the present invention, a receptacle having at least one wall member that defines an enclosure and a tag associated with the receptacle, which includes machine-readable information regarding a product occupying the enclosure is provided. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the tag includes identification information in electronic form for the product.

Claims

1. A food package for delivering a beverage-forming product to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser comprising a single-serving or multi-serving receptacle having at least one wall member that defines an enclosure, a beverage-forming product present within the enclosure;

wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser, and a programmable tag associated with the beverage-forming product or single-serving or multi-serving receptacle, wherein the programmable tag includes machine-readable information regarding the product which information is programmed at the manufacturing plant and includes instructions or a verification code in electronic form for controlling at least one of preparation of a beverage from the beverage-forming product in the dispenser or dispensing of a beverage from the dispenser, wherein the programmable tag comprises preparation instructions or data relevant for configurating the dispenser as to the preparation of the beverage.

2. The food package of claim 1, wherein the tag is affixed to an exterior surface of the package.

3. The food package of claim 1, wherein the tag is an RFID device.

4. The food package of claim 1, wherein the tag is affixed to an interior surface of the package.

5. The food package of claim 1, wherein the tag includes a date of expiration in electronic form for the product.

6. The food package of claim 1, wherein the verification code is an expiration date determined from the date when the package is opened.

7. The food package of claim 1, wherein the food- or beverage-forming product is a powder, a concentrate or a ready-to-drink product.

27. The food package of claim 1, wherein the tag includes information in electronic form regarding at least one of features, properties and processing of the product.

28. The food package of claim 1, wherein the preparation instruction or data are relevant for configurating the dispenser regarding any of the parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

8. A method of preparing or dispensing a beverage, which method comprises:

encoding instructions in electronic form on a machine-readable tag at a manufacturing plant for preparation of a single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage;

associating the tag with the single-serving or multi-serving of a beverage-forming product or a single-serving or multi-serving package that contains the product;

wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser;

placing the package in or close to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser;

reading of the machine-readable tag by the dispenser prior to preparation or dispensing of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage; and

executing the electronic instructions encoded on the machine-readable tag by the dispenser to prepare or dispense the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage;

wherein the preparation or dispense of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage includes a diluting step of the beverage-forming product with a diluent, wherein the encoded instructions are relevant for configurating the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

9. A method of controlling the preparation or dispensing of a beverage product from a beverage-forming product, which method comprises:

encoding a verification code in electronic form on a machine-readable tag at a manufacturing plant, wherein the tag is associated with a single-serving or multi-serving of a beverage-forming product or a single-serving or multi-serving food package that contains the product;

wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser;

placing the single-serving or multi-serving package in or close to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser;

reading of the machine-readable tag by the dispenser prior to preparation or dispensing of a beverage from the single-serving or multi-serving beverage-forming product; and

comparing of the verification code read from the machine-readable tag with a list of valid verification codes;

wherein the beverage is either prepared from the single-serving or multi-serving beverage-forming product or dispensed when the verification code read from the machine-readable tag matches a valid verification code from the list;

wherein the preparation or dispense of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage includes a diluting step of the beverage-forming product with a diluent;

wherein the encoded instructions are relevant for configurating the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein an error code is generated when the verification code read from the machine-readable tag does not match a valid verification code from the list.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the error code disables the dispenser from preparing or dispensing the food or beverage.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the error code notifies a consumer that the product selected for dispensing is not available.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the error code notifies an operator of the dispenser that an invalid product verification code has been read.

14. A system for dispensing a product, comprising:

at least one single-serving or multi-serving food package including a receptacle having at least one wall member that defines an enclosure, and a beverage-forming product present within the enclosure;

wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser,

a programmable tag associated with the beverage-forming product or at least one single-serving package; and

a dispenser adapted for reading the programmable tag and for preparing and dispensing a beverage from the beverage-forming product(s) of the single-serving package(s);

wherein the preparation or dispense of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage includes a diluting step of the beverage-forming product with a diluent;

wherein the programmable tag contains information that is relevant to the preparation of the beverage and to set the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the package is composed of a non-conductive material and the tag is located within the enclosure.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the package is composed of a conductive material and the tag is attached to the at least one wall member on a side opposite that of the enclosure.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the tag is an RFID device that includes information in electronic form regarding the features, properties or processing of the product.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the dispenser includes a tag reader for reading the tag, and a processor having memory operatively associated with the dispenser, and the tag reader, and a connection to an external communications network, the processor configured to

signal the tag reader to read the tag;

receive information read from the tag by the tag reader;

store the information in the memory; and

place the information on the external communications network.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the tag includes product preparation instructions in electronic form and the processor is also configured to carry out the instructions to prepare and dispense the product.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor sets one of a dilution ratio, an operating temperature, a mixing time, or a dispensing time for the dispenser in accordance with the set of instructions in electronic form.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to read a current time and date from an electronic clock, and then the processor compares the current time and date with a time and date of expiration contained in the set of information;

and when the current time and date is earlier than or equal to the time and date of expiration, processor disables the dispenser from dispensing the product.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising the step of:

when the current time and date is earlier than or equal to the time and date of expiration, the processor places a data set on the external communications network, the data set to include a name of the product, the time and date of expiration, and an indicia of identification for the dispenser.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the dispenser includes pre-determined quality indicia comprising at least one of a brand name, an indication of origin, a generic product grading or an expiration date.

24. The system of claim 23, which further comprises preparing the beverage from the beverage-forming products only when collected information from the programmable tag matches at least one of the pre-determined quality indicia.

25. The system of claim 23, which further comprises dispensing the prepared beverage only when collected information from the programmable tag matches at least one of the pre-determined quality indicia.

26. A single-serving or multi-serving food package for delivering a beverage-forming product to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser, comprising:

a receptacle having at least one wall member that defines an enclosure, the enclosure housing a single-serving or multi-serving of a beverage-forming product;

wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser;

a programmable tag associated with the beverage-forming product and single-serving package, wherein the programmable tag is electronically programmed at a manufacturing plant to include machine-readable information regarding the product, which information includes at least one of instructions or a verification code for controlling the dispenser to prepare the single-serving beverage from the beverage-forming product or to dispense the beverage, wherein the programmable tag contains coded information that is relevant to the preparation of the beverage for setting the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.