IT201900016703A1 - INTEGRATED LOGISTICS AND MONITORING SYSTEM FOR THE DELIVERY AND PREPARATION OF READY MEALS - Google Patents

Description

Description of the invention entitled:

"INTEGRATED LOGISTICS AND MONITORING SYSTEM FOR THE DELIVERY AND PREPARATION OF READY MEALS"

Description

Field of technique

The present invention operates in the field of processing and distribution of complete pre-cooked meals. In particular, the invention in question aims to create an integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals.

Known art

To date, a plurality of services for home delivery of semi-prepared meals are known to the state of the art. These services conceal a number of significant difficulties. The first is food waste. In the world every day about 1/3 of the food produced is thrown away because it is wasted, not sold, or not processed in time. In the food sector, the quality and timing with which raw materials are delivered are of primary importance in order to guarantee a competitive service on the market. It therefore becomes essential to understand how many raw materials must be ordered from suppliers, satisfying all customers without wasting and optimizing internal production in terms of time and ease. A further difficulty is represented by maintaining the cold chain, ensuring its integrity, hygiene standards and food safety. Some means of transport are equipped with tools that allow operators to keep the temperature under control, in this case it is the temperature of the air present in the transport compartment. This temperature is automatically recorded every 5 minutes if the journey lasts less than 24 hours; or every 20 minutes, if the trip lasts longer. These data are available to the control bodies, but not to the end user as they are often used for the movement of large quantities of goods. This mechanism is therefore not suitable for the delivery of retail meals. A solution to the problem is provided by refrigerated isothermal packaging. However, temperature monitoring and the efficient acquisition and distribution of meals is still a challenge. Another fundamental factor for the freshness of semi-prepared foods is the packaging of the food itself. For a long time, packaging has been carried out in ATM (modified atmosphere), also called ATP (protective atmosphere) which consists in the packaging of food in atmospheres composed of mixtures of packaging gases, namely: oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The "skin packaging" offers the possibility of avoiding the use of gas mixtures. In skin packaging, the film is made to adhere around the product using vacuum technology and subsequently sealed to the lower support in order to ensure the hermetic closure of the package: the film thus becomes a second skin (skin) for the product. This packaging brings an advance from the point of view of environmental impact, thanks to the absence of gas and the possibility of recycling the lower supports as plastic. However, plastic is proving to be a major problem for the environment despite being recycled. There are still no compostable alternatives to minimize packaging pollution. The environmental impact is another big problem of this type of services both in terms of the means of transport used, and for the packaging which is very often very bulky, to better protect the contents, and made of non-recyclable material.

In the international field, it is possible to find a good number of rights relating to the scope and the need described, such as the US patent US10321263 which proposes a home delivery system for foodstuffs, or the patent MX2017012031 which concerns skin packaging. Despite the availability of these solutions, however, it is clear that the problems set out so far are only partially resolved, without fully addressing the critical issues highlighted.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, an integrated logistics and monitoring system is provided for the delivery and preparation of ready meals which effectively solves the problems described up to now. On the end user side, the system introduces an application that allows you to select, order and pay for meals. This application introduces other innovative components such as the ability to monitor temperatures and the position of the shipment containing the meals. This guarantees complete control by the user on the maintenance of the cold chain. The application may also warn the user through a notification if the shipment reaches temperatures that do not allow proper maintenance of meals and to take measures in this regard. Through the application, the user can therefore evaluate the meal received. Meals are delivered on a weekly basis and the user can choose through the application the number of meals he wishes to receive and for how many weeks to renew the offer. Meals can be chosen from a proposed menu, which offers healthy and balanced meals. Alternatively, the user can compose their own meals individually, choosing the ingredients. The suggested alternative is to follow a food plan.

The application is able to provide a self-service after filling out a form or, through the application, it will be possible to get in touch with a professional in the sector who will help in the selection of meals. The application will also be used for the collection of the aforementioned meals. In fact, the possibility of monitoring the temperatures and the innovative characteristics of the proposed packaging will allow delivering the shipments to collection points where the customer can go to collect their order. The collection point, once the incoming shipment has been registered, will notify the user through the application of the possibility of recovering their meals. In order for this to be done safely, it will be necessary to authenticate at the self-service collection point through the application. This authentication can take place via QRcode generated on the smartphone screen on which the application runs, scanned in turn from the self-service collection point, or via self-service protocol. The compartments of these self-service collection points are isothermal to ensure better storage. Similar to the self-service collection point is the automatic catering service proposed for companies. Users can go to the automatic catering point, identify themselves with an RFID key and order a meal through an interface similar to that proposed for the mobile application. Unlike the version for users, the meal will be delivered the following day and can be collected after authentication with an RFID key.

