Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FOOD SAFETY INDICATOR
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/285,622, filed
December 11, 2009, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
5BACKCROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for indicating
whether products are
safe for consumption. More particularly, the present invention relates to an
apparatus and
method that not only identifies whether products are safe for consumption, but
that also
10tracks the source, location, and destination of those products so they can
be efficiently and
effectively identified and recalled if and when they are not safe for
consumption.
Background of the Related Art
The term "perishable" is used to refer to products that are subject to
spoilage or decay. Such
products have a measurable shelf-life, after which the product is no longer
safe to use or
15consume. Perishable products include, but are not limited to, chilled and
minimally
processed foods and beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, film, batteries,
munitions, and
even blood, each of which has its own unique shelf-life. Accordingly, the
companies that
make and/or sell those products are presented with the continuing problem of
identifying
which products have exceeded their shelf-life. And as a result, those
companies not only
20have difficulty preventing the sale of perishable products that have
exceeded their shelf-life,
they also have significant difficulty recalling those products after they are
sold. Similar
difficulties arise when identifying food that has not exceeded its shelf-life
but that is
otherwise tainted or contaminated, such as by poor manufacturing,
transportation, or storage
conditions.
25The inability to efficiently and effectively identify and recall spoiled or
contaminated
products is not only a serious problem for the companies that make and/or sell
those products,
1
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it is a potentially life-threatening problem to the end users of those
products (i.e., the people
who consume those products). In 2010, for example, outbreaks of food poisoning
involving
products as varied as eggs, peanuts, and spinach sickened thousands of people
and killed
more than a dozen people. In 2008, a salmonella outbreak from contaminated
peanut butter
5manufactured under unsanitary conditions sickened hundreds of people and may
have killed
as many as eight people. And in 2004, an arthritis drug was discovered to
increase the risk of
heart attacks and strokes in people who took the drug for at least eighteen
months, for which
the manufacturer of the drug ultimately paid $4.85 billion to settle 27,000
resulting lawsuits.
As those examples illustrate, the inability to efficiently and effectively
identify and recall
10spoiled or contaminated products can not only cost the companies that make
those products
significant amounts of money, it can also harm the end users of those
products. As a result,
there is a need for an apparatus and method that not only identifies whether
products are safe
for consumption, but that also tracks the source, location, and destination of
those products so
they can be efficiently and effectively identified and recalled when they are
not safe for
15consumption.
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Sl MMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a food safety device
that not only
identifies whether products are safe for consumption, but that also tracks the
source, location,
and destination of those products so they can be efficiently and effectively
identified and
5recalled when they are not safe for consumption. The food safety device
comprises one or
more sensors that are configured to measure at least one condition of the
product and/or its
environment, one or more visual indicators that are configured to display a
visual indication
of freshness and/or safety of the product, an antenna that is configured to
transmit and receive
data regarding the at least one measured condition of the product and the
freshness and/or
l Osafety of the product, and a logic module that is configured to execute
programmable logic to
determine the freshness and/or safety of the product from the at least one
measured condition
of the product, to cause the one or more visual indicators to display a visual
indication of the
freshness and/or safety it determines, and to transmit and receive data
regarding the at least
one measured condition of the product and the freshness and/or safety of the
product via the
15antenna. Those and other objects, advantages, and features of the present
invention will
become more readily apparent by the following written description, taken in
conjunction with
the accompanying drawings and claims.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Many aspects of the present invention can be better understood with reference
to the
accompanying drawings, which are part of the specification and represent
exemplary
embodiments of the present invention. The components in the drawings are not
necessarily
5to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of
the present
invention. And in the drawings, like reference numerals designate
corresponding parts
throughout the several views.
Figure I A is a plan view illustrating a non-limiting embodiment of the
internal components of
a food safety device according to the present invention;
I OFigure I B is a plan view illustrating a non-limiting embodiment of the
rear face of a food
safety device according to the present invention;
Figures IC-IE are plan views illustrating different non-limiting embodiments
of the front
face of a food safety device according the present invention;
Figures 2A and 2B are elevation views illustrating non-limiting embodiments of
the food
15safety device of Figures 1 A-I E placed on a product or product packaging,
respectively; and
Figures 3A and 3B are schematic views illustrating a non-limiting embodiment
of the use of
the present invention throughout the life cycle of a product.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated
in the drawings,
specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the
present
invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and
it is to be
5understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that
operate in a similar
manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
The present invention provides an inexpensive apparatus and method for
identifying whether
products are safe for consumption. For example, the present invention can
determine
whether a perishable product has exceeded its shelf-life based on a chemical
reaction with the
1 Oproduct that measures the spoilage/decay of the product. See, e.g., U.S.
Patent No. 4,003,709
to Eaton et al. ("the `709 patent"). The present invention can determine
whether a perishable
product has exceeded its shelf-life based on a time- and/or temperature-
dependent chemical
reaction that is initiated by a predefined condition, such as packaging the
product or opening
the product. See, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 7,643,378 to Genosar ("the `378
patent"), U.S. Patent
15No. 6,737,274 to Wright ("the `274 patent"), U.S. Patent No. 5,053,339 to
Patel ("the `339
patent"), U.S. Patent No. 5,045,283 to Patel ("the `283 patent"), and U.S.
Patent No.
