WO2007127071A2 - Rfid food production, inventory and delivery management system and method for a restaurant - Google Patents

Rfid food production, inventory and delivery management system and method for a restaurant Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2007127071A2
WO2007127071A2 PCT/US2007/009190 US2007009190W WO2007127071A2 WO 2007127071 A2 WO2007127071 A2 WO 2007127071A2 US 2007009190 W US2007009190 W US 2007009190W WO 2007127071 A2 WO2007127071 A2 WO 2007127071A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
food
food items
rfid tag
tray
type
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2007/009190
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2007127071A3 (en
Inventor
Glenn Schackmuth
Gerald A. Sus
Original Assignee
Restaurant Technology, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US11/414,420 external-priority patent/US7973642B2/en
Priority claimed from US11/413,234 external-priority patent/US20070251521A1/en
Application filed by Restaurant Technology, Inc. filed Critical Restaurant Technology, Inc.
Publication of WO2007127071A2 publication Critical patent/WO2007127071A2/en
Publication of WO2007127071A3 publication Critical patent/WO2007127071A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
    • G06Q50/10—Services
    • G06Q50/12—Hotels or restaurants

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to a system and method for managing food production, inventory and delivery in a restaurant, and in particular to a system and method using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for managing production, inventory and delivery of a variety of food items in a quick service restaurant.
  • RFID radio frequency identification
  • Typical foods of interest in quick service restaurants include sandwiches composed of a bun, roll or other bakery-cooked bread product and a sandwich filling that is cooked on site at the quick service restaurant.
  • Typical sandwich fillings include hamburger patties, grilled or breaded and fried chicken patties or filets, breaded fish filets, sausage patties, bacon, Canadian bacon and eggs.
  • the restaurant may also offer products other than sandwiches, such as French fries, chicken strips and nuggets, and individual pies.
  • a system for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant.
  • the system includes at least one cooking station such as a grill or fryer, at least one cooked food item holding device, means for identifying the type and quantity of the food items, data storage means associated with the cooked food item holding device, and a controller for receiving data from the data storage means.
  • the cooked food holding device may be any suitable tray, bin, basket, plate, or other movable container, open or closed, or a fixed or moveable holding area such as a defined area on a countertop or a cart.
  • the cooked food holding device is a movable holding device such as a tray which has an RFID tag.
  • a cooked food storage area is provided for receiving and holding the movable holding device.
  • the cooked food storage area is equipped with an
  • RFID sensor for detecting and reading the RFID tag.
  • a system is provided with at least one cooking station, a plurality of trays each having an
  • a heated cabinet with a plurality of slots for receiving and holding the trays, each slot being equipped with an RFID interrogator for reading data from and writing data to the RFID tag on a tray inserted into the slot, apparatus to identify automatically the type and quantity of food items, and a controller for receiving and storing data from the identification apparatus and the RFID interrogator and for applying a time stamp to the RFID tag when a tray is placed in a slot.
  • the cooked food storage area is a heated cabinet with a plurality of slots for receiving and holding a plurality of trays.
  • Each slot is equipped with a weight sensor such as a load cell for measuring the weight of the food on the tray and detecting changes in weight as food items are removed.
  • a machine vision system including a camera is used to identify automatically the type and quantity of food items at a cooking station or on a tray.
  • a weighing system including a load cell is used to identify automatically the type and quantity of food items at a cooking station or on a tray.
  • an RFID tag printer is connected to a point of sale terminal for printing RFID tags which are affixed to food containers.
  • a method for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant includes the steps of preparing a plurality of one type of food item, identifying the type and quantity of the prepared food PATENT
  • the method includes providing a food storage area for receiving a plurality of food holding devices, and establishing an order for utilizing the food items from the holding device on a first- in, first-out basis.
  • a signal is generated when the time elapsed since the recorded time exceeds a preset limit, indicating that the food items should be discarded.
  • the method includes storing the number of food items ordered by and delivered to customers at a point of sale terminal, and the number of food items identified on an RFID tag but not sold, and calculating the percentage of food products sold versus the percentage to waste.
  • the type and number of food items are entered manually by an operator.
  • the type and quantity of food items are automatically determined by a machine system such as a machine vision system including a camera or a weighing system including a load cell.
  • the type and quantity data are input by a combination of manual and automatic means.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic floor plan of a restaurant utilizing the system of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the basic steps in the method of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic elevation view of grill cooking station for use with the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic elevation view of a fryer cooking station for use with the invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a cooked food holding cabinet for use with the invention.
  • FIG. 6 is an example of a food holding tray with RFID tag of the invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a view of a computer display screen of a vision system for identifying food items on a grill cooking station.
  • the system and method of the invention provide convenient, efficient and automated management of all aspects of cooked food handling in a quick service restaurant.
  • "handling” refers to the production, storage and delivery of cooked food items.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates one example of a floor plan of a restaurant equipped with the system of the invention.
  • the restaurant includes kitchen area 2 and customer service area 4.
  • Uncooked food items are stored in storage cabinet 6 which may be, for example, a refrigerator, freezer or pantry cabinet.
  • Kitchen area 2 includes two cooking stations, a fryer 8 and grill 10.
  • Fryer 8 is used for preparing food items such as French fries, breaded chicken patties and filets, breaded fish filets, fried pies and the like.
  • a typical restaurant may have a 2- or 3-vat fryer. Food items are placed in baskets that are lowered into the vat of the fryer for cooking.
  • Grill 10 is used for cooking food items such as hamburger patties, grilled chicken, sausage patties, bacon, Canadian bacon, and eggs.
  • Grill 10 may be a traditional flat, open grill, or a double-sided "clamshell" type that cooks food items on both sides simultaneously.
  • other types of cooking stations may be used with the system and method of the invention depending on the type of food being prepared, including, without limitation, ovens, pizza ovens, conveyor ovens, pasta cookers, and induction cooktops.
  • the identity and quantity of food items can be determined in a number of ways, including by a human operation, by a machine, or by a combination PATENT
  • the machine may include a machine vision or camera device, optical detectors, and/or weighing apparatus, for example.
  • a vision system 12 including a camera 14 is mounted adjacent grill 10 in a position where camera 14 can capture an image of the entire cooking surface of grill 10.
  • camera 14 is located in a camera enclosure 16 which protects it from smoke, grease and heat.
  • Camera enclosure 16 is preferably mounted on the ceiling of kitchen area 2. See Figure 3. Vision system 12 is utilized to determine the type and number of food products on a grill as hereafter described.
  • Food transfer stations 18, 20 are located adjacent to fryer 8 and grill 10, respectively. Trays 22 are placed on food transfer stations 18, 20. As food is cooked in fryer 8 and on grill 10, it is removed and placed on trays 22. Each tray 22 has an embedded or attached RFID tag 24. Each tray 22 is assigned a unique identifying number which is stored on the RFID tag 24. An RFID sensor 25 is located at each food transfer station. A manual data entry device such as a keypad (not shown) may also be located at each food transfer station. See Figure 6 for an example of a tray 22.
  • Each RFID tag 24 is preferably a passive type RFID device. Passive RFID devices are small, inexpensive and do not require their own internal power source such as a battery. Such a device includes a transponder with an internal antenna and a CMOS integrated circuit including a small amount of non-volatile memory such as EEPROM. The memory can store both the unique identifying number and other data.
  • the RFID tag is used in conjunction with an RFID sensor (sometimes called an interrogator), which includes an antenna, a transceiver and a decoder. The sensor emits a radio frequency (RF) signal. When the RFID tag is in close enough proximity to the sensor so that it passes through the RF field, the RFID tag is activated. The RF signal induces a small electrical current in the tag's antenna providing just enough power for the integrated circuit to operate. The tag transmits the data in its memory, which is PATENT
  • RFID tag 24 may be a permanent type RFID device which is embedded in the material of tray 22 or permanently affixed thereto, or it may be clipped or otherwise temporarily attached to tray 22. In the alternative, RFID tag 24 may be a disposable RFID device which is replaced with each new batch of food items. An RFID tag printer (not shown) may be provided to produce disposable RFID tags.
  • Food storage cabinets 26, 28 are provided for receiving and storing cooked food items from fryer 8 and grill 10, respectively.
  • food storage cabinet 26 is adapted for holding fried foods
  • food storage cabinet 28 is adapted for holding grilled food.
  • Trays 22 are removed from food transfer stations 18, 20 and are carried to and placed into the appropriate cabinet 26 or 28.
  • Cabinets 26, 28 are open on opposite sides, and include multiple slots for receiving trays 22, which are inserted into the slots on the side of the cabinets 26, 28 facing the cooking stations.
  • Each cabinet includes a storage cabinet controller 30.
