MXPA06008786A - Systems for transporting a product using an environmental sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems disclosed herein use environmental sensor technology (12) to enhance the tracking and transporting capabilities of a product delivery system. The systems provide the capability to track and verify the environmental condition(s) to which a product (13) is subjected during its transportation or movement through a supply chain. In particular, the systems allow a sender (16), a receiver (18), and other authorized persons to access or interrogate environmental data (85) that describes the environmental conditions to which a product (13) within a container (14) has been subjected during transport from the sender (16) to the receiver (18). The systems also permit in-transit intercept handling when it is determined that a package (13) was unexpectedly subjected to an environmental condition that by definition makes it unfit for delivery to the original receiver (18).

Description

SYSTEMS TO TRANSPORT A PRODUCT USING AN ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the shipment of a product through a conveyor under controlled or monitored environmental conditions, in such a way that it can be provided through a refrigerated vehicle or shipping container. More particularly, the subject of the invention relates to systems for processing a product during shipment in response to the environmental conditions to which the product is subjected during transportation and storage while transiting from a shipper to a product receiver.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Shipping carriers, such as UPS®, Inc., transport a wide variety of products on behalf of their customers. In most cases the clients of a carrier are either a sender (or "consignee") or a receiver (or "recipient"). According to the terms used herein, a "sender" refers to the person or entity that sends the product to a recipient through a carrier, and the "recipient" is the person or entity that receives the product from the sender through the conveyor. Typically, a shipper places a product that is to be shipped in a shipping container or package, attaches a label with the address indicating the recipient's identity and the receiver's address, and leaves the container with the product in a designated place to pick it up. through the transporter for boarding towards the receiver. A driver of a transport vehicle typically obtains the container with the product included in the collection location, and uses a portable wireless device to capture the relevant data from the shipping label in the tracking system so the fact that the Container and product have been picked up by the carrier can be registered. The driver then loads the container with its products in the vehicle, and transports them to a concentrator for sorting and distribution to the next location along the route designated for the package through the internal addressing and control systems of the container. conveyor. From this hub, the container can be directly distributed to the receiver's location if the distribution is to a receiver in the same neighborhood as the sender. Alternatively, the container with the product can be transported through an airplane, train, or wheeled vehicle to another concentrator closest to the location of the receiver. It is possible that the container with the product is transported through one or more intermediate concentrators before reaching the concentrator that serves the location of the receiver. Then a distribution vehicle transports the container and the product there along the final stretch of its route to the receiver's location to complete the distribution of the product in its container. The receiver can then open the container and retrieve the product for its own use, or it can distribute or sell the product to another person in a distribution chain to the end user of the product. For the purpose of addressing, tracking, and billing the shipment of a product, a carrier can keep the computerized shipping records and rectifying the sender, the shipping account of the sender to which the shipment of the product will be loaded, the address from the sender, the receiver, the address of the receiver for distribution, the level of service selected for the shipment of the product (that is, distribution during the night, distribution to the next day, distribution of two days, etc.), the weight and dimensions of the container and the included product that can be used for logistics planning and billing for product shipment, special handling instructions for the product, and possibly other information. Some conveyors provide the ability to track the product shipped in transit or from the sender to the receiver. This provides the benefit of allowing the sender and receiver to determine the status of the product shipped while on the conveyor and storage network transportation. In addition to providing peace of mind to the sender and / or receiver according to the location and status of the product within the transportation of the conveyor and the storage network at any given time, said Tracking information can allow the receiver to plan when the product arrive at the recipient's location. The receiver can thus plan the activities that are contingent after receiving the product, such as the availability of machinery and work to handle the product, etc. In addition, the tracking information allows the sender or receiver to verify that certain actions, such as shipping or distribution of the product, have in fact been taken. This can be useful to verify acceptance (or determine non-acceptance) of a contract between the sender and the receiver. Such tracking information may also be useful for interested third parties such as insurers, bondholders, or banks, who have an interest in a product shipment. To access tracking information, some carriers allow the use of a tracking identifier, usually included as a string of alphanumeric characters or bar code, on the shipping label. A customer or other interested party may access said tracking information by contacting the carrier's service representative via telephone or by providing the tracking identifier to said representative. The representative can then use the tracking identifier to refer to the computerized shipping records through an internal network with the carrier to provide the requested product status information to the customer. Alternatively, some carriers allow customers to directly access the shipment tracking information through the use of a Web-based device to access to the computer system of the transporter through the Internet. Despite the wide variety of goods shipped by a transporter, most items are transported in a routine manner in accordance with the standard shipping procedures developed by the carrier. In other words, despite the various sizes and types of containers and products that can be shipped by a conveyor, the containers and their products are handled in the same general way using the same integrated system of concentrators with classifiers, conveyors, storage locations. loading and unloading, storage areas and transport vehicles. However, in some cases the nature of some products may require a carrier to apply special handling or exception processing during the transport of such products from a sender to a receiver. The term "special handling" encompasses a variety of operations in which particular products (or a shipment of products) are identified and separated from shipments of routine products that be handled differently from shipments of routine in the system of transportation and storage of the carrier of the shipment. Such special handling may include, for example, sensitive, explosive, hazardous or toxic transport products in a special way. Such management can be ordered through the applicable law or regulation for product shipments, which may be necessary in order to comply with the customer's request for product handling, or may be necessary due to the policies or regulations. experiences internal conveyors with products of a special nature. For example, the carrier can be questioned through a customer or a third party to verify that a refrigerated container carrying biological material is operating at several points along the shipping route of the container. Maintaining the integrity of a product in its protective container along the transport can be critical to use the product contained through the receiver or the end user. For example, wine typically needs to be kept within a certain temperature range in order to preserve its desired flavor. Therefore, a conveyor can be requested to handle a package containing extra care wine or inspect the package at one or more points along its route to ensure the continued viability of the product. For example, the transporter can transport a shipment of wine in a temperature controlled container. By verifying a temperature instrument associated with the container at various points along the transportation route designated for the wine product in the conveyor logistics network, proper product management can be inferred from the instrument readings which confirm that the product is at a permissible temperature. However, said technique does not inform or alert the transporter and the customer of whether the appropriate environmental conditions were or were not maintained during the times in which the product was in the transporter's logistics network between the control points. Therefore, in a way unknown to either the carrier or the customer, it is possible that the receiver could be provided with a shipment of product that was subjected to an environmental condition that makes it incapable of being used by the receiver or another end user. In this way, exposure to an environmental condition can damage or destroy the shipment of product, or possibly even make it dangerous to the recipient or the end user. In addition, continuing to ship a product that has been rendered useless for the purposes of the recipient or the end user through exposure to an environmental condition may result in a waste of substantial transportation, labor, financial, and other resources of the transporter and / or the client. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method and system for processing packets that require transport in accordance with one or more prescribed environmental conditions. The method and system should provide a way to verify if certain environmental conditions are maintained or not during the shipping procedure for a product. Additional benefits could be obtained if the system and the method can react to the exposure of a product to an environmental condition rendering it useless, to avoid the unnecessary use of resources of the bearer or others.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention, and its various modalities, solve the previously observed disadvantages of prior devices and techniques. The present invention provides a system for verifying whether a certain environmental condition has been maintained for a product contained in a package or container through the package shipping process.

