Transport scheduling for low microbial bulk products

• US 8,412,642 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ardent Mills LLC (CHS Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ConAgra Foods Food Ingredients Company Incorporated (Givaudan SA)
• Inventors: Mariniello, Robert, Akins-Lewenthal, Edith D., Grace, Ryan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US13/010,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 705/332, 705/333, 705/336, 705/337
• US Class Current: 705/332
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/04 Cleaning involving contact with liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/10 Composition for standardization, calibration, simulation, stabilization, preparation or preservation; processes of use in preparation for chemical testing

Abstract

Transport scheduling and transport processes for low microbial (“LM”) bulk products are described. The transport scheduling and processes facilitate low microbial activity in a LM bulk product during the transport of the LM bulk product.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform the method comprising:

determining a product transport period and a transport path based on a shipping request, wherein the product transport period begins on a product load-out date and expires on a product receipt date;

receiving an indication of a qualified bulk flour vessel that has a low microbial wash (LMW) timing threshold that is not projected to be surpassed at any time during the project transport period, the LMW timing threshold being based on a product specification indicating a microbial baseline for the low microbial bulk flour product and being a maximum amount of time between LM washes for the bulk flour product vessel;

obtaining predicted environmental conditions related to the product transport period and the transport path, wherein the predicted environmental conditions include a predicted temperature for the transport period along the transport path;

based upon the predicted environmental conditions, determining optimal product conditions, for the LM bulk flour product, to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path in order to minimize condensation formation in the qualified bulk flour vessel, wherein the optimal product conditions include an optimal product temperature;

receiving an indication of a current product condition of the LM bulk flour product, wherein the current product condition include a current product temperature;

determining whether the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path; and

when the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path, adjusting the current product temperature to a value that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predicted environmental conditions further include a humidity value for the transport period along the transport path.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the optimal product conditions further include an optimal moisture content to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the optimal product conditions are determined from a low microbial wash specification (“

LMW”

) obtained from a database including a plurality of LMW specifications for a plurality of LM bulk product types.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the current product conditions of the LM bulk flour product further include a current moisture content.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, the computer executable instructions further performing the method comprising sending a signal to a moisture adjustment device to cause the moisture adjustment device to adjust the moisture content of the LM bulk flour product to a moisture content that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein causing the moisture adjustment device to adjust the moisture content occurs prior to load-out.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein causing the moisture adjustment device to adjust the moisture content occurs during transport.

9. A computer-implemented method for adjusting a low microbial (LM) bulk product for a product transport period having predicted environmental conditions, the method comprising:

causing a processor to determine a product transport period and a transport path based on a shipping request, wherein the product transport period begins on a product load-out date and expires on a product receipt date;

receiving an indication of a qualified bulk product that has a low microbial wash (LMW) timing threshold that is not projected to be surpassed at any time during the project transport period, the LMW timing threshold being based on a product specification indicating a microbial baseline for the low microbial bulk product and being a maximum amount of time between LM washes for the bulk product vessel;

causing the processor to obtain predicted environmental conditions related to the product transport period and the transport path, the predicted environmental conditions including a predicted temperature for the transport period along the transport path;

based upon the predicted environmental conditions, causing the processor to determine optimal product conditions, for the LM bulk product, to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path in order to minimize condensation formation in the qualified bulk product vessel, wherein optimal product conditions include an optimal product temperature;

receiving an indication of a current product condition of the LM bulk product, wherein the current product condition includes a current product temperature;

causing the processor to determine whether the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk product vessel for the transport period along the transport path; and

when the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk product vessel for the transport period along the transport path, adjusting the current product temperature to a value that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk vessel during the transport period along the transport path.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the predicted environmental conditions further include a humidity value for the transport period along the transport path.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the optimal product conditions further include an optimal moisture content to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the optimal product conditions are determined from a low microbial wash specification (“

LMW”

) obtained from a database including a plurality of LMW specifications for a plurality of LM bulk product types.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the current product condition of the LM bulk product further includes a current moisture content.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising sending a signal to a moisture adjustment device to cause the moisture adjustment device to adjust the moisture content of the LM bulk product to a moisture content that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein causing the moisture adjustment device to adjust the moisture content occurs in association with at least one member of a group comprising:

prior to load-out and during transport.

16. A system for adjusting a low microbial (LM) bulk flour product prior to a product transport period, the system comprising:

at least one LM bulk flour product condition sensor configured to monitor conditions of the LM bulk flour product;

at least one LM bulk flour product condition adjustor device configured to adjust current product condition values of the LM bulk flour product;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory having computer executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer executable instructions are configured for;

obtaining predicted environmental condition values related to a product transport period and a transport path, wherein the predicted environmental condition values include a predicted temperature for the transport period along the transport path, wherein the product transport period begins on a product load-out date and expires on a product receipt date;

receiving an indication of a qualified bulk flour vessel that has a low microbial wash (LMW) timing threshold that is not projected to be surpassed at any time during the project transport period, the LMW timing threshold being based on a product specification indicating a microbial baseline for the low microbial bulk flour product and being a maximum amount of time between LM washes for the bulk product vessel;

causing the at least one processor to, based upon the predicted environmental conditions, determine optimal product condition values, for the LM bulk flour product, to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path in order to minimize condensation formation in the qualified bulk flour vessel, wherein the optimal product conditions include an optimal product temperature;

receiving current product condition values from at least one LM bulk flour product condition sensor, wherein the current product condition values include a current product temperature;

causing the at least one processor to determine whether the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path; and

when the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path, causing the at least one processor to send an actuation signal to the at least one LM bulk flour product condition adjustor device to cause adjustment of the current product temperature to a value that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predicted environmental conditions further include a humidity value for the transport period along the transport path.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the optimal product conditions further include an optimal moisture content to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the current product conditions of the LM bulk flour product further include a current moisture content.

20. The system of claim 19, the instructions further configured for:

sending a signal to a moisture adjustment device to cause the moisture adjustment device to adjust the moisture content of the LM bulk product to a moisture content that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.