RFID-Embedded Thermoset Serving Tray for Secure Meal Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current service trays lack the ability to monitor and verify the integrity of meal distribution, leading to potential errors and legal issues in medical and catering fields, and fail to facilitate efficient checkout and nutritional monitoring.
Innovation Solution
An 'intelligent' service tray is manufactured with embedded electronic information storage elements, such as radiofrequency tags, integrated within the thermosetting material during the molding process, ensuring the tags are protected and securely attached, allowing for data tracking of tray movements and contents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If electronic radiofrequency tags are placed on the surface of service trays, then information storage capability is improved, but the tags are vulnerable to detachment due to friction, wear, and voluntary acts
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic radiofrequency tag is embedded within the service tray structure by placing it between layers of thermosetting material during molding. The tag becomes nested inside the tray body, protected by the surrounding material layers, which prevents detachment while maintaining information storage functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The tag is positioned and protected during the manufacturing process itself. A protective film is placed over the tag before molding, and the thermosetting material is then molded around the tag, securing it in place before the tray is even completed. This preliminary embedding action ensures long-term attachment reliability
2Reliability
If electronic radiofrequency tags are embedded in thermosetting material during molding, then tag attachment reliability is improved, but the molding process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tag embedding operation is merged with the existing thermosetting molding process. The tag placement, protective film application, and molding operations are combined into a single integrated manufacturing sequence, eliminating the need for separate embedding equipment or post-processing steps
Solution Approach 2:
A protective film serves as an intermediary element between the electronic tag and the thermosetting material. This film facilitates the molding process by providing a release surface while protecting the tag, and it is easily incorporated into the existing molding workflow without requiring complex modifications
3Measurement precision
If service trays include embedded information storage elements, then monitoring and verification capabilities are improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mold cavity includes a specifically designed localized region with precise dimensional characteristics that accommodates the tag. This local precision feature is integrated into the mold design, ensuring consistent tag positioning without requiring high precision across the entire molding process
Solution Approach 2:
The tag is pre-positioned in the mold cavity before the thermosetting material is applied. This preliminary placement, combined with the mold's structured cavity design, ensures accurate tag positioning is achieved automatically during the molding process without requiring additional precision control measures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables precise monitoring of tray movements and contents, reducing errors, streamlining checkout, and facilitating nutritional history compilation, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and legal compliance.
Implementation Method 1
The mold is then loaded with a thermosetting material, covering said electronic radiofrequency tag
Implementation Method 2
The molding conditions (temperature, pressure and duration) will preferably, but not exclusively, be at least one of the following: molding temperature between 90°C and 200°C
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The production of servicing tray for transporting crockery, foods and drugs, comprises applying radiofrequency electronic tags (2) on a first thermoactive sheet material, covering the first sheet carrying the radio frequency electronic tags with second thermoactive sheet, and molding the sheets under pressure of 25-100 kg/cm 2> and temperature of 90-200[deg]C at 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Coating the electronic radio frequency tags in a thermosetting material (4). The first/second sheet consists of a protection film (2) of the radio frequency electronic tags. The production of servicing tray for transporting crockery, foods and drugs, comprises applying radiofrequency electronic tags (2) on a first thermoactive sheet material, covering the first sheet carrying the radio frequency electronic tags with second thermoactive sheet, and molding the sheets under pressure of 25-100 kg/cm 2> and temperature of 90-200[deg]C at 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Coating the electronic radio frequency tags in a thermosetting material (4). The first/second sheet consists of a protection film (2) of the radio frequency electronic tags. The mold is manually and mechanically filled. The sheets are made of thermosetting material of preimpregenated sheet molding compound or premixed bulk molding compound. Independent claims are included for: (1) a melamine coated servicing tray; and (2) a polyester coated servicing tray.