In addition, the modalities of the invention provide the ability to react during transport in the event that the contained product is subjected to an environmental condition that renders it useless for distribution to the recipient to avoid the unnecessary expense of resources in addition to distributing said product. ineffective product In accordance with the present invention, these objects are achieved, through a system that monitors and processes a product (s) through the use or more environmental sensors that travel with the product to determine the condition (s). es) that affect the product during shipment. One embodiment of the present invention is a system comprising an environmental sensor that is associated with a product in a container, at least one scanner for scanning the sensor in one or more locations to read the environmental data of the product from the sensor, and a connected computer to communicate with the scanner (s). The computer is operated to generate a transport instruction for transport the product in the container based on the environmental data of the scanned product. This transport instruction may be provided to a human worker or machinery, or a combination thereof, in order to properly address the product. The environmental sensor may be a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag physically associated with the product, which perceives the environmental condition to which the contained product is subjected to generate the environmental data of the product. Because the sensor travels with the product during shipment, the sensor can obtain periodic data readings or sampled environmental conditions to more accurately reflect the conditions to which the product has been subjected during shipment. You can obtain a relatively complete record of the environmental conditions to which you have been subjected through this procedure, even at points in the product path remote from the location of the scanner. This allows the carrier, recipient, receiver, or other interested party to verify that the product has been subjected to appropriate environmental conditions during its transportation from the sender to the receiver. In the event that the product has been subjected to environmental conditions that make it unsuitable for the purposes of the receiver or the end user, this can also be determined through the readings of data stored in the sensor and read by the scanner. The environmental data of the product may comprise data indicating at least one variety of environmental conditions including temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and a chemical that the product has experienced during transportation. The deviation of the measurements of one or more of these conditions has transcendence over the prescribed limit that can activate the system to direct the package to a different location that could decide to be addressed for special handling. Additionally, the scanner can be configured to read the identification data of the container, the product or both. This identification data may be provided in a medium such as a boarding tag as alphanumeric characters, one or two dimensional bar codes or other optically readable indication. Alternatively, or in addition to the optically readable means, the identification data may be provided as an electro-magnetically readable medium, such as an RFID tag. The scanner can thus have an optical and diagonal or electro-magnetic scanning capability, for example. The medium that carries the identification data is attached or on the contrary is physically associated with the container and / or product. The identification data identify the product and / or the container to which the environment data of the product being explored refer. The identification data indicate that the product and / or its container can be explored and used to classify the corresponding product environment data in the system. In addition, the tracking data associated with the exploration of the environmental data of the product, such as the data indicating the location of the product contained at the time of the exploration associated with the identification data of the product and / or the container in the logistics network of the conveyor, they can be generated and stored through the system. The access to said environmental data of the product and optionally also to the tracking data, can be provided by the system to an interested party such as the sender and / or receiver, for example, based on an application received by the system of said part. This request can be made through the telephone or through a computing device through a network such as the Internet, for example. The request may include the identification data identifying a particular product and / or container, such as a tracking identifier, which the system uses to retrieve the environmental data of the corresponding product and / or the tracking data from its unit. of data storage. The system retrieves this data and transmits it to the requesting party (s) through the telephone or the computing device through the network. The transport instruction for the processing of a shipment of products can be generated through the system based on the environmental data of the product by determining whether the contained products have been subjected to an environmental condition that goes beyond a limit indicating the maximum level or minimum, or a scale of levels, that define an acceptable condition for the product. In one embodiment, the sensor stores the shipping address data of a receiver to which the container and the product are to be sent, and the transport is carried out so that the shipment of the container and the product to the receiver are based on the shipping address data while the determination step has not established that the environmental condition has been transcended to a limit indicating a minimum or maximum level for the condition, or it went outside a scale of acceptable levels. However, transportation is carried out differently if the environmental condition has transcended the limit (s). In another embodiment, the system performs the same operations using shipping address data that is obtained from a fixed shipping label to the container. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system comprising: a server capable of communicating with a plurality of remote computers through a network. Remote computers are operable to transmit at least one of the environmental data of the product, the tracking data, and the identification data associated with the container, the product or both, to the server through the network. The system further comprises a database storage unit accessible through the server for storing environmental product and tracking data in association with identification data. The tracking data may comprise the time and location data that they identify when and where at least one scanning operation of a contained product took place during the boarding procedure. And, in one embodiment, the identification data comprises a tracking identifier which uniquely identifies at least one of the container and the product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and where: Figure 1 is a view of a product distribution system using the technology of environmental sensor to capture the environmental data of the product according to a modality of the present invention. Figure 2 is a view of a classification system that is operable to address the products based on the environmental data of the product associated with the packages according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a block diagram of a computer system according to the invention described in Figures 1-2. Figure 4 is a flowchart of step procedure of a method for transporting a product based on the environmental data of the product according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figures 5-6 are procedural flow diagrams of steps of a method to provide historical data of the environmental conditions to which the product has been subjected during the shipment of according to one with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will now be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, modalities of the invention are shown. Certainly, these inventions can be exemplified in many different ways and should not be constructed as limited to the modalities established here; rather, how these modalities are provided so that the description meets the applicable legal requirements. Similar numbers refer to similar elements. The following paragraphs describe novel and non-obvious systems and methods in which environmental sensor technology is used in connection with a product distribution system. The systems and methods described herein provide means to track and verify the environmental conditions to which a product within a container has been subjected during its movement through a supply chain. As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings: "and / or" means any, any, or all of the things listed before and after said terms. In this way, "A, B and / or C" means "any, some, or all A, B, and C". "Container" will be used here to refer virtually to Any item that can be used to include or maintain a product, such as an envelope, package, tube to send mail, bag, box, package, can, bucket, basket, vault, shipping container, etc. Figure 1 is a view of a product distribution system 10 that uses environmental sensor technology to capture the environmental data of the product according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 10 comprises an environmental sensor 12 physically associated with a product 13 in a container 14 that will be shipped from a sender 16 to a receiver 18. The system 10 further comprises a transporter logistics network 20 for shipping the container 14 with its product 13, and a computer system 22 to monitor various aspects of the boarding procedure. In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 associated with the product 13 in the container 14 is a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag. As referred to herein, an RFID sensor is an automated data collection device that has an integrated environmental sensor. As is known in the art, RFID sensor technology provides wireless automated data collection means that eliminate the need for a direct observation line between a data reader and an RFID tag. This allows the sensor tag 12 to be placed anywhere on or within the product 13 or the container 14. In other words, the sensor 12 can be placed inside the container 14, can be attached to an external surface of the container, or can place directly about the product 13 that is inside the container, for example. The environmental sensor portion of the device 12 is preferably capable of sensing one or more environmental conditions, such as temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and the presence or absence of a chemical. These types of environmental sensing devices 12 are products known to one skilled in the art. For example, an RFID environmental sensor capable of detecting changes in one or more of said environmental conditions is described in US Patent No. 6, 294, 997, issued to Paratore, which is incorporated herein by reference. The product 13 and / or the container 14 may have identification data 83 to identify the product and / or container 14. The identification data 83 may be, by way of example and not limitation, a tracking identifier 23 for exceptionally identifying the product 13 and / or container 14 during the boarding procedure. The tracking identifier 23 can thus be an alphanumeric number such as a "1Z" number or a bar code such as a one-dimensional representation of the number "1Z" exceptionally assigned