WO2021005487A1

WO2021005487A1 - Coffee capsules stock management system

Info

Publication number: WO2021005487A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/056332
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pedro NUNES DA PONTE GALVÃO LUCAS
Original assignee: Avel Electrónica
Priority date: 2019-07-11
Filing date: 2020-07-06
Publication date: 2021-01-14

Abstract

The present invention describes a coffee capsule s stock management system that enables an optimal and smart managing of the stock, both in a domestic or industrial environment. This is provided by a stock management system comprising a storage structure, a weighing module and a control unit. The three constituent elements of the system interact with each other in order to achieve the said purpose, this symbiosis being a very important factor to that effect.

Description

DESCRIPTION

COFFEE CAPSULES STOCK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention falls within the scope of stock management systems. More particul a r 1 y , the present invention relates to stock management systems for consumer goods, specifically, coffee capsules.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently there are several solutions for managing stocks of consumer goods. All of them are based on a sensor circuit aimed at detecting the presence of those goods and a control circuit which is configured to act in accordance with the information collected, i . e . , performing the stock replenishment. In particular, as regards the management of the coffee capsules stock, one notes that there is only a rough monitoring, with no mechanism intended for discriminating the types of coffee, which causes the stock management to be ineffective in what concerns the user consumption.

An example of this is the Nespresso' s Prodigio machine, which is provided with a specific compartment for storing coffee. However, in addition to the fact that it is not equipped with mechanisms aimed at discriminating the different types of coffee, the calculation of the number of capsules remaining in the compartment is based upon counting the number of operations of the machine, which is unreliable . Additionally to this example, there are also online subscription services which have the advantage of periodically scheduling automatic order requests for coffee lots, without the user having to worry about it. However, these services have several disadvantages since, as they do not materialize in a physical structure monitoring the stored capsules in real time, they don' t take into account unequal periods of consumption, which may then lead the consumer to purchasing capsules without needing to or, on the other hand, not making an order request when necessary.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS SOLVED

In the present invention, it was intended to develop an optimized system for the management of a coffee capsules stock, which not only allows automatic requests per type of coffee, but also enables a threshold value to be set and below which a warning is issued or the automatic request service is triggered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus the object of this invention, a coffee capsules stock management system, based on a storage structure adapted to store packages of coffee capsules . This structure is comprised of a base, arranged in a horizontal plane defining the length (x-axis) and the depth (z-axis) of the structure. The storage structure also includes a side wall, which projects into the vertical plane from the ends of the base, defining the height of the structure (y-axis) . The said side wall is equipped with at least one opening which is adapted to dispense a coffee capsule from its packaging. The system developed also includes a sensor unit which comprises a weighing module that is installed in the base, and which has at least one load cell, and at least one reading device adapted to read an identification code associated to each package to be stored. In addition to the sensor unit, the system also includes a control unit with a processing module configured to (i) control the operation and data transfer of the weighing module and determine the number of coffee capsules stored in the structure according to the value weighed in the weighing module; and (ii) control the operation and data transfer from the reading device. The control unit also includes a wireless communication module, interconnected with the processing module, and configured to establish a two-way data communication with the outside world.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 - illustrates a cross-section view of a particular embodiment of the system devised for the management of a coffee capsules stock, where the reference signs mean as follows :

1 - storage structure;

2 - base;

3 - external wall;

4 - weighing module;

5 - control unit;

6 - divider grid;

7 - container for storage of the coffee capsules package ;

8 - opening for extraction of a coffee capsule;

Figure 2 - view of the storage structure base and its containers, mapped in the x-z coordinate system, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, where the reference signs mean as follows: 2 base;

6 divider grid;

9 reading device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention enables an optimal and smart management of the coffee capsules stock, either in a domestic or industrial environment.

This is provided by a stock management system c o mp rising a storage structure, a weighing module and a control unit The three constituent elements of the system interact with each other in order to achieve the said purpose, this symbiosis being a very important factor to that effect .

In a preferred configuration of the present invention, the storage structure is adapted to store the coffee capsules packages. Throughout this document, coffee capsule package means an involucre, preferably a p a r a 11 e 1 e p i p e d s h a p e d packaging, intended for storing coffee capsules within it. These packages have an identification code indicating the type of coffee stored, typically located on their ends or sides.

The storage structure is comprised of a base, arranged in a horizontal plane defining the length, along the x axis, and the depth, along the z axis, of the structure. The said storage structure also includes a side wall, which projects into the vertical plane from the ends of the base, defining the height of the structure, along the y axis . The aforementioned side wall is provided with at least one opening next to the base, which is adapted to dispense a coffee capsule from its packaging. In a preferred configuration of this invention, the system comprises a sensor unit fitted with a weighing module, which is arranged in the base and comprises at least one load cell, and at least one reading device, which is installed in the base and/or on the inner surface of the side wall of the structure, in order to be able to read the identification symbol contained in the package to be stored. This device is preferably of the optical type, for example a laser or LED scanner, a digital camera-based scanner or an omnidirectional scanner. The function of the scanning device is to read the identifying symbol on the packaging, which may be a tag-type symbol, preferably a n- dimensional code, preferably a bar code or QR code, and which identifies a type of coffee.