A fundamental component of the proposed invention is the algorithm that allows you to determine how much raw material to order from suppliers, while satisfying all users without wasting raw materials. This algorithm allows to optimize the internal production of the plant in terms of time and complexity considering various factors such as:

- feedback left by users on the meal history via the mobile application;

- allergies or intolerances to certain elements by users entered through the application;

- limited number of ingredients not desired by users in their meals inserted through the application;

- culinary combinations;

- need to have as many identical meals as possible to speed up the production chain, for example but not limited to 1 pair of identical meals for the creation of 6 meals for a single user, 2 pairs of identical meals for the delivery of 11 meals, 3 equal pairs for the delivery of 16 identical meals;

- nutritional needs calculated with the help of industry experts; - seasonality of ingredients;

- expiry dates of the ingredients in the warehouse;

- inventories.

The small inventories that the algorithm is unable to dispose of for mathematical reasons are used to produce mixed meals to be donated to charity.

Another innovative component of our invention is represented by the 100% compostable packaging. Skin technology is used for the direct packaging of meals. In skin packaging, a film is made to adhere around the product using vacuum technology and then sealed to a lower support in order to ensure the hermetic closure of the package: the film thus becomes a second skin (skin) for the product. The film adheres to the product without deforming it, keeping its shape and freshness intact thanks to the high degree of vacuum and the high quality of the materials that create an effective barrier. The sealing of the film takes place along the entire surface of the container in order to avoid stagnation and the presence of unsightly liquids around the product.

The lower support is made with material of vegetable origin, and the upper film is also compostable. In fact, both comply with the UNI EN 13432: 2002 standard. Also the shipping box being made from a thin layer of corrugated cardboard that wraps a polystyrene box obtained with PLA, or polylactic acid, is compostable. This box is isothermal so by inserting dry ice together with skin packaging containing ready meals, it allows you to maintain the desired temperature between 4 ° C and 10 ° C for 72 hours, the maximum shipping limit. This allows you to use vehicles without a refrigerated compartment, thus also allowing you to use electric vehicles, bicycles, two-wheeled vehicles and, given the compactness of the packaging, it will also be possible to make deliveries with drones.

Inside these isothermal boxes there is a control unit that allows you to record the temperatures reached during shipment and keep track of the shipment via GPS. These measures are sent to a cloud service and therefore can be consulted both by the company to better plan the logistics, and by the user to get information about their order. To have the least possible impact, these control units can be delivered to self-service collection points in exchange for promotional benefits.

Skin packaging also has an intelligent component. In fact, there is a QRcode and an NFC tag that can be scanned through the application to find out information and curiosities about the meal you are about to eat. The skin packaging allows you to reheat meals without removing them from the package using a microwave or traditional oven. Alternatives, our invention proposes an isothermal bag capable, once connected to the current, to heat the inside thanks to resistances to be able to consume the hot meal. This bag is also equipped with an NFC reader capable of reading the tag on the packaging and showing the information detected on a screen, together with the temperature detected inside the bag itself.

Finally, a further method for heating meals is proposed which consists of a skin packaging where the tray below is constructed using a composition based on iron and cellulose powder. Once exposed to the air, after removing a film, this will initiate a chemical reaction that will cause the tray to heat up and consequently heat the meal.

We also want to emphasize that thanks to the fact that the NFC and QRcode tag, present in each meal, contains information about the suppliers that have been used for the raw materials, it is possible to assign user feedback on meal consumption to individual suppliers as well. These feedbacks will be used in combination with internal ones relating to delivery times, quantity and quality of the goods received, left this time by employees, to generate a ranking of suppliers and therefore have an important logistical advantage.

The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in the light of the description set out up to now and will be even clearer thanks to the attached figures and the related detailed description.

Description of the figures

The invention will be described below in at least one preferred embodiment for explanatory and non-limiting purposes with the aid of the attached figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows the integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals 210 in the primary modular components: the application intended for users 110, the proposed algorithm 120, the preparation site 130, the automatic catering module 140, 150 self-service pickup points, 160 server and 170 ingredient suppliers.

- FIGURE 2 shows the compostable skin packaging 200 containing a prepared meal 210, the upper compostable film 220 heat-sealed to the lower tray 230, the version capable of generating heat uses an additional adhesive 240 which, once removed, triggers the chemical reaction that generates heat , on the package there is a QRcode 250 and an NFC 260 tag to enter the information associated with the ready meal.

