Customized food selection, ordering and distribution system and method

• US 8,249,946 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Mills Incorporated
• Original Assignee: General Mills Incorporated
• Inventors: Froseth, Barrie R., Bowers, Raymond, Geddis, Mike E., Joy, Myer, Muller, Paul, Nelson, Kimberly A., Schroeder, Lisa R., Schellhaass, Sheri M., Thoresen Severts, Jeffrey D., Van Lengerich, Bernhard, Williams, David E., Zietlow, Philip K., Dickson, Katy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US11/889,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.5, 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 426/72, 426/103, 426/615, 426/619, 416/72
• US Class Current: 705/26.5
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

A system and method for selecting, ordering and distributing customized food products is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method is a computer-implemented method comprising viewing a list of additives for creating a customized food product, selecting one or more additives from the list of additives to create the customized food product, and transmitting a request to purchase the customized food product, which is then distributed to the consumer. By communicating with the manufacturer as to personal needs and desires pertaining to health, activity level, organoleptic preferences and so forth, the consumer can now develop and order a customized food product to suit his or her particular tastes, using a real-time interactive communication link.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for selecting and ordering a customized food product comprising:

viewing, on a display of a communication device, a list of choices designed to allow a consumer to design a customized food product made from a ready-to-eat cereal base or grain-based half-product pellets, along with various additives;

making a selection from the list, using a user interface of the communication device, the list having choices including customized food product choices, customized food ingredients choices, and customized food category choices;

creating a customized food product order made from a ready-to-eat cereal base or grain-based half-product pellets along with the selection made from the list including customized food product choices, customized food ingredients choices, and customized food category choices; and

communicating the customized food product order to a merchant remote from the communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the selection prior to transmission of the selection.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the selection is modified by accessing the list of customized food ingredient choices and adding or removing ingredients from the list.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein access to the list of customized food ingredients choices is limited to certain ingredient choices.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the customized food product from a remote source.

6. The method recited in claim 5 wherein the preferences are communicated using a computerized survey.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving nutritional information about the one or more customized food products.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the nutritional information is received on a customized nutritional label generated specifically for said customized food product.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving advice on a customized nutritional label generated for the customized food product.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the advice is located on an insert shipped with the customized food product.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising completing a survey, the survey designed to determine one or more consumer preferences.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the survey asks questions regarding taste preferences for at least one of grains, flavors, sweetness, nutrition, serving size, packaging, particulates, quantity, type and form.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein personalized health and nutrition information is provided in response to the completed survey.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the survey is inferential or inductive.

15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the one or more preferences relate to topics selected from the group consisting of health concerns, diet requirements, taste preferences, serving size preference, product packaging preference, economic preference and lifestyle choices.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising first choosing a path selected from the group consisting of viewing and selecting customized food product choices, viewing and selecting customized food ingredient choices, and viewing and selecting customized food category choices.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying the selection with a unique code.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising storing the unique code in a merchant database.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising manufacturing the customized food product in a custom finishing facility.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the customized food ingredient list includes additives selected from the group consisting of sweeteners, nutrients, flavorings and particulates.

21. A method of selecting and ordering customized food products utilizing a computer-based system, comprising:

listing food additive choices on a display of a communication device accessible by a consumer;

obtaining consumer food additive selections via a user interface of the communication device;

creating a customized food product order made from a ready-to-eat cereal base or grain-based half-product pellets based on the selection made from a list including customized food product choices, customized food ingredients choices, and customized food category choices;

communicating the consumer food additive selections to a merchant remote from the communication device;

designing a customized food product based, at least in part, on the consumer food additive selections, wherein the customized food product contains a ready-to-eat cereal base or grain-based half product pellets, along with one or more other additives;

ordering the customized food product from a production facility;

producing the customized food product; and

shipping the customized food product to the consumer.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

supplying a consumer with a survey to obtain consumer information; and

retrieving the consumer information from the survey.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the customized food product is designed, at least in part, based on the consumer information from the survey.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the survey includes questions related to topics selected from the group consisting of health concerns, taste preferences, diet requirements, lifestyle choices, serving size preference, product packaging preference and economic preference.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the survey asks questions regarding consumer preference for, at least a majority of, grains, flavors, sweetness, nutrition, serving size, packaging, particulates, quantity, type and form.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing health and nutrition advice to the consumer in response to the consumer information.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein providing the advice comprises:

generating a database containing contents of known food products;

collecting data from a consumer about personal eating habits;

determining a personalized profile for the consumer with the database; and

dispensing the health and nutrition advice based on the personalized profile.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

assigning a code to the customized food product.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the consumer information is retrieved by telephone, facsimile, mail or computer.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the additive choices include sweeteners, nutrients, flavorings and particulates.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein producing the customized food product includes combining one or more food product components and pre-selected additives in a sequential manner.

32. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

isolating potential allergen additives in the production facility.

33. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

attaching nutrients to the cereal base or half-product using electrostatic attraction.

34. A computer-implemented method of selecting and ordering customized food products utilizing a computer-based system, comprising:

listing food additive choices on a display of a communication device accessible by a consumer, with the consumer viewing a list of choices designed to allow the consumer to design a customized food product made from a cereal base or grain-based half-product pellets, along with various additives;

obtaining consumer food additive selections via a user interface of the communication device, with the consumer making a selection from the list, the list having choices including customized food product choices, customized food ingredients choices, and customized food category choices;

creating a customized food product order made from a ready-to-eat cereal base or gin-based half-product pellets based on the selection made from the list including customized food product choices, customized food ingredients choices, and customized food category choices;

communicating the consumer food additive selections to a merchant remote from the communication device;

designing a customized food product based, at least in part, on the consumer food additive selections, wherein the customized food product contains a ready-to-eat cereal base or grain-based half product pellets, along with one or more other additives;

ordering the customized food product from a production facility;

producing the customized food product; and

shipping the customized food product to the consumer.