Cold storage monitoring system and method of use to monitor temperature and utilization

A monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of refrigerated storage units, each refrigerated storage unit including a compartment for receiving items to be refrigerated therein and a door for accessing the compartment, the system comprising:

• a computer server;
• a plurality of monitoring devices arranged to be associated with the refrigerated storage units respectively, each monitoring device including (i) an internal temperature sensor arranged to measure an internal temperature value representing an internal temperature within the compartment of the associated refrigerated storage unit, (ii) a door sensor arranged to determine a door status value representing the door of the associated refrigerated storage unit being opened or closed, and (iii) a controller arranged to communicate the internal temperature values and the door status values to the computer server periodically over time;
• the computer server including a memory storing programming instructions thereon and a processor arranged to execute the programming instructions whereby the computer server is arranged to:
• (i) store the values from the monitoring devices in a database comprising a database record associated with each monitoring device, in which each database record comprises (a) a time series of the internal temperature values representing the internal temperature over time, (b) a time series of the door status values representing the door status over time, and (c) alert criteria associated with the monitoring devices including a temperature criterium relating to the internal temperature, a door criterium relating to the door status, and a duration criterium relating to an elapsed time;
• (ii) compare the temperature values and the door status values to the alert criteria stored on the computer server;
• and
• (iii) generate a notification in response to a combination of the temperature criterium, the door criterium, and the duration criterium being met;
• wherein the alert criteria are programmably adjustable by a user.

A monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of refrigerated storage units, each refrigerated storage unit including a compartment for receiving items to be refrigerated therein and a door for accessing the compartment, the system comprising:

• a computer server;
• a plurality of monitoring devices arranged to be associated with the refrigerated storage units respectively, each monitoring device including (i) an internal temperature sensor arranged to measure an internal temperature value representing an internal temperature within the compartment of the associated refrigerated storage unit, (ii) a door sensor arranged to determine a door status value representing the door of the associated refrigerated storage unit being opened or closed, and (iii) a controller arranged to communicate the internal temperature values and the door status values to the computer server periodically over time;
• the computer server including a memory storing programming instructions thereon and a processor arranged to execute the programming instructions whereby the computer server is arranged to:
• (i) store the values from the monitoring devices in a database comprising a database record associated with each monitoring device;
• wherein each database record comprises (a) a time series of the internal temperature values representing the internal temperature over time, (b) a time series of the door status values representing the door status over time, and (c) alert criteria associated with the monitoring devices including a temperature criteria relating to the internal temperature, and a door criterium relating to the door status;
• and
• wherein the temperature criteria of one of the database records associated with one of the refrigerated storage units comprises a plurality of different temperature criterium associated with different types of items stored in the compartment of said one of the associated refrigerated storage units;
• (ii) compare the temperature values and the door values to the alert criteria stored on the computer server including the plurality of different temperature criterium associated with the different types of items stored in the compartment of said one of the associated refrigerated storage units;
• and
• (iii) generate a notification if the door values meet the door criterium and the temperature values meet any one of the different temperature criterium associated with the different types of items stored in the compartment of said one of the associated refrigerated storage units;
• wherein the notification includes an indication of which of the different types of items stored in the compartment of said one of the associated refrigerated storage units had the associated temperature criterium met by the temperature values so as to result in the notification being generated.