  • a suitable storage cabinet controller 30 is the Allen-Bradley Micrologix 11 controller available from Rockwell Automation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This controller provides built-in Ethernet and serial communications, robust construction, compact size and low cost. It provides multiple digital inputs and outputs, as well as analog inputs suitable for use with load cells for weight measurements.
  • Figure 5 shows an example of a food storage cabinet 26, which is described in more detail below.
  • a food preparation table 32 is located adjacent cabinets 26 and 28. Personnel working at table 32 use tongs or other tools to remove food items from trays 22, preferably without removing trays 22 from cabinets 26, 28, by inserting the tools into the open side of the cabinet facing table 32 and removing the selected food item. The personnel then complete assembly of the sandwich or other item on food preparation table 32, and deliver it to service counter 34 for PATENT
  • System controller 40 is located at a convenient location in or near kitchen area 2. System controller 40 is connected by wire or wireless network connection, for example, an Ethernet network, to vision system 12, holding cabinet controllers 30 and POS terminals 36, as well as to other components in the system which will be described below. System controller 40 may run a general production and inventory management program which can interface with the system of the invention, and may also be connected to an off-site central computer system or network (not shown) for a group of restaurants via a network connection.
  • POS Point of sale
  • Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the basic steps in the method of the invention using the system as installed in a restaurant as described above. First, an employee removes the desired food items from the storage cabinet 6 and then transfers them to a cooking station, either grill 10 or fryer 8 as appropriate for the type of food item. The selected food items are then cooked in the grill 10 or fryer 8, either manually or under automatic control as in known in the art.
  • PC personal computer
  • a cooking station either grill 10 or fryer 8 as appropriate for the type of food item.
  • the selected food items are then cooked in the grill 10 or fryer 8, either manually or under automatic control as in known in the art.
  • the system automatically detects the type and number of food items on the grill 10 or in a fryer basket, by means of a vision or weighing operation as explained in more detail below, and transmits the food type and number data to holding cabinet controllers 30 and/or system controller 40.
  • the food holding device may be any suitable fixed or movable space or volume for holding cooked food items, for example, a tray, bin, basket, plate, carton or other container, open or closed, or simply a defined area on a countertop or cart, but it is preferably a movable device such as tray 22.
  • the food holding device may be the same device in which the food items were cooked, for example, a fry basket or a cooking vessel for use in a bain-marie (water bath).
  • a food item is preferably placed on a separate food holding device such as a tray 22.
  • the type of food being prepared can be determined by machine, such as a machine vision system as described below, or alternately the type of food may be input by a human operation via a keypad, keyboard or other data entry means located near a cooking station, or via a mobile data entry device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA).
  • machine such as a machine vision system as described below
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • vision system 12 including camera 14 is used to count the number of items on grill 10, determine the type of items on the grill 10, and relay the information to system controller 40 and/or the holding area controllers 30.
  • the vision system 12 essentially takes a "snap shot" of the grill surface and uses software to analyze the food items. In the case of a clamshell grill, the snap shot is taken when the food is cooked and the grill is opened, and the analysis of the image is performed while the operator is loading the food items into a tray.
  • the software uses pictures that are stored in the vision system's memory as a reference for determining the type of food. To set up the reference images, a technician takes a picture of each item using the camera 14 and its associated software.
  • camera 14 is a color camera, as color facilitates the identification of similar-appearing food item types.
  • camera 14 scans the entire surface of grill 10 and determines all the food item types thereon.
  • the information is transferred to the holding area controllers 30 and/or system controller 40 where a time stamp is applied. This information resides in a database in the controller's memory until it is written to a tray's RFID tag, as will be discussed below. The operator removes the cooked food items from grill 10 and loads them onto trays 22 at food transfer station 18 located adjacent grill 10.
  • a thickness measuring system may be used to identify the type of food items.
  • each type of food item has a different nominal thickness.
  • a sensor on the movable upper platen of the clamshell grill may be used to measure the nominal thickness of the food items on the grill based on the height of the platen above the lower grill surface when it contacts the food item. That measurement can be compared to stored thickness data in system controller 40 to identify the type of food.
  • a weighing device can be used to determine the number of items on the grill or alternately, a human operator can enter the number of items via a keypad or other data entry device provided near the grill, or via a mobile data entry device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA).
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • the vision system described for use with the grill is less suitable for use with the fryer, where the food items are placed into a basket and immersed in oil for cooking and thus not as readily visible to a camera as individual food items on a grill.
  • a weighing system is preferably used for foods prepared in the fryer.
  • Food transfer station 18 located adjacent fryer 8 preferably includes a weight sensor such as a load cell. An empty tray is placed over the load cell, which weights the tray and sends a weight signal to system controller 40.
  • System controller 40 tares out the tray weight, i.e., resets the weight value to zero.
  • the operator removes a fry basket of cooked food items from fryer 8, and after allowing excess oil to drain, dumps the food items onto the tray 22.
  • the load cell detects the weight of the food items and sends that weight signal to system controller 40, which determines the number of food items present based on stored food item weight profile data. See Figure 4 and further discussion below.
  • the weight information may be used to automatically control other operations. For example, when a basket of cooked French fries is dumped into a salting tray, the RFID tag is read and compared to previous information sent from the weighing system. The correct amount of salt is distributed on the fries. PATENT
  • process time information can be communicated to system controller 40 and/or a remote central computer for production / waste monitoring.
  • system controller 40 Once the food item type and count have been determined by the weight system, the information is transferred to holding cabinet controllers 30 and/or system controller 40 where a time stamp is applied. This information resides in a database in the system controller's memory until it is written to a tray's RFID tag, as will be discussed below.
  • each fry basket may be equipped with an RFID tag.
  • This tag will store an identification number, the type of food (e.g., French fries) and the fill quantity of the basket.
  • This data is transferred to a controller for the fryer which will initiate the appropriate cook cycle for the food product, controlling such variables as oil temperature and time of frying.
  • the data can also be used to control an automatic salting device after the French fries are cooked.
  • An employee carries tray 22 from the food transfer station 18 or 20 to the holding area and places it into a slot in the appropriate holding cabinet 26 or 28 for the type of food item on the tray 22.
  • a sensor shown in Fig. 5 on each slot in the cabinet detects the RFID tag 24 on the tray 22 and reads the data thereon, specifically the tray identification number.
  • This data is transmitted to the holding cabinet controller 30, which evaluates the tray number and associates it with the grill or fryer location.
  • the food type and food count information from the associated grill or fryer which was previously received from vision system 12 or system controller 40 and stored in the holding cabinet controller's database, is sent to the memory in the tray's RFID tag 24.
  • the data is sent directly from the system controller 40 to the holding cabinet controller 30 via the network.
  • the holding cabinet controller 30 gets the information from the counting system and ensures that the correct information is on the tray's memory when the tray 22 is placed into the holding area.
  • RFID tag 24 may have a fixed identification number and be permanently associated with a specific type and quantity of food items and, if desired, with specific time data (e.g., cooking time or holding time) for that type and quantity of food items.
  • the food type and count data may be permanently stored in the memory on RFID tag 24, or controller 40 may associate the tag identification number with food type and count information stored in a database of controller 40.
  • cabinet controller 30 can automatically initiate heating at a temperature appropriate for that food type.
  • the controller can signal a warning to a user if he inserts a tray with food items requiring a different temperature set point.
  • the slot in the holding area may have a load cell for weighing the tray to determine the number of food items in the tray.
  • the load cell detects the weight of the food items and sends that weight signal to holding area controller 30, which determines the number of food items present based on stored food item weight profile data.
  • the food items may be 10:1 hamburger patties with a nominal weight of 1/10 pound each, 4:1 hamburger patties with a nominal weight of !4 pound each, etc.
  • the database in controller 40 may be programmed to account for the typical difference between nominal pre-cooked and post-cooked weight of the food items.
  • the holding area controller 30 is pre-programmed with a time limit for holding each type of food in the storage area, and periodically checks to see if the preset time has been exceeded. If it has, controller 30 sends a signal by, e.g., turning on a red light or LED indicator above the slot where the expired food is located and/or activating an audible alarm. This indicates to the restaurant personnel that those food items should be removed and discarded.
  • Vision system 12 is provided at grill 10.
  • Vision system 12 includes camera 14, camera software and, if needed, supplemental lighting (not shown).
