Customized identification of ingredients in a storage system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools for locating food products in storage facilities are ineffective for quickly finding a set of ingredients that can be cooked together to prepare a specific meal, especially when considering nutritional and dietary preferences.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a product identification manager to obtain user food-selection data, ingredient data, and synchronization data, which allows for the selection and indication of target ingredients that can be cooked together based on cooking time and user preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional labeling and mapping software are used to locate food products, then basic product location is enabled, but the system cannot efficiently identify sets of ingredients that can be cooked together based on cooking time synchronization and nutritional preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the ingredient selection process by dividing ingredients into different storage sections (refrigerated, frozen, dry goods) with unique identifiers. Each section is independently managed and can be queried separately, allowing the system to efficiently locate specific ingredient sets without requiring a complete system overhaul.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable computing device serves multiple functions: it displays ingredient location information, provides cooking instructions, tracks shopping lists, and synchronizes ingredient selection based on cooking time requirements. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single device.
2Loss of information
If the system tracks and manages detailed ingredient data including cooking times and nutritional information, then customized ingredient identification is enabled, but data management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-stores cooking time data, nutritional information, and ingredient compatibility data in databases before the shopping trip. This preliminary data preparation allows the portable device to quickly query and display relevant information without requiring complex real-time calculations or data processing during the shopping experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable computing device acts as an intermediary between the user and the complex storage management system. It retrieves, processes, and presents simplified information to the user, while the actual complex data storage and management occurs in centralized databases at the storage facility, separating the complexity from the user interface.
3Ease of operation
If indicators are placed on each receptacle to show ingredient location, then ingredient locatability is improved, but the system becomes more complex and costly to implement
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of implementing complex physical indicators on every receptacle, the system uses portable computing devices to display visual indicators and location information. The portable device creates a virtual representation of the storage system layout, showing users where ingredients are located without requiring physical modification of each storage receptacle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables users to independently locate and identify ingredients using the portable computing device, which provides turn-by-turn guidance and location information. Users navigate the storage facility autonomously based on information from their personal devices, eliminating the need for staff-assisted ingredient location or complex automated guidance systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for use with an ingredient storage system having a plurality of receptacles configured to store ingredients can include obtaining food-selection data indicating a meal. The method can include obtaining ingredient data indicating a set of ingredients for the meal. The method can include obtaining synchronization data indicating a cooking time for each ingredient of the set of ingredients. The method can include selecting, based on the synchronization data, target ingredients for the meal. The target ingredients can comprise a first ingredient and a second ingredient. The method can include activating a first and a second indicator in response to the selecting the target ingredients. The first indicator can correspond to a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles. The first receptacle can store the first ingredient. The second indicator can correspond to a second receptacle of the plurality of receptacles. The second receptacle can store the second ingredient.