Barcoded indicators for quality management

• US 9,646,237 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nemet, Yaron, Brand, Ephraim
• Primary Examiner(s): HESS, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US15/169,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20160275390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 235376, 235383, 235385, 235494
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/005 Indication of measured value by colour change
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/14 of inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/10 in respect of time, e.g. reacting only to a quick change of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0615 the marking being of the rewritable type, e.g. thermo-chromic barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A barcoded indicator operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by at least one product quality affecting parameter, the barcoded indicator including at least a first barcode and at least a second barcode, the at least a second barcode being in a second barcode unreadable state prior to exceedance of the at least one threshold and upon exceedance of the at least one threshold the at least a first barcode becoming unreadable and generally simultaneously the at least a second barcode becoming readable.

Claims

1. A barcoded indicator operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by one or more product quality affecting parameters, said barcoded quality indicator comprising:

a first barcode;

a second barcode; and

at least one third barcode,

each of said first barcode, said second barcode and said at least one third barcode including a machine-readable state and at least two different non-machine-readable states,

one of said first barcode, said second barcode and said at least one third barcode being in at least one of said at least two different non-machine-readable states prior to exceedance of said at least one threshold and being in said machine-readable state following exceedance of said at least one threshold.

2. A barcoded quality indicator according to claim 1 and wherein said machine-readable state of said first barcode, said machine-readable state of said second barcode and said machine-readable state of at least one third barcode are different machine-readable states.

3. A barcoded indicator according to claim 1 and wherein only one of said first barcode, said second barcode and said at least one third barcode is machine readable at any given time.

4. A quality management system for products comprising:

a multiplicity of barcoded indicators each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by one or more product quality affecting parameters, each of said barcoded indicators comprising;

a first barcode;

a second barcode; and

at least one third barcode,

each of said first barcode, said second barcode and said at least one third barcode including a machine-readable state and at least two different non-machine-readable states,

one of said first barcode, said second barcode and said at least one third barcode being in at least one of said at least two different non-machine-readable states prior to exceedance of said at least one threshold and being in said machine-readable state following exceedance of said at least one threshold;

a barcode indicator reader operative to read said barcoded indicators and to provide output indications; and

a product type responsive indication interpreter operative to receive said output indications and to provide human sensible, product quality status outputs.