The present invention relates to inventory management systems that use radio frequency identification tags. It appears especially well suited to determine the status of stored food, the need for replacing, refilling, or maintaining items requiring such servicing on a periodic basis, and whether items about to be washed together are compatible.
Consumers purchase a variety of goods that become unusable after prolonged storage. Some of these goods (e.g. dairy items, vegetables, meats) are stored in a refrigerator to prolong the storage life of the item. However, once the item is stored (either in cooked/leftover form, or uncooked form), a consumer may forget about the item for too long a period. Then, when the consumer remembers the item, the consumer may discover that the item is no longer suitable for use. This is wasteful and leads to consumer dissatisfaction.
A variety of relatively “airtight” storage containers have been developed to prolong the storage life of items (e.g. reclosable bags; plastic reclosable containers). However, even where such a bag/container is transparent, the consumer may fail to see the item stored therein until it is no longer usable (e.g. the storage container becomes positioned behind a milk carton).
There have been some attempts to use computer technology to provide inventory management control and reporting regarding inventories of various perishable items. For example, there is a system for tracking the manufacturer's suggested expiration dates of various food products, utilizing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
An RFID tag attached to each item is encoded with the expiration date of a given food product. That tag can then be scanned to determine whether that expiration date has either passed or is approaching. However, that requires the user to remember to scan the storage containers on a regular basis to obtain such feedback.
There have also been attempts to manually enter identifications of food products in an electronic database along with the manufacturer's expiration date for each product. The database is provided with timing technology that enables the user to activate a display that, in turn, provides “expiration” information.
Of course, the manufacturer's recommended expiration date is merely an indication of when an item might theoretically spoil if the original package has not been opened. Once the packaging for a perishable item is opened, or if the item is cooked or mixed with other items, the item will usually have a different storage life.
As another example, some household products can require refilling, replacement or other maintenance on a predictable, regular basis. For instance, conventional air fresheners can be plugged into a conventional electrical receptacle, and have air freshening cartridges that have a predetermined lifetime. Similarly, a toilet cleaning block or cartridge can require periodic replacement or refilling. Also, air filters for home furnaces require periodic replacement. In each case, a failure to refill or replace in a timely manner may have adverse consequences.
Another common problem is that various types of laundry (e.g. colors) are best washed in particular conditions. A load of white clothes can be bleached in hot water. If a colored item (e.g. a sock) is accidentally mixed into the wash, the color from the item can bleed into the other clothes.
Therefore, a need exists for improved inventory management systems for a variety of applications of interest to consumers.