System And Method For Improved Quality Management In A Product Logistic Chain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016239781-A1
Application number	US-201615137316-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2006
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A quality management system for products including a multiplicity of product unit specific indicators, each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, an indicator reader operative to read the product unit specific indicators and to provide output indications and a product type specific indication interpreter operative to receive the output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.

First claim

1 . A quality management system for products comprising:
a multiplicity of product unit specific indicators each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, said machine-readable indication comprising a variable bar code having a first readable state and at least a second readable state, each readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia, at least two digital indicia being different between said second readable state and said first readable state;
an indicator reader operative to read said product unit specific indicators and to provide output indications; and
a product type specific indication interpreter operative to receive said output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.

2 . A quality management system for products according to claim 1 and wherein at least one of said multiplicity of product unit specific indicators is operative to provide machine-readable indications of exceedence of at least two thresholds by at least one product quality determining parameter.

3 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said indicator reader is a bar code reader.

4 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said bar codes are one-dimensional bar codes.

5 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said bar codes are two-dimensional bar codes.

6 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one threshold includes at least a temperature threshold.

7 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one threshold includes at least an elapsed time threshold.

8 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one threshold includes at least a pH threshold.

9 . A quality management system according to claim 1 and wherein said variable bar code has a third readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia and wherein at least two digital indicia are different between said third readable state and said second readable state.

10 . A product unit specific indicator operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, said machine-readable indication comprising a variable bar code having a first readable state and at least a second readable state, each readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia, at least two digital indicia being different between said second readable state and said first readable state;

11 . A product unit specific indicator according to claim 10 and wherein said variable bar code has a fixed bar code portion and at least one selectably appearing bar code portion, both said fixed bar code portion and said at least one selectably appearing bar code portion being readable by a bar code reader.

12 . A product unit specific indicator according to claim 11 and wherein said at least one selectably appearing bar code portion disappears in response to exceedence of said at least one threshold.

13 . A method for quality management for products comprising:
employing a multiplicity of product unit specific indicators to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedence of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, said machine-readable indication comprising a variable bar code having a first readable state and at least a second readable state, each readable state including digital indicia and at least start and stop code indicia, at least two digital indicia being different between said second readable state and said first readable state;
reading said product unit specific indicators and providing output indications therefrom; and
interpreting said output indications to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.

Assignees

• Varcode Ltd

Inventors

• Nemet Yaron
• Brand Ephraim

Classifications

• G06K7/1408

  the method being specifically adapted for the type of code · CPC title

• G06Q10/06395 Primary

  Quality analysis or management · CPC title

• G06K19/06046

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G01N31/229

  for investigating time/temperature history · CPC title

• G06Q30/02

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title