Method and system for monitoring batch product manufacturing

• US 7,248,938 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Safetychain Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vigilistics Incorporated (Safetychain Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soutar, Todd A, Scalfani, Charles J, Gaudino, Donald L, McCormick, Steven C, Sonnenfeld, Therese M, Nelson, Craig A
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick; Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US10/931,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 700/108, 700/110, 994/52
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31265 Control process by combining history and real time data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31311 Data are id, destination, number of pieces, alternative destination, process data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring product through a batch manufacturing plant is provided. The system includes, a parallel flow mode when product flows concurrently from at least two units to a single unit; and a serial flow mode where product flows from one unit to another at a given time, wherein the batch manufacturing plant is modeled based on the parallel and serial flow modes. A lot association is built based on product flow and a parent/child record is created for lot association. The system also includes a data collection system that collects phase information for every unit and a procedure identifier is used to create a batch identifier, where a batch identifier is associated with each lot on each unit through which product is flowing to and/or from at a given time.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a liquid food product through a batch manufacturing plant in order to trace contamination, comprising:

a plurality of liquid food holding units configured to store a liquid food product, wherein at least some of the units can be individually decontaminated;

a plurality of logical representations of the units, wherein a new logical representation of a unit is created upon decontamination of the unit;

a plurality of records that identify when a first unit started and stopped feeding into a second unit; and

at least one contamination tracing component configured to identify one or more source units that could have fed into a target unit based at least in part on start and stop times of feedings stored in the plurality of records, wherein the determination is iteratively applied so as to identify both direct source units that could have directly fed into the target unit and indirect source units that could have fed into the direct source units.

2. A liquid food processing plant contamination tracking system comprising:

a plurality of liquid bearing units configured to hold and transport a liquid food product;

a plurality of components configured to detect potential flows from and to source liquid bearing units and target liquid bearing units;

a database configured to store information about potential flows, including at least a start time and an end time that each potential flow occurred from each source liquid bearing unit to each target liquid bearing unit; and

a software component configured to select a contaminated target liquid bearing unit and to determine, based at least in part on the potential flow information, at least one source liquid bearing unit that could have made a contribution to the selected target liquid bearing unit and thus could have contributed to the contamination of the contaminated target liquid bearing unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the software component is further configured to recursively determine potential sources of contribution to each source liquid bearing unit so as to determine a plurality of source liquid bearing units that could have contributed to the contamination of the contaminated target liquid bearing unit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the software component is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the potential flow information, other target liquid bearing units that could also be contaminated.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the potential flow database represents each liquid bearing unit logically and a new logical representation for a liquid bearing unit is created upon occurrence of an event that ensures that the liquid bearing unit is free from contamination.