4,292,916 to Bradley et al. ("the '916 patent"). Or the present invention can
determine
whether a perishable product has exceeded its shelf-life based on a time-
and/or temperature-
dependent circuit that is configured to measure time and/or temperature
differences. See,
20e.g., U.S. Patent No. 7,675,425 to Debord et al. ("the '425 patent") and
U.S. Patent No.
7,764,183 to Burchell et al. ("the `183 patent"). The contents of the '709
patent, the '378
patent, the '274 patent, the `339 patent. the `283 patent, the `916 patent,
the '425 patent, and
the '183 patent are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth
herein.
The present invention can also determine whether a perishable product has
exceeded its shelf-
251ife by chemically and/or electronically measuring exposure to moisture,
sunlight, radiation,
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or any other environmental factor that can contribute to spoilage and reduce a
perishable
product's shelf-life. In a similar manner, the present invention can
chemically or
electronically measure the amount of hazardous chemicals, toxins, food borne
pathogens, and
other contaminants that may be present in a product and make it unsafe for use
and/or
Sconsumption. The present invention includes at least one of a visual,
tactile, and audible
indicator to identify when a product has exceeded its shelf-life or contains
an unsafe level of
contaminants.
In addition, the present invention includes functionality for tracking the
source, location, and
destination of products at various points during their life cycle (e.g.,
manufacture,
l0distribution, sale, etc). When used in conjunction with the functionality
for identifying
exceeded shelf-life and/or contaminants, that functionality allows products to
be efficiently
and effectively identified and recalled when they are identified as not being
safe for
consumption. Moreover, it allows the point in the life cycle of a product at
which any
problems occurred to be identified and remedied. Accordingly, the present
invention not only
l5allows products to be efficiently and effectively identified and recalled
when they not safe for
consumption, it also allows the source of any contributing factors to be
quickly identified and
remedied.
Turning to the drawings, Figures I A-1 E illustrate an exemplary embodiment of
a food safety
device 100 according to the present invention. Figure I A illustrates the
internal workings of
20the food safety device 100. Figure 1 B illustrates the rear face of the food
safety device 100.
And Figures I G I E illustrate different embodiments of the front face of the
food safety
device 100. The food safety device 100 is preferably small in size and
substantially flat so it
can be adhered to, fastened to, or otherwise attached to a product or its
packaging without
interfering with the handling, packaging, or use of the product. For example,
the food safety
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device may be the size of and/or incorporated into a conventional label for a
product (e.g., the
label on ajar, a bottle of medicine, a box of film, or directly on the
product).
As Figure ]A illustrates, the food safety device 100 includes a logic module
102, a battery
104, and an antenna 106. The logic module 102 includes a data storage device
that is
5configured to store data about a product and/or a product container as well
as the product's
environment throughout the product's life cycle. programmable logic that is
configured to
monitor the shelf-life and/or contamination of the product as well as the
product's
environment throughout the product's life cycle, and a processor and/or
integrated circuitry
configured to execute the programmable logic so the food safety device 100 can
be used in
10the manner disclosed herein. The battery 104 provides power to the logic
module 102 and
the antenna 106 so they can be operated in the manner disclosed herein. And
the antenna 104
allows the logic module 102 to wirelessly communicate data with external
devices in the
manner disclosed herein. Preferably, the logic module 102, battery 104, and
antenna 106
utilize micro- and/or nano-technology so they can be discretely assembled
substantially flat
l5within a product label without interfering with the handling, packaging,
and/or use of the
product and/or product container on which that label is placed.
For example, the battery 104 may be a printed battery, such as the thin
printed battery
developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems
ENAS. See,
e.g., "Fraunhofer ENAS presents a printed battery at the nano tech exhibition
in Tokyo",
20Press Release, www.enas.fraunhofer.de (Jan. 15, 2009). And the antenna 106
may be a thin
(e.g., several millimeters), bendable, self-healing antenna, such as the
antenna developed by
researchers as the North Carolina State University. See, e.g., Bryner, Jeanna,
"Bendable
Antennas Could Reshape Electronics", LIVESCIENCE,
http://www.livescience.com/technology
(Nov. 30, 2009). Such printed batteries and flexible antennae are particularly
suited for
25small, thin, and flexible applications, such as product labels.
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The logic module 102, the battery 104, and the antenna 106 are printed on,
bonded to, or
otherwise attached to the front face of a flexible backing sheet 108. Those
components are
electrically connected to each other, as well as to various sensors 110
(Figure 1 B), 112
(Figures IC and I E), and 114 (Figure 1 D) and visual indicators 116-120
(Figure IC and I E),
5122 (Figure I D), and 124 (Figure 1 E) by a series of conductors, such as
copper traces (not
shown), printed on, bonded to, or otherwise attached to the front face of the
flexible backing
sheet 108. The rear face of the flexible sheet 108 includes an adhesive or
other suitable
attachment mechanism for attaching the food safety device 100 to a product
and/or product
container. And as Figure I B illustrates, the rear face of the flexible sheet
108 may also
I0include one or more sensors 110.
One or more sensors 110 may be provided on the rear face of the flexible
backing sheet 108,
and therefore on the rear face of the food safety device 100, to monitor one
or more
conditions of the product and/or product container on which the food safety
device 100 is
placed. Those sensors I 10 are preferably located on the rear face of the food
safety device
15100 so they will be in closer proximity to the product and/or product
container and, therefore,
will obtain more accurate measurements on the condition of the product and/or
product
container. When the food safety device 100 is placed directly on the product,
at least one of
the sensors I 10 on the rear face may be configured to protrude into the
product or to sit flush
with the outer surface of the product. And when the food safety device 100 is
placed on the
20product container, at least one of the sensors 110 may be configured to
protrude through the
product container and into the product or to sit flush with the outer surface
of the product
container. A sensor I 10 may protrude into the product to measure conditions
that indicate
spoilage (e.g., core temperature, PH level, etc.) and/or conditions that
indicate contamination
(e.g., the presence of certain chemicals or bacteria, a pressure change in the
container, etc.).