- FIGURE 3 shows a possible realization of the isothermal box with 300, consisting of a corrugated cardboard envelope 310, an internal polystyrene box 320, inside which, in a special hole, there is the logger 330 which allows to monitor the temperature and the position via GPS and to send the information to the server 150 which can then be consulted by the user via the mobile application 110.

- FIGURE 4 illustrates an isothermal food-warming bag 400, with screen 410, power socket 420.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be illustrated purely by way of example but not limiting or binding, by resorting to the figures which illustrate some embodiments relating to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIGS. 1 intends to present a possible implementation of the integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals 210.

The user can select the number of 210 meals he wishes to receive per week, for example but not limited to 6, 11 and 16 and the number of weeks for which to renew the offer via the mobile application 110. The application 110 allows you to choose between meals selected according to a food planning model in which the user can develop a personalized diet in a self-service manner, or through a food planning model in which the user can develop a personal diet with the help of a technician in the sector . Said self-service planning, carried out through the application 110 by processing the information entered in the application 110 by the user, considers several factors such as:

- calculation of total energy consumption;

- definition of the target and distribution of macronutrients;

- choice of foods to eliminate or to remove based on allergies or intolerances;

- type of diet to follow: high-protein, vegan, gluten-free, ketogenic, omnivorous and various other alternatives.

This allows us to provide a weekly meal plan for the user, recommending the best meals for their needs and then showing them only the meals that reflect their needs.

The user can then make the payment and establish the day and place of delivery, which can be his home, or the nearest self-service collection center 150, again through the mobile application 110.

This self-service collection point 150 notifies the user via the mobile application 110 once the delivery has been made. The user can then go to the self-service collection point 150 and collect his meals 210 once authenticated using the mobile application 110, from the self-service collection point 150. The type of meals 210 can be selected from a menu proposed weekly or to respect a nutritional plan established by an algorithm 120 based on the specifications entered by the user in the mobile application 110 or with the help of a technician in the sector. The orders placed in this way will be uploaded to a server, and then prepared in the preparation room 130 and delivered weekly.

For companies, orders can be placed from day to day through the automatic catering module 140, employees can, after authentication using an identification key, previously provided by the company to its employees, select meal 210 for the following day through a interface similar to that proposed in the mobile application 110. The following day, the meal can be collected after identification through the identification key. To be able to satisfy the selections of all customers, determine the quantity of ingredients to be ordered from 170 suppliers without waste. The proposed algorithm 120 is able to determine how much raw material to order from 170 suppliers, at the same time satisfying all users without wasting raw materials and optimizing the internal production of the preparation facility 130 in terms of time. The small inventories that the algorithm is unable to dispose of for mathematical reasons are used to produce 210 mixed meals to be donated to charity.

This 120 algorithm is able to consider several factors, such as:

- feedback left by users on the history of meals 210 via the mobile application 110;

- allergies or intolerances to certain elements by users entered through the application 110;

- limited number of ingredients not desired by users in their meals inserted through the application 110;

- culinary combinations;

- need to have as many identical meals as possible to speed up the production chain, for example but not limited to: 1 pair of identical meals for the creation of 6 meals for a single user, 2 pairs of identical meals for the delivery of 11 meals, 3 equal pairs for the delivery of 16 identical meals;

- nutritional needs calculated with the help of industry experts; - seasonality of ingredients;

- expiry dates of the ingredients in the warehouse;

- inventories.

Once the orders have been received and the raw materials necessary for the realization of the 210 meals have been ordered, the processing and packaging will proceed. Packaging 200 takes place using skin technology for the first time fully compostable. The lower trays 230 are made with raw materials of vegetable origin and are heat-sealable, able to withstand 215 ° C for a maximum of 40 minutes. The lower trays comply with the UNI EN 13432: 2002 standard on recyclable materials. The upper film 220 also complies with the UNI EN 13432: 2002 standard. The meal 210 thus packaged can be heated inside its package up to 125 ° C using a traditional oven, microwave oven. In the packaging skin 200 the film 220 is made to adhere around the meal 210 by means of vacuum technology and subsequently sealed to the lower tray 230 in order to ensure the hermetic closure of the package: the film 220 thus becomes a second skin (skin) for the meal 210 . This packaging is equipped with a QRcode 250 and an NFC 260 tag that can be scanned using the application 110 to get information on the meal 210 such as:

- percentage of ingredients;

- nutritional values;

- 170 suppliers of ingredients;

- type of processing;