  • Camera 14 is preferably mounted on the ceiling above grill 10 so that camera 14 is out of the way but still has a clear view of the entire grill surface.
  • Camera 14 may be enclosed in an enclosure 16 with a transparent panel to protect it from smoke, heat and grease.
  • a suitable vision system is available from Banner Engineering Corp. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is a self-contained camera system with a built-in processor, an Ethernet connection and an output for connecting a television monitor. The camera operates with Banner's PresencePLUS software. The inspection time for this camera system is approximately one second.
  • a standard grayscale camera may be used in basic applications.
  • Camera 14 may be positioned slightly off to one side of grill 10 to avoid smoke and grease.
  • the field of view of camera 14 is preferably slightly larger than the grill size.
  • supplemental lighting may be require to ensure consistent operation of the vision system.
  • standard fluorescent lighting may be adequate, but with some cameras the ballast used to drive the fluorescent tubes may need to be a high frequency ballast rather than a standard magnetic ballast.
  • the vision system software includes analysis tools that use information from an image captured by the camera to create size, shape and count measurements. These tools use so-called “blob” processing to identify various food items with different sizes and then separate those that are the same size.
  • Blob analysis consists of a series of processing operations and analysis functions that produce information about any two-dimensional shape in an image captured by the camera. It is useful for finding "blobs” whose spatial characteristics satisfy certain criteria and find their size and number. As such, it is well suited to identifying and counting food items of known shapes and sizes.
  • a "blob tree” is defined in the software that includes all of the blobs for the various types of food items with which the system is used.
  • a "roundness" parameter separates square patties from round patties.
  • Fig. 7 shows a sample screen display 70 on a monitor connected to vision system 12.
  • Display 70 is generated by the camera software, and shows the shapes and sizes of a variety of food types 72 on the surface of an image of a grill 74.
  • the count of each type of food item 72 may be displayed in boxes 76 at the bottom of screen display 70, and control options may be displayed in box 78 at the right side of screen display 70.
  • the layout and functional options of screen display 70 may be varied and adapted as desired for various types of restaurants.
  • the following table describes some types of food products that may be identified and counted by vision system 12 based on their size, shape and/or color: PATENT
  • Fig. 4 shows fryer 8 and its associated food transfer station 18.
  • a weighing area 42 is located at food transfer station 18.
  • Weighing area 42 utilizes a load cell 44 located under the surface of weighing area 42.
  • Load cell 44 and weighing area 42 are located to the side of fryer 8 to reduce the chance of damage to load cell 44 from hot oil.
  • a suitable load cell is model M2750-MK21 available from Muse Measurements of San Dimas, California. This model is compact and of stainless steel construction so that it can withstand the harsh operating environment and frequent washdowns typical in a restaurant kitchen.
  • the load cell's analog output is connected to an analog input of system controller 40.
  • Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary food storage cabinet 26 which includes slots 50 for receiving and holding trays 22. Trays 22 are sized to fit in slots 50 to ensure quick ingress and egress from either side of storage cabinet 26 during food service.
  • Storage area controller 30 may be mounted on top of cabinet 26 as shown or at another convenient location. Controller 30 controls all aspects of the cabinet operation including storing data regarding food type, food temperatures and heating times. Data may be manually entered by an operator, received from vision system 12, weighing area 42, or system controller 40, or obtained from RFID tags 24 on trays 22.
  • Cabinet 26 may be provided with a keypad, buttons or other devices for manual data entry, and/or a touch screen for combined data display and entry. If a touch screen is provided, it may be used by an operator to enter into memory in controller 30 the individual foods that will be kept in cabinet 26 and their respective parameters such as heating times and temperatures. Either the entire cabinet or individual slots may be preprogrammed to activate heaters at specified temperatures and for specified lengths of time. A touch screen or other control may be used to change modes of operation, such as between breakfast and lunch menu modes, or to accommodate special or seasonal food items. [0056] Each slot 50 of cabinet 26 is equipped with an RFID sensor 52 which activates and detects a signal from RFID tag 24 on tray 22 when tray 22 is inserted into slot 50.
  • an RFID sensor 52 which activates and detects a signal from RFID tag 24 on tray 22 when tray 22 is inserted into slot 50.
  • RFID sensor 52 is positioned, and its range of operation selected, so that it detects only RFID tag 24 on a tray 22 that is placed into slot 50 with which RFID sensor 52 is associated, so that it will not erroneously detect, for example, a tray 22 placed in an adjacent slot 50 or a tray 22 being moved near cabinet 26.
  • Cabinet controller 30 recognizes that RFID tag 24 is associated with a particular tray 22 based on that tray's unique identification number which is stored in the memory of RFID tag 24, which in turn is associated with a particular type and quantity of food items that were cooked at a particular time. The latter PATENT
  • 25570-49303PCT association is based on data obtained from the system controller 40, vision system 12 and/or weighing area 42.
  • Each slot 50 may also be equipped with a weight sensor 54 to measure the weight of tray 22. As food items are removed from tray 22 by personnel working at food preparation table 32 to fill customer orders, the weight will be reduced. Based on the known nominal weight of the individual food items, cabinet controller 30 can calculated the number of food items remaining. If that number falls below a preset number, controller 30 will signal the operator to cook more of that type of food item. Controller 30 may also receive data from POS terminals 36 to calculate and predict the rate of customer demand and automatically change the preset threshold as necessary to meet demand during peak sales periods and eliminate waste when demand is slowing.
  • the time elapsed since insertion of a tray 22 into slot 50, or alternately, since the time the food items were cooked and removed from the cooking station, is monitored by controller 30 and displayed by LEDs 56 above each slot 50.
  • the colors of LEDs 56 indicate the remaining usable length of time before expiration.
  • the LED color may be green, indicating approximately from 100% to 26% usable product life remaining, yellow for approximately from 25% to 0% usable life remaining and red for usable life expired.
  • the LEDs may flash when the usable life has expired, and in additional an audible alert such as a buzzer may be activated.
  • a digital numeric display of time elapsed or remaining may be provided.
  • a touch screen or other display device may display an identification of each food in each slot 50 of cabinet 26 to permit an operator to read the location and status of the food in the respective trays 22, and may also show the time that each tray 22 has been held or other information about the food.
  • 25570-49303PCT provides a quicker indication to the operator of the relative times applicable to each slot.
  • the RFID sensing capability of cabinet 26, controlled by cabinet controller 30, allows the automatic detection of tray insertion time, automatic heating, identification of the type of food items, the sequence in which food items should be used, and an indication of when food items must be discarded. Automating these functions reduces operator error, saves time, reduces waste and assures consistent quality of the food products. If an operator partially slides a tray 22 out of slot 50, e.g. to check the contents visually or to remove a food item for use at food preparation table 32, the RFID tag and sensor will allow timing and heating to continue when tray 22 is placed back in slot 50.
  • RFID tag 24 can be detected some distance away from RFID sensor 52, e.g. one inch, and controller 30 can therefore continue to monitor tray 22 for timing and heat control. Further, because the RFID tag is associated with an individual tray, the system can track that tray even if it moved to a different slot 50 in cabinet 26, to a different cabinet, or to other locations within kitchen 2 if RFID sensors are provided at those locations.
  • Tray 22 is configured to accept a variety of food types and to fit easily into slots -in cabinets 26, 28.
  • Tray 22 may be of any suitable material, but is preferably made of metal, for example, aluminum, which is durable, lightweight and allows rapid heat transfer to the food items therein.
  • Tray 22 may be either reusable or disposable, e.g., made of foil, cardboard or paper.
  • the ends 60 of tray 22 are preferably sloped to facilitate removal of food items.
  • RFID chip 24 may be located at any convenient place on tray 22 so long as RFID tag 24 will be in range of RFID sensor 52 when tray 22 is inserted into a slot 50, but is preferably located at one end under lip 62 to protect it from damage during handling of the tray.
  • RFID tag 24 may be embedded in the material of tray 22 or attached either permanently or removably to its exterior.
  • System controller 40 interfaces with POS terminals 36 to provide various additional functions.
  • POS terminals 36 may send data of sales to system controller 40, which compares the number of each type of food item actually sold and delivered to customers with the number of food items prepared at fryer 8 and grill 10 and/or stored in holding cabinets 26, 28 to determine the percentage of waste (number of items discarded).
  • RFID label printers may be provided at service counter 34 and/or food preparation table 32. These printers are used to printing RFID labels for some or all of the components of a customer order. The RFID labels are adhered to the product packaging to enable the tracking of product flow and order readiness as well as providing instructions for special orders (e.g., no pickles on a hamburger).
  • RFID tag readers are positioned at food preparation table 32 to read the RFID tag on a specific sandwich packaging.
  • a light indicator system or display assists the order assembler with information on which condiments to place on the sandwich.
  • an RFID reader may be positioned at other areas within kitchen 2 for completed order components. The readers are used to verify when all tagged components of an order are ready for pick-up and delivery to the customer.

