NZ740928B2 - Printed tags for heated food items - Google Patents
Printed tags for heated food items Download PDFInfo
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- NZ740928B2 NZ740928B2 NZ740928A NZ74092815A NZ740928B2 NZ 740928 B2 NZ740928 B2 NZ 740928B2 NZ 740928 A NZ740928 A NZ 740928A NZ 74092815 A NZ74092815 A NZ 74092815A NZ 740928 B2 NZ740928 B2 NZ 740928B2
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- New Zealand
- Prior art keywords
- food item
- holding unit
- tag
- user interface
- hot holding
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- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 title claims abstract description 96
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 37
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 9
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000000875 corresponding Effects 0.000 description 3
- 235000013575 mashed potatoes Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- ZDXPYRJPNDTMRX-VKHMYHEASA-N L-glutamine Chemical compound OC(=O)[C@@H](N)CCC(N)=O ZDXPYRJPNDTMRX-VKHMYHEASA-N 0.000 description 2
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- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000881 depressing Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005755 formation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000021268 hot food Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000036633 rest Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 241000894006 Bacteria Species 0.000 description 1
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- 240000005856 Lyophyllum decastes Species 0.000 description 1
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- 230000003247 decreasing Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010017 direct printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000976 ink Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002372 labelling Methods 0.000 description 1
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- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000153 supplemental Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for creating printed tags for use in connection with a heated food item placed into a hot holding unit. System components may include a user interface, a printer, and a controller. The controller is programmed to instruct the user interface to display a prompt for an operator to input information identifying one or more characteristics of a food item positioned within or to be placed into a hot holding unit. The controller receives the information from the user interface and instructs the printer to generate a tag identifying the food item and the time at which the food item is to be removed from the hot holding unit and discarded. The tag may include a display area to display the printed information and a support area with a slit that allows the tag to be supported by a rack of the hot holding unit. operator to input information identifying one or more characteristics of a food item positioned within or to be placed into a hot holding unit. The controller receives the information from the user interface and instructs the printer to generate a tag identifying the food item and the time at which the food item is to be removed from the hot holding unit and discarded. The tag may include a display area to display the printed information and a support area with a slit that allows the tag to be supported by a rack of the hot holding unit.
Description
PRINTED TAGS FOR HEATED FOOD ITEMS
Background
Field of the Disclosure
The present subject matter relates to the service of heated food items.
More particularly, the present subject matter relates to printed tags used to identify the
time at which a heated food item was prepared.
Description of Related Art
This invention relates to identification of in-process hot food holding. Per
governmental regulation, all potentially hazardous foods, except for those prepared for
immediate consumption by a patron, shall be maintained in such a fashion as to prevent
the growth or development of bacteria. Per USDA regulations, hot holding equipment
must be able to keep foods at a temperature of 140ºF (60°C) or higher. After up to 4
hours at this temperature, the food must be discarded.
In order to track when a food item was placed into holding, Food Safety
Standard Operating Procedures have recommended developing a colored tag indicating
when the item was prepared. For example, mashed potatoes prepared at 8:00am have
a blue hard tag hung on the oven rack. Best practices would also call for a wall chart
indicating the meaning of the different colors. All employees must be trained in the
practice of properly labeling food placed into hot holding.
Potential disadvantages of such a system include the common practice of
discarding food placed into hot storage before the hot holding time limit due to shift
changes in order to comply with the Food Safety guidelines. Colored dots or tags also
have the limitation of indicating fixed time intervals, thereby requiring the food service
personnel to correctly choose the correct one and increasing the potential for wasted
food due to disposal prior to the regulated time. Preprinted tags or labels also have
these issues. Other limitations include a lack of visible marking of the food service
personnel that prepared the food and/or the station at which the food was prepared.
Any detailed information and record keeping is limited to manual
recording, which may not be consistently carried out by all personnel. Hand written tags
may suffer from illegible written and inaccuracies in data transcribing. Furthermore,
these methods can introduce failure points in the creation of Food Service logs of critical
tracking point information including business process, time, date, location, personnel,
and item.
Summary
There are several aspects of the present subject matter, which may be
embodied separately or together in the devices and systems described and claimed
below. These aspects may be employed alone or in combination with other aspects of
the subject matter described herein, and the description of these aspects together is not
intended to preclude the use of these aspects separately or the claiming of such
aspects separately or in different combinations as may be set forth in the claims
appended hereto.