25And a sensor 110 may sit flush with the outer surface of the product or
product container to
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measure similar conditions that do not need to be obtained internally (e.g.,
surface
temperature, breakage of the container, etc.). The sensors 110 can operate
based on chemical
and/or electrical reactions to the condition being measured. Moreover, by
measuring multiple
conditions, the food safety device 100 can more accurately determine the
remaining shelf-life
Sof a product and/or identify contaminants.
For example, by measuring the temperature of a product as well as the time
that the product
has been in its container, the logic module 102 of the food safety device 100
can actively
determine the remaining shelf-life of the product. As temperatures increase
during the
product's life cycle, the shelf-life of the product may decrease. And as the
shelf-life of a
I Oproduct decreases, the time from when the product was placed in its
container until the time
at which it is safe for consumption is reduced. Accordingly, the logic module
102 can either
speed up a clocking circuit or subtract time from the estimated shelf-life of
a product based
on temperature fluctuations. In that way, the food safety device 100 will
indicate that the
product has exceeded its shelf-life earlier than a product that did not
experience the same
I5temperature increases. The logic module 102 can also store data identifying
the time, date,
and amount of such temperature increases to create an ongoing log of the
product's condition
throughout its life cycle.
The antennal06 can also be used as a sensor. For example, the food safety
device 100 will
expand or contract with the product and/or product container to which it is
attached during
20temperature changes or pressure changes when the food safety device 100 is
adhered to that
product and/or product container. And when the antenna 106 is a flexible
antenna, as
disclosed above, it will also expand and contract as the food safety device
100 expands and
contracts. Such stretching will change the frequency of the antenna slightly,
and those
frequency changes can be directly correlated to temperature changes and/or
pressure changes.
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Thus, the antenna 106 can be used to measure temperature and/or pressure
fluctuations in the
same manner as a strain gauge.
And as Figures I C and I D illustrate, one or more sensors 112 and 114 may
also be placed on
the front face of the food safety device 100 to perform similar functions as
the sensors 110 on
5the rear face of the food safety device 100. However, the sensors 112 and 114
on the front
face of the food safety device are preferably configured to measure one or
more
environmental conditions rather one or more conditions of the product and/or
product
container. For example, a sensor 112 (Figures I C and 1 E) on the front face
of the food safety
device 100 may be used to measure the temperature, barometric pressure, light
exposure, and
l0humidity of the various environments in which the product and/or product
container are
present during its life cycle (e.g., assembly line, warehouse, store shelf,
etc.). That sensor
112, or another sensor (not shown), on the front face may also measure any
vibration, shock,
acceleration, radiation, hazardous chemicals, toxins, or food borne pathogens
to which the
product and/or container are exposed during its life cycle. The logic module
102 can store
l5data identifying the time, date, and amount in which each of those
conditions occurred to
create an ongoing log of the product's environment throughout its life cycle.
The logic module 102 can also use those environmental measurements to
determine the shelf-
life of the product and/or identify contamination in a similar manner to that
disclosed above
with respect to the sensors 110 on the rear face of the food safety device.
Moreover, by using
20the environmental measurements taken at the front face of the food safety
device 100 in
conjunction with the product conditions measured at the rear face of the food
safety device
100, the shelf-life of the product and/or contamination of the product can be
determined more
accurately and in more ways. For example, if a quick change of temperature
and/or pressure
is measured at the product and/or product container but not in the environment
in which the
25product and/or product container is present, the logic module 102 may
determine that the
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product container has been opened and/or tampered with, which might result in
a pressure
loss and/or temperature change in the product container (e.g., opening a
pressure-sealed
container). Moreover, by logging both the environmental measurements and the
product
condition measurements, those measurements can be compared to each other to
identify any
5potentially erroneous readings.
A light sensor 114 (Figure ID), such as a photovoltaic solar cell, may also be
provided on the
front face of the food safety device 100 to measure the amount of sunlight to
which the
product and/or product container are exposed. As with temperature, increased
exposure to
sunlight may also decrease the shelf-life of a product. Sunlight may also
deteriorate a
lOproduct container over time. Accordingly, the logic module 102 can use the
amount of
sunlight exposure measured with the light sensor 114 in conjunction with time
and
temperature measurements to more accurately calculate a product and/or product
container's
shelf-life. The light sensor 114 may also be used to charge the battery 104 or
to replace it as
a power source for the other components of the food safety device 100.
15As Figures IC-IE illustrate, a series of visual indicators 116-120 or a
single sliding scale
visual indicator 122 can also be disposed on the front face of the food safety
device 100 to
indicate product freshness and/or safety. Those visual indicators 116-124 can
be provided in
the form of a chemical strip (see, e.g., the `274 patent, the '339 patent, and
the `283 patent), a
light emitting diode (LED) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) (see, e.g., `424
patent and the
20'183 patent), or any other suitable visual indicator. The series of visual
indicators 116-120
can be different colors with each color representing a different level of
product freshness
and/or safety. And the sliding scale visual indicator 122 can progressively
illuminate or
change color to represent different levels of product freshness and/or safety.