Landscapes

  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Primary Health Care (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)

Abstract

A system and method for managing food production, inventory and delivery in a restaurant by automatically monitoring the types and quantities of food types that have been cooked and are in a cooked food holding area. Food holding trays are equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and holding cabinets are equipped with RFID interrogators. The type and quantity of food items are determined manually or by machine vision or weighing systems, and the data is stored on the RFID tags and in a controller. The system manages the use of food items on a first-in, first-out basis, alerts operators when the inventory of an item is nearing exhaustion, and alerts operators when food items in the holding area must be discarded. The system manages movable trays of food no matter where in the facility they are located.

Description

PATENT
Attorney Docket
No. 2557CM9303PCT
RFID FOOD PRODUCTION. INVENTORY AND DELIVERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A RESTAURANT
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a system and method for managing food production, inventory and delivery in a restaurant, and in particular to a system and method using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for managing production, inventory and delivery of a variety of food items in a quick service restaurant.
Background of the Invention
[0002] In restaurants and other food service establishments there is a need to process food uniformly, to maintain cooked food items at an appropriate and safe temperature and to serve fresh food items quickly to customers. This is particularly the case in quick service restaurants, where customers expect to receive their food with a minimum delay. Of course, customers also expect the food to be of consistent high quality and served at the appropriate temperature. The rate of customer demand typically varies at different times of day, with some periods such as lunch having extremely high rates of demand. In order to meet peak demand and provide quick service, certain food items must be precooked and stored under conditions suitable to preserve freshness and safety and maintain the food items at the appropriate temperature for service. [0003] Typical foods of interest in quick service restaurants include sandwiches composed of a bun, roll or other bakery-cooked bread product and a sandwich filling that is cooked on site at the quick service restaurant. Typical sandwich fillings include hamburger patties, grilled or breaded and fried chicken patties or filets, breaded fish filets, sausage patties, bacon, Canadian bacon and eggs. The restaurant may also offer products other than sandwiches, such as French fries, chicken strips and nuggets, and individual pies. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0004] To provide both quick service and food with a fresh taste and appearance, it is often desirable to cook a quantity of individual food items such as sandwich fillings, store them in a holding area, and incorporate them on a first- in, first-out into individual sandwiches as orders are placed. To ensure consistent quality, the cooking and preparation processes must be performed uniformly and, if food items in the holding area are not sold prior to the expiration of a preset period of time, they are discarded. Because of the high volume of sales in a typical quick service restaurant, even a small increase in the efficiency of the handling of cooked food items, and a small decrease in the number of food items which must be discarded, can result in considerable savings of time and expense.
[0005] A need exists for a system and method that can automatically monitor the types and quantities of food items that have been cooked and are in the holding area at any given time, can alert restaurant personnel when the inventory of a particular item is nearing exhaustion and that more of such items should be cooked, and can alert personnel when food items in the holding area must be discarded. It would be desirable for the system to manage food items in the holding area so that they are utilized on a first-in, first out basis, and to manage movable trays of cooked food no matter where they are located in the facility.
Summary of the Invention
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant. The system includes at least one cooking station such as a grill or fryer, at least one cooked food item holding device, means for identifying the type and quantity of the food items, data storage means associated with the cooked food item holding device, and a controller for receiving data from the data storage means. The cooked food holding device may be any suitable tray, bin, basket, plate, or other movable container, open or closed, or a fixed or moveable holding area such as a defined area on a countertop or a cart. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cooked food holding device is a movable holding device such as a tray which has an RFID tag. A cooked food storage area is provided for receiving and holding the movable holding device. The cooked food storage area is equipped with an
RFID sensor for detecting and reading the RFID tag.
[0008] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system is provided with at least one cooking station, a plurality of trays each having an
RFID tag, a heated cabinet with a plurality of slots for receiving and holding the trays, each slot being equipped with an RFID interrogator for reading data from and writing data to the RFID tag on a tray inserted into the slot, apparatus to identify automatically the type and quantity of food items, and a controller for receiving and storing data from the identification apparatus and the RFID interrogator and for applying a time stamp to the RFID tag when a tray is placed in a slot.
[0009] In another aspect of the invention, the cooked food storage area is a heated cabinet with a plurality of slots for receiving and holding a plurality of trays. Each slot is equipped with a weight sensor such as a load cell for measuring the weight of the food on the tray and detecting changes in weight as food items are removed.
[0010] In another aspect of the invention, a machine vision system including a camera is used to identify automatically the type and quantity of food items at a cooking station or on a tray. In still another aspect of the invention, a weighing system including a load cell is used to identify automatically the type and quantity of food items at a cooking station or on a tray.
[0011] In another aspect of the invention, an RFID tag printer is connected to a point of sale terminal for printing RFID tags which are affixed to food containers.
[0012] In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant includes the steps of preparing a plurality of one type of food item, identifying the type and quantity of the prepared food PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
items, providing at least one prepared food holding device, placing the prepared food items in the holding device, recording the time at which the food items were placed in the holding device, and tagging the holding device with an RFIO tag to identify the type and quantity of food items and the time.
[0013] In still another aspect of the invention, the method includes providing a food storage area for receiving a plurality of food holding devices, and establishing an order for utilizing the food items from the holding device on a first- in, first-out basis. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a signal is generated when the time elapsed since the recorded time exceeds a preset limit, indicating that the food items should be discarded.
[0014] In still another aspect of the invention, the method includes storing the number of food items ordered by and delivered to customers at a point of sale terminal, and the number of food items identified on an RFID tag but not sold, and calculating the percentage of food products sold versus the percentage to waste.
[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the type and number of food items are entered manually by an operator. In yet another aspect of the invention, the type and quantity of food items are automatically determined by a machine system such as a machine vision system including a camera or a weighing system including a load cell. In still another aspect of the invention, the type and quantity data are input by a combination of manual and automatic means.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic floor plan of a restaurant utilizing the system of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the basic steps in the method of the invention. [0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic elevation view of grill cooking station for use with the invention.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic elevation view of a fryer cooking station for use with the invention. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0020] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a cooked food holding cabinet for use with the invention.
[0021] FIG. 6 is an example of a food holding tray with RFID tag of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a view of a computer display screen of a vision system for identifying food items on a grill cooking station.
Detailed Description of the Invention
[0023] The system and method of the invention provide convenient, efficient and automated management of all aspects of cooked food handling in a quick service restaurant. As used herein, "handling" refers to the production, storage and delivery of cooked food items.
