Attributing harvest information with unique identifiers

• US 7,909,239 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: YottaMark, Inc.
• Inventors: Grant, Elliott, Self, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech; Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US12/206,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20090065579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 235/462.15, 414/286, 414/273, 47/17, 47/65, 47/661, 47/667, 47/84, 47/89, 479/01
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

Systems and methods allow units of produce to be traced back to the fields in which the produce was grown. In the field, a harvest form is completed with harvest information at the time of the harvest. In some instances, labels having unique codes are used to label the produce in the field, and two additional labels are placed on the harvest form to associate a range of unique codes with the harvest information on the form. In other instances, the produce packages arrive at the field already marked with the unique codes. The empty marked packages are themselves packed in boxes, where each box has a unique box code. The unique codes on the empty marked packages are associated in advance with the unique box code on the box, and in the field the unique box code is associated with the harvest information.

Claims

1. A method for associating information with harvested produce comprising:

recording harvest information on a harvest form;

affixing a pair of labels to the harvest form and affixing individual labels to produce being harvested, where each of the labels includes a unique code; and

creating a record that associates the harvest information with a range defined by the unique codes on the pair of labels.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein affixing the pair of labels to the harvest form and affixing individual labels to produce being harvested comprises

removing a first label from a roll of labels and affixing the first label to the harvest form;

removing the individual labels from the roll after removing the first label and affixing the individual labels to produce being harvested; and

after removing the individual labels from the roll, removing a last label from the roll and affixing the last label to the harvest form.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein produce being harvested comprises loose bulk produce.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein produce being harvested comprises item-level packages for produce.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique codes comprise cipher texts of plain text codes, and wherein the plain text codes follow a sequence or pattern.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the range defined by the unique codes on the pair of labels is a range defined between the plain text codes corresponding to the unique codes on the pair of labels.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique code on each label appears in both a human-readable form and a machine-readable form.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each label includes a UPC.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein creating the record comprises reading the pair of unique codes with a scanner.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein creating the record comprises decrypting the pair of unique codes.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein creating the record comprises using optical character recognition to read the harvest form.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein producing the set of labels comprises creating a roll of the labels.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the batch of unique codes includes encrypting plain text codes that are related by a sequence or pattern.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a batch of unique codes and producing a set of labels including unique codes from the batch, the set of labels including the pair of labels and the individual labels.

15. A method comprising:

generating a batch of unique codes;

marking a plurality of item-level packages with unique codes from the batch to produce a plurality of marked item-level packages;

labeling a box with a unique box code;

filling the box with the marked item-level packages; and

creating a record that associates the unique box code with the marked item-level packages within the box.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein marking the plurality of item-level packages comprises affixing a label to each of the item-level packages, each label including a unique code from the batch.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein marking the plurality of item-level packages comprises printing a unique code from the batch on each item-level package.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein labeling the box with the unique box code includes affixing a box label including the unique box code to the box.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the box label includes one or more detachable tags, each tag including the same unique box code.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein creating the record that associates the unique box code with the marked item-level packages comprises scanning the unique box code and scanning the unique codes on the first and last item-level packages placed in the box.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of item-level packages, when marked with the unique codes, are empty.

22. A method for associating information with harvested produce comprising:

receiving a box including a plurality of marked item-level packages, each marked item-level package including a unique code marked thereon, the box further including a label including a unique box code;

recording harvest information on a harvest form;

packing the marked item-level packages with produce; and

creating a record that associates the harvest information with the unique box code.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein creating the record comprises scanning the unique box code and reading the harvest form.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the label further includes one or more detachable tags, each tag including the same unique box code.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising detaching a detachable tag from the label and affixing the tag to the harvest form.

26. A method comprising:

generating a batch of unique codes;

marking a plurality of empty item-level packages with unique codes from the batch to produce a plurality of marked empty item-level packages;

labeling a container with a unique container code;

filling the container with the empty marked item-level packages; and

creating a record that associates the unique container code with the unique codes marked on the empty item-level packages within the container.