to a boarding tag or a two-dimensional pattern Maxicode®, the which is used by UPS®, Inc. to track the packages. It is also possible that the identification data 83 may be another kind of identifier, such as an electronic product code (EPC), a global trade item number (GTIN), a vehicle identification number (VIN), etc. The identification data 83 may also comprise data indicating the serial number or unit of a product, its manufacturer, its stock identification number (SKU), the characteristics of the product such as its color, style, size, weight, packaging, the value-added tax (VAT), to which the product is subject, etc. In one embodiment, the identification data 83 is stored in the sensor 12 and can be read through a scanner at one or more points along the boarding route. In another embodiment, the identification data 83 is identified on a printed medium 21 attached to the package. The printed medium 21 may comprise a conventional shipping label with identification data 83 encoded in an optically readable form such as a string of alphanumeric characters, such as a uni or bi-dimensional bar code, or other human-readable form or machine . The identification data 83 can be used through the computer system 22 to allow the environmental data of the product 85, and optionally also the tracking data 84 that is associated with the product 13 and / or the container 14 as shipped through of the logistics network of the conveyor 20. In other words, according to the product 13 in the container 14 is transported from the sender 16 to the receiver 18, the internal scanners of the logistics network of the conveyor 20 can scan the identification data 83 on the container 14 and / or product 13, to generate the tracking data 84 indicating the condition of the product during transport. For example, the identification data 83 of the product 13 and / or the container 14 is they can scan through said equipment at one or more of the number of different points, such as through the driver 24 that picks up the package at the location of the sender 16 and uses a portable scanning device 26 to read the identification data of the container 14, in the concentrators 28 that receive and classify the package and have equipment to scan the identification data, and finally through the distribution conductor 30 that distributes the package to the distribution site 18 and uses a portable device 26, to explore the identification data to generate the tracking data 84 before distribution. The tracking data 84 may include data identifying the date, the time, and the location of the particular events associated with the container 14 as it is transported from the recipient 16 to the receiver 18 within the logistics network of the conveyor 20. Such events may include the arrival or departure of the container 14 to or from the particular places within the logistics network 20 of the transporter according to the package is transported. Said tracking data 84 may also include the identity of the persons handling the container 14, such as the pick-up or delivery driver, or a person authorizing the reception of the package at a particular location by signing the package. The tracking data 84 can be transmitted through a network 32 to the computer system 22 from various scanning locations, for storage. The computer system 22 can provide access to the tracking data 84 related to the product 13 through the network 32, whereby the sender 16, a receiver 18, the personnel of the collection and distribution, and potentially others, can determine the status of the product 13 during the transport of the product in the logistics network of the transporter. Similarly, the environmental data of the product 85 can also be obtained through the scanning of the environmental sensor 12 that is physically associated with the product 13 at one or more points along the shipping route. The type of environmental data of the product 85 obtained from the sensor 12 depends on the type of sensor used. Preferably, the environmental sensor 12 is capable of sensing one or more environmental conditions such as temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and the presence or absence of a particular chemical. In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 is an RFID sensor, and the environmental data of the product 85 is read wirelessly when the sensor is within the scale of a scanner. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 is operable to generate the time data in association with the environmental data of the product to indicate the time of perception of the environmental conditions associated with the container 14. In other words, this type of sensor 12 is you can use to record the historical data of the environmental conditions that a product 13 and / or container 14 is exposed during transportation. This is a great advantage over previous technologies in that it provides the ability to determine which environmental conditions have impacted the product 13 during boarding, not only at checkpoints where Scanners read the data from the sensors 12, but also at other locations between the control points since the sensor in effect keeps track of the environmental conditions. affecting the product throughout its journey through the logistics network of the conveyor 20. The ability to verify that one or more environmental conditions have been maintained during the transport and storage of a product can be extremely important when shipping A variety of products require special handling. A few examples of products that may require special handling due to their sensitivity to temperature, pressure, light, air and / or other environmental conditions include pharmaceuticals, biological tissue, drug, and perishable foods. This capability has numerous benefits including the provision of the customer's ability of the conveyor to confirm that the product 13 has not been subjected to an adverse condition during shipment, and in this way, that the product is suitable for use through the receiver. or another downstream user in the supply chain from the receiver. It also enables the transporter to assure the customer that the product 13 has not been subjected to an adverse environmental condition, and in this way the carrier's contract with the customer has been complied with. In addition, the record of the environmental conditions to which the product 13 has been subjected can be used to determine the entity responsible for submitting the product to an environmental condition, rendering it ineffective for use during shipment. You can also use through the conveyor for testing or quality control purposes to determine the proper functioning and correctness of the equipment and procedures in its logistics network 20 to ensure that a product 13 was not subjected to environmental conditions that render it ineffective for its purposes planned during shipment. As will be described in more detail below, the environmental data of the product read from the sensor 12 can be used to transport the container 14 based on the environmental data of the product. The present invention can also operate with other types of environmental sensors 12 known in the art. For example, in addition to detecting and recording the environmental data of the product associated with a product 13 and / or a container 14, some environmental sensors 12 can be programmed to determine if the environmental condition of a product has transcended a minimum or maximum scale or limit, based on the environmental data of the product detected by the sensor. In one embodiment, the data indicating whether a minimum or maximum limit or scale has been transcended is read from the sensor 12 at one or more of the points in the boarding procedure. In another embodiment, the sensor 12 may comprise a visual indicator that changes in its physical properties have transpired in response to an environmental condition a minimum or maximum limit or scale. For example, the visual indicator may include at least one light-emitting diode (LED). The (LED) can be used to indicate that an environmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or scale through, for example, the shifting from an unlit state to an illuminated state, or being illuminated, so that it changes from a first color (eg, green) to a second color (eg, red) in response to the environmental condition that the contained product 13 transcended a scale or minimum or maximum limit. These types of visual indicators can be used to alert distribution personnel in handling such packages 14 of the need to take appropriate actions with respect to the product 13 that has been exposed to an unacceptable environmental condition. The invention is not limited to the use of LEDs as visual indicators to indicate the exposure of a product 13 to an unacceptable environmental condition: virtually no sensor 12 that changes its visual appearance or other physical property in response to an environmental condition can be used. Said sensor 12 can be one that allows to perceive the state of the sensor without requiring the line of sight, or it can be one that requires the line of sight, or even the contact, in order to read the state of the sensor indicating whether the product 13 has been exposed to an adverse environmental condition. The possibilities of the sensors 12 having visual indicators that can be used in the subject matter of the invention include temperature-sensitive visual indicators such as paper thermometers, or thermo-labels, liquid crystal temperature strips that change the color in response to changes in temperature, hydronium strips (pH) that change the color in response to the pH of the environment of the product, electro-chemical sensor strips that change color in the presence of of a chemical or element, sensor strips that measure an environmental condition such as the amount of ultraviolet light or other wavelength scale, pressure sensitive strips, and other devices. As mentioned above, a relatively complete record can be obtained of the environmental condition to which the product 13 has been subjected during shipping and storage through a sensor 12 that senses the environmental condition periodically or conversely throughout of its route and stores the environmental data of the perceived product 85 for a later recovery through a scanner. That sensor 12 will often have to sample and store the measurements as environmental data of the product depends on the nature of the product 13 and its sensitivity to exposure to environmental conditions. In general, the sampling period of the sensor 12 should be less than the time required for the product 13 to decompose when exposed to the environmental condition to enable the fact that the exposure is recorded and read by the scanner in the network. conveyor logistical 20. In this way, for example, if the product 13 is damaged by exposure to an environmental condition not accepted for a few seconds, then the sensor should be able to take the readings of the environmental data of the product so less every second or less. Similarly, if the product 13 is damaged if it is exposed to an unacceptable environmental condition and continuously for several hours, then the sensor 12 can take the readings of the environmental data of the product on the basis of of hours or minutes, for example. The deterioration of a product 13 may also depend not only on the time during which the product was exposed to an unacceptable environmental condition but also on the severity of the environmental condition. Therefore, the sensor 12 may be such that it takes the readings of the environmental data of the product more frequently if an environmental condition is relatively severe, and less frequently if the environmental condition at which the product 13 is exposed is less severe. By storing the readings of the environmental data of the product in correspondence with the time in which said readings were taken, the scanner can read said data so that a relatively complete record of the environmental data of the product 85 that affect the product can be obtained. 