[0024] Fig. 1 illustrates one example of a floor plan of a restaurant equipped with the system of the invention. The restaurant includes kitchen area 2 and customer service area 4. Uncooked food items are stored in storage cabinet 6 which may be, for example, a refrigerator, freezer or pantry cabinet. Kitchen area 2 includes two cooking stations, a fryer 8 and grill 10. Fryer 8 is used for preparing food items such as French fries, breaded chicken patties and filets, breaded fish filets, fried pies and the like. A typical restaurant may have a 2- or 3-vat fryer. Food items are placed in baskets that are lowered into the vat of the fryer for cooking. Grill 10 is used for cooking food items such as hamburger patties, grilled chicken, sausage patties, bacon, Canadian bacon, and eggs. Grill 10 may be a traditional flat, open grill, or a double-sided "clamshell" type that cooks food items on both sides simultaneously. Of course, other types of cooking stations may be used with the system and method of the invention depending on the type of food being prepared, including, without limitation, ovens, pizza ovens, conveyor ovens, pasta cookers, and induction cooktops. [0025] The identity and quantity of food items can be determined in a number of ways, including by a human operation, by a machine, or by a combination PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
thereof. The machine may include a machine vision or camera device, optical detectors, and/or weighing apparatus, for example.
[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, a vision system 12 including a camera 14 is mounted adjacent grill 10 in a position where camera 14 can capture an image of the entire cooking surface of grill 10. Preferably, camera 14 is located in a camera enclosure 16 which protects it from smoke, grease and heat. Camera enclosure 16 is preferably mounted on the ceiling of kitchen area 2. See Figure 3. Vision system 12 is utilized to determine the type and number of food products on a grill as hereafter described.
[0027] Food transfer stations 18, 20 are located adjacent to fryer 8 and grill 10, respectively. Trays 22 are placed on food transfer stations 18, 20. As food is cooked in fryer 8 and on grill 10, it is removed and placed on trays 22. Each tray 22 has an embedded or attached RFID tag 24. Each tray 22 is assigned a unique identifying number which is stored on the RFID tag 24. An RFID sensor 25 is located at each food transfer station. A manual data entry device such as a keypad (not shown) may also be located at each food transfer station. See Figure 6 for an example of a tray 22.
[0028] Each RFID tag 24 is preferably a passive type RFID device. Passive RFID devices are small, inexpensive and do not require their own internal power source such as a battery. Such a device includes a transponder with an internal antenna and a CMOS integrated circuit including a small amount of non-volatile memory such as EEPROM. The memory can store both the unique identifying number and other data. The RFID tag is used in conjunction with an RFID sensor (sometimes called an interrogator), which includes an antenna, a transceiver and a decoder. The sensor emits a radio frequency (RF) signal. When the RFID tag is in close enough proximity to the sensor so that it passes through the RF field, the RFID tag is activated. The RF signal induces a small electrical current in the tag's antenna providing just enough power for the integrated circuit to operate. The tag transmits the data in its memory, which is PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT read by the sensor, decoded and passed to the host computer. The sensor may also write data to the memory in the RFID tag. [0029] RFID tag 24 may be a permanent type RFID device which is embedded in the material of tray 22 or permanently affixed thereto, or it may be clipped or otherwise temporarily attached to tray 22. In the alternative, RFID tag 24 may be a disposable RFID device which is replaced with each new batch of food items. An RFID tag printer (not shown) may be provided to produce disposable RFID tags.
[0030] Food storage cabinets 26, 28 are provided for receiving and storing cooked food items from fryer 8 and grill 10, respectively. Preferably, food storage cabinet 26 is adapted for holding fried foods, and food storage cabinet 28 is adapted for holding grilled food. Trays 22 are removed from food transfer stations 18, 20 and are carried to and placed into the appropriate cabinet 26 or 28. Cabinets 26, 28 are open on opposite sides, and include multiple slots for receiving trays 22, which are inserted into the slots on the side of the cabinets 26, 28 facing the cooking stations. Each cabinet includes a storage cabinet controller 30. A suitable storage cabinet controller 30 is the Allen-Bradley Micrologix 11 controller available from Rockwell Automation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This controller provides built-in Ethernet and serial communications, robust construction, compact size and low cost. It provides multiple digital inputs and outputs, as well as analog inputs suitable for use with load cells for weight measurements. Figure 5 shows an example of a food storage cabinet 26, which is described in more detail below.
[0031] A food preparation table 32 is located adjacent cabinets 26 and 28. Personnel working at table 32 use tongs or other tools to remove food items from trays 22, preferably without removing trays 22 from cabinets 26, 28, by inserting the tools into the open side of the cabinet facing table 32 and removing the selected food item. The personnel then complete assembly of the sandwich or other item on food preparation table 32, and deliver it to service counter 34 for PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT delivery to customers in customer service area 4. Point of sale (POS) terminals 36 (e.g., cash registers) are located on service counter 34. [0032] System controller 40 is located at a convenient location in or near kitchen area 2. System controller 40 is connected by wire or wireless network connection, for example, an Ethernet network, to vision system 12, holding cabinet controllers 30 and POS terminals 36, as well as to other components in the system which will be described below. System controller 40 may run a general production and inventory management program which can interface with the system of the invention, and may also be connected to an off-site central computer system or network (not shown) for a group of restaurants via a network connection. System controller 40 may be a personal computer (PC), server or dedicated controller such as the Allen-Bradley Micrologix 11 discussed above. [0033] Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the basic steps in the method of the invention using the system as installed in a restaurant as described above. First, an employee removes the desired food items from the storage cabinet 6 and then transfers them to a cooking station, either grill 10 or fryer 8 as appropriate for the type of food item. The selected food items are then cooked in the grill 10 or fryer 8, either manually or under automatic control as in known in the art. The system automatically detects the type and number of food items on the grill 10 or in a fryer basket, by means of a vision or weighing operation as explained in more detail below, and transmits the food type and number data to holding cabinet controllers 30 and/or system controller 40. When the food items are done, an employee transfers them to a food holding device. The food holding device may be any suitable fixed or movable space or volume for holding cooked food items, for example, a tray, bin, basket, plate, carton or other container, open or closed, or simply a defined area on a countertop or cart, but it is preferably a movable device such as tray 22. In some cases the food holding device may be the same device in which the food items were cooked, for example, a fry basket or a cooking vessel for use in a bain-marie (water bath). Each different type of PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
food item is preferably placed on a separate food holding device such as a tray 22.
[0034] If only one type of food is being prepared, its type will obviously already be known and its identity can be pre-stored in the system. If there are multiple types of food, the type of food being prepared can be determined by machine, such as a machine vision system as described below, or alternately the type of food may be input by a human operation via a keypad, keyboard or other data entry means located near a cooking station, or via a mobile data entry device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA).
[0035] As illustrated, vision system 12 including camera 14 is used to count the number of items on grill 10, determine the type of items on the grill 10, and relay the information to system controller 40 and/or the holding area controllers 30. The vision system 12 essentially takes a "snap shot" of the grill surface and uses software to analyze the food items. In the case of a clamshell grill, the snap shot is taken when the food is cooked and the grill is opened, and the analysis of the image is performed while the operator is loading the food items into a tray. The software uses pictures that are stored in the vision system's memory as a reference for determining the type of food. To set up the reference images, a technician takes a picture of each item using the camera 14 and its associated software. Preferably, camera 14 is a color camera, as color facilitates the identification of similar-appearing food item types. In operation, camera 14 scans the entire surface of grill 10 and determines all the food item types thereon. [0036] Once the food item type and count have been determined by the vision system 12, the information is transferred to the holding area controllers 30 and/or system controller 40 where a time stamp is applied. This information resides in a database in the controller's memory until it is written to a tray's RFID tag, as will be discussed below. The operator removes the cooked food items from grill 10 and loads them onto trays 22 at food transfer station 18 located adjacent grill 10. