ES2389533A1 - System for controlling and managing group catering, and associated method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling and managing group catering and to the associated method. The system comprises a central processing unit (1) including a recording system (3), and said unit is connected with each and everyone of the steps of the method. The method comprises the following steps: (a) planning of menus and orders for suppliers (b) reception (c) storage (d) cold-line preparation of individual plates using display and control means (2) and an LED-based display system (e) transfer to the place of consumption (f) regeneration and (g) service. In the regeneration step (f), at least one trolley is connected to the central processing unit, said trolley including means for connecting to the power grid. Trays identified with bar codes and personalised for each patient are positioned on each of the compartments of the trolley.

Description

Control and management system for collective restoration and associated procedure.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention deals with a control and management system for collective catering, especially for hospitals, clinics, and the like, which completely changes the management and organization of kitchens, eliminating high costs in human resources and investment, provides a wide range offer and quality, solving the problems of regularity of the restoration, maintaining the traceability of the entire process from the purchase or receipt of food, to patient service, who will receive a menu according to medical and nutritional specifications. In addition, pre-cooked and packaged foods are used that facilitate the tasks of handling, conservation and distribution, as well as stock management, through a computer system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In health centers, hospitals, clinics or similar, nutritional care is a very important aspect, because the adequate recovery of patients depends on a good part of it.

Currently, adequate foods are available that fit the patient's care. All patients have food and other nutrient prescriptions based on their status or nutritional needs, including prescriptions, special diets and others. In addition, they have a prescription in their history. In this way, patients are offered a selection of foods that fit their condition, needs and history.

The preparation, handling, preservation and distribution of food, as well as storage should be carried out safely and in accordance with current laws, regulations and practices, preparing food in a manner that reduces the risk of contamination and deterioration. Thus, there must be great control in the preparation of food in kitchens, as well as taking special care with perishable foods. On some occasions, the management of stocks is not adequate, usually with food left over, so that costs associated with meals not ingested due to excess stocks are generated.

In this way, and in the way of working today, it is about identifying each food tray with the menu and name of the patient, through a printed paper. As a general rule, a dietitian checks all the trays one by one so that no patient receives any product that has not been indicated. This entails a high risk of error and cost. The fundamental thing is that the patient does not get anything that could be harmful, but it is possible that he can stop taking some non-restrictive products but for generalizing the menus it would not be useful. On the other hand, the printed paper of the menu can go astray, so it will not be known which is the tray of the patient. It is also extremely easy for anyone to confuse two trays or exchange menus between patients. The control of food from reception to patient consumption is not computerized or controlled, so it is difficult to seek the traceability of the process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention deals with a system of control and management for collective restoration, especially for hospitals, clinics and the like, which aims to give traceability to the entire process from the entrance of the food or purchase of it for the hospital, until its reception by the patient, controlling in a computerized way all aspects of the service. In addition, packaged and pre-cooked products are used, which facilitate the tasks of stock management, handling and distribution of these products.

Therefore, the proposed system provides complete traceability of the process, keeping all products controlled and identified, as well as the patient to whom it corresponds. It usually works with products cooked and vacuum packed, pasteurized and / or frozen, which preserve all its organoleptic qualities, keeping its freshness, quality and good appearance as the first day and with long expiration dates. In this way, stock controls, product inputs and outputs are very simple. In addition, since each dish already packaged and cooked has its cost defined by the purchase, great cost control is achieved. Therefore, since it is not produced in the kitchen of the center but in a highly controlled and specialized production center, a greater guarantee of sanitary hygienic quality and traceability control is achieved, and expenses such as maintenance and facilities, supplies, are greatly reduced Investors, labor, administrative and control. Labor risks are also reduced, achieving greater work and family reconciliation thanks to the new distribution of work and its needs.

Food security must be a priority. With the product used, already packaged and cooked, you can also face any unforeseen in a short period of time.

The application of the control and management system for collective restoration is governed by a series of procedural steps, which are governed by a central processing unit that provides us with real-time data, being connected to each of the following stages , preceded by the order from suppliers and planning:

-

product reception, where the product is identified and registered by an internal barcode, the

which associates the reception with the productions and the subsequent storage. -Stock in chamber between 0-4ºC of the identified products. -accuracy of the product in a clean storage area, where the packaging has already been removed

external transport,

-

Individual placement in cold line, according to the needs set by the program. Through very simple and intuitive indications it is possible to work without stress and absolute safety, and even people who do not need culinary or dietary knowledge. The product is transformed into net and is identified and stored with its own barcode. With the template of diets confirmed by plant, the system, through the screen, indicates the real needs of the products for the plating in quantity, lot to use, if any preparation is necessary, incorporation of some other product, etc., where they are weighed and recorded in internal trays for plating, said trays being also marked with a barcode for traceability. Plating is made customized for each patient with the fully computerized system. Thus, each client or patient is assigned a coded tray that is scanned, the system being assigned the corresponding diet. The program makes a controlled selection of ingredients in the dishes and tells the operator what dishes to place on each tray and where they should be placed depending on subsequent consumption. This indication can be carried out by means of LEDs that light up and display and control means to identify the place where each plate is to be placed. Once the tray with the plates is completed, the menu that serves the patient is printed, as well as the tray, room and bed number, including the template of the following service for the patient to do, if necessary, their Next choice The placement of the trays in the car distinguishes between cold and hot zone.