13 during the time of shipment and stored in the computer system 22. It will be understood that the sensor 12 may be such as to determine by itself whether the environmental conditions affect the product 13 with which they are associated has exceeded the limit values or of acceptable scale. Thus, the sensor 12 can provide data indicating an alert to the scanner, which in turn bases this data on the computer system of the conveyor 22. In response to this data, the computer system of the conveyor 22 can generate a transport instruction 87 to transport the damaged product in accordance with special handling procedures. As another alternative, the sensor 12 can merely store the environmental data of the product 85 that is read through the scanner and are provided to the computer system of the conveyor 22, which makes the determination to establish if the environmental data of the product have transcended the prescribed values or limits and, if so, generate the transport instruction 87 to the machinery and / or internal personnel of the logistics network of the conveyor 20 to affect the special handling of the product 13. In this way, the sensor 12 can merely be a sensor device, or alternatively, in addition to storing the environmental data of the product, it can perform the processing to determine if the product 13 has been subjected to unacceptable environmental conditions, and if so, it can transmit the resulting alert data to the computer system of the conveyor 22 through a scanner through the network 32. Figure 2 shows a system of classification 36 that is operable to address products 13 in containers 14 based on the environmental data of the product 85 associated with the packages according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the classification system 36 includes a conveyor belt 38, scanners 41 including an RFID interrogator 40 and an optical scanner 42, a concentrator control unit 44, one or more machine controllers 46, and one or more control units. sorting machinery 48. The sorting system 36 described herein can be used in a conveyor concentrator installation and / or as part of a commissioned sorting system. Although the following paragraphs describe this modality of the classification system 36 in the context of a transport concentrator installation 28, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that this mode is equally advantageous in the context of pre-sorted ordering or in any other packet classification operation. A container 14 having an environmental sensor 12 arrives at the transport concentrator 28 facilities and is placed on a conveyor belt 38 which takes the package from the sorting system 36. In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 associated with the container 14 is a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor. The container 14 also has the addresses of the shipping address indicating the shipping address of a receiver 18 for which the package is to be shipped. In one embodiment, the boarding address data is classified on the sensor 12. In another embodiment, the boarding address data is located on a conventional boarding tag 21 associated with the container 14. According to the container 14 it moves on the conveyor belt 38 towards the sorting system 36, an interrogator 40 reads the RFID sensor 12 and captures the environmental data of the product. In one embodiment, the interrogator 40 also captures the data of the boarding address from the RFID sensor 12. In another embodiment, the boarding address data is read from the boarding label 21 in the container 14 using an optical scanner 42 in a form known in the art. An RFID sensor 12 can be active or passive depending on whether they have a power source on board or not. In general, an active sensor uses one (one) battery (s) to power its transmitter and radio receiver of label (or transmitter / receiver); This type of sensor usually contains a greater number of components than those with a passive sensor. Accordingly, an active sensor is usually comparatively larger in size and is generally more expensive than a passive sensor. In addition, the life of an active label is directly related to the life of the battery. In contrast, a passive label derives its energy from the RFID interrogator 40 used to read it. This responds to the signal of the interrogator with a modulated signal through the data stored there. A passive tag does not use a battery that drives the energy of the reflected signal. But a passive label can use a battery to maintain the memory on the label or to energize the electronics that enable the label to modulate a signal responsible for the signal of the interrogator requesting that the sensor provide this data. The selection of the sensor 12 for a particular application may depend on one or more of the considerations stipulated above with respect to the RFID sensors and their operation. When the interrogator 40 reads the RFID sensor 12 associated with the container 14, the environmental data of the product 85 is captured and sent through said interrogator to the concentrated control unit 44. Additionally, if read from a sensor 12 using an interrogator 40 or read from a boarding label 21 using a scanner optical 42, the boarding address data associated with the packet is captured and sent to the concentrator control unit 44. In one embodiment, the unit Concentrator Control 44 is a system that controls the movement of the packages through the transport hub facilities 28. A transport hub installation 28 generally contains multiple conveyors that move the packages to the various tip positions or 50 locations within of the building based on the destination of the products in their containers as indicated by the shipping address data. The concentrator control unit 44 controls the transportation of the package within the concentrator to the tip positions or locations 50 from which the contained products are loaded onto the transport vehicles for transportation to the next location along their routes, or They are taken for special handling. The term "tip position" is known in the art and refers to the location in the transport concentrator facility 28 where packages linked to a particular destination are informed to a conveyor belt and prepared for transit to their destination. In this way, for example, a concentrator control unit 44 can recognize that the packages that are linked to Atlanta, Georgia, need to be classified to a tip position number 1; wherein the linked packages for Los Angeles, California should be sent to a leading position number 49. At the start of the packet classification, the concentrator control unit 44 retrieves a master file with concentrator 52 associated with the concentrator facilities 28 and represents information from the hub master file 52 to the classification and tip positions 50 for concentrating installations. In one embodiment, the data in the master master file 52 determines the path that will be used to move the packets through the concentrator facility to its next destination. The concentrator control unit 44 accesses the master master file 52 and retrieves each possible transport concentrator installation which could be the next destination of the packet involved in the packet classification. The concentrator control unit 44 then represents each potential packet destination in a single tip position 50 in the concentrator facilities 28. As the packets are received, the concentrator control unit 44 uses the master master file 52 to determine the next destination of the packet. the concentrator installation for the package. The concentrator control unit 44 then determines what location within the building (ie, tip position 50) to sort the container 14 so that the package is routed to the appropriate concentrator facility. Finally, the concentrator control unit 44 determines the classification path through the building so that the package will be sorted and transported to the appropriate tip location. In one embodiment, the concentrator control unit 44 is operated to generate a transport instruction for the container 14 based on the environmental data of the product obtained from the sensor 12, using the interrogator 40. In this embodiment, the concentrator control unit 44 determines whether the environmental condition of the product 13 within of the container 14 has transcended a limit or a minimum or maximum scale of values based on the environmental data of the product 85, therefore indicating that the product has been exposed to an adverse environmental condition rendering it ineffective for its intended purpose. In another embodiment, the concentrator control unit 44 can also be configured to determine whether the environmental condition of the product 13 is "close" to transcending a first limit or scale of values while "close" can be defined as whether or not the environmental condition of the product is 13. a second limit or related scale of values transcended, in spite of not having transcended the first limit or scale of values. In other words, the fact that the environmental condition of the product 13 is "close" to transcending the limit or scale of values may not make the product ineffective for its intended purpose. However, the discovery of such an occurrence may trigger a requirement that the carrier implement an expedited shipping method in order to expedite the distribution of the product 13 to the receiver 18. For example, assume that a shipment of wine or meat is being shipped to through some type of ground service, and it is expected to reach its receiver 18 in no less than three days from the time in which the environmental condition of the product 13 was discovered, which was "close" to transcending a limit or scale of values, as determined by the verification of the environmental data of the product 85 against a second related limit or scale of values. To handle such cases, the concentrator control unit 44 can be programmed to generate a transport instruction that updates the service level of the product 13 in the container 14 from the current type of service by land to an air service the next day, for example. Accordingly, instead of continuing to transport the product 13 to the receiver 18 for at least another three days, at which time the product will become ineffective for its intended purpose, the product 13 in the container 14 can be distributed to the recipient. receiver the day after the problem was discovered. The minimum or maximum limits or scales can be stored in the sensor 12 and read by the interrogator 40, or they can be stored in the data storage device that is accessible through the concentrator control unit 44 using the identification data that identify the container 14. If the concentrator control unit 44 determines that the environmental condition of the container 14 has not transcended a minimum or maximum limit or scale based on the environmental data of the product, the concentrator control unit generates a transport instruction that causes the container 14 to continue along its boarding route that will carry the package to its receiver 18 indicated in the shipping address data. However, if the concentrator control unit 44 determines that the environmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or scale based on the environmental data of the product, the concentrator control unit may generate a transport instruction indicating that the transport of the container 14 is going to be done differently.