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0037] In the case of a clamshell type grill, instead of using a vision system, a thickness measuring system may be used to identify the type of food items. Typically, each type of food item has a different nominal thickness. A sensor on the movable upper platen of the clamshell grill may be used to measure the nominal thickness of the food items on the grill based on the height of the platen above the lower grill surface when it contacts the food item. That measurement can be compared to stored thickness data in system controller 40 to identify the type of food. A weighing device can be used to determine the number of items on the grill or alternately, a human operator can enter the number of items via a keypad or other data entry device provided near the grill, or via a mobile data entry device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). [0038] The vision system described for use with the grill is less suitable for use with the fryer, where the food items are placed into a basket and immersed in oil for cooking and thus not as readily visible to a camera as individual food items on a grill. Thus, a weighing system is preferably used for foods prepared in the fryer. Food transfer station 18 located adjacent fryer 8 preferably includes a weight sensor such as a load cell. An empty tray is placed over the load cell, which weights the tray and sends a weight signal to system controller 40. System controller 40 tares out the tray weight, i.e., resets the weight value to zero. The operator removes a fry basket of cooked food items from fryer 8, and after allowing excess oil to drain, dumps the food items onto the tray 22. The load cell detects the weight of the food items and sends that weight signal to system controller 40, which determines the number of food items present based on stored food item weight profile data. See Figure 4 and further discussion below.
[0039] The weight information may be used to automatically control other operations. For example, when a basket of cooked French fries is dumped into a salting tray, the RFID tag is read and compared to previous information sent from the weighing system. The correct amount of salt is distributed on the fries. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
Additionally, the process time information can be communicated to system controller 40 and/or a remote central computer for production / waste monitoring. [0040] Once the food item type and count have been determined by the weight system, the information is transferred to holding cabinet controllers 30 and/or system controller 40 where a time stamp is applied. This information resides in a database in the system controller's memory until it is written to a tray's RFID tag, as will be discussed below.
[0041] In addition, or in the alternative, each fry basket may be equipped with an RFID tag. This tag will store an identification number, the type of food (e.g., French fries) and the fill quantity of the basket. This data is transferred to a controller for the fryer which will initiate the appropriate cook cycle for the food product, controlling such variables as oil temperature and time of frying. The data can also be used to control an automatic salting device after the French fries are cooked.
[0042] An employee carries tray 22 from the food transfer station 18 or 20 to the holding area and places it into a slot in the appropriate holding cabinet 26 or 28 for the type of food item on the tray 22. When the tray 22 is placed in a slot, a sensor (shown in Fig. 5) on each slot in the cabinet detects the RFID tag 24 on the tray 22 and reads the data thereon, specifically the tray identification number. This data is transmitted to the holding cabinet controller 30, which evaluates the tray number and associates it with the grill or fryer location. The food type and food count information from the associated grill or fryer, which was previously received from vision system 12 or system controller 40 and stored in the holding cabinet controller's database, is sent to the memory in the tray's RFID tag 24. If the memory transfer has an error, the data is sent directly from the system controller 40 to the holding cabinet controller 30 via the network. Thus, the holding cabinet controller 30 gets the information from the counting system and ensures that the correct information is on the tray's memory when the tray 22 is placed into the holding area. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0043] In the alternative, instead of using a writable RFID tag and transferring food item type and count data to the tag for each batch of food items as described above, RFID tag 24 may have a fixed identification number and be permanently associated with a specific type and quantity of food items and, if desired, with specific time data (e.g., cooking time or holding time) for that type and quantity of food items. The food type and count data may be permanently stored in the memory on RFID tag 24, or controller 40 may associate the tag identification number with food type and count information stored in a database of controller 40.
[0044] When a tray 22 is inserted and the food type and quantity have been determined, cabinet controller 30 can automatically initiate heating at a temperature appropriate for that food type. In an alternate mode of operation, if the slot is already at a particular temperature, the controller can signal a warning to a user if he inserts a tray with food items requiring a different temperature set point.
[0045] Alternately, the slot in the holding area may have a load cell for weighing the tray to determine the number of food items in the tray. The load cell detects the weight of the food items and sends that weight signal to holding area controller 30, which determines the number of food items present based on stored food item weight profile data. For example, the food items may be 10:1 hamburger patties with a nominal weight of 1/10 pound each, 4:1 hamburger patties with a nominal weight of !4 pound each, etc. The database in controller 40 may be programmed to account for the typical difference between nominal pre-cooked and post-cooked weight of the food items.
[0046] The holding area controller 30 is pre-programmed with a time limit for holding each type of food in the storage area, and periodically checks to see if the preset time has been exceeded. If it has, controller 30 sends a signal by, e.g., turning on a red light or LED indicator above the slot where the expired food is located and/or activating an audible alarm. This indicates to the restaurant personnel that those food items should be removed and discarded. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0047] Employees working at food preparation table 32 remove food items from the trays as needed to fill customer orders. A load cell located below each tray detects the change in weight caused by removal of a food item and updates the count of remaining food items in that tray. If the number of food items falls below a preset number, the computer sends a signal to alert a staff member to cook more of that type of food. The preset number may vary depending on the time of day to accommodate periods of varying demand. [0048] If there are multiple trays 22 of the same type of food items in the holding cabinets 26, 28, cabinet controllers 30 can signal which tray 22 should be used first based on the time stamp applied to each RFID tag 24 and the time remaining until expiration of the usable life of the product. The signal may be via LEDs or lights above each slot in the cabinet (see Fig. 5 and discussion below) or another type of display.
[0049] As shown in Fig. 3, vision system 12 is provided at grill 10. Vision system 12 includes camera 14, camera software and, if needed, supplemental lighting (not shown). Camera 14 is preferably mounted on the ceiling above grill 10 so that camera 14 is out of the way but still has a clear view of the entire grill surface. Camera 14 may be enclosed in an enclosure 16 with a transparent panel to protect it from smoke, heat and grease. A suitable vision system is available from Banner Engineering Corp. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is a self-contained camera system with a built-in processor, an Ethernet connection and an output for connecting a television monitor. The camera operates with Banner's PresencePLUS software. The inspection time for this camera system is approximately one second. A standard grayscale camera may be used in basic applications. However, in a restaurant that serves a variety of food items having similar sizes, shapes and appearances, a color camera is preferred since color makes it easier to distinguish the different types of food items. [0050] Camera 14 may be positioned slightly off to one side of grill 10 to avoid smoke and grease. The field of view of camera 14 is preferably slightly larger than the grill size. Depending on the type of camera used and the ambient PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
lighting in the kitchen area, supplemental lighting may be require to ensure consistent operation of the vision system. For example, standard fluorescent lighting may be adequate, but with some cameras the ballast used to drive the fluorescent tubes may need to be a high frequency ballast rather than a standard magnetic ballast.