It is an object of the invention to provide a system and method for tagging
food items in a hot holding unit and/or tag for use in a hot holding unit for storing a
heated food item on a rack or which at least provides the public or industry with a useful
choice
In one aspect, a system and method are provided for tagging food items in
a hot holding unit. The system includes and the method provides a user interface, a
printer, and a controller associated with the user interface and printer. The controller is
programmed to wait for an operator to interact with the user interface to select an
operational process; after the operational process has been selected, instruct the user
interface to display a prompt for an operator to input information identifying one or more
characteristics of a food item positioned within or to be placed into a hot holding unit.
The controller receives the information from the user interface and instructs the printer
to generate a tag identifying the food item and the time at which the food item is to be
removed from the hot holding unit and discarded. Wherein the system is monolithic.
In another aspect, there is provided a . method for tagging a food item in a
hot holding unit. The method comprising providing a user interface, a printer, and a
controller associated with the user interface and the printer as a monolithic system. The
controller being programmed to waiting for an operator to interact with the user interface
to select an operational process, after the operational process has been selected,
instructing the user interface to display a prompt for an operator to input information
identifying one or more characteristics of a food item positioned within or to be placed
into a hot holding it, receiving said information from the user interface, and instructing
the printer to generate a tag identifying the food item and the time at which the food item
is to be removed from the hot holding unit and discarded.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of components of a system for creating on-
demand printed tags for food items in a hot holding unit according to an aspect of the
present disclosure;
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic flow chart illustrating an embodiment using the
system and method of the disclosure to create a printed tag;
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic flow chart illustrating another embodiment using
the system and method of the disclosure to create a printed tag;
Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic flow chart of initially configuring the system and
method of the disclosure for use at a food preparation facility;
Fig. 5, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 each illustrate an exemplary format for a printed
tag created by the system and method of the disclosure;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an example of a printed tag created by the
system and method of the disclosure, supported by the rack of a hot holding unit;
Fig. 9 is front elevational view of a sheet of tags for use by the system and
method of the disclosure;
Fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary format of an electronic log entry generated
by the system and method of the disclosure; and
Fig. 11 illustrates an exemplary format of a printed log file generated by
the system and method of the disclosure.
Description of the Illustrated Embodiments
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed
herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely
exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore,
specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a
basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to
variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner.
To address the disadvantages of known systems, it has been found to be
convenient to use on-demand printing for tagging food items in hot holding. In
particular, the use of on-demand printing provides for accurate timing of when a food
item has been placed into hot holding while decreasing waste or the early disposal of
heated food items.
Briefly, a system may be provided to allow food service personnel to enter
information regarding any one of a number of applicable operational processes, such as
preparation of a heated food item or placement of a heated food item into hot holding.
The printer would then create a tag or label format based upon the business process
selected (e.g., hot food storage) and, after receiving sufficient information from the
operator or elsewhere, produce an on-demand printed tag. The printed tag may then be
placed adjacent to the heated food item within a hot holding unit (e.g., supported on a
rack of the hot holding unit). An internal electronic log entry or record of the transaction
may be generated and stored, with the record containing information regarding the food
service personnel, business process, food item, and/or time. The record may be kept in
any suitable format (such as EPCIS format) and may be made available via a
searchable (including Internet-accessible) storage location.
Fig. 1 shows an exemplary system, generally represented by reference
number 100, which may be provided as a thermal printer or, more particularly, as a
thermal barcode printer. The system 100 may include any of a number of components,
which may have a wide range of functionality. In the illustrated embodiment, the system
100 includes a user interface 101, which allows an operator to interact with the system
100. In one embodiment, the user interface 101 is a touchscreen, but it is also within
the scope of the present disclosure for the user interface 101 to be differently configured
(e.g., by comprising a screen that displays prompts to an operator, with one or more
associated buttons and/or a keyboard or mouse that allows the operator to input
information and commands). The illustrated system 100 also includes a printer 105,
where on-demand printed tags created by the system 100 are printed and made
accessible to an operator. The illustrated system 100 also includes a second printer
110 that may be loaded with receipt paper (which is not necessarily configured for
placement into a hot holding unit) for printing a smart log for record retention. The
system 100 also includes a controller (not illustrated), such as a microprocessor, that is
associated with the other components of the system 100. The system 100 receives
data or information (e.g., receiving the information entered by an operator using the
user interface 101) and issues commands (e.g., instructing the printer 105 to generate
an on-demand printed tag) to the other components of the system 100.
Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate two exemplary methods carried out by a system
100 according to the present disclosure may be used, while Fig. 4 illustrates an
exemplary method by which such a system 100 may be initially configured for use at a
food preparation facility. It should be understood that the illustrated methods are merely
exemplary and that the order of operations may be varied, selected steps may be
omitted, and/or additional steps may be included without departing from the scope of
the present disclosure. Also, it should be understood that two or more steps may be
carried out simultaneously, rather than the steps being performed sequentially.
According to the method illustrated in Fig. 2, an operator begins at 201 by
logging in, which may involve entering his or her name and/or an identification number
or providing some other form of identification (e.g., a thumbprint or similar biometric
identifier or an identification card with a barcode or similar machine-readable portion)
using the user interface 101. This data entry may be encouraged by a prompt
appearing on the user interface 101. It is also within the scope of the present disclosure
for an operator to initiate the creation of an on-demand printed tag without logging in,
although it may be advantageous to verify that the system 100 is being used by a
properly authorized individual.
In the illustrated embodiment, the operator enters his or her name and/or
employee number, which may be recorded and retained by the system controller, as at
205. The system and method then waits for the user to interact with the user interface
101, such as by depressing a button or an icon to select a business process (e.g.,
preparation of a heated food item or placement of a heated food item into hot holding),
as shown at 210 and 215. Fig. 2 shows the operator selecting a “place food in hot
holding” operational process by depressing a button associated with the user interface
101 at 240.
After selecting the operational process, the system and method proceed to
obtain information about the food item, as at 235. This information may be obtained
from an item database that is accessed by the system controller after the operator
enters basic information about the food item (e.g., the name of the food item or a code
number or some other identifying characteristic, etc.) using the user interface 101,
although it is also within the scope of the present information for the selected
operational process to include the necessary basic information about the food item
(e.g., “place fried chicken in hot holding” or “place small mashed potatoes in hot
holding”). The system and method may prompt the operator to enter the time at which
the food item was placed into hot holding or may otherwise estimate the time at which
the food item was placed into hot holding (e.g., assuming that the food item was placed
into hot holding at approximately the time at which the operator initiated the tag-creation
process at step 201). The information obtained about the food item may vary without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the controller may
obtain information regarding the number of times that the same item that has been
prepared that day (e.g., determining that the fifth order of small mashed potatoes has
been prepared).
A batch number is created at 230, which refers to the number of times that
the particular heated food item has been prepared. This may be stored in non-volatile
memory and be increased from 1 to an upper value (e.g., 999) before rolling back over
to 1. A transaction number may also be created (as at 225), which may be a
combination of the last six digits of the device MAC address and an eight-digit non-
volatile number that will roll over when incremented from 99999999 to 00000001, for
example. These numbers may be stored by the system controller in a database or
other electronic storage location.
If the food preparation facility includes more than one hot holding unit,
then the system and method may prompt the operator to enter the identity (e.g., an
identifying number) of the hot holding unit into which the food item has been placed, as
at 220.
The system controller is programmed with various tag formats, which
correspond to the particular operational process that is selected at 215. Fig. 5 shows
an exemplary tag format that is used by the system controller (at 245) when the “hot
holding” process is selected (at 215 and 240). It should be understood that the tag
format may vary without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, but in the
illustrated embodiment, the tag format includes a food item description at 501, the time
at which the food item is to be removed from hot holding and discarded at 505, and the
date and time at which the food item entered the hot holding unit at 510.
Other possible tag formats are shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which are possible
if the system 100 is configured to generate barcodes or other readable codes including
an electronic beacon or RFID inlay. In the embodiment of Fig. 6, the tag format includes
a food item description at 601, the time at which the food item is to be removed from hot
holding and discarded at 605, information regarding the individual that prepared the
food item at 610 (e.g., an employee number), the date and time at which the food item
entered the hot holding unit at 615, and a GS1 barcode at 620. The barcode may
include application identifiers referencing any information, such as the item GTIN,
expiration date and time, and/or batch number.