In particular, when it is determined that the environmental condition of the container 14 has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or scale of values based on the environmental data of the product, the concentrator control unit 44 can generate a transport instruction that causes the container 14 is redirected to a tip position 50 from which the packet will be taken to an alternate destination. The alternative destination may be any destination other than the location of the receiver 18 indicated in the shipping address data associated with the container 14. For example, the package may be routed to an alternative tip position 50 from which the product inside the container 14 will be taken to a deposit site. Or, the container 14 can be directed to a tip position 50 from which the package will be shipped along a modified route that takes it to a second receiver that can make use of the product impacted through the environmental condition adverse Still another possibility is that the container 14 is directed to a tip position 50 from which the package will be placed in a control area. The container 14 can be placed in a control area so that it can be inspected, or wait for further instructions from the sender 16, the receiver 18, or any other authorized party to redirect the container when it is determined that the environmental condition of the package has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or scale based on the environmental data of the product 85 obtained from the sensor 12. Continuing with Figure 2, in one embodiment the system of The computer 22 can be configured to generate a transport instruction 87 for the container 14 based on the environmental data of the product 85 read from the sensor 12. To achieve this, the concentrator control unit 44 transmits the environmental data of the product 85 to the control system. computer 22 through the network 32. Preferably, the concentrator control unit 44 also transmits the identification data 85 and the tracking data 84 associated with the product 13 and / or the container 14 to the computer system 22 through the network 32. In one embodiment, the identification data 83 comprises a tracking identifier 23 for exceptionally identifying the product 13 and / or container 14 during the boarding procedure, and the tracking data 84 comprises the time and location data identifying when and where, respectively, the packet scan took place. The computer system 22 is operated to determine whether the environmental condition of the product 13 within the container 14 has exceeded a minimum or maximum limit or scale based on the environmental data of the product 85. The minimum or maximum limit or scale can be included in the environmental data of the product 83 read from the sensor 12 and transmitted to the computer system 22 through the network 32, or the limits can be stored in a database that is accessible through the computer system 22 using the data from identification 83 associated with the product 13 and / or the container 14. In one embodiment, if the computer system 22 determines that the environmental condition has not transcended a minimum limit or scale or maximum permissible values based on the environmental data of the product 85, the container 14 will continue to be directed to the receiver 18 indicated in the shipping address data associated with the package. In this situation, the computer system 22 can generate the appropriate transport instruction 87 and transmit it to the concentrator control unit 44 through the network 32. In another mode, while it is determined through the computer system 22 that it is not No limits or scales have been transcended, the computer system 22 will not interfere with the concentrator control unit 44 and will allow to generate the transport instruction based on the boarding address data. However, if the computer system 22 determines that the environmental condition has exceeded a minimum or maximum limit or scale based on the environmental data of the product, the computer system 22 can generate a transport instruction 87 indicating that the transport is going to perform differently as compared to normal processing through shipping to the receiver 18 indicated by the address data associated with the product 13 and / or the container 14. The computer system 22 can then transmit the transport instruction 87 to through the network 32 to one or more points within the logistics network of the conveyor 20, including but not limited to, the concentrator 28 from which the environmental data of the product 85 was received. As described in the above embodiments, the transport instruction assigned to a container 14 housing the product 13 is they can be generated in the distribution hub 28 through the concentrator control unit 44 or they can be generated through the computer system 22 and transmitted through a network 32 to the concentrator control unit. In any situation, the transport instruction assigned to the product 13 and / or container 14 is sent from the concentrator control unit 44 to the controller of the machine 46. In one embodiment, the control 46 of the machine implements the transport instruction. Machine controllers such as unit 46 are known in the art. In general, the sorting system 36 uses conventional systems, including optical band encoders, to track the position of the containers 14 with their products 13 as they move through the concentrator 28. The unit (s) of machinery of classification 48 used to track and direct the movement of containers 14 and products 13 through a concentrator installation are known in the art. Information about the use of these output trays in a classification system is available in US Patent Nos. 5, 433, 311 and 5, 489, 017, both issued to Bonnet and both of which are incorporated herein by reference. . U.S. Patent No. 6, 005, 211 to Huang and U.S. Patent No. 5, 547, 063 to Bonnet also explain the use of the classifier in the concentrator, and these patents are also incorporated herein by reference. Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a computer system 22 according to the invention described in Figures 1-2. He computer system 22 includes a server 58 and a data storage unit 78. The server 58 comprises a processor 60 and a memory 62. The server 58 also comprises interface units 64, 66, and a port concentrator 65. The processor 60 may be coupled through the port concentrator 65 to receive and transfer signals and / or data to and from the memory 62 and the interface units 64 and 66, as it executes various software codes stored in the memory 62. More specifically the memory 62 stores various software executed by the processor 60, including an operating system 67 for controlling the allocation and use of hardware resources; a server application 68 for processing the identification data 83, the tracking data 84, and the product identification data 85 received from the logistics network of the conveyor 20. The application of the server 68 can be executed by the server 58 to store the data 83, 84, 85 in the unit. data storage 78. The server application 68 can be executed by the server 58 to generate a transport instruction 87 to supply the machinery and / or worker (s) within the logistics network of the conveyor 20. The memory 62 can store a database administrator system (DBMS) 69 to generate commands to store, modify, delete, retrieve, join, divide, etc. data in the data storage unit 78. The memory 62 can store a communication module 70 to handle the communications and data transmitted from, to and from respectively the server; security software 71 for carrying out user authentication and other security-related services such as encoding and decoding data transmitted and received by the server; and a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) module 72 to be used in an embodiment of the invention when sending and / or receiving email notifications through a network 32. Memory 62 may include an area data storage or temporary memory 73 that can be used through any of the software modules listed above to store and retrieve data generated or required in the execution of said code. The first interface unit 64 is used through the processor 60 to send and receive data through a network 32, and the second interface unit 66 is used to transfer data between the server 58 and the data storage unit 78. The data storage unit 78 stores a database 80. In one embodiment, the database 80 