[0051] The vision system software includes analysis tools that use information from an image captured by the camera to create size, shape and count measurements. These tools use so-called "blob" processing to identify various food items with different sizes and then separate those that are the same size. Blob analysis consists of a series of processing operations and analysis functions that produce information about any two-dimensional shape in an image captured by the camera. It is useful for finding "blobs" whose spatial characteristics satisfy certain criteria and find their size and number. As such, it is well suited to identifying and counting food items of known shapes and sizes. A "blob tree" is defined in the software that includes all of the blobs for the various types of food items with which the system is used. A "roundness" parameter separates square patties from round patties. [0052] Fig. 7 shows a sample screen display 70 on a monitor connected to vision system 12. Display 70 is generated by the camera software, and shows the shapes and sizes of a variety of food types 72 on the surface of an image of a grill 74. The count of each type of food item 72 may be displayed in boxes 76 at the bottom of screen display 70, and control options may be displayed in box 78 at the right side of screen display 70. Of course, the layout and functional options of screen display 70 may be varied and adapted as desired for various types of restaurants. The following table describes some types of food products that may be identified and counted by vision system 12 based on their size, shape and/or color: PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
Table
Figure imgf000017_0001
As evident from the above table, some food types, e.g., scrambled eggs, are more challenging for a vision system to distinguish and may require more sophisticated software tools.
[0053] Fig. 4 shows fryer 8 and its associated food transfer station 18. A weighing area 42 is located at food transfer station 18. Weighing area 42 utilizes a load cell 44 located under the surface of weighing area 42. Load cell 44 and weighing area 42 are located to the side of fryer 8 to reduce the chance of damage to load cell 44 from hot oil. A suitable load cell is model M2750-MK21 available from Muse Measurements of San Dimas, California. This model is compact and of stainless steel construction so that it can withstand the harsh operating environment and frequent washdowns typical in a restaurant kitchen. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
The load cell's analog output is connected to an analog input of system controller 40.
[0054] Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary food storage cabinet 26 which includes slots 50 for receiving and holding trays 22. Trays 22 are sized to fit in slots 50 to ensure quick ingress and egress from either side of storage cabinet 26 during food service. Storage area controller 30 may be mounted on top of cabinet 26 as shown or at another convenient location. Controller 30 controls all aspects of the cabinet operation including storing data regarding food type, food temperatures and heating times. Data may be manually entered by an operator, received from vision system 12, weighing area 42, or system controller 40, or obtained from RFID tags 24 on trays 22.
[0055] Cabinet 26 may be provided with a keypad, buttons or other devices for manual data entry, and/or a touch screen for combined data display and entry. If a touch screen is provided, it may be used by an operator to enter into memory in controller 30 the individual foods that will be kept in cabinet 26 and their respective parameters such as heating times and temperatures. Either the entire cabinet or individual slots may be preprogrammed to activate heaters at specified temperatures and for specified lengths of time. A touch screen or other control may be used to change modes of operation, such as between breakfast and lunch menu modes, or to accommodate special or seasonal food items. [0056] Each slot 50 of cabinet 26 is equipped with an RFID sensor 52 which activates and detects a signal from RFID tag 24 on tray 22 when tray 22 is inserted into slot 50. RFID sensor 52 is positioned, and its range of operation selected, so that it detects only RFID tag 24 on a tray 22 that is placed into slot 50 with which RFID sensor 52 is associated, so that it will not erroneously detect, for example, a tray 22 placed in an adjacent slot 50 or a tray 22 being moved near cabinet 26. Cabinet controller 30 recognizes that RFID tag 24 is associated with a particular tray 22 based on that tray's unique identification number which is stored in the memory of RFID tag 24, which in turn is associated with a particular type and quantity of food items that were cooked at a particular time. The latter PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT association is based on data obtained from the system controller 40, vision system 12 and/or weighing area 42.
[0057] Each slot 50 may also be equipped with a weight sensor 54 to measure the weight of tray 22. As food items are removed from tray 22 by personnel working at food preparation table 32 to fill customer orders, the weight will be reduced. Based on the known nominal weight of the individual food items, cabinet controller 30 can calculated the number of food items remaining. If that number falls below a preset number, controller 30 will signal the operator to cook more of that type of food item. Controller 30 may also receive data from POS terminals 36 to calculate and predict the rate of customer demand and automatically change the preset threshold as necessary to meet demand during peak sales periods and eliminate waste when demand is slowing. [0058] The time elapsed since insertion of a tray 22 into slot 50, or alternately, since the time the food items were cooked and removed from the cooking station, is monitored by controller 30 and displayed by LEDs 56 above each slot 50. The colors of LEDs 56 indicate the remaining usable length of time before expiration. For example, the LED color may be green, indicating approximately from 100% to 26% usable product life remaining, yellow for approximately from 25% to 0% usable life remaining and red for usable life expired. The LEDs may flash when the usable life has expired, and in additional an audible alert such as a buzzer may be activated. If there are multiple trays 22 of the same type of food items, the operator can easily scan the LEDs and see which tray to use first, e.g., to use a tray from a slot with a yellow LED before one with a green LED, so that the food items can be utilized on a first-in, first out basis to ensure freshness and reduce waste. Of course, a digital numeric display of time elapsed or remaining may be provided. For example, a touch screen or other display device may display an identification of each food in each slot 50 of cabinet 26 to permit an operator to read the location and status of the food in the respective trays 22, and may also show the time that each tray 22 has been held or other information about the food. However, the simple color LED scheme PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT provides a quicker indication to the operator of the relative times applicable to each slot.
[0059] The RFID sensing capability of cabinet 26, controlled by cabinet controller 30, allows the automatic detection of tray insertion time, automatic heating, identification of the type of food items, the sequence in which food items should be used, and an indication of when food items must be discarded. Automating these functions reduces operator error, saves time, reduces waste and assures consistent quality of the food products. If an operator partially slides a tray 22 out of slot 50, e.g. to check the contents visually or to remove a food item for use at food preparation table 32, the RFID tag and sensor will allow timing and heating to continue when tray 22 is placed back in slot 50. RFID tag 24 can be detected some distance away from RFID sensor 52, e.g. one inch, and controller 30 can therefore continue to monitor tray 22 for timing and heat control. Further, because the RFID tag is associated with an individual tray, the system can track that tray even if it moved to a different slot 50 in cabinet 26, to a different cabinet, or to other locations within kitchen 2 if RFID sensors are provided at those locations.
[0060] An exemplary tray 22 for use with the system is shown in Fig. 6. Tray 22 is configured to accept a variety of food types and to fit easily into slots -in cabinets 26, 28. Tray 22 may be of any suitable material, but is preferably made of metal, for example, aluminum, which is durable, lightweight and allows rapid heat transfer to the food items therein. Tray 22 may be either reusable or disposable, e.g., made of foil, cardboard or paper. The ends 60 of tray 22 are preferably sloped to facilitate removal of food items. RFID chip 24 may be located at any convenient place on tray 22 so long as RFID tag 24 will be in range of RFID sensor 52 when tray 22 is inserted into a slot 50, but is preferably located at one end under lip 62 to protect it from damage during handling of the tray. RFID tag 24 may be embedded in the material of tray 22 or attached either permanently or removably to its exterior. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
[0061] System controller 40 interfaces with POS terminals 36 to provide various additional functions. For example, POS terminals 36 may send data of sales to system controller 40, which compares the number of each type of food item actually sold and delivered to customers with the number of food items prepared at fryer 8 and grill 10 and/or stored in holding cabinets 26, 28 to determine the percentage of waste (number of items discarded). [0062] RFID label printers may be provided at service counter 34 and/or food preparation table 32. These printers are used to printing RFID labels for some or all of the components of a customer order. The RFID labels are adhered to the product packaging to enable the tracking of product flow and order readiness as well as providing instructions for special orders (e.g., no pickles on a hamburger). For the special order application, RFID tag readers are positioned at food preparation table 32 to read the RFID tag on a specific sandwich packaging. A light indicator system or display assists the order assembler with information on which condiments to place on the sandwich. [0063] For order readiness applications, an RFID reader may be positioned at other areas within kitchen 2 for completed order components. The readers are used to verify when all tagged components of an order are ready for pick-up and delivery to the customer.
[0064] While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims.

