# US 12,223,383 B2 · Smart food pan system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,223,383 B2 - Document ID: US12223383B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/472,318 - Filed: 2023-09-22 - Published: 2024-03-14 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-18 - Assignees: Duke Manufacturing Co. - Applicants: Duke Manufacturing Co. - Inventors: Benjamin Kingbay Wann; Gregory Glen Stettes; John Sweaney; Jason Smith - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12223383B2 ## CPC - A47J 36/321: {the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device} - G06K 7/10366: {the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications} - H04L 12/2809: {indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51)} - H04L 12/2812: {describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content (retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95)} - H04L 12/2825: {Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002)} - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04L 2012/2841: {Wireless} - A47J: KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A smart pan system comprising a food pan having one or more radio frequency tag coupled thereto that store a unique identifier associated with the food pan. A tag reader associated with a food preparation apparatus reads the unique identifier for linking to information relating to the food carried in the pan. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a food pan configured for carrying food, the food pan having at least one radio frequency tag coupled thereto, the radio frequency tag storing a unique identifier associated with the food pan; and at least one food preparation apparatus, comprising: one or more tag readers configured to read the identifier from the tag and generate a tag signal when the tag is within range thereof; and a single board computer communicatively coupled to a wireless network, the network comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein the single board computer is one of the nodes of the network, the single board computer comprising: a processor, and one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory devices storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to: receive the tag signal, the tag signal including the identifier read from the tag by the one or more tag readers, communicate the identifier on the network, link the identifier to information relating to the food carried in the pan; measure a gain of the tag signal; and determine whether the food pan is nearing or leaving the one or more tag readers when the gain of the tag signal is increasing or decreasing, respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the tag is positioned at a geometric center of a side wall of the pan. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices further store processor-executable instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to communicate the identifier and the linked information relating to the food carried in the pan in a broadcast message via the network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the food preparation apparatus comprises a food holding apparatus having a plurality of holding locations, the food holding apparatus configured to receive the food pan in at least one of the holding locations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more tag readers comprise a plurality of antennas, each of the antennas associated with one of the holding locations. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more tag readers is associated with one of the holding locations. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more memory devices further store processor-executable instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to compare the gain of the tag signal to a threshold for determining when the food pan has arrived at the one of the holding locations associated with the one or more tag readers generating the tag signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the single board computer comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device and the network comprises a Bluetooth mesh network. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices further store processor-executable instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to generate a control signal for controlling an operation of the food holding apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the single board computer is responsive to the linked information relating to the food carried in the pan in the broadcast message to generate the control signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the food preparation apparatus comprises a touchscreen coupled to the single board computer and configured for interaction with a user thereof and wherein the single board computer is responsive to user input received via the touchscreen to generate the control signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency tag comprises at least one of: a passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag; a battery-free Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag; and a battery-free Near-Field Communication (NFC) tag. ### Claim 13 A smart pan system comprising: a food pan configured for carrying food, the food pan having at least one radio frequency tag coupled thereto, the radio frequency tag storing a unique identifier associated with the food pan; and one or more tag readers configured to read the identifier from the tag and generate a tag signal when the tag is within range thereof, wherein each of the one or more tag readers is associated with a food preparation apparatus communicatively coupled to a wireless network, and wherein the food preparation apparatus is configured to receive the tag signal, the tag signal including the identifier read from the tag by the one or more tag readers, communicate the identifier on the network, link the identifier to information relating to the food carried in the pan, and determine whether the food pan is nearing or leaving the one or more tag readers based on whether a gain of the tag signal is increasing or decreasing, respectively. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the tag is positioned at a geometric center of a side wall of the pan. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the food preparation apparatus comprises a food holding apparatus having a plurality of holding locations, the food holding apparatus configured to receive the food pan in at least one of the holding locations, and wherein the one or more tag readers comprise a plurality of antennas, each of the antennas associated with one of the holding locations. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the food preparation apparatus comprises a food holding apparatus having a plurality of holding locations, the food holding apparatus configured to receive the food pan in at least one of the holding locations, and wherein each of the one or more tag readers is associated with one of the holding locations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the food preparation apparatus is further configured to compare the gain of the tag signal to a threshold for determining when the food pan has arrived at the one of the holding locations associated with the one or more tag readers generating the tag signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the radio frequency tag comprises at least one of: a passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag; a battery-free Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag; and a battery-free Near-Field Communication (NFC) tag. ### Claim 19 A method comprising: reading a unique identifier stored on a radio frequency tag, wherein the tag is coupled to a food pan configured for carrying food, and wherein the identifier is read by one or more tag readers associated with one or more food preparation apparatuses when the tag is within range of the one or more tag readers; receiving a tag signal generated by the one or more tag readers, the tag signal including the identifier read from the tag by the one or more tag readers; communicating the identifier on a wireless network, wherein the network comprises a plurality of nodes, and wherein the one or more food preparation apparatuses are nodes of the network; linking the identifier to information relating to the food carried in the pan; measuring a gain of the tag signal; determining if the gain of the tag signal is increasing or decreasing; and determining the food pan is nearing or leaving the one or more tag readers when the gain of the tag signal is increasing or decreasing, respectively. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising communicating the identifier and the linked information relating to the food carried in the pan in a broadcast message via the network. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the food preparation apparatuses comprises a food holding apparatus having a plurality of holding locations, the food holding apparatus configured to receive the food pan in at least one of the holding locations, and further comprising locating at least one of the one or more tag readers in close proximity to each of the plurality of holding locations. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising generating a control signal for controlling an operation of the one or more food preparation apparatuses. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising comparing the gain of the tag signal to a threshold and determining when the food pan has arrived at the at least one of the holding locations associated with the one or more tag readers generating the tag signal based on the gain of the tag signal exceeding the threshold.