contains records of the fields of the related data including a user and the password 81, and the account data 82 associated with the ID. and the password. For each container 14 and its product 13 that are associated with a user account, the database 80 contains the identification data 83 stored in association with the tracking data 84 and the environmental data of the product 85. The identification data 83 may include a tracking identifier 23 such as the alphanumeric character string "1Z" to uniquely identify the container 14 during the boarding procedure. The tracking data 84 may include the identification of the date, time and / or location of particular events associated with the container 14 as it is transported from the sender 16 to the receiver 18 within a logistics network of the conveyor 20. Such events they can include the arrival or departure of the container 14 to or from particular places within the logistics network of the conveyor 20 as the package is transported. The tracking data 84 may also include the identity of the person handling the package, such as the pick-up or delivery driver, or a person approving the receipt of the package at a particular location by signing for the package. In one embodiment, the environmental data of the product 85 includes at least the measurement of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and a chemical to which the product 13 within the container 14 has been exposed. In addition, the data storage unit 78 may store limit / scale data 86 that define the limit or scale of measurements of a prescribed environmental condition that is to be accepted to prevent deterioration of a product 13 under shipment. The limit / scale data 86 that can be used by the processor 60 to determine whether a product 13 has been subjected to an environmental condition adversely impacting the product by comparing the environmental product data 85 with the limit data / scale 86 to determine if an acceptable limit has been transcended. The resulting determination can be used by the processor 60 to direct the product 13 accordingly. Figure 4 is a process flow chart illustrating the steps for transporting a product 13 in a container 14 based on the environmental data of the product 85 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In step S100, a scanner device scans the environmental sensor 12 physically associated with the product 13 in the container 14 at the location within the logistics network of the conveyor 20, to read the environmental data of the product 85 from the sensor. As previously mentioned, the container 14 can be an individual package, a shipping container or any other type of container that includes a product that is transported from the sender 16 to the receiver 18. In a modality, the environmental sensor 12 is a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag, and the scanner is an RFID interrogator that transmits and receives radio frequency signals from the tag in the operation of the scanning step. The nature of the environmental data of the product 85 obtained in the scanning step depends on the type of sensor 12 used. The environmental sensor 12 may be able to perceive one or more environmental conditions to which the product 13 is subjected, such as temperature, pressure, presence or absence of vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and the presence or absence of a particular chemist. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 can be configured to generate the environmental product data 85 comprising the time data generated in association with the environmental samples of the corresponding product to indicate the time of perception of the environmental conditions associated with the container 14. In another embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 can be programmed to determine if the environmental condition of the container 14 has exceeded a limit minimum and / or maximum, or a scale of allowable values, based on the environmental data of the product 85. In yet another embodiment, the sensor 12 may comprise a visual indicator that is operated to indicate that the environmental condition of the contained product has transpired a minimum and / or maximum limit or scale. For example, the visual indicator may include at least one illuminated light emitting diode (LED) in order to change from a first color to a second color in response to the environmental condition that the contained product has exceeded a minimum limit or scale and / or maximum. Other types of previously mentioned sensors 12 can also be effectively used in the system 10. In step S102 of Figure 4, a scanning device is used to read identification data 83 from at least one of the products 13 and the container 14. The identification data 83 can be stored in the environmental sensor 12, the shipping label 21 fixed to the container 14, or some other label associated with at least one of the product and the container. The identification data 83 preferably includes a tracking identifier 23 which exceptionally identifies at least one product 13 and container 14. The tracking identifier 23 may be an identifier that is typically used through a conveyor for trace the packages. Alternatively, the identification data 83 may be Electronic Product Code ™ invitations embedded in the memory contained within an intelligent tag or chip on a particular product. In step S104, the product 13 and / or container 14 is scanned to read the shipping address data indicating the shipping address of a receiver 18 for which the product and the container 14 are shipped. The shipping address data can be stored in the environmental sensor 12, a shipping label 21 fixed to the container 14, or some other label physically associated with at least one of the product and container. In step S106, a computer system connected to receive the scanned data from one or more scanning devices used in the above steps determines whether the environmental condition of the contained product 13 has exceeded a minimum or maximum or last limit, or passed out of a prescribed scale based on the environmental data of the product 85. In one embodiment, the computer system performs the step of determining whether the concentrator control unit 44 of the port concentrator 28 of Figure 2, which generates an instruction of transport based on the determination step. In another embodiment, the determination step can be carried out through the computer system 22 of Figures 1-2. In this embodiment, the data that is scanned can be transmitted through a network 32 to the computer system 22, which then determines whether the environmental condition of the The content product has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or scale based on the environmental data of the product 85. The computer system 22 can generate a transport instruction 87 based on the determination step, and then transmit the instruction through the network 32 to at least one point within the logistics network of the conveyor 20, such as the port concentrator 28 or a distribution conductor 30, for use in transporting the product and the container 14. The transportation of the container 14 depends whether a minimum or maximum limit or scale has been transcended based on the environmental data of the product 85. The minimum or maximum limits define a limit or scale of permissible values that can be stored in the environmental sensor 12, or can be stored in a database accessible through the conveyor 20 using the identification data 83 associated with at least one of the product 13 and the container 14. If the environmental data of the product 85 indicate that the limit has not been transcended or scale, then in step S108 of Figure 4, the conveyor will continue to transport the product and the container 14 for the receiver 18 identified in the shipping address data. However, if it is determined that a minimum or maximum limit has been transcended based on the environmental data of the product 85, then in step S110 the transport instructions 88 can direct a conveyor installation to transport the product and container 14 in a manner different than the handling that would otherwise be used in carrying out step S108. For example, the result of transcending a limit or The particular scale may be such that it requires the product 13 and the container 14 to be redirected to an alternative destination. The alternative destination may be a deposit site, or a different