Claims

PATENTAttorney Docket25570-49303PCTWhat is claimed is:
1. A system for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant, comprising: at least one cooking station for cooking the food items; at least one cooked food item holding device; means for identifying the type and quantity of the food items; data storage means associated with the cooked food item holding device; and a controller for receiving data from the data storage means.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the cooked food item holding device is movable.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the data storage means comprises an RFID tag.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the movable cooked food item holding device is a tray.
5. The system of claim 3 further comprising a cooked food storage area for receiving and holding at least one moveable food item holding device.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the cooked food storage area is a heated cabinet having at least one slot for receiving the moveable food item holding device.
7. The system of claim 5 wherein the cooked food storage area includes an RFID interrogator for detecting and reading the RFID tag.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein the RFID tag includes a writable memory and the RFID interrogator is further capable of transferring data to the memory of the RFID tag.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for identifying the type and quantity of food items comprises a vision system including a camera. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the vision system obtains an image of the cooking station and identifies the type and quantity of food items at the cooking station.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for identifying the type and quantity of food items comprises a weighing apparatus.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the weighing apparatus comprises a load cell.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the cooking station is a grill.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the cooking station is a fryer.
15. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for determining the time at which the food items were cooked.
16. The system of claim 15 further comprising means for determining when the time elapsed since the food items were cooked exceeds a preset time and signaling that the preset time has been exceeded.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the signaling is performed by illuminating a visual indicator associated with the cooked food holding device.
18. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one point of sale terminal connected to the controller.
19. The system of claim 18 further comprising an RFID tag printer connected to the point of sale terminal for printing an RFID tag with customer order data thereon.
20. A system for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant, comprising: at least one cooking station; a plurality of cooked food item holding trays, each tray having an RFID tag; a food holding cabinet having a plurality of slots for receiving and holding the trays, each slot having an RFID interrogator for reading data from and writing data to an RFID tag on a tray; PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT identification apparatus for automatically identifying the type and quantity of the food items; and a controller for receiving and storing data from the identification apparatus and the RFID interrogator and for applying a time stamp to the RFID tag when a tray is placed in a slot.
21. The system of claim 20 wherein the identification apparatus is a machine vision system.
22. The system of claim 20 wherein the identification apparatus is a weighing apparatus.
23. The system of claim 20 wherein the RFID tag is disposable and the system further comprises an RFID tag printer for generating an RFID tag for each batch of food items.
24. The system of claim 20 further comprising: at least one point of sale terminal connected to the controller; and an RFID tag printer connected to the point of sale terminal for printing an RFID tag with customer order data thereon.
25. The system of claim 20 further comprising a weight sensor located in the slot to measure the weight of a tray inserted into the slot.
26. A method for managing the handling of food items in a restaurant, comprising: preparing a plurality of one type of food item; identifying the type and quantity of the prepared food items; providing at least one prepared food holding device; placing the prepared food items in the holding device; recording the time at which the food items were placed in the holding device; and tagging the holding device with an RFID tag to identify the type and quantity of food items and the time.
27. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of identifying the type and quantity of prepared food items is performed manually by a human operator. PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT
28. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of identifying the type and quantity of prepared food items is performed automatically by machine.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of automatically identifying the type and quantity of prepared food items is performed by a machine vision system including a camera.
30. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of automatically identifying the type and quantity of prepared food items is performed by an automatic weighing system.
31. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of identifying the type and quantity of prepared food items is performed partially manually by a human operator and partially automatically by machine.
32. The method of claim 26 further comprising generating a signal to indicate that the time elapsed since the recorded time has exceeded a preset limit.
33. The method of claim 26 wherein the prepared food holding device is a tray and further comprising: providing a food holding cabinet having a plurality of slots for receiving and holding the trays, each slot having an RFID interrogator for reading data from and writing data to the RFID tag on a tray.
34. The method of claim 33 further comprising the step of establishing an order for utilizing the trays on a first-in, first-out basis to deliver food items to customers.
35. The method of claim 34 further comprising the step of providing a visual indicator to the operator as to which tray should be utilized first.
36. The method of claim 33 further comprising the steps of: monitoring the time elapsed since a tray was placed in a slot; and signaling the operator when the elapsed time exceeds a preset time.
37. The method of claim 31 further comprising: providing a weight sensor in the slot; removing food items from the tray to fill customer orders; PATENT
Attorney Docket
25570-49303PCT monitoring the weight of the tray in the slot and calculating the number of food items remaining; and signaling an operator when the number of food items remaining falls below a predetermined number.
38. The method of claim 26 further comprising: providing a point of sale terminal for entering customer orders for food items and completing the sale of the food items to the customer; providing a controller for receiving and storing data from the RFID tag and the point of sale terminal; storing in the controller the number of food items sold to customers; storing in the controller the number of food items cooked and stored in a food holding device based on the number stored in the RFID tag; and calculating the percentage of cooked food sold and the percentage of cooked food wasted.
PCT/US2007/009190 2006-04-28 2007-04-16 Rfid food production, inventory and delivery management system and method for a restaurant WO2007127071A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/414,420 2006-04-28
US11/414,420 US7973642B2 (en) 2006-04-28 2006-04-28 RFID food production, inventory and delivery management method for a restaurant
US11/413,234 US20070251521A1 (en) 2006-04-28 2006-04-28 RFID food production, inventory and delivery management system for a restaurant
US11/413,234 2006-04-28

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2007127071A2 true WO2007127071A2 (en) 2007-11-08
WO2007127071A3 WO2007127071A3 (en) 2008-01-03

Family

ID=38656089

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2007/009190 WO2007127071A2 (en) 2006-04-28 2007-04-16 Rfid food production, inventory and delivery management system and method for a restaurant

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2007127071A2 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106707879A (en) * 2017-01-25 2017-05-24 上海术道科技有限公司 Automatic intelligent restaurant system and working method thereof
CN111818824A (en) * 2018-01-05 2020-10-23 普林斯卡思特有限公司 Meal bag storage cabinet

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4922435A (en) * 1988-04-01 1990-05-01 Restaurant Technology, Inc. Food preparation robot
US6508762B2 (en) * 2000-08-08 2003-01-21 Eddy Karnieli Method for monitoring food intake
US20050211775A1 (en) * 2004-03-25 2005-09-29 Prince Castle, Inc. Smart tray system and method for restaurant inventory management

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4922435A (en) * 1988-04-01 1990-05-01 Restaurant Technology, Inc. Food preparation robot
US6508762B2 (en) * 2000-08-08 2003-01-21 Eddy Karnieli Method for monitoring food intake
US20050211775A1 (en) * 2004-03-25 2005-09-29 Prince Castle, Inc. Smart tray system and method for restaurant inventory management

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106707879A (en) * 2017-01-25 2017-05-24 上海术道科技有限公司 Automatic intelligent restaurant system and working method thereof
CN111818824A (en) * 2018-01-05 2020-10-23 普林斯卡思特有限公司 Meal bag storage cabinet
CN111818824B (en) * 2018-01-05 2023-09-26 马蒙食品服务技术公司 Dining bag preservation cabinet

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2007127071A3 (en) 2008-01-03

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7973642B2 (en) RFID food production, inventory and delivery management method for a restaurant
US20070251521A1 (en) RFID food production, inventory and delivery management system for a restaurant
US7628107B2 (en) Food product timing system
CN112272528B (en) Automatic food preparation providing system, automatic restaurant system, automatic food preparation providing method, program, and storage medium
EP3904803B1 (en) Object recognition system for an appliance and method for managing household inventory of consumables
US20200334628A1 (en) Food fulfillment with user selection of instances of food items and related systems, articles and methods
US20100169196A1 (en) Food Vending Machine System Incorporating a High Speed Stored Energy Oven
US20160338545A1 (en) Method and system for storing, processing and cooking food
US20050256774A1 (en) Food preparation system
CN113208406B (en) Full-automatic intelligent cooking system
WO2022025282A1 (en) Learning control system
JP2017130186A (en) Automatic food vending machine and operation method for the same
US20200357083A1 (en) Computer-assisted quality control for commercial kitchen
CN108700301A (en) Integrated and compartment system for food storage and processing
EP3527918A2 (en) Foodstuff sensing appliance
JP2019152934A (en) Stock monitoring system
US11278157B2 (en) Food tray
CA2743894A1 (en) Fry station with integral portion weight sensing system and method
WO2016140622A1 (en) Food and beverage order management system and method
AU2006292127B2 (en) Method and apparatus for food preparation and holding station synchronization
WO2007127071A2 (en) Rfid food production, inventory and delivery management system and method for a restaurant
EP2438408B1 (en) Method, arrangement, equipment and system for catering services
US20230148094A1 (en) System and method for preparing food autonomously
WO2020171087A1 (en) Food cooking device and control program
JP2003271713A (en) Commodity sales managing apparatus

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 07775415

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2

NENP Non-entry into the national phase in:

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 07775415

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2