In a preferred configuration of this invention, the control unit comprises a processing module and a wireless communication module. The processing module is operationally connected to the sensor unit and is equipped with computational requirements adapted to run a routine program configured to i) control the operation and data transfer from the weighing module and determine the number of coffee capsules stored in the structure, according to the value weighed by the weighing module, and ii) control the operation and data transfer from the reading device. The term ''operationally connected” means the existence of a bi-directional connection between the two computer entities for data monitoring and operational control purposes. In order to calculate the number of capsules, the processing module has access to information concerning the weight of each capsule and the weight of the package itself, which allows it to make an accurate estimate. The information on the weight of each capsule can be configured through an initial calibration operation of the system and can also be periodically updated using external sources of information. The wireless communication module is interconnected to the processing module and is configured to establish a two-way data communication with the outside world, either for sharing information or for receiving operational commands .

In a preferred configuration of the present invention, the system' s storage structure comprises a divider grid installed at the base, projecting itself on a vertical plane in order to define a plurality of containers, each one adapted to accommodate a package of coffee capsules . In this way, the divider grid allows the base to be mapped according to a Cartesian coordinate system, where each container is defined by a coordinate point (x, z) . Thus, each load cell of the weighing module is installed at each x-coordinate of the base and is configured to weigh all the containers that are arranged along the z-axis of the respective x-coordinate.

In a preferred configuration of this inventi o n each container for the storage of coffee capsule packa g e s has an associated reading device, which may be installed a t the base of the storage structure and/or on the walls o f the divider grid, depending on the location of the identifying symbol on the package to be stored.

In a preferred configuration of this invention, each set of containers arranged in a coordinate along the x-axis, stores packages referring to the same type of coffee along its z-axis . This organizational scheme is controlled by the processing module and allows the monitoring of capsules consumption to be optimized in terms of determining the number of capsules remaining in the storage structure for each type of coffee. The use of reading devices to identify packages of different types of coffee allows the processing module to create a robust mechanism for detecting errors as regards the package insertion in the containers . In an alternative embodiment, the system additionally includes a user interface module. This module comprises a data output circuit which is connected to the processing module of the control unit and is configured to display a control message issued by the processing module. This control message may relate to system configuration parameters, for example the weight of each coffee capsule, the amount of coffee capsules stored in the storage structure and/or a package storage error message, if there are packages of different types of coffee in containers arranged in coordinates along the z-axis that share the same x-axis . In an alternative embodiment, the data output circuit is of the monitor type, light indicator or audio type.

In another alternative embodiment, the user interface module additionally comprises a data input circuit. The latter is connected to the processing module of the control unit and is adapted to the insertion of input parameters in the routine program run by the processing module, relating for instance to the setting of the weight of each coffee capsule or the setting of a weight threshold value, below which the said processing module issues a control message to the data output circuit. This control message can be of audio, image or light type, according to the specific characteristics of the data output circuit. The weight threshold value refers to a parameter in the routine program run by the processing module that is resettable, and has the primary function of allowing the automation of functions by the system. In an alternative embodiment, the data input circuit is of the keypad type.

In another alternative e mb o d i me n t , the devised system additionally comprises at least one mobile processing device, the said device c o mp rising computational requirements adapted to ( i ) establish a two way communication protocol for data transfer with the control unit's communication module via a wireless communication network - which may be of the WAN (wide area network) , PAN (personal area network) or LAN (local area network) type; and (ii) run a mobile application to establish a connection to the control unit's processing module for operational control purposes. The use of a mobile processing device, namely a smartphone, allows the system to be provided with an additional user interface, since the mobile application is used to emulate all the functions performed by the control unit's processing module. In this sense, using a mobile device, the input parameters can be configured in the routine program run by the processing module, regarding both the weight threshold value and the weight of each capsule, among others.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the system additionally comprises at least one coffee supply platform hosted on a server and a wireless communication network (WAN) , which interconnects the control unit to the coffee supply platform. An order request for new coffee capsules to the supply platform can thereby be made automatically, depending on the stock levels in the storage structure. In particular, the control unit issues an order request to the coffee supply platform depending on the number of coffee capsules stored in the storage structure, which in turn depends on the weight threshold value measured by the weighing module. This request can be made automatically when the weighing module measures a value below the preset weight threshold value, or manually, through the mobile processing device.