For example, the
first visual indicator 116 will display a green color when the product is
fresh and/or not
25contaminated. The second visual indicator 118 will display a yellow color
when the product
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has experienced some condition that may contribute to spoilage or
contamination (e.g.,
passage of time, temperature change, etc.). And the third visual indicator 120
will display a
red color when the product has spoiled and/or has been contaminated. Or, in
the alternative,
the sliding scale visual indicator 122 will gradually change from green to red
as each of those
5conditions occurs.
When the visual indicators 116-124 are chemical strips, they can react like
litmus paper to
changes in the product's condition and/or changes in product's environment.
For example, a
time-release chemical reaction can be used to indicate the remaining shelf-
life of the product.
Or chemicals that react with specific toxins, radiation, and/or pathogens
(e.g., Salmonella in
I Omeats) can be used to indicate if and when a product has been contaminated.
Similarly, when
the visual indicators are LEDs or LCDs, the measurements taken by the sensors
110-114 can
be used by the logic module 102 in conjunction with a clocking circuit to
determine the
remaining shelf-life of a product and/or to identify if and when that product
was
contaminated. The reactions that occur in the chemical strips may also be
detected and used
15by the logic module 102 to determine the remaining shelf-life of a product
and/or to identify
if and when that product was contaminated. And the logic module 102 can store
all of that
data, as well as the time and date at which it was recorded, to create an
ongoing log of the
product's condition and environment throughout the product's Iife cycle.
The chemical reaction that takes place in the battery 104 can also be used as
an indicator of
20shelf-life. For example, the battery 104 can be sized such that its working
life corresponds to
the shelf-life of the product to which the food safety device 100 is attached.
And as the
battery 104 loses power, different visual indicators 116-122 can be
illuminated and/or
extinguished to indicate the freshness of that product. Thus, the battery 104
can be used in
the same manner as a chemical strip with a time-release chemical reaction.
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Preferably, when a series of visual indicators 116-120 is used, one visual
indicator will stop
displaying its respective color when another visual indicator begins
displaying its respective
color. In that way, an end user's attention will be more clearly drawn to the
current condition
of the product. And as yet another alternative, a visual indicator 124 may
display a bar code
5that can be scanned to determine the different levels of product freshness
and/or safety, as
illustrated in Figure I E. In addition, instead of displaying different
colors, the visual
indicators 116-124 may display words or symbols that indicate the different
levels of product
freshness and/or safety. Such a display of information can be by a chemical
reaction in a
chemical strip or by illuminating an LED or LCD.
lOln addition to visual indicators 116-124, the food safety device 100 may
also include tactile
indicators (e.g., a vibration device), audible indicators (e.g., a speaker),
and/or a combination
thereof (e.g., a buzzer) to indicate different levels of product freshness
and/or safety. Such
indicators would further serve to obtain the attention of a potential end
user. But because
such indicators might be bothersome if activated over long periods of time,
they are
15preferably only used to indicate when a product has exceeded its shelf-life
and/or has been
contaminated. Moreover, if such indicators were used at other times, they
would more
rapidly exhaust the power of the battery 104, which is undesirable for
products with longer
life cycles.
And in addition to visual indicators 116-124, tactile indicators, and audible
indicators, the
20logic module 102 may use the antenna 106 to wirelessly transmit a signal
that indicates the
different levels of product freshness and/or safety. Those signals are
received by a computer
that tracks the product on which the food safety device 100 is placed such
that, when
problems are detected, that product can be easily identified and removed from
its life cycle
before it is consumed. For example, if a product exceeds its shelf-life and/or
becomes
25contaminated while sitting on a warehouse or retail store shelf, a signal
will automatically be
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sent to an inventory system to identify that product for immediate removal
from the shelf. In
that way, unsafe products can be effectively and efficiently identified and
recalled before they
reach, and potentially harm, an end user.
As Figures IC-IE also illustrate, the various sensors 112 and 114 and the
various visual
Sindicators 116-124 of the food safety device 100 are disposed on a flexible
cover sheet 126.
The sensors 112 and 114 can be disposed on the front face or the rear face of
the flexible
cover sheet 126. But because the light sensor 114 needs to be exposed to
light, it is
preferably disposed on the front face of the flexible cover sheet 126, which
is exposed to the
environment when the food safety device 100 is disposed on a product or
product container.
I OAnd when the other sensors 112 are disposed on the rear face of the
flexible cover sheet 126,
the flexible cover sheet 126 is preferably porous in the area adjacent to
those sensors 112, as
illustrated in Figure 1 E, so molecules can pass through the flexible cover
sheet 126 to those
sensors 112.
The visual indicators 116-124 are disposed on the front face of the flexible
cover sheet 126 so
15they will be clearly visible to a user. Text that identifies what each
indicator 116-120, or each
location on each indicator 122, means (e.g., `Fresh", Safe", "Warning",
"Spoiled",
"Contaminated", etc.) can be printed on the flexible cover sheet 126 adjacent
to each
corresponding visual indicator 116-122. And because the food safety device 100
may double
as a conventional product label, conventional product information may also be
printed on the
20front face of the flexible cover sheet 126.