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Placing the trays in the cars, according to the order indicated by the system, -transfer to the place of consumption of all the dishes in the cars -regeneration in the place of consumption. The two different areas of the car are operating in

cold until serving time, where the cold of the hot zone stops and begins to heat. -Service. The distribution is made by rooms and beds.

The already clean cars are stored in the car farm where, with a wireless connection system, all the temperature data of the car's behavior and its contents are recorded throughout the process.

The system proposed here allows high scalability in a distributed system, minimizing hygienic sanitary risks, maintenance and costs, as well as investment in equipment and facilities. In addition, it allows traceability to the point of each individual tray. Flexibility and breadth in menu changes is an important feature of the system, as is the regular and homogeneous quality of food. It allows a dietary and nutritional control of the dishes, and facilitates the management of the business.

One of the most important advantages of the system is its efficiency and simplicity of application, given its simple and intuitive character for all processes, reducing costs by reducing waste, as well as improving the quality of the patient since it can be done. a service much more adjusted to your needs, with better presentation and food safety.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made of the object of the invention and to help a better understanding of the characteristics that distinguish it, this descriptive report is attached, as an integral part thereof, of a set of drawings, in which For illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows a diagram of the steps of the process with the elements of the system proposed in the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The invention described in this way is a control and management system for collective restoration, which allows to maintain the traceability of the process from the reception of the food, to its service to the patient, avoiding errors and greatly facilitating the process. In addition, it allows reducing costs for surplus stocks, simplifying management, reducing investment and human and energy resources.

The control and management system for collective restoration comprises a central processing unit (1) connected to each and every one of the different stages of the process. This is achieved by means of visualization and control (2) in each of the areas through which the product passes, from orders to suppliers and planning (a), reception (b), storage (c), siting (d) individual in cold line, transfer (e) to the place of consumption, regeneration (f) and even service (g). The central processing unit (1) further comprises a recording system (3) with the data and diets of each patient.

In the regeneration zone, the central processing unit (1) is directly connected to a carriage with display and control means (2) and can have at least two separate compartmentalized zones, with a compartment cooling and heating system , and with means to connect to any energy network.

The compartmentalized areas, if designed, are intended to place on them the food trays identified and customized by patient with internal barcode determined by the internal program of the central processing unit (1), indicating in which tray Each product must be placed through an LED display system and display and control means (2), with means to print a menu card, recording all the data in the registration system (3) of the central processing unit (1).

Everything described above makes the process an integral process in the entire flow from the purchase of any raw material to the patient's consumption, and in turn integrated with the center where the service is performed with factory and suppliers, thus achieving that the process has traceability from the beginning to the end, avoiding human errors in the service of the trays, heating or not of the food, and others.

The invention also describes a control and management procedure for collective restoration, comprising the following steps: a) Menu planning and data entry into the central processing unit (1), and requests from suppliers, b) Receipt of the product, identifying it and registering it in the central processing unit (1),

associating the reception with the productions and later storage,

c) Product storage,

d) Individual planing according to the planning, where it is obtained through the processing unit

central (1) the required products, which go into clearing and sanitation, transforming it into

net product; the operator is indicated the products to be placed in the tray assigned to each patient with

barcode, through an LED lighting system and display media

and control (2) and the trays are placed in the car according to the compartmentalized areas,

e) Transfer to the place of consumption through cars,

f) Regeneration, so that compartmentalized areas heat or cool food through

a compartment cooling and heating system,

g) Service

An important feature of this procedure is that it uses products of the 5th range, so that the food is already pre-developed upon arrival at its destination, such as hospital, clinics or others, eliminating all those operations such as complex preparations, cooking, etc. , which allows to improve the variety, regularity and reduce preparation costs, such as kitchen staff, perishable food scraps, and others.

Claims (4)

1.-Control and management system for collective restoration, comprising a central processing unit (1) connected through visualization and control means (2) to each of the areas through which the product passes, from planning (a) of menus, reception (b), storage (c), placed) d) individual in cold line, transfer (e) to the place of consumption, regeneration (f) and even service (g), and comprising a system of registration (3) with the data and diets of each patient, where in the regeneration zone or stage (f), the central processing unit (1) is directly connected to a carriage with display and control means (2), and with one of a cooling and heating system, with means to connect to any energy network, a car intended to place on it the food trays identified and personalized by a patient with an internal barcode determined by an internal program of the unit of central processing l (1), indicating in which tray each product should be placed through an LED lighting system, with means to print a menu card, recording all the data in the registration unit (3) of the central processing unit (1). 2.-Control and management procedure for collective restoration, characterized in that it comprises the following stages: a) Menu planning and data entry in the central processing unit (1), and orders from suppliers, b) Receipt of the product, identifying it and registering it in the central processing unit (1), associating the reception with the productions and subsequent storage, c) Storage of the product, d) Individual packaging according to the planning, where it is obtained through the processing unit central (1) the required products, which go into clearing and sanitation, transforming it into a net product; the operator is indicated the products to be placed in the tray assigned to each patient with barcode through an LED lighting system and the display and control means (2), and the trays are placed in the carriage according to the zones compartmentalized, e) Transfer to the place of consumption through the cars, f) Regeneration, so that the compartmentalized areas heat or cool the food through a refrigeration and compartment heating system, g) Service 3. Control and management procedure for collective restoration, according to claim 2, characterized in that the products used are of the 5th range. one 3 2222222  FIG. one   SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 201230573 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 18.04.2012 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: F25B29 / 00 (2006.01) RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

