Tray Identifier Weighing for Food Intake Tracking Without Smart Cards

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing food serving systems fail to link food consumption data to users who do not use user-specific identification means, such as smart cards.

Innovation Solution

A food serving system with a tray-based identifier system that includes a control unit, weighing device, and reader to associate food intake with a tray identifier, allowing linking of food amounts to users through a management unit, even without separate user identification.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If user-specific identification means (smart cards) are used to track food consumption, then food consumption data can be linked to identified users, but users without smart cards cannot be tracked

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood consumption tracking accuracyVSAvoiduser identification coverage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces trays as intermediary objects that carry identifiers and are used by all users regardless of whether they have smart cards. The trays serve as a mediator between the weighing devices and the user identification system, allowing food consumption to be tracked by associating it with tray identifiers rather than requiring direct user identification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system makes the tray identifier universally applicable to all users, replacing the need for user-specific smart cards. The same tray identification mechanism works for both users with smart cards and users without, creating a universal tracking system that serves multiple user types through a single interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Loss of information

If multiple food collecting points are used to capture all food consumption, then comprehensive data is obtained, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood consumption data completenessVSAvoidsystem structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple food collecting points into a unified system where all points use the same tray identifier and weighing mechanisms. The control units at different collecting points are merged into a coordinated network that shares common data structures and communication protocols, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive data capture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the food consumption tracking into independent weighing events at each collecting point, where each point operates autonomously but contributes to a unified total result. This segmentation allows each collecting point to be simple and modular while the aggregation of results provides comprehensive coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12624984B2Food serving system

Publication Date: 2026.05.12 UNIVERSITY OF TURKU

AI summary

According to an aspect, there is provided a food serving system that is able to link weighed food amounts to a single user regardless of the fact whether the user is separately identified or not. According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising receiving weighing results associated with an identifier from at least one control unit associated with a plurality of food collecting points; and generating a total result associated with the identifier based on the weighing results associated with the identifier.