GB2468543A

GB2468543A - Display of Expiry Date for Produce

Info

Publication number: GB2468543A
Application number: GB0904396A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gavin Cartledge
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-14
Filing date: 2009-03-14
Publication date: 2010-09-15
Also published as: GB0904396D0

Abstract

'Scan-Me' is a device which will be able to scan a food or drink product, either electronically or manually, before it is placed in it's place of storage (fridge, freezer, other area). From this initial scan it can detect the 'Best Before', or expiry, date of the product and store this automatically in categories i.e. vegetables, meat, dairy etc. A display, e.g. LCD, will then be able to display message alerts for products and produce that is due to pass the best before date on both that day and in the coming days. In this way, the customer can be alerted to use products and produce before they have to be disposed of, saving money not only for the customer, but for the environment in the long term, with the product having the potential to reduce food waste and packaging as products are generally thrown away as a whole.

Description

Scan-Me' would have a touch-screen LCD screen within a plastic (or temperature dependent casing) that would scan and recognise a product (food/drink) before it s placed in a fridge or freezer. The best way for this to work would be to scan from the products barcode -the feasibility and process for this s presenUy being studied -otherwise manual entry would have to be made for a product. However Scan-Me' would be able to store a generic code from the product, manuay entered by the customer, which would entail the customer only having to enter the code for a specific product once, as it would recognize this from any subsequent scans.

My initial theory was to have Scan-Me' incorporated into the fridge I freezer where the major food and produce contents wiU be placed, particularly those which have a shorter sell by date such as meat and dairy produce.

Essentiay, there is no reason for Scan-Me' to be a fuy integrated product, but a product which can be integrated if required. Therefore this would mean having an area of the fridge / freezer / storage area which could house the product, but at the same time avow removal to save moving everything that required scanning to one central point.

As for appearance, there needs to be a LCD screen area to display the data required such as time and date, and to display everything scanned which is approaching the best before date. Additionally, there needs to be a keyboard area in close proximity to the LCD screen similar to that of the Blackberry for which data could manually be entered if required, or to access further information. If the LCD screen could incorporate touch-screen technology as the latest mobile phones and PDA's have then this would lessen the need for a full keyboard system.

The initial thought was for the LCD screen to have dual function as the scanning area for produce; however this is entirely dependent upon where Scan-Me' is positioned -there is as much credence for the scanning area to be placed on either the top or bottom of the unit if this is were to be accessible from a housed position.

Dependent upon the scanning element being able to detect the best before date of the product from the barcode, a further element that may be required is an integrated pen-scanner which could be lifted from the housing and moved across the date on the product, automatically moving this data into the relevant section (a pen which would be able to scan the best before date on any product by using OCR software to import this date from the product into Scan-Me').

Provided with this document s an initia' crude interpretation of the points out'ined above. FuJI graphica' design drawings and are being dev&oped to increase the understanding of Scan-Me', with a prototype to foow. Claim