Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10049314B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 17:07:27+00:00

Document:
The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/055,422, filed Oct. 16, 2013, entitled BARCODED INDICATORS FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,317,794, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/321,477, filed Jan. 17, 2012, entitled BARCODED INDICATORS FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,579,193, which is a National Phase Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/IL2010/000205, filed Mar. 10, 2010, entitled BARCODED INDICATORS FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT, which claims priority of International Patent Application No. PCT/IL2009/000503, filed May 20, 2009 and entitled A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT UTILIZING BARCODE INDICATORS, from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/469,309, filed May 20, 2009 and entitled A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT UTILIZING BARCODE INDICATORS, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,091,776, from PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2009/001167, filed Dec. 9, 2009 and entitled BARCODE INDICATORS FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT, and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/231,799, filed Aug. 6, 2009 and entitled BARCODED INDICATORS FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 7,562,811, filed Sep. 10, 2007 and entitled “System And Method For Improved Quality Management In A Product Logistic Chain”, to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL07/000547, filed May 6, 2007 and entitled “A System And Method For Improved Quality Management In A Product Logistic Chain”, to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL07/01411, filed Nov. 14, 2007 and entitled “A System And Method For Quality Management Utilizing Barcode Indicators”, to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2008/001495, filed Nov. 13, 2008 and entitled “A System And Method For Quality Management Utilizing Barcode Indicators”, to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2008/001494, filed Nov. 13, 2008 and entitled “A System And Method For Quality Management Utilizing Barcode Indicators”, to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2009/000503, filed May 20, 2009 and entitled “A System And Method For Quality Management Utilizing Barcode Indicators” to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/469,309, filed May 20, 2009 and entitled “A System And Method For Quality Management Utilizing Barcode Indicators”, to US Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/231,799, filed Aug. 6, 2009 and entitled “Barcoded Indicators For Quality Management” and to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2009/001167, filed Dec. 9, 2009 and entitled “Barcode Indicators for Quality Management”, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Preferably, the at least one interposed line extends along the entire length of the first and the second barcodes.
Preferably, the barcoded quality indicator further includes a coloring agent located at a first location on the indicator and a coloring agent pathway operative to allow the coloring agent to move, at a rate which is at least partially a function of time, from the first location to the first and second colorable areas for coloring thereof.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the quality indicator includes barcodes complying with GS1 (General Specifications) standards, which are outlined at www.gsl.org. According to GS1 standards, the three left-most digits are usually assigned to a country. In Israel, the seven, nine or ten left-most digits, including the country code, represent the supplier's code and the remaining right-most digits are used by each supplier. For example, as seen in the illustrated embodiments of the present application, the three left-most digits are 729, the GS1 country code assigned to Israel. The ten left-most digits, including the country code, represent a supplier's code and the three right-most digits are changeable by the supplier and combinations thereof are used in this application for indicating exceedance of thresholds.
It is appreciated that because only a portion of a barcode bar is missing in the unreadable state 171, the portion having a width of a single narrow barcode bar, the BCR level of barcode III in the unreadable state 171 is higher than that of barcode III in the unreadable state 142 described in FIGS. 1A-1H.
It is appreciated that because a space preferably having a width of a single narrow barcode bar located between the bars of barcode V in its readable state is filled in, the BCR level of barcode V in the unreadable state 273 is high, similar to the BCR level of barcode VI in the unreadable state 271 described in FIG. 2l.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention barcodes forming part of a quality indicator are each capable of indicating any numerical or alphanumerical sequence. Additionally or alternatively, barcodes forming part of a quality indicator are each capable of complying with any suitable barcode standard, including but not limited to EAN, UPC, 2 of 5 Interleaved, code 39, code 39 extended, code 93, code 93 extended, code 128, code 128 A, B and C, ISBN, Code bar and Data Matrix. Accordingly, different barcodes forming part of the same quality indicator can comply with different barcode standards. For example, a quality indicator can include a first barcode complying with the EAN 13 standard and a second barcode complying with the 2 of 5 Interleaved standard. Consequently, if the barcode reader of a checkout scanner is operative to read only the EAN 13 barcode standard, then, once the first barcode becomes unreadable, the indicator no longer presents a readable barcode to the checkout scanner. However, the indicator is still readable by a barcode reader operative to read the 2 of 5 Interleaved standard.
receiving said output indications; and interpreting said output indication to provide human sensible, product quality status outputs.
4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said first set of colorable areas continues to be colored following exceedance of said at least one threshold.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein colorable areas forming part of at least one of said first set of colorable areas and said second set of colorable areas become colored sequentially.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said coloring agent pathway is operative to allow said coloring agent to move by diffusing from said first location to said first and said second colorable areas.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one threshold includes at least one time threshold.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one threshold includes at least one time and temperature threshold.
9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said quality indicator is operative to provide indications of exceedance of several different thresholds.
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 Application No. 2010
 Application No. 2014
 Application No. 2014
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 Application No. 201958
 Application No. 2011
 Application No. 2
 Application No. 2016