Abstract:
A method and apparatus for matching the contents of a container with information pertaining to its use. In an embodiment, the method is used for matching a beverage with a meal. The method comprises providing an identification of a given one of the beverage and the meal, the identification defining uniquely the given one of the beverage and the meal; accessing a database comprising a table associating each of a plurality of beverages with a corresponding one of a plurality of meals; querying the database using the identification; and the database returning a subset of a corresponding identified ones of the plurality of beverages and the plurality of meals. Alternatively, the method is used for finding medicinal information associated with a medicinal product.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This patent application claims priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 60/778,976, entitled “A method of matching the contents of a container with information pertaining to its use” that was filed on Mar. 6, 2006, the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to the field of computers. More precisely, this invention pertains to a method and apparatus for matching the contents of a container with information pertaining to its use.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE ART  
       [0003]     Being able to match products together is very desirable since matched products create a combination rather than an aggregation.  
         [0004]     Unfortunately, matching products requires a knowledge. While in some cases the knowledge may be simple to acquire, in some other cases, the knowledge is very costly and cumbersome to acquire. Acquiring the knowledge may require years of studies or work in some cases such as for instance in the art of matchmaking wines and meals together.  
         [0005]     A user may therefore be forced to rely on a third party to achieve the matching. This is the source of a lot of drawbacks since the user is dependent on the third party. For instance, the third party may not be available to provide such information. Moreover, the third party may not be fully skilled, etc.  
         [0006]     There is a need for a method and apparatus that will overcome at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks.  
         [0007]     Features of the invention will be apparent from review of the disclosure, drawings and description of the invention below.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0008]     The invention provides a method for matching wines with a selection of meals, the method comprising providing codes on containers of the wines, each one of the wines having a specific code, accessing a database, the database comprising a meals table associating the codes associated with a respective one of the wines to the selection of meals, querying the database using at least one of the codes, the database returning a subset of the selection of meals.  
         [0009]     The invention further provides a method for matching a beverage with a food product, the method comprising providing a code of a given one of the beverage and the food product, the code defining uniquely the given one of the beverage and the food product, accessing a database comprising a meals table associating each of a plurality of beverages with at least one of a plurality of food products and further comprising a beverages table associating each of the plurality of food products with at least one of the plurality of beverages, querying the database using the code, the database returning a subset of a corresponding identified ones of the plurality of beverages and the plurality of food products.  
         [0010]     The invention further provides a method for finding medicinal information associated to a medicinal product, the method comprising providing codes on containers of the medicinal product, each one of the medicinal product having a specific code, accessing a database, the database comprising a table associating the codes associated with a respective one of the medicinal product to the medicinal information, querying the database using at least one of the codes, the database returning the medicinal information. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     In order that the invention may be readily understood, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for matching a beverage with a food product using a database.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart showing how to create the database according to one embodiment.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a system for matching a beverage with a food product using a database; the system comprises a plurality of client units connected to a server via a data network.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a client unit comprising a code scanning unit, a processing unit and a network interface.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of the database of an embodiment of a server used for matching a beverage with a food product. 
     
    
       [0017]     Further details of the invention and its advantages will be apparent from the detailed description included below.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     In the following description of the embodiments, reference to the accompanying drawings is by way of illustration of an example by which the invention may be practiced. It will be understood that other embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed.  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an embodiment of a method for matching a beverage with a food product. It will be appreciated that this is very desirable in many places or situation where a choice has to be exercised such as in a restaurant for instance or when shopping.  
         [0020]     It should be appreciated by the skilled addressee that a beverage is intended to mean any types of beverage, i.e. alcoholic beverages as well as non-alcoholic beverages.  
         [0021]     Also the skilled addressee should appreciate that a food product is intended to mean any type of product that may be prepared by a skilled person for consumption purposes. For instance, the food product may be any one of a piece of meat, a cheese, a combination of processed food or the like.  
