System and method for managing expiration-dated products utilizing an electronic receipt

• US 20020016739A1
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Nobuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/22
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• 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 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods by which information concerning the shelf-life limitations of a particular product item is made available to the purchaser electronically; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is provided to, or made accessible by, the purchaser; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is communicated to a computer equipped with a microprocessor, or to a computer system network, accessible by the purchaser, programmed to receive the shelf-life limitation data for each product for that purchaser; that the computer or purchaser-accessible computer system network, is further programmed to provide the purchaser with on-screen and/or printed reports of various formats that list the items purchased and the corresponding shelf-life limitation information; and that the computer or purchaser-accessible computer system network provides interactivity with the purchaser to allow the purchaser to identify further information to the computer/network, such as identifying location information of each particular product item, and the inventory status of each particular product item, e.g., whether the product has been opened or has been discarded.

Claims

1. A system for controlling product items with shelf-life limitations comprising:

means for determining shelf-life limitation information for each of one or more product items;

means for recording said shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items;

means for reading said recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items;

means for electronically recording said shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items in an electronically readable and storable form.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for communicating said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to a microprocessor.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for storing said communicated electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items in a memory accessible by said microprocessor.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

means for formatting for an on-screen display said stored electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

means for displaying as an on-screen display said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

means for a purchaser to interact with said on-screen display of said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to identify new product items.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

means for said purchaser to interact with said on-screen display of said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to identify deleted product items.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for said purchaser to interact with said on-screen display of said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to identify opened product items.

9. The system of claim 5 where the means for reading said recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items further comprises;

means for converting said read shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to an electronically readable and storable form.

10. An apparatus for controlling product items with shelf-life limitations comprising:

a display monitor;

electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items;

a mechanism capable of reading said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items;

a memory;

a microprocessor programmed to receive said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items;

said microprocessor further programmed to store in said memory said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

said microprocessor is further programmed to format for display on said display monitor said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

said microprocessor is further programmed to generate signals for display on said display monitor said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said display monitor displays said generated signals of said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said mechanism capable of reading said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items comprises:

a bar code scanner;

a bar code scanner interface with said microprocessor.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said mechanism capable of reading said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items comprises:

a Radio Frequency Identification reader;

a Radio Frequency Identification interface with said microprocessor.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a mechanism capable of receiving input from a purchaser.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said purchaser input receiving capable mechanism is a touch-sensitive panel on said display monitor.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said generated signals for display on said display monitor of said electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items are sorted such that items that are nearly expired are highlighted.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the electronically readable indicia comprises at least an item identification code.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the item identification code is one of a group consisting of a universal product code (UPC), a stock keeping unit (SKU) code and a price-look-up (PLU) code.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the electronically readable indicia is one of a group consisting of an RFID label and a bar code.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the remote terminal apparatus is a home terminal and wherein the home terminal is disposed in proximity to a perishable item storage facility.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the transferring step further comprises:

writing the electronic receipt, including said expiration dating information, into a memory storage area of a smart card; and

reading the electronic receipt, including said expiration dating information, into the home terminal.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the transfering step further comprises:

writing the electronic receipt, including said expiration dating information, into a memory storage area of a web server; and

reading the electronic receipt, including said expiration dating information, into the home terminal by accessing said web server.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

identifying each perishable item to be added to the storage facility to the home terminal;

associating each item to corresponding expiration dating information; and

appending each item so identified to an inventory control list, the list including expiration dating information associated with each perishable item appended to the list.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of deleting a perishable item from the list at such time as the item is removed from the storage facility.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein perishable item identification and removal is accomplished without human intervention by automatic and periodic interrogation of the contents of the storage facility by an RFID reader.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the electronically readable indicia includes expiration dating information in combination with an item identification code.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the electronically readable indicia further includes item description information.

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein the electronic receipt includes expiration dating information associated with an item'"'"'s corresponding identification code.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the electronic receipt further includes item description information associated with an item'"'"'s corresponding identification code.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the steps of:

consulting the electronic receipt to access expiration dating and item description information for each corresponding item added to perishable storage;

constructing the inventory control list such that each item is identified by its description information; and

ordering the list such that expiration dating information is associated to each item.

19. A method of managing consumption of expiration dated products comprising the steps of:

capturing expiration dating information relating to a perishable item into a database;

identifying a perishable item being purchased in accord with electronically readable indicia;

matching said perishable item to corresponding expiration dating information in accord with said indicia;

creating an electronic receipt including said expiration dating information;

transferring said electronic receipt to a remote terminal apparatus; and

subsequently displaying expiration dating information so as to allow perishable items to be timely consumed.