Food management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016253084-A1
Application number	US-201615055346-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 26, 2016
Priority date	Aug 27, 2013
Publication date	Sep 1, 2016
Grant date	—

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

1 - 24 . (canceled)

25 . A food management system for managing food in a food holding apparatus having a plurality of holding locations, the food management system including
a food management controller configured for monitoring a status of the plurality of holding locations, a user interface including a plurality of holding location displays associated with respective holding locations for displaying information associated with the holding locations, the holding location displays being arranged in an array corresponding to an arrangement of the respective holding locations, the holding location displays being positioned in the array corresponding to positions of the respective holding locations in the arrangement, each holding location display including a touch sensitive area defining a button that can be actuated by at least a first type of user engagement with the button, a tangible storage medium having food management controller executable instructions stored therein, said instructions, when executed by the food management controller, displaying on each holding location display information associated with the status of the respective holding location, the tangible storage medium storing food management controller executable instructions for executing a first operation in response to the first type of user engagement with the button when a first holding location status is displayed on the holding location display and for executing a second operation different than the first operation in response to the first type of user engagement with the button when a second holding location status is displayed on the holding location display.

26 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the first displayed holding location status represents no food is held at the holding location.

27 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 26 wherein the first operation executed by the first engagement is the food management processor recording in the tangible storage medium an amount of food as being held at the respective holding location.

28 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the second displayed holding location status represents food is held at the holding location.

29 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 28 wherein the second operation executed by the first engagement is the food management processor transferring association of an amount of food held at the holding location to a different holding location.

30 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the second displayed holding location status represents an expired hold time associated with the respective holding location.

31 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 30 wherein the second operation executed by the first engagement is the food management processor changing the holding location status to represent no food is held at the holding location.

32 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 30 wherein the operation executed by the first engagement is the food management processor recording as waste in the tangible storage medium an amount of food last held at the holding location.

33 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the tangible storage medium includes food management controller executable instructions for executing a third operation in response to the first type of user engagement with the button when a third holding location status is displayed on the holding location display.

34 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 33 wherein the third displayed holding location status represents an expired hold time associated with the respective holding location.

35 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the button includes a boundary substantially coextensive with the holding location display.

36 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the button includes a boundary indicated on the holding location display by a border.

37 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the holding location display displays information representative of the status of the holding location in the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button.

38 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 37 wherein an appearance of the button when the first holding location status is displayed on the holding location display is substantially the same as an appearance of the button when the second holding location status is displayed on the holding location display except for updating of displayed information representative of the status of the holding location in the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button.

39 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the holding location display displays at least one indicator representative of status of the respective holding location in the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button, the at least one indicator including at least one of a food amount indicator representing an amount of food held at the respective holding location, a food hold time indicator representing a time food has been held at the respective holding location, and a food type indicator indicating a type of food held at the respective holding location.

40 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the holding location display displays at least two indicators representative of a status of the respective holding location in the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button, the at least two indicators including at least two of a food amount indicator representing an amount of food held at the respective holding location, a food hold time indicator representing a time food has been held at the respective holding location, and a food type indicator indicating a type of food held at the respective holding location.

41 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the holding location display displays at least three indicators representative of status of the respective holding location in the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button, the at least three indicators including a food amount indicator representing an amount of food held at the respective holding location, a food hold time indicator representing a time food has been held at the respective holding location, and a food type indicator indicating a type of food held at the respective holding location.

42 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the holding location display displays only information representative of the status of the holding location in the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button.

43 . A food management control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein the touch sensitive area of the holding location display defining the button is free of any indicator indicating an operation executed in response to the first type of user engagement with the button.

44 . A computer executable method for use with food holding apparatus having a plurality of holding locations, the method including
providing a user interface including a plurality of holding location displays associated with respective holding locations for displaying information associated with t

Assignees

• Duke Mfg Co

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• G06Q50/12

  Hotels or restaurants · CPC title

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• 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

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title