Method and apparatus for temperature based placement of an item within a storage unit

• US 7,673,464 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Watt, Stephen James, Bodin, William Kress, Masterson, Michael Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules; Frantz F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Comings; Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US11/467,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20080047282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 621/25, 621/27, 621/29, 624/41, 162/205, 236/51, 705/28, 702/128, 702/129, 702/130, 702/132, 702/133, 702/134, 702/135, 702/136, 702/173, 700/299, 700/300, 374/141, 374/166
• US Class Current: 62/127
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/06 Sensors detecting the presence of a product
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/123 more than one sensor measuring the inside temperature in a compartment
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for identifying an optimal placement of an item within a storage unit. The process identifies an item for placement in the storage unit. The process determines a preferred storage temperature range for the identified item. The process then selects an optimal placement location within the storage unit for the identified item based on the preferred storage temperature range and a set of temperature readings for the storage unit.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for identifying an optimal placement of an item within a storage unit, the computer implemented method comprising:

identifying the item for placement in the storage unit to form an identified item;

determining a preferred storage temperature range for the identified item;

obtaining temperature readings from a plurality of temperature sensors located within the storage unit to form a set of real time temperature readings for a plurality of locations within the storage unit, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors provides data regarding a real time temperature for each of the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

selecting an optimal placement location within the storage unit for the identified item based on the preferred storage temperature range and the set of real time temperature readings for the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

responsive to a placement of the identified item on a mass sensor shelf in the storage unit, determining a current location of the identified item within the storage unit based on a mass footprint of the identified item, wherein the mass footprint is an impression of the identified item that is generated by a set of mass sensors in contact with a surface of the identified item on the mass sensor shelf, and wherein the set of mass sensors is a portion of a plurality of mass sensors on the mass sensor shelf; and

storing mass sensor data from the set of mass sensors for the identified item in a storage device.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a freezer, an ice box, a pantry, a cupboard, and a cabinet.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing an alert to a user, wherein the alert includes the optimal placement location within the storage unit.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the alert is presented as an alert selected from a group consisting of a graphical alert on a display screen, an auditory alert, a flashing visual alert, an LED display, a vibration alert, and a combination graphical and auditory alert.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the alert is an audio alert providing a text-to-voice message providing the optimal location to the user.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the alert is a display providing a diagram of the storage unit indicating the optimal placement location to the user.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the preferred storage temperature range is determined from an item profile corresponding to the identified item.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a set of temperature sensors from the plurality of temperature sensors is located on a shelf within the storage unit, wherein each shelf of a plurality of shelves in the storage unit comprises a different set of temperature sensors from the plurality of temperature sensors, and wherein each sensor of the set of temperature sensors provides data regarding a real time temperature for a specific location on the shelf.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are mapped to predetermined locations on each shelf of a plurality of shelves within the storage unit.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the item further comprises:

receiving, by a radio frequency identifier reader, a unique radio frequency identifier signal from a radio frequency identifier tag associated with the item.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the item further comprises:

receiving, by a universal product code scanner, a universal product code identification number from a universal product code associated with the item.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring temperature variations at the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

comparing a real time temperature reading corresponding to the current location of the identified item with the preferred storage temperature range of the identified item; and

responsive to a determination that the real time temperature reading corresponding to the current location of the identified item is not within the preferred storage temperature range of the identified item, generate an alert to a user indicating that the identified item is not currently located in an optimal temperature location and providing a new optimal placement location within the storage unit for the identified item.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a removal of the identified item from the storage unit based on a removal of the mass footprint of the identified item on the mass sensor shelf; and

storing a timestamp indicating the removal of the identified item from the storage unit.

12. An apparatus for identifying an optimal placement of an item within a storage unit, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface;

a tag reader;

a plurality of temperature sensors; and

a controller, wherein the controller further comprises;

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains a computer usable program product; and

a processor unit, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to identify the item for placement in the storage unit to form an identified item;

determine a preferred storage temperature range for the identified item;

obtain temperature readings from the plurality of temperature sensors located within the storage unit to form a set of real time temperature readings for a plurality of locations within the storage unit, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors provides data regarding a real time temperature for each of the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

select an optimal placement location within the storage unit for the identified item based on the preferred storage temperature range and the set of real time temperature readings for the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

determine a current location of the identified item within the storage unit based on a mass footprint of the identified item responsive to a placement of the identified item on a mass sensor shelf in the storage unit, wherein the mass footprint is an impression of the identified item that is generated by a set of mass sensors in contact with the identified item on the specific shelf, and wherein the set of mass sensors is a portion of a plurality of mass sensors on the mass sensor shelf; and

store mass sensor data from the set of mass sensors for the identified item in a storage device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a freezer, an ice box, a pantry, a cupboard, and a cabinet.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to provide an alert to a user, wherein the alert includes the optimal placement location within the storage unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to:

compare a current mass footprint of a replaced item with the mass footprint of the identified item;

responsive to a determination that the current mass footprint of the replaced item does not match the mass footprint of the identified item, identify the replaced item for placement in the storage unit to form a new identified item; and

responsive to a determination that the current mass footprint of the replaced item matches the mass footprint of the identified item, determine whether a current mass of the replaced item is greater than a previous mass for the identified item;

responsive to a determination that the current mass of the replaced item is greater than the previous mass for the identified item, identify the replaced item for placement in the storage unit to form the new identified item; and

responsive to a determination that the current mass of the replaced item is not greater than the previous mass for the identified item, store the current mass of the replaced item as the current mass of the identified item.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to generate an alert to a user to identify a replaced item in response to determining that a current mass of the replaced item is greater than a previous mass for the identified item.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith for identifying an optimal placement of an item within a storage unit, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code configured to identify the item for placement in the storage unit to form an identified item;

computer usable program code configured to determine a preferred storage temperature for the identified item;

computer usable program code configured to obtain temperature readings from a plurality of temperature sensors located within the storage unit to form a set of real time temperature readings for a plurality of locations within the storage unit, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors provides data regarding a real time temperature for each of the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

computer usable program code configured to select an optimal placement location within the storage unit for the identified item based on the preferred storage temperature range and the set of real time temperature readings for the plurality of locations within the storage unit;

computer usable program code configured to determine a current location of the identified item within the storage unit based on a mass footprint of the identified item responsive to a placement of the identified item on a mass sensor shelf in the storage unit, wherein the mass footprint is an impression of the identified item that is generated by a set of mass sensors in contact with the identified item on the mass sensor shelf, and wherein the set of mass sensors is a portion of a plurality of mass sensors on the mass sensor shelf; and

computer usable program code configured to store mass sensor data from the set of mass sensors for the identified item in a storage device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a freezer, an ice box, a pantry, a cupboard, and a cabinet.