System and method for food service storage bin monitoring

• US 7,724,154 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acumera, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acumera, Inc.
• Inventors: Heinen, Dirk D., Stewart, Brett B.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US11/554,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/870.17, 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/539.27, 702/81
• US Class Current: 340/870.17
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/022 for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2207/04 for conservation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply

Abstract

System and method for monitoring food storage bins. The system may include at least one food storage bin defining a volume usable to store food. Each food storage bin may also include at least one sensor usable to measure temperature within the volume. The system may include a transmitter/receiver operable to wirelessly transmit power to the at least one sensor and wirelessly receiver signals which include information regarding the temperature within the volume and/or the content of the food storage bin. The system may also include a controller coupled to the transmitter/receiver, operable to receive and/or determine information regarding the temperature, location, and/or content of the food storage bins via signals received from the transmitter/receiver. The controller may be operable to store the received information in a memory, e.g., comprised in or coupled to the controller.

Claims

1. A food storage system, comprising:

a food storage receptacle;

a plurality of food storage bins configured for placement in an opening of the food storage receptacle, wherein the bins are integral with the opening, wherein each food storage bin comprises;

a bottom portion;

one or more side portions;

wherein the bottom portion and the one or more side portions define a volume configured for storing food; and

at least one sensor usable to measure temperature within the volume, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to receive power and wirelessly transmit signals comprising information regarding the temperature;

a temperature regulator, configured to regulate the temperature of the food storage receptacle to a desired temperature range;

at least one transmitter/receiver configured to wirelessly transmit power to the at least one sensor of each of the plurality of food storage bins and wirelessly receive the respective signals comprising information regarding the temperature;

a controller coupled to the transmitter/receiver, wherein the controller is configured to;

receive the information regarding the temperature from the at least one sensor of each of the plurality of food storage bins via the transmitter/receiver; and

store the received temperature in a memory.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective signals comprise information regarding contents of the food storage bin.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective signals comprise information identifying a type of food stored in the food storage bin.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective signals comprise information regarding weight of contents of the food storage bin.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective signals comprise information regarding presence of chemical compounds or biological entities in the food storage bin.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the location of at least one of the food storage bins based on the signals received from the at least one sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is hermetically sealed in the bottom and/or the one or more side portions of the food storage bin.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor for each of the food storage bins, the at least one transmitter/receiver, and the controller are configured to operate a plurality of times to measure temperature over a plurality of time periods.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a computer system coupled to the controller, comprising a processor, the memory, and a display;

wherein the computer system is configured to display information related to the received temperature readings and/or the respective signals transmitted from the at least one sensor on the display.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface coupled to the memory, wherein the network interface is configured to provide access to the information regarding the temperature over a wide area network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is comprised in a food establishment, and wherein the memory stores information identifying the food establishment.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a web server comprised in or coupled to the controller, which is configured to provide access to the information regarding the temperature over a wide area network.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each food storage bin further comprises a coiled wire electrically coupled to the sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to receive power via the coiled wire.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each food storage bin comprises a member which extends or projects into the volume, wherein the member comprises material configured to thermally conduct the temperature inside the volume.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein each food storage bin is configured to store a respective type of food.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the at least one bin comprises thermally conductive material.

17. A method for monitoring states of a plurality of food storage bins, comprising:

wirelessly providing power to a sensor comprised in each food storage bin, wherein the plurality of food storage bins are comprised in an opening of a food storage receptacle, wherein the bins are integral with the opening, and wherein the food storage receptacle is configured to regulate the temperature of the plurality of food storage bins;

receiving and storing a temperature from the sensor of each of the food storage bins in a memory, wherein the temperature is wirelessly received from the sensor;

wherein said wirelessly providing power and said receiving and storing a temperature are performed a plurality of times to receive and store a plurality of temperatures for the plurality of food storage bins;

examining at least a subset of the plurality of temperatures stored in the memory;

determining if handling of each of the food storage bins meets first criteria based on said examining;

providing an indication to a user if the handling of at least one of the food storage bins does not meet the first criteria.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first criteria comprises at least one of:

criteria regarding temperature of food stored in the food storage bin;

criteria regarding washing temperature of the food storage bin;

or

criteria regarding storage temperature of the food storage bin.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria regarding the temperature of the food stored in the food storage bin is specific to a type of the food stored in the food storage bin.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request for information regarding the plurality of temperatures over a wide area network;

retrieving current information from the memory; and

providing the current information over the wide area network for analysis.

21. The method of claim 20,

wherein said providing comprises a web server coupled to the memory providing the current information over the wide area network.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

accessing the memory over a wide area network;

retrieving current information from the memory; and

displaying the current information on a display, wherein said displaying the current information comprises said providing.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving and storing, from the sensor of each of the plurality of food storage bins, and in the memory, one or more of;

weight of contents of the food storage bin;

location of the food storage bin;

type of food in the food storage bin;

presence of one or more specific chemical compounds;

or

presence of one or more specific biological organisms;

wherein the temperature is wirelessly received from the sensor;

wherein said wirelessly providing power and said receiving and storing a temperature and said receiving and storing, from the sensor of each of the plurality of food storage bins, are performed a plurality of times to receive and store information regarding the food storage bin; and

wherein said examining at least a subset of the plurality of temperatures stored in the memory comprises examining the information.

24. A method for configuring a food storage system to perform food monitoring, comprising:

placing a plurality of food storage bins in an opening of a food storage bin receptacle, wherein the bins are integral with the opening, each food storage bin comprising a sensor configured to wirelessly receive power and wirelessly transmit signals comprising information regarding temperature of the food storage bin;

configuring the food storage bin receptacle to include at least one transmitter/receiver, configured to transmit power to each of the plurality of food storage bins and receive signals from each of the plurality of food storage bins;

configuring a controller to control the transmitter/receiver and record the information regarding the temperature of each of the plurality of food storage bins;

wherein the food storage system is configured to monitor food stored in the plurality of bins in order to ensure that the food is safe for consumption.

25. A method for retrofitting a food storage bin receptacle to include a transmitter/receiver, the method comprising:

adding a transmitter/receiver to the food storage bin receptacle, wherein the transmitter/receiver is configured to wirelessly transmit power to and wirelessly receive signals from each of a plurality of food storage bins, wherein the signals comprise information regarding temperature of the plurality of food storage bins, and wherein the plurality of food storage bins are insertable into an opening of the food storage bin receptacle such that the food storage bins are integral with the opening; and

coupling the transmitter/receiver to a controller, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmitter/receiver and record the information regarding the temperature of the plurality of food storage bins in a memory;

wherein the food storage bin receptacle is usable in a food monitoring system to maintain a log of temperature information of food stored in the new food storage bin.