As Figures 2A and 2B illustrate, the rear face of the flexible cover sheet 126
is adhered to or
otherwise attached to the front face of the flexible backing sheet 108 with
the logic module
102, battery 104, and antenna 106 disposed therebetween. In that way, the
logic module 102,
battery 104, and antenna 106 are protected from the environment by the
flexible backing
25sheet 108 and the flexible cover sheet 126. In the alternative, the flexible
backing layer can
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be omitted and the logic module 102, battery 104, antenna 106, and their
corresponding
conductors can be disposed on the rear face of the flexible cover sheet 126.
In that alternative
embodiment, the logic module 102, battery 104, antenna 106, and their
corresponding
conductors can be protected from the environment by covering them with a layer
of adhesive
5on the rear face of the flexible cover sheet 126.
When the flexible cover sheet 126 is placed on the flexible backing sheet 108,
the various
sensors 112 and 114 and the various visual indicators 116-124 are placed in
electrical
communication with the logic module 102, battery 104, and antenna 106. That
electrical
contact can be provided by contacts formed on the front face of the flexible
backing sheet 108
loin locations that correspond to the contacts of the sensors 112 and 114 and
the visual
indicators 116-124. The sensors 110 disposed on the rear face of the flexible
backing sheet
108 are placed in electrical communication with the logic module 102, battery
104, and
antenna 106 in a similar manner. In that way, the logic module 102, battery
104, antenna 106,
sensors 110-114, and visual indicators 116-124 form a single, integrated
circuit within the
15food safety device 100.
As discussed above, the food safety device 100 can be placed directly on a
product 200
(Figure 2A) or on a product container 202 (Figure 2B). When the food safety
device 100 is
placed directly on the product 200, both the product 200 and the food safety
device 100 may
be placed in a product container 202. Depending on the material of which the
product
20container 202 is formed, it may be porous and allow at least some small
molecules to pass
through it from the environment and into the product container 202 so the
sensors 1 12 on the
front face of the food safety device 100 can measure environmental conditions.
However, the
material of the product container 202 is unlikely to be so porous as to allow
contaminants
from the environment to enter the product container 202 that might spoil
and/or contaminate
25the product 200. Instead, it may only be so porous as to allow very small
molecules to enter
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the product container 202, just as helium can escape very slowly through the
material of a
balloon. Thus, in a similar manner, sensors 1 10 on the rear face of the food
safety device 100
placed on the outside of the product container 202 may also be able to measure
certain
product conditions from molecules that pass from the product 200 through the
product
5container 202 and into the food safety, device 100.
As also discussed above, the various components of the food safety device 100
are preferably
manufactured using micro- and/or nano-technology so they can be made thin,
flexible, and
small such that they can be attached to a product 200 and/or product container
202 without
interfering with the manufacture, handling, and/or use of the product 200. And
if the food
I Osafety device 100 is too thick in some applications, the product container
202 can be formed
with a corresponding notch or opening that is configured to receive the food
safety device
100 therein. Such a notch or opening can be configured to ensure the food
safety device 100
does not interfere with the manufacture, handling, and/or use of the product
200.
In operation, the food safety device 100 of the present invention monitors the
shelf-life and/or
l5potential contamination of a product 200 throughout that product's life
cycle (i.e., from
manufacture to consumption). The logic module 102 can communicate with various
external
systems (e.g., an inventory system, a packaging machine, etc.) to exchange
data about the
product 200 and/or product container 202. That exchange of data allows the
food safety
device 100 of the present invention to accurately identify whether certain
products 200 are
20safe for consumption and to track the source, location, and destination of
those products so
they can be efficiently and effectively identified and removed from their life
cycle when they
are not safe for consumption. Moreover, the data recorded by the food safety
device 100 can
be used to extrapolate and determine the expected shelf-life of a product 200
based on
different events that occur during that product's 200 life cycle, which is
extremely useful for
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purposes of inventory control (i.e., products with a shelf-life that will be
exceeded sooner
than that of other products can be distributed to the end user before those
other products).
In order to exchange data with various external systems, the antenna 106 of
the food safety
device can be configured to send and receive data via radio frequency (RFID)
(such as with
San RFID reader) or other wireless technology, such as BLUE TOOTH brand
wireless
technology. The logic module 102 and antenna 106 may also be configured to
emit and
receive signals that identify the geographic location of the food safety
device 100 and,
therefore, the product 200 to which it is attached. Such location can be
determined by
transmitting and/or receiving geographic coordinates obtained with an internal
and/or
10external global positioning system (GPS), or it can be determined by storing
transmitting
and/or receiving data that otherwise identifies the location of the product
200 (e.g., a shelf
and/or aisle number). Along with time and date information, the food safety
device 100 can
use that location data to create an ongoing log of the product's 200 location
throughout its life
cycle. Moreover, that data allows the product 200 to be located and tracked in
real time at
I 5any point throughout its life cycle, from origin to end user. That feature
is particularly useful
when the product 200 has been identified as unsafe for consumption and needs
to be located
for a recall.
The food safety device 100 can be programmed in a number of ways, such as by a
preprogrammed microprocessor chip installed in the logic module 102 or flash
programming
20the logic module 102 onsite. The programming of each food safety device 100
is matched to
the specific product 200 to which it will be attached based on that product's
200 expected
shelf-life and/or any potential types of contamination that might make that
product 200
unsafe for consumption. Or each food safety device 100 can include programming
for
multiple different types of products 200 with the specific program to be
executed by the logic
25module 102 being selected when the food safety device 100 is activated. In
addition, the
17
CA 02783966 2012-06-11
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battery 104 can be programmed so that a separate logic module 102 need not be
provided
(i.e., the logic module may be integrated with the battery).
