System and method for quality management utilizing barcode indicators

• US 10,176,451 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Varcode, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nemet, Yaron, Brand, Ephraim
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Sonji
• Application Number:
  US15/184,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20160371635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/12 using changes in colour, translucency or reflectance
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

A quality management system for products including a multiplicity of barcode indicators, each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, the at least one threshold being at least one of a time duration threshold and a combined temperature and time threshold, a barcode indicator reader operative to read the barcode indicators and to provide output indications and an indication interpreter operative to receive the output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.

Claims

1. A quality management system for products comprising:

a multiplicity of barcode indicators each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter;

a mobile communicator including image capture functionality operative to capture an image of at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators and to transmit said image of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators; and

a server comprising;

an indication interpreter operative to receive said image of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators and to provide an interpretation of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators;

caller ID functionality operative to;

provide an identification of a caller using said mobile communicator;

provide a classification of said caller using said mobile communicator based on said identification of said mobile communicator; and

human sensible output selection functionality operative to;

select at least one suitable human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status indication output based on said interpretation of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators and said classification of said caller using said mobile communicator; and

provide said at least one suitable human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status indication output to said mobile communicator.

2. A quality management system for products according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one suitable human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status indication output comprises at least one of a price indication, a shelf-life indication, and a quality output indication.

3. A quality management system for products according to claim 1 and wherein said mobile communicator is a telephone.

4. A method for quality management for products comprising:

employing a multiplicity of barcode indicators each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter;

capturing an image of at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators, using a mobile communicator including image capture functionality;

communicating said image of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators from said mobile communicator to a server, said server including caller ID functionality;

interpreting said image of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators to provide an interpretation of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators;

providing an identification of a caller using said mobile communicator utilizing said caller ID functionality;

providing a classification of said caller using said mobile communicator based on said identification of said mobile communicator;

selecting at least one suitable human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status indication output based on said interpretation of said at least one of said multiplicity of barcode indicators and said classification of said caller using said mobile communicator; and

providing said at least one suitable human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status indication output to said mobile communicator.

5. A method for quality management according to claim 4 and wherein

said at least one suitable human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status indication output comprises at least one of a price indication, a shelf-life indication and a salability output indication.