Method and apparatus for monitoring depletion of an item

• US 7,844,509 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• 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): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hayles; Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US11/467,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 705/29, 340/571.2
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, system, and computer usable program code for monitoring a real-time depletion of an item in a storage unit. A controller identifies an item placed in the storage unit to form an identified item. The controller detects a change in mass sensor data from a mass sensor shelf in a set of mass sensor shelves associated with the storage unit. The controller associates the change in mass sensor data with the identified item to form a current mass for the identified item. The controller determines a depletion of the identified item based a difference between the current mass and a previous mass for the identified item.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for monitoring a real-time depletion of an item in a storage unit, the computer implemented method comprising:

identifying an item placed on a mass sensor shelf in the storage unit to form an identified item, wherein the identified item is placed anywhere on the mass sensor shelf;

generating a mass footprint of the identified item, wherein the mass footprint comprises information regarding an estimated location of the identified item and an impression of a portion of the identified item in contact with the mass sensor shelf;

detecting a change in a mass sensor data from the mass sensor shelf, wherein the mass sensor shelf has a mass sensor grid, and wherein each mass sensor in the mass sensor grid detects a mass of the identified item based upon the mass footprint of the identified item;

associating the change in the mass sensor data with the identified item to form a current mass for the identified item;

and

determining a depletion of the identified item based on a difference between the current mass and a previous mass for the identified item.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the previous mass is a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

3. 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, a set of shelves, and a cabinet.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the mass sensor data is data received from a set of mass sensors associated with a mass sensor shelf.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein the non-depleted mass of the identified item is retrieved from a database.

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

determining whether a current mass of the identified item is greater than a non-depleted mass for the identified item; and

responsive to determining that a current mass of the identified item is greater than a non-depleted mass for the identified item, generating an alert for a user, wherein generating an alert comprises prompting the user to identify the item via a user interface.

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

responsive to the depletion of the identified item exceeding a threshold depletion, sending a notification to a user.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7 wherein generating a notification to the user further comprises:

adding the identified item to a list of items to be ordered from a food service provider for delivery.

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

detecting the removal of an item from the storage unit based on the mass footprint for the identified item.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the depletion is based on a net mass of the identified item remaining after subtracting a tare mass of an empty container, wherein the tare mass is a mass of the empty container.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a mass sensor shelf in a storage unit having a mass sensor grid, wherein the mass sensor grid detects a mass of an item placed on the mass sensor shelf and generates a plurality of mass sensor data; and

a controller operably coupled with the mass sensor shelf and with a storage device storing a plurality of instructions configured to cause a processor of the controller to identify an item placed anywhere on the mass sensor shelf to form an identified item;

generate a mass footprint of the identified item based on an estimated location of the identified item on the mass sensor shelf and an impression of a portion of the identified item in contact with the mass sensor shelf;

detect a change in the plurality of mass sensor data from the mass sensor shelf;

associate the change in mass sensor data with the identified item based upon the mass footprint of the identified item to form a current mass for the identified item; and

determine a depletion of the identified item based on a difference between the current mass and a previous mass for the identified item.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the previous mass is a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a freezer, an ice box, a pantry, a cupboard, a set of shelves, and a cabinet.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the mass sensor data is data received from a set of mass sensors associated with a mass sensor shelf.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processor unit further executes to the computer usable program code to determine whether a current mass of the identified item is greater than a non-depleted mass for the identified item and generate an alert to a user in response to determining that a current mass of the identified item is greater than a non-depleted mass for the identified item, wherein in executing the computer usable program code to generate an alert the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to prompt the user to identify the item via a user interface.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-recordable storage medium storing computer usable program code for identifying a depletion of an item in a storage unit, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for identifying an item on a mass sensor shelf in the storage unit to form an identified item, wherein the identified item is placed anywhere on the mass sensor shelf;

computer usable program code for generating a mass footprint of the identified item, wherein the mass footprint comprises information regarding an estimated location of the identified item and an impression of a portion of the identified item in contact with the mass sensor shelf;

computer usable program code for detecting a change in mass sensor data from the mass sensor shelf wherein the mass sensor shelf has a mass sensor grid, and wherein each mass sensor in the mass sensor grid detects a mass of the identified item based upon the mass footprint of the identified item;

computer usable program code for associating the change in mass sensor data with the identified item to form a current mass for the identified item;

and

computer usable program code for determining a depletion of the identified item based a difference between the current mass and a previous mass for the identified item.

16. A system for identifying a depletion of an item, the system comprising:

a set of mass sensor shelves, wherein a given mass sensor shelf in the set of mass sensor shelves detects a change in mass sensor data;

a set of item identifiers, wherein an item identifier in the set of item identifiers obtains an identification code from an identification tag associated with the item placed anywhere on the given mass sensor shelf to form an identified item; and

a control unit, wherein the control unit generates a mass footprint of the identified item based upon data received from the set of mass sensor shelves and the set of item identifiers, wherein the mass footprint comprises information regarding an estimated location of the identified item and an impression of a portion of the identified item in contact with the mass sensor shelf;

wherein the control unit associates the change in mass sensor data with the identified item based upon the mass footprint of the identified item to form a current mass for the identified item; and

wherein the control unit determines a depletion for the identified item based on a difference between the current mass and a predefined non-depleted mass for the identified item.