US 10423918

US patent 10423918, titled "Actively managed food delivery," was issued on September 24, 2019, from an application filed on March 21, 2019. The inventors are Peter A. Mehring, Thomas C. Reese, Dean M. Kawaguchi, Sameer Dekate, and Russell Shikami. The current assignee is Zest Labs Inc.

Abstract:
The patent describes a computer-implemented method for actively managing food delivery. This method involves a computer receiving status information, including environmental conditions, from one or more product containers. It then determines preferred environmental ranges for these conditions based on the specific food products stored, noting that these preferred ranges can change over time according to a predefined profile. If the received conditions fall outside these preferred ranges, the computer sends a first command to the product containers to adjust an environmental control unit, aiming to bring the environmental parameters back to an ideal state specified in the product profile. The method further involves analyzing the food product's history, including past status information, to create a prioritized delivery scheme. This scheme prioritizes food that has been prepared earliest for delivery first. The prioritized delivery scheme is then sent to the individual transporting the containers. Finally, the system evaluates the food product history and conditions to determine if any food is unsafe or undesirable, and if so, sends a second command to prevent the delivery of those specific food products.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Computer-implemented method): This claim details a multi-step computer-based process for intelligent food delivery. First, a computer receives real-time information about the environment (like temperature or humidity) inside food containers. It then compares these conditions against a set of ideal environmental ranges tailored for the specific food in each container, with these ideal ranges potentially changing over time. If a container's conditions are outside the ideal, the computer automatically sends a command to that container to adjust its internal environmental controls (e.g., turn on heating or cooling) to correct the issue. Simultaneously, the system tracks the history of each food product, including past conditions, to create a prioritized delivery plan, ensuring that food prepared earlier is delivered before similar food prepared later. This plan is communicated to the delivery personnel. Lastly, the computer continuously assesses the food's history and current state to identify any items that have become unsafe or undesirable. If such items are found, a command is sent to prevent their delivery.

• Independent Claim 8 (Computer program product): This claim describes a software product. It consists of computer code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When this code is executed by a computer, it performs all the method steps outlined in Independent Claim 1 for actively managing food delivery.

• Independent Claim 13 (System): This claim describes a hardware system designed to perform the active food delivery management. It includes a processor and associated logic (which can be hardware or software) configured to carry out all the method steps described in Independent Claim 1.

Legal Status:
As of April 26, 2026, US Patent 10423918 is active, with an anticipated expiration date of March 30, 2036. No dockets for this patent were found in the CAFC 2026 database.