The technical characteristics of this invention, in all its combinations, are suitable to optimize the coffee capsules stock management, allowing the user to have control at every moment over the number of capsules stored and selected according to the type of coffee. As wi 11 be evident to a person skilled in the art, the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described herein, with a numb e r of changes being possible, which remain within the scope of this invention .

0 f course, the preferred embodiments above described are combinable in the different possible f o rms , the repetiti on of all such combinations being herein avoided .

Claims

1. A stock management system adapted to manage the coffee capsules stock, charac erized in that it comprises:

- a storage structure, adapted to stock coffee capsule packages, which is comprised of:

- a base arranged in a horizontal plane, defining the length (x-axis) and depth (z- axis) of the structure;

- and a side wall which projects into the vertical plane from the ends of the base, defining the height of the structure, the y- axis, this side wall having at least one opening adapted to dispense a coffee capsule from its packaging;

- a sensor unit, comprising a weighing module installed on the base, comprised of at least one load cell and at least one reading device, adapted to read an identification symbol contained in the package to be stored;

- a control unit, comprising:

- a processing module, which is operationally connected to the sensor unit and is equipped with computational requirements adapted to run a routine program configured to:

- control the operation and data transfer from the weighing module and determine the number of coffee capsules stored in the structure, according to the value weighed by the weighing module;

- control the operation and data transfer from the reading device;

- a wireless communication module, interconnected with the processing module, and configured to establish a two-way data communication with the outside world.

2. A system according to the previous claim, characterized in that at least one scanning device is installed on the base and/or on the side wall of the storage structure, the said device being of the optical type, preferably a laser or LED scanner, a digital camera-based scanner or an omnidirectional scanner .

3. A system according to any of the previous claims, charac erized in that the storage structure comprises a divider grid installed on the base, which maps the base in a Cartesian coordinates system. The said grid is designed in the vertical plane in order to define a plurality of containers, each of them adapted to accommodate a package of coffee capsules; wherein

- each container is defined by a set of coordinates (x, z) ; and

- each load cell of the weighing module is installed at each x-coordinate of the base and is configured to weigh all the containers arranged along the z-axis of the respective x-coordinate.

4. A system according to claim 3, characterized in that each container has associated a reading device which is installed on the base of the structure, the said device being an optical one, preferably a lase r - or LED-type scanner, a digital camera-based scanner or an omnidirectional scanner.

5. A system according to claim 3, characterized in that each container has associated a reading device, which is installed on the walls of the divider grid, the said device being an optical one, preferably a laser- or LED-type scanner, a digital camera-based scanner or an omnidirectional scanner.

6. A system according to any of the claims 3 to 5, charac erized in that each set of containers arranged in a coordinate as per the x-axis, stores packages pertaining to the same type of coffee along its respective z-axis .

7. A system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises a user interface module, this module comprising a data output circuit which is connected to the processing module of the control unit and is configured to display a control message issued by the processing module.

8. A system according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the control message is related to:

- the amount of coffee capsules stored in the storage structure; and/or

- a package storage error message, if there are packages of different types of coffee in containers arranged in coordinates along the z-axis that share the same x-axis.

9. A system according to claim 7, characterized in that the data output circuit is of the monitor type, light indicator or audio type.

10. A system according to any of the claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the user interface module additionally comprises a data input circuit, which is connected to the processing module of the control unit and is adapted to the insertion of an input parameter in the routine program run by the processing module, relating to a weight threshold value, below which the said processing module issues a control message to the data output circuit.

11. A system according to claim 10, charac erized in that the data input circuit is of the keypad type.

12. A system according to any of the claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the control message to be sent by the processing module to the data output circuit is of audio, image or light type.

13. A system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that it additionally comprises at least one mobile processing device, the said device comprising computational requirements adapted to:

- establish a two-way communication protocol for data transfer with the control unit's communication module via a wireless communication network;

- run a mobile application to establish a connection to the control unit's processing mo du 1 e .

14. A system according to claims 10 and 13, characterized in that the mobile processing device is configured so that the input parameter is programmed, in the routine program run by the processing module, as regards a weight threshold value.

15. A system according to any of the claims 13 and 14, characterized in that the mobile processing device is a smartphone and the wireless communication network is a WAN, PAN or LAN.

16. A system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that it further comprises:

- at least one coffee supply platform hosted on a server;

- a wireless communication network, of the WAN - type, which interconnects the control unit to the coffee supply platform.

1 7 . A system according to claims 10 and 16, charac erized in that the control unit issues an order request to the coffee supply platform depending on the number of coffee capsules stored in the storage structure, which in turn depends on the weight threshold value measured by the weighing module, the said order request being:

- automatic, when the weighing module measures a value below the set weight threshold value;

- manual, by means of the mobile processing device .