The tag format of Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 6, with a food item description at
701, the time at which the food item is to be removed from hot holding and discarded at
705, information regarding the individual that prepared the food item at 710 (e.g., an
employee number), the date and time at which the food item entered the hot holding
unit at 715, and a barcode at 720. The tag format of Fig. 7 differs from the tag format of
Fig. 6 because the barcode 720 is provided as a datamatrix barcode. Similar to the
barcode 620 of Fig. 6, the barcode 720 of Fig. 7 may include any of a variety of
information, such as the GITN, global location number of the food preparation facility,
the date and time at which the food item must be removed from hot holding, and the
unique batch/ item number.
With the proper tag format selected, the log information and the hot
holding tag or ticket are sent to the printer 105 (at 250). Figs. 8 and 9 show the general
shape that an on-demand printed tag may take, while Figs. 10 and 11 show exemplary
formats for an electronic log entry and printed log file (respectively), although it should
be understood that printed tags, electronic log entries, and printed log files according to
the present disclosure may be differently configured without departing from the scope of
the present disclosure. The on-demand printed tags, electronic log entries, and printed
log files will be described in greater detail herein.
If there is an error in sending the log information and hot holding tag or
ticket to the printer 105 (which is checked at 255), then the process will proceed back to
250 and resend the data. On the other hand, if there is no error, then the process
continues to 260, where the electronic log information is created and stored in a local
database or similar memory location by the system controller. As shown in Fig. 2, the
electronic log information may include: a description of the event (e.g., the date and
time the food item went into the hot holding unit, the Global Location Number and/or
store number, the identity of the hot holding unit used, and the unique batch/item and
transaction numbers). The electronic log may include additional or alternative entries as
well.
With the hot holding tag successfully created, a prompt may appear on the
user interface 101 to tell the operator to place the hot holding tag or ticket in the hot
holding unit (at 265). Fig. 8 shows one way in which an on-demand printed tag may be
secured in place within a hot holding unit, although there are other ways in which the
tag may be positioned within a hot holding unit, as will be described below.
The system and method may then return to 210 to wait for another button
depress or similar interaction of the operator with the user interface 101. If the operator
selects to exit or end the process rather than creating another on-demand printed tag,
then the process terminates at 270.
Fig. 3 illustrates tag-creation process that is similar to the process of Fig.
2, with the steps of Fig. 3 having a “3” leading numeral corresponding to the steps of
Fig. 2 having a “2” leading numeral (e.g., steps 301 and 345 of Fig. 3 corresponding to
steps 201 and 245 of Fig. 2, respectively) and the above description, unless otherwise
noted. In particular, the process of Fig. 3 differs from the process of Fig. 2 at 335 and
360, which differ from the corresponding steps 235 and 260 of Fig. 2. At 335, the
controller reads the item attributes associated with the heated food item from the Global
Data Synchronization network and then compares the item information to the data in the
item database, rather than only obtaining the information from the item database, as in
235 of Fig. 2. At 360, the electronic log information is posted in a remote location
(which may be Internet-accessible), rather than being stored locally, as in 260 of Fig. 2.
The tag format used in the process of Fig. 3 may be the same as in Fig. 2 (e.g., one of
the formats shown in Figs. 5-7) or may be different if additional information is obtained
at 335 compared to 235.
Fig. 4 shows an exemplary process for initially configuring the system for
use at a food preparation facility. The process begins at 401, where the system is
powered on and enters into a startup routine or protocol. At 405, the user is prompted
to enter the store/facility information. If the user chooses to enter such information, then
the process proceeds to 410, with the user entering the requested information (e.g.,
store number and name, address, and/or Global Location Number); otherwise, the
process proceeds to 415 in preparation for the next configuration item.
In 420 the user is prompted to enter employee information. The user can
enter the employee name and employee number or the system and method can assign
a sequential employee number based off of a unique combination with the MAC
address of the unit. The user can continue to enter as many employees as desired until
indicating to the system 100 that there are no additional employees to be added, at
which time the process proceeds to 430 in preparation for the next configuration item.
At 435, the user is prompted for configuration of the hot holding unit(s). If
the user does not want to configure the hot holding unit(s) they exit the process at 450;
otherwise, the user may enter the hot holding unit name and/or number at 440, with
additional units being added (at 445) until the user chooses to exit the setup routine at
450.
Turning back now to the on-demand printed tag 801 created by the
system and method, Fig. 8 shows one way in which the tag 801 may be positioned
within a hot holding unit, such as an oven. Among the challenges addressed in
producing an on-demand tag or label for hot holding is the need for a print/substrate
combination that can withstand exposure to 140°F (or 60°C) for up to 4 hours. For
thermal direct printing, it may be advantageous to use substrates and printing inks or
toners that are formulated for extended-time elevated-temperature uses, or comparable
materials suitable for creating an on-demand printed tag 801 capable of being mounted
from and displayed within a hot holding unit rack, oven and/or heating unit.