By way of example, the food safety device 100 could be programmed or
preprogrammed for
6 days when used for bread. When the bread is packaged, a countdown timer in
the logic
5module 102 would be activated. The food safety device 100 would indicate that
the bread is
fresh for the first 24 hours from the date of packaging. From 2-3 days, the
food safety device
100 would indicate that the bread is still useable, but less fresh. From days
4-6, the food
safety device 100 would indicate that the bread is starting to become stale.
After 7 days, the
food safety device 100 would indicate that the bread is possibly stale. In
addition, if the
l Ohumidity inside the package is high, the food safety device 100 would
indicate that the bread
is possibly moldy after 5 or 6 days.
In addition, the food safety device 100 can be configured for a number uses
and can be
incorporated in a number of different packaging methods for easy delivery on,
to, or as part
of the product container 202. For example, it may be attached as an adhesive
strip during
15packaging, a tag, shrink wrap, or as part of the package material itself. In
addition, the food
safety device 100 can be printed directly onto the product container 202 and
automatically
start counting the time to expiration when it is printed. Accordingly, each
product 200
preferably has its own food safety device 100 so that the freshness of that
particular product
200 is easily determined. The food safety device 100 is preferably tamper-
proof so that it
20cannot be removed without damaging the product 200 and/or product container
202 in a
manner easily recognizable by the end user.
The food safety device 100 may also be activated in a number of ways. A
product
manufacturer/packager may activate the food safety device 100 at the time of
production or
packaging via battery activation, light activation, wireless activation,
thermal activation,
25pressure activation, liquid activation, magnetic activation, or other
activation technique. For
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CA 02783966 2012-06-11
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example, the food safety device 100 can be activated by removing a pull strip
to place the
battery in electrical communication with the logic module 102 (i.e., battery
activation),
removing an adhesive paper from the light sensor 114 to expose it to light
(i.e., light
activation); sending an RFID or wireless signal to the logic module 102 via
the antenna 106
5(i.e., wireless activation); imparting a drastic temperature or pressure
change on the food
safety device 100 that is detected by a sensor l 10 or 112 (i.e., thermal or
pressure activation);
exposing the food safety device 100 to a specific type of liquid that is
detected by a sensor
110 or 112 (i.e., liquid activation); or imparting a magnetic field on the
food safety device
100 that is detected by the antenna 106 or a sensor 110 or 112 (i.e., magnetic
activation). The
I Oactivation can be for a period of days, months, or years, depending on the
expected life cycle
of the product 200. Thus, when a battery 104 is used to power the food safety
device 100, it
must be sized accordingly.
Figures 3A and 3B illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
being
implemented over the life cycle of a product 200 (e.g., milk). At step A, the
food safety
l 5device 100 (e.g., an adhesive tag or label) is placed on a product
container 202 (e.g., a bottle)
to provide a tagged container 300. Data is stored on the food safety device
100 about the
source of the container 202 (e.g., the identity of bottle manufacturer, the
time and date of
manufacture, the location of the manufacture, etc.) and the person or machine
(not shown)
that places the food safety device 100 on the container 202 (e.g., the serial
number of the
20machine, the time and date of placement, the machine location, etc.). In
that way, if problems
are subsequently discovered with product containers 202 from that source or
with that
machine, the containers from that source and/or handled by that machine can
easily be
identified with the data stored on the food safety device 100. Similarly,
problems with the
container 202 and/or with the application of the food safety device 100 to the
container 202
25can be tracked back to the source of the container 202 and/or the machine
that applied the
19
CA 02783966 2012-06-11
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food safety device 100 to the container 202 using the data stored on the food
safety device
100.
At step B, the product 200 is placed in the tagged container 300 by a
packaging machine 302
(e.g., a bottle filler). At step C, the tagged container 300 and/or the
product 200 are processed
5by a processing machine 304 (e.g., a pasteurizer) to prepare the product for
consumption,
such as by adding other components to it, mixing it, and/or treating it in a
manner that will
increase its shelf-life. And at step D, the tagged container 300 and the
product 200 are
inspected at an inspection station 306 (e.g., a leak detection system) to
identify any problems
with the tagged container 300 and/or the product 200.
l OThe tagged container 300 and the product 200 are automatically carried from
the packaging
machine 302 to the processing machine 304, and from the processing machine 304
to the
inspection station 306, by a conveyor system 308. And although only one
packaging step
(step B), one processing step (step C), and one inspection step (step D) are
illustrated in
Figure IA, any number of each of those steps may be provided in any order as
required to
I 5package, process, and inspect the tagged container 300 and the product 200.
For example,
the product 200 may be processed by a second processing machine 304 (e.g., a
separator)
before being placed in a tagged container 300 by the packaging machine 302,
and a
corresponding inspection station 306 can be placed after each machine 302 and
304 (e.g., a
fill level detection station after a bottle filler).
20At steps B through D, data is stored on the food safety device 100 about
each machine 302
and 304 and each inspection station 306 through which the tagged container 300
and the
product 200 pass. That data identifies the specific machines 302 and 304 and
the specific
inspection stations 306 through which the tagged container 300 and the product
200 pass.
That data may also identify the time and date that the tagged container 300
and the product
25200 passed through those machines 302 and 304 and inspection stations 306,
the facility at
CA 02783966 2012-06-11
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which those machines 302 and 304 and inspection stations 306 are located,
and/or the
assembly line on which those machines 302 and 304 and inspection stations 306
are located.