56 Documents cited Claims Affected

X

US 6802367 B1 (WESTBROOKS JR JOHN W et al.) 12.10.2004, paragraphs [0004], [0005], [0006], [0007], [0009], [0042] - [0043], [0052], [ 0077], [0079]. one

X

US 4254824 A (SPRINGER DONALD A) 10.03.1981, page 5, line 5 - page 6, line 49. 2-3

TO

JP 2003173369 A (FUJITSU GENERAL LTD) 06.20.2003, summary. 1-3

TO

US 5243171 A (WOOD SIMON J et al.) 07.09.1993, pages 5-9; page 13, lines 11-24; page 15, lines 9-22. 1-3

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of completion of the report 15.10.2012

Examiner A. Casado Fernández Page 1/5

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols) F25B Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENES, EPODOC  WRITTEN OPINION Date of Completion of Written Opinion: 15.10.2012 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 1-3 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 1-3 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. WRITTEN OPINION  1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

US 6802367 B1 (WESTBROOKS JR JOHN W et al.) 12.10.2004

D02

US 4254824 A (SPRINGER DONALD A) 10.03.1981

D03

JP 2003173369 A (FUJITSU GENERAL LTD) 06/20/2003

 2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement D01 is considered the closest document of the state of the art to the requested invention. Claim 1: D01 describes in relation to claim 1, a control and management system for collective restoration ([0006], [0052]), which comprises a central processing unit ([0006], [0042]) connected through display means and control ([0006], [0009], [0052]) to each of the zones through which the product passes, from menu planning, reception, storage, individual placement in cold line, transfer to the place of consumption, regeneration and even service, and comprising a registration system ([0052], [0077]) with the data and diets of each patient, where in the area or stage of regeneration, the central processing unit is directly connected to a carriage with display means and control (figures 1, 3), and with a cooling and heating system ([0004], [0007]), with means to connect to any energy network ([0079]), a car intended to place food trays on it ([0005], [0043]). Finally, claim 1 presents mere differences with D01, highlighting: The trays are identified and personalized by patient with an internal barcode determined by a internal program of the central processing unit, indicating in which tray each product should be placed through of an LED lighting system, with means to print a menu card, recording all data in the registration unit of the central processing unit. The use of a barcode to identify a tray is known to the person skilled in the art (see mode illustrative document D03). The use of LEDS as a signaling system is a direct application known to the person skilled in the art. Likewise, the use of a printer in a control and management system for collective restoration is to spare known to the person skilled in the art (see illustrative document D02 page 5). The differences present between D01 and claim 1 are mere juxtapositions of known elements that do not provide inventive activity to the claim. Therefore, claim 1 does not imply inventive activity (Article 8 LP.). Claim 2: D02 is considered the closest document of the state of the art to the requested invention. D02 proposes a control and management procedure for collective restoration, characterized in that it comprises the following stages: a) Menu planning and data entry in the central processing unit (page 5 lines 5-10), and orders from suppliers, b) Receiving the product, identifying it and registering it in the central processing unit (page 5 lines 10-30), associating the reception with the productions and later storage, c) Product storage (implicit feature), d) Individual plating (page 5 lines 37-51) according to the planning, where it is obtained through the unit of central processing (1) the required products, which are cleared and sanitized, transforming it into a product net; the operator is indicated the products to be placed in the tray assigned to each patient with barcode through an LED lighting system and display and control means, and the trays are placed in the car according to the compartmentalized areas, e) Transfer to the place of consumption through cars (page 5 lines 49-68), f) Regeneration, so that compartmentalized areas heat or cool food through a compartment cooling and heating system (page 6 lines 1-35), g) Service (page 6 line 49) The technical differences between claim 2 and D02 consist in the use during the phase of placing a code of bars in the tray and of an LEDS lighting system.  WRITTEN OPINION The use of barcode in the tray and of a signaling system by LEDS are constructive variations of They are well known to those skilled in the art and do not provide inventive activity. Therefore claim 2 does not imply inventive activity (Article 8 LP.). Claim 3: The difference between claim 3 and D02 is the selection of 5th range products. The use of 5th range products is considered a mere choice among several obvious possibilities that an expert in the matter I would select according to the circumstances, without the exercise of inventive activity. Therefore claim 3 does not imply inventive activity (Article 8 LP.).