US 10445684B2

US Patent 10445684B2, titled "Actively managed food delivery," was issued on October 15, 2019. The current assignee is Zest Labs Inc. The inventors are Peter A. Mehring, Thomas C. Reese, Dean M. Kawaguchi, Sameer Dekate, and Russell Shikami. The filing date for application US15/085,288, which led to this patent, was March 30, 2016, with a priority date of March 30, 2015.

Abstract:
The patent describes a computer-implemented method for managing a product delivery process. This method involves receiving status information, including conditions, from one or more product containers. It then determines preferred ranges for these conditions based on the product stored in each container. A key aspect is that these preferred ranges can change over time according to a predefined amount per unit time, as specified in a product profile. The system determines if the received conditions are within these preferred ranges and, if not, sends a command to an environmental control unit coupled to the product containers. This environmental control unit is then configured to adjust the out-of-range condition.

Independent Claims Overview:

• Independent Claim 1 (Computer-implemented method):
  This claim describes a computer-implemented method for managing product delivery. It involves a computer performing several steps:

  1. Receiving status information from product containers, where this information includes the conditions within each container.
  2. Determining preferred ranges for these conditions, with the crucial detail that these preferred ranges are dynamic, changing over time by a predefined amount per unit time as specified in a product profile.
  3. Comparing the received conditions to these dynamic preferred ranges.
  4. If any condition falls outside its preferred range, the computer sends a command directly to an environmental control unit associated with the product container. This unit is designed to automatically adjust the condition back into the preferred range.

• Independent Claim 7 (Computer program product):
  This claim covers a computer program product that includes executable computer code stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer code performs the same steps as described in independent claim 1: receiving status information, determining dynamic preferred ranges based on product profiles, checking if conditions are within these ranges, and sending a command to an environmental control unit to make adjustments.

• Independent Claim 12 (System):
  This claim outlines a system that comprises a processor and logic. The logic, which can be integrated with or executed by the processor, is configured to perform the same operations as described in independent claim 1: receiving status information, determining dynamic preferred ranges for food products based on their profiles, checking conditions against these ranges, and sending commands to an environmental control unit for automatic adjustment.

• Independent Claim 14 (Computer-implemented method - comprehensive):
  This claim presents a more comprehensive computer-implemented method. It includes all the steps of independent claim 1, plus additional steps specifically for food products:

  1. Receiving status information from product containers, including conditions.
  2. Determining dynamic preferred ranges for these conditions based on food product profiles.
  3. Determining if conditions are within the preferred ranges.
  4. Sending a command to an environmental control unit to adjust conditions if they are outside the preferred range.
  5. Receiving food product history for the stored food products.
  6. Using this food product history to determine a prioritized delivery scheme. This scheme specifically prioritizes food products with the longest time since preparation for earlier delivery.
  7. Sending this prioritized delivery scheme to the individual transporting the containers.
  8. Evaluating the food product history and/or conditions to determine if any food products are unsafe or undesirable.
  9. If food products are deemed unsafe/undesirable, sending a command to not deliver those specific products.

A search of CAFC 2026 dockets did not return any specific cases directly involving US Patent 10445684B2. The USPTO website provides general information on searching patents and their status, but does not offer specific real-time docket information for individual patents. Therefore, I cannot definitively state with high confidence whether there is any ongoing litigation for this specific patent in the CAFC in 2026.