If a problem with the product 200 and/or product container 202 is identified
at any point
between steps A and D, the logic module 102 will identify that problem and
cause one of the
5visual indicators (e.g., visual indicator 120) of the food safety device 100
to be displayed
(e.g., illuminating a red LED), thereby providing a visual indication that a
problem has
occurred with that product 200 and/or product container 202 in case the
product somehow
makes it to an end user. The logic module 102 will also identify the date,
time, and location
at which that problem occurred and store that data so it can be used to
identify any machine
10302 or 304 that may be associated with that problem. That data can also be
transmitted via
the antenna 106 to an external computer that is controlling and/or monitoring
the
manufacturing/packaging process to immediately bring the problem to the
manufacturer's/packager's attention, thereby allowing the problem to be
quickly remedied.
Moreover, the fact that there is a problem with the product 200 and/or product
container 202
I5can be transmitted by the external computer or the food safety device 100 to
a machine (not
shown) that will remove that product from the manufacturing/packaging process
so that
problem product 200 and/or product container 202 will not ever make it to an
end user. In
that way, problems cannot only be quickly remedied so as to reduce the amount
of down time
for the manufacturing/packaging process, unsafe products 200 and/or product
containers 202
20can be quickly identified and removed from the manufacturing/packaging
process so that
unsafe products are not consumed by an end user.
At step E, the products 200 and product containers 202 that make it through
steps A through
D without a problem being identified are packaged for distribution. For
example, those
products 200 and product containers 202 are placed in boxes 310. A second food
safety
25device 100' is placed on each box 3 10 so both the box 310 and its contents
can be tracked and
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CA 02783966 2012-06-11
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so the environment in which the box 310 and its contents are located can be
monitored.
Placing an additional food safety device 100' on the outside of the box 310 is
particularly
useful for monitoring the environment because the food safety devices .00
enclosed in the
box may not be able to obtain accurate readings from within the box 310.
Moreover, the
5additional food safety device 100' provides a source of additional data that
can be used to
verify the data stored on the food safety devices 100 on the products 200
and/or product
containers 202 within each box 310.
The food safety device 100' placed on the box 310 stores data identifying each
product 200
and/or product container 200 placed therein (i.e., the quantity and unique
identification of
10each product 200 and/or product container 202) as well as all of the data
for each of those
products 200 and/or product containers 202 (i.e., the data stored on each food
safety device
100 on each product 200 and/or product container 202). In that way, the food
safety device
100' on the outside of the box 310 can be used to identify the contents of the
box 310 as well
as the condition of those contents. And both food safety devices 100 and 100'
store data
I5about the packaging process (e.g., the serial number of the machine, the
time and date of
packaging, the machine location, etc.) and the destination of the package
(e.g., the address of
a warehouse, the address of a retail store, etc.).
At step F or F, the boxes 310 are placed on a truck 312 or 312' that will
transport the product
200 to its destination. That step completes the manufacturing/packaging
process and begins
20the distribution process. Although the product 200 and/or product container
202 are no
longer in the control of the manufacturer/packager after step F or F, the
wireless data
transmission functionality of the food safety devices 100 and 100' allows the
manufacturer/packager to not only continue tracking the product 200 throughout
the
distribution process, it also allows the manufacturer/packager to continue
monitoring the
25condition of the product 200 and/or product container 202 throughout the
distribution
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CA 02783966 2012-06-11
[ 120.1 PCT CA]
process. In that way, the manufacturer/packager can make sure the product 200
does not
become unsafe for consumption after it leaves their control. If the product
200 does become
unsafe for consumption after it leaves the control of the
manufacturer/packager, they can
quickly identify the location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of that product 200 and
recall it, replace
Sit, or have it otherwise removed from its life cycle. Thus, the food safety
devices 100 and
100' of the present invention allow manufacturers/packagers to maintain a
great deal of
control over their product 200 such that they can ensure the quality of the
product 200 that
reaches the end user.
To provide that level of control, the food safety devices 100 and 100'
continue monitoring the
l Ocondition and environment of the product 200 and/or product container 202
as the product
200 is transported to its next destination. The sensors 110-1 14 of the food
safety devices 100
and 100' not only monitor the condition and environment of the product 200
and/or product
container 202 as the product 200 is transported to its next destination, they
can also identify
the method of transportation. For example, one of the sensors 112 may include
an
15accelerometer that measures acceleration. And the logic module 102 can
correlate that
acceleration with a specific mode of transportation (e.g., correlating large
acceleration values
to a plane, medium acceleration values to a truck, and small acceleration
values to train) or
with a specific event (e.g., correlating a sudden stop in acceleration to the
container being
dropped).
201f the product 200 and/or product container 202 are damaged in transport,
the manner in
which that damage occurred (e.g., dropping the box 310, the box 310 toppling
over, etc.) and
the party who caused the damage can be identified with the data measured and
stored by the
food safety devices 100 and 100'. In that way, any costs associated with
repairing or
replacing the damaged product 200 and/or product container 202 can be
allocated
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CA 02783966 2012-06-11
[120.1 PCT CA]
appropriately. Moreover, the damaged product 200 and/or product container 202
can be
removed from its life cycle before it reaches the end user.