As shown in Fig. 8, the tag 801 may be oriented substantially vertically for
clear visibility from a position outside of the hot holding unit. In the illustrated
embodiment, the tag 801 is substantially rectangular, with a perimeter 810 defining a
display area 815 (onto which the tag format of Figs. 5-7 or the like may be printed) and
at least one support area 820 (to support the tag 801 on the rack). In the embodiment
of Fig. 8, the display area 815 is associated with an upper edge 825 and center of the
tag 801, while the single support area 820 is associated with the lower edge 830 of the
tag 801. In other embodiments, the tag may be differently configured without departing
from the scope of the present disclosure.
The support area 820 includes at least one rod-receiving formation or slit
835, which is associated with and opens at the perimeter 810 (at the lower edge 830 in
Fig. 8). The slit 835 receives a rod of the rack of the hot holding unit to secure the tag
801 in place with respect to the rack. In the illustrated embodiment, with the slit 835
associated with the lower edge 830 of the tag 801, the tag 801 may be pressed down
toward the rack (with the lower edge 830 pointed downwardly and the upper edge 825
pointed upwardly) to advance a rack rod into the slit 835, such that the tag 801 rests
above the rack in a substantially vertical orientation. Fig. 8 shows a tag 801 with a
support area 820 having a plurality of slits 835, each associated with the lower edge
830 and receiving a different rack rod. This may be advantageous for improved stability
of the tag 801 mounted on the rack, but it is also within the scope of the present
disclosure for the support area 820 to have only one slit 835. Additionally, while Fig. 8
shows two substantially identical slits 835, it is also within the scope of the present
disclosure for the slits 835 to be differently configured.
Fig. 9 shows a sheet of material from which a plurality of tags 900 may be
cut or otherwise formed. Fig. 9 shows all of the tags 900 being substantially identical,
but it is within the scope of the present disclosure for differently shaped or configured
tags to be used.
In the illustrated embodiment, each tag 900 is substantially rectangular,
with a perimeter 905 defining a display area 910 (onto which the tag format of Figs. 5-7
or the like may be printed) and a pair of support area 915 and 920 (to support the tag
900 on the rack of a hot holding unit). In the embodiment of Fig. 9, the display area 910
is associated with a center section of the tag 900, while one support area 915 is
associated with the lower edge 925 of the tag 900 (similar to the support area 820 of
Fig. 8) and the other support area 920 is associated with the upper edge 930. In other
embodiments, the tag may be differently configured without departing from the scope of
the present disclosure, such as having only a single support area associated with the
upper end of the tag.
Each support area 915, 920 includes at least one rod-receiving formation
or slit 935, which is associated with and opens at the perimeter 905 (at the lower edge
925 for the slits 935 of the lower support area 915 and at the upper edge 930 for the slit
935 of the upper support area 920). All of the slits 935 may be identically shaped, but
(as in the illustrated embodiment) it is also within the scope of the present disclosure for
two or more of the slits 935 to be differently shaped.
Each slit 935 is configured to receive a rod of the rack of the hot holding
unit to secure the tag 900 in place with respect to the rack. Typically, as in the
illustrated embodiment, the slit(s) 935 of only one of the support areas 915, 920 is used
to mount the tag 900, while the slit(s) 935 of the other support area 915, 920 is not
used. However, it is within the scope of the present disclosure for the slits of multiple
support areas to be used when mounting the tag within a hot holding unit.
The tags 900 of Fig. 9 may be mounted onto the rack of a hot holding unit
in one of two ways. First, the tag 900 may be mounted as in Fig. 8, with the slits 935 of
the lower support area 915 receiving rack rods. To so mount a tag 900, the tag 900
may be pressed down toward the rack (with the lower edge 925 pointed downwardly
and the upper edge 930 pointed upwardly) to advance a rack rod into the slits 935, such
that the tag 900 rests above the rack in a substantially vertical orientation. Alternatively,
the tag 900 may be hung below the rack, with the slit 935 of the upper support area 920
receiving a rack rod. To so mount a tag 900, the tag 900 may be pressed upwardly
toward the rack (with the lower edge 925 pointed downwardly and the upper edge 930
pointed upwardly) to advance a rack rod into the slit 935, such that the tag 900 hangs
below the rack in a substantially vertical orientation. One approach may be preferred to
the other to more closely position the tag 900 to the associated food item, depending on
where the associated food item is located within the hot holding unit.