receiver than the receiver 18 to which the product and container 14 were originally shipped. The alternative destination can be identified through the data stored in the environmental sensor 12, or it can be stored in a database accessible through the computer system 22 using the identification data 83. Figure 5 is a flow diagram of A procedure illustrating the steps for generating historical data indicating the conditions to which a product 13 in a container 14 was subjected during shipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. An advantage of generating such historical data is that it allows the transporter, customers, and other authorized personnel to analyze the data in order to see the possible patterns of environmental conditions that may occur during certain moments and / or certain places within the logistics network. of the conveyor 20. Among other things this can be beneficial to test the durability and effectiveness of the different types of packaging under a variety of environmental conditions. Additionally, historical environmental data provide both the carrier and customers the ability to see adverse conditions that may be recurrent at various points along private shipping routes. In some cases, after detection of such problem, a client may be able to request that shipments of a particular type of product 13 be shipped through an alternative route to thereby avoid the adverse condition (s) associated with a boarding road within the logistics network of the conveyor 20. Similarly, the carrier may use the data as a diagnostic tool to help identify and correct recurring problems within its logistics network 20. In step S200, a scanning device scans an environmental sensor 12 physically associated with a product 13 in a container 14 at One or more locations to read the environmental data of the product 85 from the sensor . The container 14 can be a single package, a shipping container, or any other type of container including a product 13 that is transported from the recipient 16 to the receiver 18. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 is a radio frequency identification sensor tag. (RFID), and the scanner in an RFID interrogator 40 that transmits and receives radio frequency signals from the tag in the operation of the scanning step. In step S202, a scanning device is used to read the identification data 83 from the product 13 and / or the container 14. The identification data 83 can be stored in the environmental sensor 12, a shipping label 21 fixed to the container 14, or some other label physically associated with the product and / or container. The identification data 83 preferably includes a tracking identifier 23 that uniquely identifies at least one of the product 13 and the container 14. The tracking identifier 23 may be an identifier that is typically used by the carrier to track packets, or may comprise indications of the Electronic Product Code ™ or data embedded in a memory chip contained within an intelligent tag in a particular product. In the case S204, the identification data 83 and the environmental data of the product 85 are transmitted through the network 32 from one or more scanners 41 carrying out the scanning to a computer system 22. In step S206 of the Figure 5, the identification data 83 and the environmental data of the product 85 are received in the computer system 22 through the network 32 from one or more scanners 41 that carry out the scan. The computer system 22, in step S208, stores the product environmental data 85 in association with the identification data 83 in the computer system. In step S210, the tracking data 84 is generated. This can be done by configuring the scanner 41 to "set the recording dates" of the scanned data in a manner known in the art. In another embodiment, the computer system 22 may be programmed to identify the particular location of a scanner 41 based on the received scanner ID number so that when the computer system 22 receives the tracking data in association with a scanner ID number. In particular, the computer system can refer to a database to retrieve this data. The tracking data 84 may comprise time, date, and / or location of the product 13 and container 14 during operation of the scan. The tracking data 84 further they may comprise data indicating such things as the identity of persons handling a container 14, such as the driver of the collection or distribution, or a person authorizing the reception of the package at a particular location through the signature of the package. Turning now to Figure 6, the procedure continues step by step S212, wherein the tracking data 84 is transmitted through the network 32 to the computer system 22 from a scanner 41 that performs the scan. The tracking data 84 is received in the computer system 22 in step S214, and in step S216 the tracking data 84 is stored in association with the identification data 83 and the environmental data of the product 85 in the computer system. . The data stored in the computer system 22 provides the historical data indicating the environmental conditions at which the product 13 in the container 14 has been subjected to a plurality of places and times in the transportation of the product. In step S218, the computer system 22 receives through the network 32 a request from a user of a computing device to access the environmental data of the product 85 associated with a container 14. In one embodiment, the request includes the identification data 83 to identify the container 14. The request may also include the user identification data, such as his user name and password 81 that he will use through the computer system 22 in determining whether a user is authorized to access the environmental data of the product 85. Based on the data of the application, in step S220 the computer system 22 retrieves the environmental data of the product 85 that the user is authorized to access, and in step S222 the computer system transmits the environmental data of the product 85 in association with the tracking data 84 from the computer system to the computing device through the network 32. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will occur to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the above descriptions and in the associated drawings. For example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the functionality of the computer system 22 as described in Figure 3 can be carried out in a plurality of computers capable of communicating through a network 32 such as the Internet or other communication networks, and therefore, need not be explained here for an understanding of the subject of the invention. In other words, instead of having a single server 18 to carry out the functions described, these functions can be executed through two or more distributed computers, and said modification is expressly contemplated within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and that the modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although the specific terms used here are used in a generic sense and descriptive only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (26)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A system for transporting a product through a conveyor, the system characterized by: an environmental sensor physically associated with a product, the environmental sensor configured to record the environmental data of the product during transport of the product through the logistics network of the conveyor; at least one scanner to read the environmental data of the product from the sensor in one or more locations within the logistics network of the conveyor; and a computer connected to communicate with at least one of the scanner, the computer configured to: determine, based on environmental data, whether the environmental condition of the product has exceeded a limit during transport; directing the product through the logistics network of the transporter to a first receiver while the determination has not established that the environmental condition has exceeded the limit; and redirecting the product through the transporter logistics network to a second receiver different from the first receiver, if the determination establishes that the environmental condition has exceeded the limit. 2. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that said redirection comprises generating with the computer an updated transport instruction that the

