Efficiently delivering and displaying a heated food product

• US 8,676,718 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frank Villegas
• Original Assignee: Frank Villegas
• Inventors: Villegas, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/276,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 705/332
• US Class Current: 705/332
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

Aspects for delivering and displaying warm food products are disclosed. In one aspect, a disclosed method includes determining a threshold delivery time for delivering such products after production, and ascertaining a peak period corresponding to a sale of those products at a delivery location. The method further includes loading the warm food products onto a heat-insulated container at a production source, and scheduling a delivery of those products in the heat-insulated container. A heat-insulated display case is also provided, which includes a housing compartment coupled to a display door that includes a window. Here, a seal between the display door and the housing compartment in a closed position is configured to maintain an optimal ambient temperature range within the housing compartment. In a further aspect, another disclosed method includes receiving warm food products from a production source, and loading those products onto a heat-insulated display case.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate a delivering warm food products, comprising:

receiving data identifying a delivery location;

determining a threshold delivery time associated with delivering a warm food product after production;

ascertaining at least one peak period corresponding to a sale of the warm food product at the delivery location;

loading the warm food product onto a heat-insulated container at a production source proximate to the delivery location, wherein the loading is performed while the warm food product is above a threshold temperature;

calculating, by a computer system, a threshold delivery radius from the production source, the calculating based on a corresponding type of the warm food product and a corresponding type of the heat-insulated container;

scheduling a delivery of the warm food product in the heat-insulated container within the threshold delivery radius from the production source, wherein the delivery is scheduled to arrive at the delivery location from the production source within the threshold delivery time prior to the at least one peak period; and

generating, by the computer system, customized location-specific instructions associated with displaying the warm food product in a heat-insulated display case, based at least in part on the identified delivery location.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising producing the warm food product via multiple production cycles corresponding to a plurality of peak periods associated with a single day, wherein the at least one peak period is the plurality of peak periods.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold delivery time is three hours, and wherein the threshold temperature is ninety degrees Fahrenheit.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising analyzing commerce traffic patterns at the delivery location, wherein the instructions include a positioning of the heat-insulated display case in the delivery location based on the commerce traffic patterns.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising distinguishing between a heated shelf life and a non-heated shelf life, wherein the instructions include a transfer protocol associated with transferring the warm food product from within the heat-insulated display case to outside the heat-insulated display case.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising attaching a smart tag to a packaging of the warm food product, wherein the smart tag is configured to store information associated with the warm food product.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the information associated with the warm food product is at least one of a dynamic temperature indication or a dynamic freshness indication.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the information associated with the warm food product is a binary representation of whether the warm food product exceeds at least one of a threshold temperature or a threshold freshness.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preserving an original heat of the warm food product during the delivery, wherein the preserving comprises maintaining an optimal ambient temperature specific to the warm food product within the heat-insulated container during the delivery.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing code for causing at least one computer to implement various acts, the acts comprising:

receiving data identifying a delivery location;

determining a threshold delivery time associated with delivering a warm food product after production within a heat-insulated container;

ascertaining at least one peak period corresponding to a sale of the warm food product at the delivery location;

calculating a threshold delivery radius from a production source proximate to the delivery location, the calculating based on a corresponding type of the warm food product and a corresponding type of the heat-insulated container, wherein a loading of the warm food product onto the heat-insulated container is performed at the production source while the warm food product is above a threshold temperature;

scheduling a delivery of the warm food product in the heat-insulated container within the threshold delivery radius from the production source, wherein the delivery is scheduled to arrive at the delivery location from the production source within the threshold delivery time prior to the at least one peak period; and

generating customized location-specific instructions associated with displaying the warm food product in a heat-insulated display case, based at least in part on the identified delivery location.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor;

wherein the system is configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving data identifying a delivery location;

determining a threshold delivery time associated with delivering a warm food product after production;

ascertaining at least one peak period corresponding to a sale of the warm food product at the delivery location;

calculating a threshold delivery radius from a production source proximate to the delivery location, the calculating based on a corresponding type of the warm food product and a corresponding type of heat-insulated container used to transport the warm food product, wherein a loading of the warm food product onto the heat-insulated container is performed at the production source while the warm food product is above a threshold temperature;

scheduling a delivery of the warm food product in the heat-insulated container within the threshold delivery radius from the production source, wherein the delivery is scheduled to arrive at the delivery location from the production source within the threshold delivery time prior to the at least one peak period; and

generating customized location-specific instructions associated with displaying the warm food product in a heat-insulated display case, based at least in part on the identified delivery location.

12. The system according to claim 11, the method further comprising monitoring at least one aspect of the warm food product, wherein the at least one aspect includes information ascertained from a smart tag attached to a packaging of the warm food product.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the monitoring comprises ascertaining a count of the warm food product within the heat-insulated display case.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the monitoring comprises ascertaining at least one of a dynamic temperature indication or a dynamic freshness indication.

15. The system according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

monitoring an ambient temperature inside the heat-insulated display case; and

maintaining the ambient temperature within an optimal temperature window associated with the warm food product.