At step G, the truck 312 delivers the product 200 to a warehouse 314 where the
boxes 310 are
unloaded and stored on shelves 316 at step H. The warehouse 314 can utilize a
computer
5system similar to that used by the manufacturer/packager to wirelessly
communicate with the
food safety devices 100 and 100' on the products 200 and/or product containers
202 and on
the boxes 310. That data can be used to identify the location of the product
200 as well as its
condition, making inventorying the product very simple. Again, if the product
200 and/or
product container 202 are damaged at some point during those steps, the
I Oman ufacturer/packager and/or the warehouse 314 can quickly identify that
product 200
and/or product container 202 and remove it from its life cycle so a
potentially unsafe product
200 does not make it to the end user.
At step I, the product 200 is placed on another truck 318 and transported from
the warehouse
314 to a retail store 320. Both the warehouse 314 and the
manufacturer/packager can use the
15food safety devices 100 and 100' to track the product and monitor the
condition and
environment of the product 200 and/or product container 202 as the product 200
is
transported to its next destination. Again, if the product 200 and/or product
container 202 are
damaged during transport, the manufacturer/packager and/or the warehouse 314
can quickly
identify the damaged product 200 and/or product container 202, identify how
the damage
20occurred, identify the party responsible for the damage, and recall or
repair the damaged
product 200 and/or product container 202.
Instead of a truck 3 12 taking the product 200 to a warehouse 314 at step F
before it is taken to
a retail store 320 by another truck at step 1, a truck 312' can take the
product 200 directly to
the retail store 320 at step F.
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At step J, the product 200 is unpackaged and placed on the shelves 322 of the
retail store 320
where it can be purchased by an end user at step K. The retail store 320 can
utilize a
computer system similar to that used by the manufacturer/packager and/or the
warehouse 314
to wirelessly communicate with the food safety devices 100 on the products 200
and/or
5product containers 202. That data can be used to identify the location of the
product 200 as
well as its condition, making inventorying the product very simple. Again, if
the product 200
and/or product container 202 are damaged at some point during that step, the
manufacturer/packager, the warehouse 314, and/or the retail store 320 can
quickly identify
that product 200 and/or product container 202 and remove it from its life
cycle so a
l Opotentially unsafe product 200 does not make it to the end user.
At step L, the product 200 makes it to the end user in its tagged container
300. Using the
wireless data transmission technology of the food safety device 100, the
manufacturer/packager, the warehouse 314, and/or the retail store 320 can
locate the product
200 and recall it, replace it, or instruct the end user to dispose of it if
the product 200 is
I5discovered at any point to be unsafe for consumption. The
manufacturer/packager, the
warehouse 314, and/or the retail store 320 can also send a signal to the food
safety device 100
to trigger any one of its indicators (e.g., visual indicators 116-124, tactile
indicators, and/or
audible indicators) at any point in its life cycle to alert the end user that
it is potentially
unsafe.
20Using the functionality of the present invention, food producers,
warehouses, retail stores,
and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can track products, rotate aging
products,
avoid having to throw away products, and prevent underhanded selling of
products having
health issues, all of which reduce overhead expenses. Moreover, the wireless
data exchange
functionality of the present invention can be used by end users to access
product-specific
25information on their cell phones while standing in a retail store 320 with
that product 200 in
CA 02783966 2012-06-11
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hand. And the manufacturer/packager, the warehouse 314, and/or the retail
store 320 can use
the data to identify the exact location where the products 200 were consumed
by the end user
(e.g., the location where the end user's lives), which can be used
advantageously for
marketing purposes.
51n addition, the food safety device 100 can generate a variety of
predetermined or custom
reports based on the stored data. For example, a report can be generated that
indicates the
maximum, minimum, and average temperature of a product 200 during its life
cycle as well
as the dates and times at those temperatures occurred. The report can be
displayed on an
LCD of the food safety device 100 or transmitted via the antenna 106 to
printer. The data can
l0also be transmitted via the antenna 106 to a processor or computer at a
local or central
location that can generate the reports for that particular product 200 or for
a variety of
products 200.
The data stored on the food safety device 100 can also be used to determine
the time it takes
for a product to go from being manufactured/packaged to a retail store 320 or
end user for a
I5particular manufacturer/packager, warehouse 3 14, or retail store320. Or,
that data can be
used to determine the time that a certain type of product 200 is below a
predetermined
temperature; to determine the distance travelled by a given product 200 (e.g.,
from origin to
end user, from one warehouse 314 to another, from warehouse 314 to retail
store 320, from
retail store 320 to end user, etc.); or to ensure and confirm that the product
has been handled
20in accordance with governmental regulations, such as the Food Safety
Modernization Act.
Although the present invention has been described for use with perishable
products, other
suitable uses will be apparent. For example, the food safety device 100 can be
used as a tag
to track wildlife, thereby providing invaluable environmental data. That could
be achieved
by catch and release to track animals such as tuna or salmon in the wild. It
could also be used
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CA 02783966 2012-06-11
[120.1 PCT CA]
on fish farms to assure the fish are raised in the proper environment to
maintain a safe food
supply.
The foregoing description and drawings should be considered as illustrative
only of the
principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of
shapes and sizes
Sand is not intended to be limited by the preferred embodiment. Numerous
applications of the
invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, instead
of wirelessly
transmitting data to external systems via the antenna 106, that data can be
read from a bar
code displayed by one of the visual indicators 126. Therefore, it is not
desired to limit the
invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and
operation shown
10and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be
resorted to, falling
within the scope of the invention.
27
