Method for tracking grain

• US 7,047,103 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Pointer, David, Hornbaker, Robert H., Kindratenko, Volodymyr
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/882,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 700/213, 700/225, 340/572.1, 340/572.8, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/603, 340/673, 235/375, 235/385
• US Class Current: 700/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method and system of tracking transported grain. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag is provided for being deposited in a container with the grain. The tag is dimensioned to approximate a size of an individual grain, and comprises a memory and RF communication channel. The RFID tag further comprises data stored in the memory, the data including at least a time when the RFID tag was handled with surrounding grain, and information sufficient to determine a location of handling at the time the RFID tag was handled with the surrounding grain.

Claims

1. A method of tracking transported grain, the method comprising:

depositing a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag in a container with the grain, the tag having a size approximating a size of an individual grain and comprising a memory and an RF communication channel;

recording in the memory data including at least a time when the RFID tag was handled with the surrounding grain, and information sufficient to determine a location of handling at the time when the RFID tag was handled with the surrounding grain;

wherein the information sufficient to determine a location of handling comprises at least one of an absolute location and an identification of the container.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the time when the RFID tag was handled with surrounding grain comprises atomic time.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving the recorded data from the RFID tag.

4. A method of tracking transported grain, the method comprising:

depositing a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag in a container with the grain, the tag having a size approximating a size of an individual grain and comprising a memory and an RF communication channel;

recording in the memory data including at least a time when the RFID tag was handled with the surrounding grain, and information sufficient to determine a location of handling at the time when the RFID tag was handled with the surrounding grain;

during a handling stage when the grain and the RFID tag is transported to a new container, recording additional data, the additional data comprising an additional time and information sufficient to determine a location of handling during the handling stage.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the RFID tag includes a unique identification stored in read-only memory.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the memory comprises a non-volatile read/write memory.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

retrieving the recorded data from the RFID tag;

storing the retrieved data in a database.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the database is a central database separate from a device used to perform said recording.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

analyzing the stored data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said analyzing comprises displaying at least one of the location for the container and for the new container.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said analyzing comprises displaying both the location for the container and the location for the new container.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said analyzing comprises displaying a timeline for the transported grain using the location for the container and the new container.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said analyzing comprises displaying a general travel path for the transported grain using the location for the container and the new container.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the data for the container and the new container each comprise a data set including an absolute location, a time, and a container identification, and wherein said analyzing comprises:

comparing at least one item in the data set for at least one of the container and the new container to another item in the data set for at least one of the container and the new container;

determining if an inconsistency is present between the compared data.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of determining uses a timeline created using at least some of the data in the data sets.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of determining uses a travel path created using at least some of the data in the data sets.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of comparing comprises comparing at least one item in the data set for the container to another item in the data set for the container.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of comparing comprises comparing at least one item in the data set for the container to an item in the data set for the new container.

19. A method of tracking transported grain, comprising:

placing a grain-sized RFID tag into a grain flow of the transported grain;

encoding the RFID tag with at least a time when the RFID tag was handled with the grain as part of the grain flow, and information sufficient to determine a location of handling at the time when the RFID tag was handled with the surrounding grain wherein the information comprises container data in which the grain is housed.