Case labeling for field-packed produce

• US 8,152,063 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PTx Trimble LLC
• Original Assignee: YottaMark, Inc. (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grant, Elliott, Carr, J. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US12/471,201
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 702/19
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0214 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0229 Carrier roll
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/10 by an adhesive layer

Abstract

Rolls of pre-printed case labels are distributed at a harvest for labeling the cases of packed produce. The labels on each roll include common information such as the type of produce, the packing configuration, the country of origin, the company identifier, and a SKU. Labels on the same roll include a common batch number, while labels on different rolls include different batch numbers. The company, SKU and batch numbers are subsequently associated in a database with harvest event data to provide traceability back to the harvest and forward from the harvest to those cases packed at that harvest. Optionally, each label can also include a unique code, a field to place a date stamp, and/or a field to place a ranch stamp.

Claims

1. A method for labeling cases of field-packed produce comprising:

distributing rolls of labels at a harvest event,

each label of every roll including a common code including a company identifier and a SKU, and

each label on each roll having a common batch number, where the batch numbers on the labels of different rolls are different;

removing case labels from the rolls and affixing the labels to produce cases before, during or after the harvest event; and

storing associations between the batch numbers and harvest event data for the harvest event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the common code comprises a GTIN.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the associations includes reading the batch numbers from the case labels.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the associations includes affixing another case label from each distributed roll to a harvest form.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein storing the associations includes reading the batch numbers from the case labels on the harvest forms.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising entering harvest event data on the harvest form.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the batch number and the common code are arranged in series.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the common code is in both a human-readable format and a machine-readable format.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising stamping each case label with a ranch stamp.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising marking the date on each case label.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein marking the date on each case label includes stamping the date.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein marking the date on each case label includes affixing a date label to each case label.

13. A method comprising:

printing multiple sets of rolls of case labels, where, for each set

each case label of every roll includes a common code including a company identifier and SKU,

each case label on each roll has a common batch number, and the batch numbers on the case labels of different rolls are different, and

the SKU for each set is different; and

storing, for each set, associations between the SKU for the set and the batch numbers of the rolls of the set.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising printing a unique code on each case label.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising selecting a set of rolls of case labels based on the SKU for the set and distributing the rolls of the set at a harvest event.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising labeling cases of produce from the harvest event with case labels from the distributed rolls and storing associations between the batch numbers and harvest event data for the harvest event.