IP Library Granted Patent US 10,320,582
Granted Patent B1
US 10,320,582 · App. 15/828,155 · Granted Jun 11, 2019

System for smart spoilage alerts

Inventors: Michael Wayne Wallace (Vancouver, WA); Daniel Short (Camas, WA)
Assignee: Perfect Company, Inc.
H04L12/2827G06Q10/087H04L12/2812G06K2017/0051
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,320,582
App. No.
15/828,155
Granted
Jun 11, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

This system describe relates to a smart pantry system that is able to determine when a food item stored in a pantry of a user has expired or is about to expire. The system may also predict an estimated time at which a food item is going to be fully consumed, and then provide alerts and/or recipe recommendations to assist the user in consuming the food item before its expiration date. The smart pantry system may estimate the time at which the food item is going to be fully consumed based on verified consumption events of the food item. A verified consumption event corresponds to a consumption event for which the smart pantry system has obtained corroborating data that verifies the consumption of the food item. For example, a verified consumption event may be corroborated in light of corroborated point of consumption (POC) data.

Claims (46)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic device, first sensor information associated with a food item;

determining, by the electronic device, that the first sensor information verifies a first consumption event associated with a quantity of the food item being consumed;

determining, based at least in part on the first consumption event, that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed;

presenting, on a display associated with the electronic device, a notification that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed;

receiving, by the electronic device, second sensor information associated with the food item; and

determining that the second sensor information verifies an occurrence of a second consumption event associated with an additional quantity of the food item being consumed,

wherein determining that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed is further based at least in part on the second consumption event.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensor information comprises first and second sensor data, respectively, detected by a sensor associated with an appliance, the appliance being one of an electric scale, an electric blender, an oven, and a refrigerator.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed comprises:

determining, based at least in part on (i) the first sensor information that verifies the first consumption event associated with the quantity of the food item being consumed and (ii) the second sensor information that verifies the second consumption event associated with the additional quantity of the food item being consumed, an estimated time that the food item will be completely consumed; and

determining that the estimated time when the food item will be fully consumed is after an expiration data associated with the food item.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second consumption events each comprises one or more of:

a quantity of the food item being used to make a recipe;

the quantity of the food item being added to a container; and

the quantity of the food item being eaten.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the notification that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed comprises presenting, on a display associated with the electronic device, a selectable option for obtaining an additional amount of the food item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the notification that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed comprises presenting, on a display associated with the electronic device, a recommendation of a recipe associated with the food item.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

presenting, on the display associated with the electronic device, a recipe step associated with an amount of the food item; and

wherein determining that the first sensor information verifies the first consumption event comprises determining that the amount of the food item corresponds to the quantity of the food item, and

wherein determining that the second sensor information verifies the second consumption event comprises determine that the amount of the food item corresponds to the quantity of the food item.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the first and second sensor information is received via a sensor component of one of an electronic cooking scale or electronic blender.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having thereon at set of instructions, which if performed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive first sensor information associated with a food item;

determine that the first sensor information verifies a first consumption event associated with a quantity of the food item being consumed;

determine, based at least in part on the first consumption event, that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed;

present, on a display associated with an electronic device, a notification that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed;

receive second sensor information associated with the food item; and

determine that the second sensor information verifies an occurrence of a second consumption event associated with an additional quantity of the food item being consumed,

wherein determine that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed is further based at least in part on the second consumption event.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer to:

present, on a display associated with the computer, a recipe step associated with an amount of the food item; and

wherein determine that the first sensor information verifies the first consumption event comprises determine that the amount of the food item corresponds to the quantity of the food item, and

wherein determine that the second sensor information verifies the second consumption event comprises determine that the amount of the food item corresponds to the quantity of the food item.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 10 , wherein the first and second sensor information is received via a sensor component of one of an electronic cooking scale or electronic blender.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9 , wherein determine that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed comprises:

determine, based at least in part on (i) the first sensor information that verifies the first consumption event associated with the quantity of the food item being consumed and (ii) the second sensor information that verifies the second consumption event associated with the additional quantity of the food item being consumed, an estimated time that the food item will be completely consumed; and

determine that the estimated time when the food item will be fully consumed is after an expiration data associated with the food item.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9 , wherein present the notification that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed comprises present, on the display associated with the electronic device, a recommendation of a recipe associated with the food item.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9 , wherein the first and second sensor information comprises first and second sensor data, respectively, detected by a sensor associated with an appliance, the appliance being one of an electric scale, an electric blender, an oven, and a refrigerator.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9 , wherein the first and second consumption events each comprises one or more of:

a quantity of the food item being used to make a recipe;

the quantity of the food item being added to a container; and

the quantity of the food item being eaten.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9 , wherein present the notification that the food item is going to expire before the food item is fully consumed comprises present, on a display associated with the electronic device, a selectable option for obtaining an additional amount of the food item.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2017
From: WALLACE, MICHAEL WAYNE; SHORT, DANIEL
To: PERFECT COMPANY, INC.
Reel/Frame 044268/0125 →
Cited By (3)
US 12,247,431 US 12,326,029 US 12,366,103