Back to results
US 8,412,642 B2Granted
Transport scheduling for low microbial bulk products
AssigneeConagra Foods Food Ingredients Company, Inc.
InventorsRobert Mariniello, Edith D. Akins-Lewenthal, Ryan T. Grace
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Transport scheduling and transport processes for low microbial (“LM”) bulk products are described. The transport scheduling and processes facilitate low microbial activity in a LM bulk product during the transport of the LM bulk product.
Claims20
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform the method comprising:
- determining a product transport period and a transport path based on a shipping request, wherein the product transport period begins on a product load-out date and expires on a product receipt date;
- receiving an indication of a qualified bulk flour vessel that has a low microbial wash (LMW) timing threshold that is not projected to be surpassed at any time during the project transport period, the LMW timing threshold being based on a product specification indicating a microbial baseline for the low microbial bulk flour product and being a maximum amount of time between LM washes for the bulk flour product vessel;
- obtaining predicted environmental conditions related to the product transport period and the transport path, wherein the predicted environmental conditions include a predicted temperature for the transport period along the transport path;
- based upon the predicted environmental conditions, determining optimal product conditions, for the LM bulk flour product, to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path in order to minimize condensation formation in the qualified bulk flour vessel, wherein the optimal product conditions include an optimal product temperature;
- receiving an indication of a current product condition of the LM bulk flour product, wherein the current product condition include a current product temperature;
- determining whether the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path;
- and
- when the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path, adjusting the current product temperature to a value that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.
5 more elements
A computer-implemented method for adjusting a low microbial (LM) bulk product for a product transport period having predicted environmental conditions, the method comprising:
- causing a processor to determine a product transport period and a transport path based on a shipping request, wherein the product transport period begins on a product load-out date and expires on a product receipt date;
- receiving an indication of a qualified bulk product that has a low microbial wash (LMW) timing threshold that is not projected to be surpassed at any time during the project transport period, the LMW timing threshold being based on a product specification indicating a microbial baseline for the low microbial bulk product and being a maximum amount of time between LM washes for the bulk product vessel;
- causing the processor to obtain predicted environmental conditions related to the product transport period and the transport path, the predicted environmental conditions including a predicted temperature for the transport period along the transport path;
- based upon the predicted environmental conditions, causing the processor to determine optimal product conditions, for the LM bulk product, to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path in order to minimize condensation formation in the qualified bulk product vessel, wherein optimal product conditions include an optimal product temperature;
- receiving an indication of a current product condition of the LM bulk product, wherein the current product condition includes a current product temperature;
- causing the processor to determine whether the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk product vessel for the transport period along the transport path;
- and
- when the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk product vessel for the transport period along the transport path, adjusting the current product temperature to a value that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk vessel during the transport period along the transport path.
5 more elements
A system for adjusting a low microbial (LM) bulk flour product prior to a product transport period, the system comprising:
- at least one LM bulk flour product condition sensor configured to monitor conditions of the LM bulk flour product;
- at least one LM bulk flour product condition adjustor device configured to adjust current product condition values of the LM bulk flour product;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory having computer executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer executable instructions are configured for:
- obtaining predicted environmental condition values related to a product transport period and a transport path, wherein the predicted environmental condition values include a predicted temperature for the transport period along the transport path, wherein the product transport period begins on a product load-out date and expires on a product receipt date;
- receiving an indication of a qualified bulk flour vessel that has a low microbial wash (LMW) timing threshold that is not projected to be surpassed at any time during the project transport period, the LMW timing threshold being based on a product specification indicating a microbial baseline for the low microbial bulk flour product and being a maximum amount of time between LM washes for the bulk product vessel;
- causing the at least one processor to, based upon the predicted environmental conditions, determine optimal product condition values, for the LM bulk flour product, to be maintained during the product transport period along the transport path in order to minimize condensation formation in the qualified bulk flour vessel, wherein the optimal product conditions include an optimal product temperature;
- receiving current product condition values from at least one LM bulk flour product condition sensor, wherein the current product condition values include a current product temperature;
- causing the at least one processor to determine whether the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path;
- and
- when the current product temperature requires adjustment to minimize condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel for the transport period along the transport path, causing the at least one processor to send an actuation signal to the at least one LM bulk flour product condition adjustor device to cause adjustment of the current product temperature to a value that minimizes condensation formation in the bulk flour vessel during the transport period along the transport path.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.