Shelf-life monitoring sensor-transponder system
First Claim
1. A method for efficiently monitoring perishable integrity over multiple segments of a product supply chain, comprising:
- (a) providing a perishable integrity indicator system that comprises;
(i) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna;
(ii) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable;
(iii) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status;
(iv) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; and
(v) a power management module; and
(b) transferring the freshness status data to a second perishable integrity indicator system.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A perishable integrity indicator system includes a RFID transponder and a perishable integrity sensor. The RFID transponder includes a RF integrated circuit coupled with an antenna. The sensor monitors the time and temperature of the perishable. A freshness determining module receives time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determines a current freshness status. A communications interface to the RFID transponder permits a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module. The system further includes a power management module.
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Citations
78 Claims
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1. A method for efficiently monitoring perishable integrity over multiple segments of a product supply chain, comprising:
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(a) providing a perishable integrity indicator system that comprises; (i) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (ii) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (iii) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status; (iv) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; and (v) a power management module; and (b) transferring the freshness status data to a second perishable integrity indicator system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for monitoring perishable integrity over multiple segments of product supply chain, comprising:
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(a) a first perishable integrity indicator system that comprises; (i) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (ii) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (iii) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status; (iv) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; and (v) a power management module; and (b) a second perishable integrity indicator system configured for transferring the freshness status data from the first perishable indicator system to the second perishable indicator system. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A perishable integrity indicator system, comprising:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a memory module containing data representing one or more predefined temperature- dependent shelf-life trends; (d) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status by applying the measurement data to the trend data from the memory module; (e) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; (f) a power management module; and (g) a security component configured to provide selective access to the freshness status data. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A perishable integrity indicator system, comprising:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a memory module containing data representing one or more predefined temperature- dependent shelf-life trends; (d) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status by applying the measurement data to the trend data from the memory module, said freshness determining module including a first substantially temperature-independent clock and a second temperature-dependent clock, and wherein the measurement data includes first and second signals received from the first and second clocks, respectively; (e) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; and (f) a power management module. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A perishable integrity indicator system, comprising:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status; (d) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; (e) a power management module for periodically waking up the freshness monitoring component from a sleep or other low power state to gather the sensor measurements; (f) one or more additional perishable integrity sensors also communicatively coupled with said RFID transponder permitting the same or a different RFID reader, or both, to retrieve perishable data measured by the one or more additional sensors; and
a security component configured to provide selective access to the freshness status data.
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55. A perishable integrity indicator system, comprising:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status; (d) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; (e) a power management module for periodically waking up the freshness monitoring component from a sleep or other low power state to gather the sensor measurements; and (f) one or more additional perishable integrity sensors also communicatively coupled with said RFID transponder permitting the same or a different RFID reader, or both, to retrieve perishable data measured by the one or more additional sensors; wherein the time- and temperature-dependent freshness monitoring component comprises a first substantially temperature-independent clock and a second temperature-dependent clock, wherein the measurement data comprises first and second signals received from the first and second clocks, respectively.
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56. A perishable integrity indicator system, comprising:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status; (d) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; (e) a power management module for periodically waking up the freshness monitoring component from a sleep or other low power state to gather the sensor measurements; and (f) memory for storing freshness status data including a security component to provide selective access to the memory. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A perishable integrity indicator system, comprising:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a freshness determining module for receiving time- and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status, including a first substantially temperature-independent clock and a second temperature- dependent clock, wherein the measurement data comprises first and second signals received from the first and second clocks, respectively; (d) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module; and (e) a power management module for periodically waking up the freshness monitoring component from a sleep or other low power state to gather the sensor measurements. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A perishable integrity indicator system that comprises:
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(a) a RFID transponder including a RFID integrated circuit coupled with an antenna; (b) a perishable integrity sensor that monitors the time and temperature of the perishable; (c) a freshness determining module for receiving time-and temperature-dependent measurement data from the perishable integrity sensor and determining a current freshness status; (d) a communications interface to the RFID transponder permitting a RFID reader to retrieve current freshness status data corresponding to the freshness status determined by the freshness determining module and to download freshness status data to the perishable integrity indicator system from a second integrity integrator system; and (e) a power management module, (f) wherein the freshness status data comprises a custody log that tracks information relating to multiple custody periods over a perishable product'"'"'s shelf life. - View Dependent Claims (78)
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Specification