Ingestible Product Releasability Metric via ML Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current food processing facilities face inefficiencies in determining the releasability of food products, relying on random samples and manual inspections, which can lead to delays and resource wastage, and lack comprehensive data for ensuring safety and quality standards are met across entire product batches.

Innovation Solution

A platform that collects and processes data from various stages of the food production process to determine a releasability metric, indicating the probability of a food product being ready for release, using machine learning models and data from contaminant detection, quality characteristics, packaging, labeling, environmental, and maintenance data, enabling informed decision-making for release, redirection, or salvage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If random sampling and manual inspection are used to determine food product releasability, then inspection simplicity is maintained, but release time increases and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct release speedVSAvoidinspection time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with automated electronic inspection systems including sensors, cameras, and machine learning algorithms. These systems automatically analyze food product characteristics and determine releasability without human inspectors physically examining each product, thereby dramatically reducing inspection time while maintaining or improving accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary quality assessment during the manufacturing process itself, rather than waiting until the end for final inspection. By continuously monitoring product characteristics throughout production and predicting quality outcomes in advance, the system enables faster release decisions without requiring lengthy post-production testing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If comprehensive batch assessment is implemented instead of random sampling, then quality assurance improves, but inspection complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality assurance reliabilityVSAvoidinspection system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a multi-functional inspection platform that simultaneously performs multiple assessment functions: visual inspection, dimensional measurement, quality characteristic analysis, and predictive quality evaluation. This universal system handles diverse inspection tasks through integrated sensors and algorithms, managing complexity by consolidating multiple functions into a single coordinated platform rather than requiring separate systems for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The inspection system incorporates self-calibration and automatic parameter adjustment capabilities. The machine learning models automatically adapt to different product types and inspection requirements without manual reconfiguration, and the system performs self-validation to ensure assessment reliability. This reduces operational complexity while maintaining high reliability through automated quality control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If manual inspection with paper-based results is used, then system simplicity is maintained, but information accessibility and decision-making speed decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinspection process simplicityVSAvoidinspection data accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces physical paper-based inspection results with digital copies and electronic records. The inspection system automatically generates digital reports, stores data in accessible databases, and provides real-time electronic access to inspection results. This digital transformation maintains operational simplicity through automated workflows while dramatically improving information accessibility, allowing multiple users to simultaneously access and act on inspection data without physical document handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS20240265402A1Fast release of ingestible products
Publication Date: 2024.08.08 NOVOLYZE INC
  • US20240265402A1 patent drawing
  • US20240265402A1 patent drawing
  • US20240265402A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Provided herein are techniques, devices, and systems for determining the releasability of an ingestible product to enable fast release of the ingestible product from a facility where the ingestible product is processed. A computing system may receive data associated with different steps of a production process associated with an ingestible product. Based on the data, the computing system may determine a metric associated with the ingestible product, the metric indicative of a probability of the ingestible product being ready to be released from a processing facility. Based on the metric, the computing system may cause information to be output via a user device, wherein the information indicates whether the ingestible product is ready to be released from the processing facility.