- information relating to the recipe such as history, distribution and origin. These 200 packs are placed inside 300 isothermal boxes to be shipped. The boxes 300 are also compostable, given the outer layer of corrugated cardboard 310, the inner box of polystyrene based on PLA (polylactic acid) 320, while the control unit 330 can be returned to the self-collection points. service in exchange for promotional benefits. The 300 boxes are kept in the temperature range between 4 ° C and 10 ° C through dry ice inserted inside. The control unit 330 inside the box 300 is able to detect the temperatures reached in the box 300 during shipping and tracking the position via GPS. This is to guarantee the quality of the cold chain and make sure that the contents of box 300 are edible. Being self-supporting, said isothermal boxes 300 can be delivered using different vehicles for the same route, for example but not limited to trucks for long-haul journeys and then use scooters, vans, bicycles and drones for the actual delivery in the cities, being always tracked and at desired temperature. This also allows you to use vehicles without refrigerated compartments, thus allowing you to also use electric vehicles, reducing the environmental impact and costs. The information calculated by the control unit 330 is then sent to the central server 160 and can be consulted by the user through the application 110. Should temperatures be detected that can lead to the deterioration of the food, the user will be notified via the mobile application 110.

An alternative to traditional or microwave ovens is introduced to heat and eat the meal. This alternative is the thermoregulable isothermal bag 400 which can be carried easily. The isothermal property is used to keep the meal fresh, then once connected to the current 420 it can generate heat inside and heat the meal 210 for consumption. Said isothermal bag 400 by reading the NFC tag 260 of the packaging 200 can show the relative information by means of a screen 410, together with the detected internal temperature. Said skin packaging 200 can be constructed in such a way that it is itself to provide for the heating of the food. This can be achieved thanks to the creation of trays 230 through the use of iron powder, cellulose, water, activated carbon, vermiculite and salt. Said tray 230 being covered on the base by an adhesive 240 during the transport phase which can be removed before the consumption of the meal 210 to start the chemical reaction which will bring the tray 230 to reach temperatures between 40 ° and 50 ° sufficient to reheat the meal 210. Following consumption, the user can leave feedback on each individual meal 210. Having associated the information on the suppliers 170 from which the raw materials were supplied within the QR code 250 and NFC 260, the it can be associated with individual suppliers 170. Therefore it is possible to associate the assessments of suppliers 170 given by users together with the assessments carried out within the company on suppliers 170. This allows to establish a ranking of suppliers 170 with obvious logistical advantages. The 300 isothermal delivery boxes can be used for the shipment of different types of food, for example, but not limited to, ice cream and soft drinks. Alternatively, said isothermal boxes 300 can be used for the shipment of non-food goods which require a thermoregulated temperature, for example but not limited to medicines. Through these boxes 300 it is therefore possible to ship goods that require a guaranteed temperature between 4 ° and 10 ° for the 24/72 hours necessary for delivery.

Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants that are obvious for a person skilled in the art can be made to the invention described so far, without thereby departing from the scope of protection that is provided by the attached claims.

Claims (11)