Fig. 10 shows two examples of an electronic log file that may be
generated by the system 100 for each transaction. Exemplary electronic log file 1001
shows the type of data (e.g., print date, discard date, event description, facility
information, etc.) that could be stored in a flat file for collection at the end of the day,
while exemplary electronic log file 1005 is the XML posting of the log information to a
remote host.
Fig. 11 is an example of the printed log file on receipt paper that could be
printed by the second printer 110. In the illustrated example, the printed log file includes
an indication 1101 that the transaction involved a Hot Holding business process. The
printed log file also includes a food item description at 1105, the operator name and/or
employee number at 1110, a unit of measure from the item information 1115, a quantity
1120, a transaction ID 1125, a barcode 1130, the date/time the log was printed at 1135,
and the discard date for the log at 1140. The barcode 1130 (which is illustrated as a
datamatrix, but may be differently configured) may include any information, such as the
item number, GLN number and supplemental number for the oven, GLN source
number, the time at which the food had to be discarded from the hot holding unit, and/or
the lot number assigned by the unit.
It will be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative
of some of the applications of the principles of the present subject matter. Numerous
modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit
and scope of the claimed subject matter, including those combinations of features that
are individually disclosed or claimed herein. For these reasons, the scope hereof is not
limited to the above description but is as set forth in the following claims, and it is
understood that claims may be directed to the features hereof, including as
combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein.
Claims (17)
1. A system for tagging a food item in a hot holding unit, comprising: a user interface; a printer; and a controller associated with the user interface and the printer, wherein the controller is programmed to: wait for an operator to interact with the user interface to select an operational process; after the operational process has been selected, instruct the user interface to display a prompt for an operator to input information identifying one or more characteristics of a food item positioned within or to be placed into a hot holding unit, receive said information from the user interface, and instruct the printer to generate a tag identifying the food item and the time at which the food item is to be removed from the hot holding unit and discarded; wherein the system is monolithic.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag identifies the time at which the food item was or will be placed into the hot holding unit.
3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the controller is programmed to instruct the user interface to display a prompt for the operator to input information identifying the operator.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the tag includes the identity of the operator.
5. The system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller is programmed to assign a batch number to the food item and/or generate a transaction number.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the tag includes the batch number and/or the transaction number.
7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller is programmed to access the Global Data Synchronization Network to obtain a Global Trade Identification Number and/or a Global Location Number.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag includes a bar code with a Global Trade Identification Number, Global Location Number, the time at which the food item is to be removed from the hot holding unit and discarded, and/or a batch number.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the bar code comprises a data matrix.
10. The system of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein controller is programmed to generate an electronic log entry to memorialize creation of the tag.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the electronic log entry is Internet-accessible.
12. The system of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the controller is programmed to instruct the user interface to display a prompt for the operator to input information identifying the hot holding unit into which the food is to be placed.
13. A method for tagging a food item in a hot holding unit, comprising: providing a user interface, a printer, and a controller associated with the user interface and the printer as a monolithic system, the controller being programmed for the following: waiting for an operator to interact with the user interface to select an operational process; after the operational process has been selected, instructing the user interface to display a prompt for an operator to input information identifying one or more characteristics of a food item positioned within or to be placed into a hot holding unit, receiving said information from the user interface, and instructing the printer to generate a tag identifying the food item and the time at which the food item is to be removed from the hot holding unit and discarded.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said instructing the printer further includes identifying the time at which the food item was or will be placed into the hot holding unit.
15. The method of claim 13 or claim 14, wherein said receiving said information from the user interface includes generating an electronic log entry and memorializing creation of the tag and data generated.
16. A system for tagging a food item in a hot holding unit of claim 1 as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.
17. A method for tagging a food item in a hot holding unit of claim 13 as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US2015/054178 WO2017061987A1 (en) | 2015-10-06 | 2015-10-06 | Printed tags for heated food items |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
NZ740928A NZ740928A (en) | 2020-12-18 |
NZ740928B2 true NZ740928B2 (en) | 2021-03-19 |
Family
ID=
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