Systems and methods of associating individual packages with harvest crates

• US 8,428,773 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: YottaMark, Inc.
• Inventors: Carr, J. Scott, Grant, Elliott, Ma, Kevin, Roughgarden, Jeff, Zhang, Lin, Self, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US12/370,346
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 700/213, 700219-221, 700/225, 700/226, 700/228, 700/230, 209509-707
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

Clamshells for packaging produce, or other unit packaging, are labeled with unique codes. Harvest crates for transporting filled clamshells from the harvest, or other containers for transporting unit packaging, are also labeled with unique codes. A plurality of labeled un-filled clamshells are nested together and placed into each harvest crate before the harvest, and the codes from the clamshells and the harvest crate are stored in association. In some instances, clamshells are de-nested, labeled with pre-printed labels, and nested again before being placed into the harvest crates. At the harvest the clamshells are removed from the harvest crate, de-nested, filled with produce, packed back into the harvest crate, and moved into the distribution chain. The unique codes are further associated with other information such as harvest data.

Claims

1. A method for associating containers with unit packages distributed therein, the method comprising:

reading a first code from a container, the container configured for transporting a plurality of unit packages;

reading a unique second code from each of the plurality of unit packages, each unit package being un-filled at the time the second unique code is read;

receiving a stack of nested un-filled unit packages and singulating the unit packages from the stack before reading the unique second codes;

storing an association between the first code and the unique second codes from each of the plurality of unit packages; and

placing the plurality of un-filled unit packages into the container.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising nesting together the un-filled unit packages after reading the unique second codes and before placing the un-filled unit packages in the container.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the container comprises a harvest crate.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of unit packages comprises clamshells.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising labeling each of the plurality of unit packages with a unique second code after singulating the unit packages.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein labeling each of the plurality of unit packages with the unique second code comprises adhering to each of the plurality of unit packages a pre-printed label including the unique second code.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising assembling the container from cardboard stock before reading the first code from the container.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising labeling the container with the first code after assembling the container and before reading the unique first code.

9. A method for packaging harvested produce, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of nested un-filled clamshells;

labeling the plurality of un-filled clamshells each with a unique first code;

labeling a harvest crate with a second code;

storing an association between the second code and the unique first codes;

storing an association between the second code and a column code;

filling each of the plurality of clamshells with harvested produce; and

packing the plurality of filled clamshells into the harvest crate.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein storing the association between the second code and the unique first codes comprises reading the unique first codes from the plurality of un-filled clamshells and reading the second code from the harvest crate.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising placing the plurality of un-filled clamshells in the harvest crate after labeling the plurality of un-filled clamshells.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising fabricating the harvest crate before labeling the harvest crate with the second code.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising storing an association between the second code and harvest data.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising storing an association between the second code and a picker identification.