         [0022]     According to step  10 , a code of a given one of the beverage and the food product is provided. More precisely, the code provided defines uniquely the given one of the beverage and the food product. It one embodiment, the code provided comprises a bar code. Alternatively, the code provided comprises a sequence of letters and numbers. Alternatively, the code provided comprises a RFID tag. It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee that in one embodiment a user may desire to find a beverage which matches a food product while in another embodiment, the user may desire to find a food product that match a beverage.  
         [0023]     According to step  12 , a database comprising a table associating each of a plurality of beverages with a corresponding one of a plurality of food products is accessed. The skilled addressee will appreciate that the database may be accessed using various techniques. For instance, the database may be accessed locally using a terminal or the like. Alternatively, the database may be accessed remotely via a data network. The data network may comprise at least one of a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN) and a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.  
         [0024]     According to step  14 , the database is queried using the code provided.  
         [0025]     According to step  16 , the database returns a subset of corresponding identified ones of the plurality of beverages and the plurality of food products.  
         [0026]     It will be appreciated that the subset of corresponding identified ones of the plurality of beverages and the plurality of food products may be provided according to various schemes. For instance, the subset of corresponding identified ones may be outputted sorted according to various criteria. The criteria may be selected from a group consisting of price, a type of diet, availability, an indication of a person having populated the database, etc.  
         [0027]     Now referring to  FIG. 2 , there is shown an embodiment for creating the database.  
         [0028]     According to step  20 , a plurality of food products is provided. The plurality of food products is preferably provided by an operator based on various criteria. The criteria may be selected from a group consisting of availability, price, a type of diet, etc.  
         [0029]     According to step  22 , a plurality of beverages is provided. The plurality of beverages is preferably provided by an operator based on various criteria. The criteria may be selected from a group consisting of availability, price, etc.  
         [0030]     The skilled addressee will appreciate that step  22  may be alternatively performed before step  20 .  
         [0031]     Still referring to  FIG. 2  and according to step  24 , at least one food product is linked to at least one beverage. The skilled addressee will appreciate that the linking may be performed according to various ways. For instance, a “basic” linking may be performed. The result of such simple linking may be “food product a” is linked to “beverage b” which is similar to the “beverage b” is suitable with the “food product a”.  
         [0032]     The linking may be alternatively performed using various criteria such as “food product a” is link to “beverage b” under “conditions”. For instance, the conditions may be a particular diet such as a given weight loss diet, a vegetarian diet, a vegan diet, a Kosher diet or the like. The result of such linking may be “beverage b” is suitable with “food product”. In an alternative embodiment, the linking may comprise the associating of a note or comment. It should be understood that the note or comment may be put at the beginning by a first operator creating the database. Alternatively, notes and comments may be collected throughout time and may originate from the feedback of users. The skilled addressee will appreciate that this is of great value for an individual accessing the database and using the method.  
         [0033]     Now referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown an embodiment of a system for matching a beverage with a food product.  
         [0034]     The system comprises a plurality of client units  30  and a server  38 .  
         [0035]     The plurality of client units  30  is connected to the server  38  via a data network  36 .  
         [0036]     In the embodiment disclosed in  FIG. 3 , the plurality of client units  30  comprises client unit  32  and client unit  34 .  
         [0037]     The data network  36  may be any type of networks adapted for transmitting data. The data network  36  may comprise at least one of a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN) and a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.  
         [0038]     The server unit  38  comprises a network interface  40 , a processing unit  42  and a data storing unit  44 .  
         [0039]     The network interface  40  is used to connect the server unit  38  to the data network  36 . The skilled addressee will appreciate that the network interface  40  depends on the data network  36  used.  
         [0040]     The processing unit  42  is used to receive a request from a client unit of the plurality of client units  30  via the data network  36  and the network interface  40 . The processing unit  42  accesses the data storing unit  44  using the request and provides a corresponding result. The corresponding result is provided to the client unit which has provided the request.  
         [0041]     Now referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown an embodiment of the client unit  32 .  
