Managing home inventory

• US 7,930,221 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Lawrence, Kelvin Roderick, Brown, Michael Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F. Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danneman; Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/391,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, a storage area is provided within a particular home for storing food-related items. A database of intended food-related inventory items for the storage area is adjusted by a controller according to food-related inventory preferences received at the controller. The controller updates the database of intended food-related inventory items according to inputs from a monitoring device that monitors the addition and removal of food-related items within the storage area. A communication medium coupled to the controller transmits a selection of items from among the database of intended inventory items that are absent from the storage area.

Claims

1. A system for managing inventory, said system comprising:

a processor;

an interconnect coupled to said processor; and

a computer-usable storage medium embodying computer program code, said computer-usable storage medium being coupled to said interconnect, said computer program code comprising instructions executable by said processor and configured for;

receiving food-related inventory preferences for each of a plurality of users for a particular storage area that monitors current food-related inventory in said particular storage area;

adjusting a current database of intended food-related inventory for said particular storage area according to said food-related inventory preferences;

periodically receiving records of additions and removals of food-related items from said particular storage area at said controller;

determining a selection of food-related items from among said current database of intended food-related inventory that are absent from said particular storage area based at least in part on said records, such that food-related inventory that is intended for said particular storage area is managed;

receiving, at a universally accessible server system, a request from a provider of food-related items for said selection of food-related items that are absent from said particular storage area, said request identifying the particular storage area with a identifier uniquely associated with said particular storage area; and

permitting access to said selection of food-related items by said provider of food-related items if said provider of food-related items is included in a plurality of allowable requesters for said particular storage area.

2. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

receiving food-related inventory preferences for a particular user from among said plurality of users at said controller from a portable computer system associated with said particular user.

3. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

receiving food-related inventory preferences for a particular user from among said plurality of users from a personal storage device proffered by said particular user.

4. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

receiving food-related inventory preferences for a particular user from among said plurality of users via the universally accessible server system according to a particular universal identifier associated with said particular user.

5. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

receiving food-related inventory preferences in an extensible mark-up language data format.

6. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

adding said food-related inventory preferences to a base list of amounts of food-related items intended to be maintained in inventory of said particular storage area.

7. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

adding said food-related inventory preferences to previously received food-related inventory preferences for amounts of food-related items intended to be maintained in inventory of said particular storage area.

8. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

adjusting amounts of food-related items included in said current database of intended food-related inventory according to additions and removal of food-related items detected from said particular storage area.

9. The system for managing inventory according to claim 1, wherein said program code is further configured for:

transmitting said selection of food-related items that are absent from said particular storage area to a market.