Claims 1. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, characterized by being able to control the entire vertical chain dedicated to the creation and delivery of ready meals (210) through a dedicated algorithm (120) designed to allow to determine how much raw material to order from at least one supplier (170) in order to satisfy a plurality of users avoiding the waste of raw materials; said algorithm (120) optimizing production in terms of time; said algorithm (120) considering various factors, such as: - feedback left by said users on the meal history (210); - allergies or intolerances to certain elements by said users; - ingredients not desired by said users; - culinary combinations; - need to have as many identical meals as possible to speed up the production chain; - nutritional needs calculated with the help of experts in the nutrition sector; - seasonality of ingredients; - expiry dates of the ingredients in the warehouse; - warehouse inventories; said meals (210) being packaged in a package (200) with completely compostable skin technology; said package (200) being equipped with a QRcode (250) and NFC tags (260) that can be scanned using a dedicated mobile application (110) previously installed on any mobile device of a user to get information on the meal such as: - percentage of ingredients; - nutritional values; - suppliers (170) of ingredients; - type of processing; - information relating to the recipe such as history, distribution and origin; these packaged meals (210) being delivered inside special intelligent isothermal boxes (300); said isothermal boxes (300) containing a control unit (330) for detecting the temperatures inside said box (300) during the shipment of the meal (210) and tracking the position of the transport vehicle via GPS; said isothermal boxes (300) being compostable; said isothermal boxes (300) containing a predetermined amount of dry ice to maintain the desired temperature inside them; said control units (330) being disconnectable from the respective boxes (300) before the recycling of said isothermal boxes (300); said control units (330) being able to be delivered to suitable self-service collection points (150) in exchange for advantages, thus having a low environmental impact; said isothermal boxes (300), being able to be delivered using different vehicles for the same route, always remaining at the desired temperature and tracked; said temperature and position information, being able to be monitored through said mobile application (110) by customers; said mobile application (110) being suitably configured to allow said users to order meals (210), make payments, select the weekly plan, leave feedback on meals (210), alert the user in case of reaching high temperatures in the box (300); each user being able to access his own box (300) by means of a control carried out with said mobile application (110) through the scanning of a QRcode generated by said mobile application (110) or through a common NFC sensor integrated in the mobile device of said user on which the application is performed (110). 2. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized by the fact of comprising an automatic catering service (140) for companies / public offices; since this service includes the automatic catering module (140) which allows the employee to log in using an electronic identification key previously supplied to each user, order the desired meal (210) for the following day; said order being executed through a software interface similar to that proposed by said mobile application (110); said meals (210) being able to be collected by the user the next day once logged in using the key. 3. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said self-service collection points (150) can be designated by said users as desired delivery points; said self-service collection points (150) by notifying said users by means of said mobile application (110) once the delivery has been made; said self-service collection points (150) allowing the collection only to the recipient user by scanning a QRcode, associated with the order, generated on the screen of the mobile electronic device on which said application is run (110); said self-service collection points (150) allowing to regulate the temperature of the compartments where the isothermal boxes (300) are housed; said self-service collection points (150) being able to act as collection points for the recovery of the control units (330) of the isothermal boxes (300) by dedicated operators. 4. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said isothermal boxes (300) being thermoregulated and tracked, therefore being able to be delivered on vehicles not equipped with devices for cooling the internal temperature, such as, but not limited to: - electric vans, without a thermo-regulated load compartment; - two-wheeled vehicles, motorized or not; - drone, thanks to the small size of the isothermal boxes (300). 5. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said ready meals (210) can be heated for consumption through a special isothermal bag (400); the isothermal properties of said bag (400) serving to keep the meal (210) fresh; said isothermal bag (400) being able to be connected to the current (420) to heat the interior which in turn will heat the meal (210) before consumption; said isothermal bag (400) by reading the NFC tag (260) of the meal and showing the relative information by means of a common screen (410); said screen (410) showing the temperature inside the bag. 6. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said mobile application (110) allows to create a food planning model in which the user can elaborate a self-service personalized diet; said mobile application (110) allowing a food planning model in which the user can develop a personal diet with the help of a technician in the sector; said self-service planning by processing the information entered in the application (110) by the user; said planning considering at least the following parameters: - calculation of total energy consumption; - definition of the target and distribution of macronutrients; - choice of foods to eliminate or to remove based on allergies or intolerances; - type of diet to follow: high-protein, vegan, gluten-free, ketogenic, omnivorous and various other alternatives; thus providing a weekly meal plan for the user, recommending the best meals for their needs and then showing them only the meals that reflect their needs. 7. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said dedicated algorithm (120) for the calculation of the raw materials necessary for the generation of said meals (210) it allows to satisfy the selections of all customers expressed through an application (110) or automatic catering service (140); said algorithm (120) being adapted to reduce waste; said algorithm (120) allowing to reuse the leftovers, to produce ready meals that can be donated to charity. 8. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said compostable skin packaging (200) comprises lower trays (230) made with raw materials of vegetable origin; said trays (230) being heat sealable; said trays (230) resisting temperatures up to 215 ° C for a maximum of 60 minutes; said packages (200) also comprising a compostable and recyclable upper film (220); said skin packaging (200) being heatable before consumption safely up to 125 ° C by traditional oven, microwave oven or with the isothermal bag (400) according to claim 5. 9. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said lower trays (230) of said skin packs (200) are made by means of iron powder, cellulose, water, activated carbon, vermiculite and salt; said tray (230) being covered on the base by an adhesive (240) during the transport phase; said adhesive (240) being able to be removed to trigger a chemical reaction which brings said tray (230) to reach temperatures between 40 ° C and 50 ° C sufficient to heat the ready meal (210). 10. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said skin packaging (200) have QRcode (250) and NFC (260) integrated, therefore containing the information on the suppliers (170) from which the raw materials were supplied; these meals (210) being evaluated following consumption by the user; said evaluation being associated with each supplier (170) present in the meal; this assessment can be combined with the assessments made within the company on suppliers (170) to establish a ranking; said ranking being usable to make logistical decisions. 11. Integrated logistics and monitoring system for the delivery and preparation of ready meals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said isothermal boxes (300) can be used for the shipment of different types of foodstuffs, for example but not limitedly, ice cream and soft drinks; said isothermal boxes (300) being usable also for the shipment of non-food goods which require a thermoregulated temperature, for example but not limited to medicines; said isothermal boxes (300) allowing to ship goods that require the guaranteed temperature between 4 ° C and 10 ° C for the 24/72 hours necessary for delivery.