         [0042]     The client unit  32  comprises a code scanning unit  50 , a processing unit, a display unit  56  and a network interface  54 .  
         [0043]     The code scanning unit  50  is used to scan a code affixed to one of a food product and a beverage. The skilled addressee will appreciate that the code scanning unit  50  used depends on the type of code used. In one embodiment, the code scanning unit  50  comprises a bar code reader. Alternatively, the code scanning unit  50  comprises a RFID tag reader.  
         [0044]     The display unit  56  is used to display information to a user. The display unit  56  may be anyone of a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, an LCD screen, a plasma screen, a projector display or the like.  
         [0045]     The network interface  54  is used to connect the client unit  32  to the data network  36 . The skilled addressee will appreciate that the network interface  54  depends on the data network  36  used.  
         [0046]     The processing unit  52  is used for receiving a code from the code scanning unit  50  and to generate a request comprising the code. The request is then provided to the server unit  38  via the network interface  54  and the data network  36 .  
         [0047]     The skilled addressee will appreciate that various type of processing units may be used.  
         [0048]     Now referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown an embodiment of the data storing unit  44 . The data storing unit  44  comprises a plurality of codes  60  for a corresponding beverage. The data storing unit  44  further comprises a plurality of codes  68  for a corresponding food product.  
         [0049]     In the embodiment disclosed, the plurality of codes  60  for a corresponding beverage comprises a code  62  for beverage A, a code  64  for beverage B and a code  66  for beverage C.  
         [0050]     In the embodiment disclosed, the plurality of codes  68  for a corresponding food product comprises a code  70  for food product  1 , a code  72  for food product  2 , a code  74  for food product  3 , a code  76  for food product  4  and a code  78  for food product  5 .  
         [0051]     Still referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown that the code  62  for beverage A is linked to the code  70  for food product  1 , that the code  64  for beverage B is linked to the code  72  for food product  2 , that the code  66  for beverage C is linked to the code  74  for food product  3 , to the code  76  for food product  4  and to the code  78  for food product  5 .  
         [0052]     It will be appreciated that various embodiments of the data storing unit  44  may be used. For instance, it will be understood that the data storing unit  44  may comprise a meals table associating each of a plurality of beverages with at least one of a plurality of food products and further may also further comprise a beverages table associating each of said plurality of food products with at least one of the plurality of beverages  
         [0053]     The skilled addressee will understand that the embodiment disclosed is one of many possible embodiments. As explained above, notes or comments may further be provided in the database  44 . For instance, the database may further comprise a recipes table associating each food product with a selection of recipes, the recipes including a list of ingredients and instructions.  
         [0054]     Also it should be understood that a rating may be given by an operator on a returned subset of data using a user interface. It will be appreciated that the rating may or may not be used to update the database. Also it will be appreciated that the rating may be weighted according to a “pre-qualification” of the user. The “Pre-qualification” comprises recognition of the expertise of the user by the operator of the system/database. An example may be a recognized wine taster.  
         [0055]     It will be further appreciated that the method disclosed may be advantageously used for finding medicinal information associated with a medicinal product. In such embodiment, codes are provided on containers of the medicinal product. Each one of the medicinal product has a specific code. A database comprising a table associating the codes associated with a respective one of the medicinal product to the medicinal information may then be accessed. The database may then be queried using at least one of the codes. The database may then return the medicinal information.  
         [0056]     It will be appreciated that in one embodiment the codes are selected from a group consisting of bar codes and RFID tags.  
         [0057]     The skilled addressee will appreciate that the method for matching a food product with a beverage disclosed above is of great advantage as it enables a user to accurately perform a match and to therefore avoid deceptions or bad surprises. For instance, the skilled addressee will appreciate that such as method may be advantageously used in restaurants for instance wherein the choice of a proper wine bottle may be cumbersome for a novice and results in frustration and loss of money.  
         [0058]     Although the above description relates to a specific preferred embodiment as presently contemplated by the inventor, it will be understood that the invention in its broad aspect includes mechanical and functional equivalents of the elements described herein.