The computer transmits to at least one point within the logistics network of the conveyor for the operation of transporting the product to said second receiver.

3. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor stores the boarding address data for said first receiver and second receiver.

4. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the scanner is further used to scan the identification data associated with the product.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor also generates time data and stores the environmental data of the product in association with the time data to indicate the time of perception of the conditioning.

6. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a visual indicator that is operated to indicate that the environmental condition of the product has transcended a limit.

7. The system according to claim 6, further characterized in that the visual indicator comprises at least one light emitting iodine (LED) that is illuminated in response to the environmental condition to which the product was subjected, a limit exceeded.

8. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a sensor tag of Radio frequency identification (RFID), and the scanner transmits and receives radio frequency signals from the label in the operation of the sensor scan.

9. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor is placed inside a container used to maintain the product during transport.

10. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor is fixed to an external surface of a container used to hold the product during transport.

11. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor is placed on the product.

12. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the environmental condition perceived by the sensor to generate the environmental data of the product includes at least one of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and a chemist.

13. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a temperature sensor, and environmental product data generated by the sensor comprises at least one measurement of the temperature level which the product has been exposed.

14. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a pressure sensor, and The environmental data of the product generated by the pressure sensor comprise at least one measurement of a pressure level at which the product has been exposed.

15. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a vacuum sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated by the vacuum sensor comprise at least one measurement of the level of the vacuum at which the product has been. exposed.

16. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a light sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated by the light sensor comprise at least one measurement of the amount of light at which the product has been exposed.

17. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a chemical sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated by the chemical sensor comprise at least one measurement of an amount of a chemical to which the product has been exposed.

18. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises an air sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated by the air sensor comprise at least one measurement of a quantity of air at which the product has been exposed

19. - The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a vibration sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated through the vibration sensor comprise at least one measure of an amount of vibration at which the product has been exposed.

20. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises an impact sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated by the impact sensor comprise at least one measurement of an amount of impact at which the product has been exposed.

21. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a humidity sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated through the humidity sensor comprise at least a calculation of the amount of humidity at which the product has been exposed.

22. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the sensor comprises a humidity sensor, and the environmental data of the product generated through the humidity sensor comprise at least a calculation of the amount of moisture at which the product has been exposed. 23.- A method to transport a product through a conveyor, the method characterized by: physically associating an environmental sensor with the product; Read the environmental data of the product from the environmental sensor in a location within the logistics network of the carrier, the environmental data of the product being recorded through the environmental sensor during transportation; determine, based on the environmental data of the product, if the environmental condition of the product has exceeded a limit during transport; directing the product through the carrier's logistics network to a first recipient while the determination has not established that the environmental condition has exceeded the limit; and redirect the product through the logistics network of the transporter to a second receiver, different from the first receiver, if the determination establishes that the environmental condition has exceeded the limit. 24. The system according to claim 23, further characterized in that said redirection comprises generating with a computer system an updated transport instruction that the computer system transmits to at least one point within the transporter's logistics network for carry out the transport of the product to said second receiver. 25. The method according to claim 23, further characterized in that the sensor is placed inside a container used to maintain the product during transport. 26. The method according to claim 25, further characterized in that the sensor is placed on the product inside the container. 27 - The method according to claim 23, further characterized in that the environmental condition perceived by the sensor to generate the environmental data of the product includes at least one of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, impact, humidity, light, air, and a chemical. 28. The method according to claim 23, further characterized in that: receiving the environmental data of the product in association with the product identification data; store the environmental data of the product in association with the product identification data in a database; receiving the tracking data in association with the product identification data, the tracking data is identified when and where at least one product scan was carried out within the transporter's logistics network; and store the tracking data in association with the product identification data and the environmental data of the product in said database. 29. The method according to claim 28, further characterized in that the product identification data comprises a tracking identifier for exceptionally identifying the product within the transporter's logistics network. The method according to claim 28, further characterized in that: receiving a request from a remote computing device to access the information associated with the movement of the product through the logistics network of the conveyor; and in response to this request, transmit the environmental data of the product in association with the tracking data for the product to said remote computing device. The method according to claim 30, further characterized in that the request received from the remote computing device comprises the identification data of the user to identify a user making the request, the method further characterized by: determining whether the user is authorized to access the environmental data of the product based on the identification data of the user; and selectively transmit the environmental data of the product to the user, if the determination establishes that the user is authorized to access the environmental data of the product.