Food management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12399608-B2
Application number	US-202318159701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2023
Priority date	Aug 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing food processing and inventory. Food inventory held at food holding locations can be monitored. Food can be transferred among holding locations and served from holding locations. A prioritized food type list indicates food types to be processed and lists food types in order of determined priority. Food may be transferred to default destination holding locations. Food may be moved to and served from primary holding locations. Buttons associated with holding location displays can be actuated by different types of user engagement for executing various food management operations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A food management control system for managing food in a food holding apparatus having a first holding location and a second holding location, the food management control system including:
a food management controller configured for monitoring a status of the first holding location and the second holding location,
a user interface including a first holding location display associated with the first holding location for displaying information associated with the first holding location and a second holding location display associated with the second holding location for displaying information associated with the second holding location, the first and second holding location displays being arranged in an array corresponding to an arrangement of the respective first and second holding locations, the first and second holding location displays being positioned in the array corresponding to positions of the respective first and second holding locations in the arrangement, the first and second holding location displays each including a touch sensitive area defining a button that can be actuated by at least a first type of user engagement with the button and a second type of user engagement with the button,
a non-transitory tangible storage medium having food management controller executable instructions stored therein, said instructions, when executed by the food management controller, displaying on the first holding location display current status of operation information representing a current status of operation of the first holding location, the non-transitory tangible storage medium storing food management controller executable instructions to execute a first operation when a first current status of operation information representing a first current status of operation of the first holding location is displayed on the first holding location display and the button of the first holding location display is actuated by the first type of user engagement, and to execute a second operation different than the first operation when a second current status of operation information representing a second current status of operation of the first holding location is displayed on the first holding location display and the button of the first holding location display is actuated by the first type of user engagement, whether the first or second operation is executed being based on the corresponding first or second status of operation information displayed on the first holding location display when the button of the first holding location display is actuated by the first type of user engagement,
wherein the non-transitory tangible storage medium stores food management controller executable instructions to execute an operation different than the first operation when the first current status of operation information is displayed on the first holding location display and the button of the first holding location display is actuated by the second type of user engagement, whether the first operation or said operation different than the first operation is executed when the first current status of operation information is displayed on the first holding location display being based on the corresponding first or second type of user engagement used to actuate the button of the first holding location display;
wherein the first holding location display displays the current status of operation information representative of the current status of operation of the first holding location in the touch sensitive area of the first holding location display defining the button of the first holding location display.

2. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein the first current status of operation information represents that unexpired food is held at the first holding location.

3. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein said operation different than the first operation is different than the second operation.

4. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein said second operation is changing the first holding location display from displaying the second current status of operation information to displaying a current status of operation information different than the second current status of operation information that represents no food is held at the holding location.

5. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein said first type of user engagement is a sustained press.

6. The food management control system of claim 5 , wherein said second operation is changing the first holding location display from displaying the second current status of operation information to displaying a current status of operation information different than the second current status of operation information that represents no food is held at the holding location.

7. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein the first type of user engagement is a tap.

8. The food management control system of claim 7 , wherein the second type of user engagement is a sustained press.

9. The food management control system of claim 7 , wherein said second type of user engagement is a swipe.

10. The food management control system of claim 7 , wherein said second type of user engagement is a sustained press and drag.

11. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein said second type of user engagement is a swipe.

12. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein said second type of user engagement is a sustained press and drag.

13. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein the first current status of operation information represents that no food is held at the first holding location.

14. The food management control system of claim 13 , wherein the first current status of operation information has a dim appearance.

15. The food management control system of claim 13 , wherein the first current status of operation information has a gray appearance.

16. The food management control system of claim 13 , wherein the second current status of operation information includes a timer.

17. The food management control system of claim 13 , wherein the second current status of operation information represents that food is held at the first holding location.

18. The food management control system of claim 17 , wherein the second current status of operation information includes a timer.

19. The food management control system of claim 18 , wherein the non-transitory tangible storage medium stores food management controller executable instructions to change a colored appearance of the second current status of operation information based on a time of the timer.

20. The food management control system of claim 19 , wherein the colored appearance of the second current status of operation information changes among at least first, second, and third colored appearances, the first colored appearance including green, the second colored appearance including yellow, and the second colored appearance including red.

21. The food management control system of claim 1 , wherein the first current status of operation information represents that the first holding location is inactive.

22. The food management control system of claim 21 , wherein the first current status of operation information has a dim appearance.

23. The food management control system of claim 21 , wherein the first current status of operation information has a gray appearance.

24. The food manageme

Assignees

• Duke Mfg Co

Inventors

• Deville Canyon
• Loy Joshua Lee
• Delaney Ord Lief
• Bernard Norman J
• Horton Anthony

Classifications

• G06F3/04886

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title