Food delivery system

Abstract

A food delivery system configured for transportation of a food product from a production site to a consumer site is disclosed having a chamber configured for housing a packaged ready-to-eat meal. The chamber defines an internal environment wherein the food product is received. The system also includes environmental temperature and humidity sensors associated with the chamber, one or more conditioning devices, associated with the chamber in such a way to condition one or more parameters of said internal environment, and a control unit, configured so that the parameters of the internal environment are continuously and adaptively adjusted so as to preserve the food product between the production site and the consumer site.

Claims

1. A food delivery system, configured for transportation of a food product from a production site to a consumer site, which food delivery system comprises: a chamber, which defines an internal environment wherein the food product is received; one or more detecting elements associated with said chamber and configured to detect one or more parameters of said internal environment, said one or more parameters including levels of optimal humidity; one or more conditioning devices, associated with said chamber in such a way to condition one or more parameters of said internal environment, wherein said one or more conditioning devices comprise a ventilation device configured to extract air, as measured by said one or more detecting elements for levels of optimal humidity, from said internal environment and a device configured to re-introduce into said internal environment drier air with a humidity less than the humidity of the extracted air thereby maintaining levels of optimal humidity for the food product in said internal environment; and a controller in communication with said one or more detecting elements and configured to receive therefrom signals indicative of detected parameters and configured to command said one or more conditioning devices; wherein the controller is further configured to continuously monitor the one or more parameters, including levels of optimal humidity, of said internal environment and further configured to adaptively adjust the one or more parameters, including levels of optimal humidity, so as to preserve the food product between the production site and the consumer site; and wherein the food delivery system comprises a bag with chambers physically and thermally insulated from each other.

2. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more detecting elements comprise one or more sensors or transducers.

3. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more parameters of said internal environment comprise temperature.

4. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more conditioning devices include one or more of the following: air inletting devices, air extraction devices, air heating devices, air drying devices, air cooling devices.

5. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more conditioning devices comprise a heating device having an electromagnetic induction plate.

6. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more conditioning devices comprise a heating device having one or more electric resistors producing heat by Joule effect.

7. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more conditioning devices comprise an air drying device arranged outside said internal environment and configured to reduce the humidity content of a flow of air to be introduced in said internal environment.

8. The food delivery system according to claim 1, additionally comprising an on-board power supply or means for connection to an external power supply.

9. The food delivery system according to claim 1, additionally comprising a data transmission device configured for transmitting signals indicative of said one or more parameters to a remote database or server.

10. The food delivery system according to claim 1, additionally comprising: opening/closing detecting elements, configured to detect opening or closing of said chamber; and a data transmission device configured to transmit signals provided by said opening/closing detecting elements to a remote provider, said provider being configured to generate univocal tracking codes associated with each opening or closing of said chamber.

11. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the bag comprises a backpack.

12. The food delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a microprocessor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Reference will be made to the figures of the annexed drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view, partially illustrating the internal parts, of a delivery device in form of a backpack according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic enlarged view, partially exploded and partially in form of a block diagram, of an internal chamber of the delivery device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(4) With initial reference to FIG. 1, a food delivery system according to an embodiment of the present invention is in form of a backpack denoted globally by 1.

(5) Backpack 1 is configured for transportation of a food product, in particular a ready-to-eat meal, from a production site to a consumer site.

(6) Backpack 1 comprises a supporting structure 2, mainly represented in dark tone in FIG. 1, with braces 21 for being worn on a courier's shoulders. Supporting structure 2 also includes a front openable door, or wall, 22 which allows access to the interior of the backpack itself.

(7) In the present example, backpack 1 includes three chambers, denoted by 31, 32 and 33, respectively, in particular arranged vertically stacked one above the other along a longitudinal direction L of development of backpack 1. Each chamber 31, 32, 33 is defined by respective back, upper, bottom and lateral sidewalls of supporting structure 2 and frontally closed by a respective portion of front openable wall 22. In an exemplificative way, the sidewalls delimiting first chamber 31 are denoted by 311 for the back sidewall, 312 for the upper sidewall, 313 for the bottom sidewall, or septum, and 314 and 315, respectively, for the two lateral sidewalls.

(8) Advantageously, chambers 31-33 are thermally isolated with respect to one another and with respect to the external by way of said sidewalls or septa.

(9) In the following, only chamber 31 will be described in detail. It is intended that the same description may apply also to each of the other two chambers 32 and 33.

(10) As mentioned above, chamber 31 is configured for housing a food product, e.g. a pasta dish, either per se or received in a primary packaging, the later made, e.g., of cardboard.

(11) Chamber 31 defines an internal environment 30 wherein the food product is received.

(12) As shown in FIG. 2, at or inside chamber 31, for example at one or more of its sidewalls or in communication with the chamber interior, there are arranged detecting elements, e.g. sensors or transducers, configured to detect a parameter of internal environment 30, for example humidity, temperature, pressure, presence of specific volatile substances or other. In the present example, a temperature sensor 4, e.g. a thermocouple, and a humidity sensor, e.g. a hygrometer, are represented as associated with lateral sidewall 315.

(13) The parameters of internal environment 30 can be conditioned, i.e. varied or adjusted, by one or more conditioning devices operating to change, i.e. condition, said parameters.

(14) In the present example, there is provided a ventilation device 6, e.g. comprising a fan, configured to extract air with a certain humidity, i.e. water vapour content, from the internal environment 30. The same device, or a different one, can be used to re-introduce (drier) air into environment 30.

(15) Dryer air inlet into environment 30 can be sucked from the exterior of backpack 1 or it can be the same—or substantially the same-air extracted from environment 30 which has been treated in an air drying device, or also a mixing of said two flows.

(16) Said air drying device, denoted by 7 in FIG. 2, may be located along a pneumatic circuit determining said outflow and inflow from/into the internal environment 30.

(17) In the present embodiment, backpack 1 comprises also another conditioning device, being a heating device denoted by 81. Heating device 81 comprises one or more electric resistors 811, for example incorporated in back sidewalls 312 of chamber 31.

(18) As an alternative or an additional heating device, backpack 1 may also comprise an electromagnetic induction device including an electromagnetic induction plate 82, preferably associated with, or incorporated, into bottom sidewall 313.

(19) In the present example, backpack 1 also includes an on-board power supply 12.

(20) Backpack 1 comprises a control unit 10 shown as a microprocessor (10) in FIG. 2), in communication with sensors 4 and 5 and with devices 6, 7 and 81/82. In particular, control unit 10 is configured for receiving signals indicative of the detected parameters and for commanding the conditioning devices in such a way that the parameters of internal environment 30 are continuously and adaptively adjusted so as to preserve the food product between the production site and the consumer site. Said control and adjustment can follow pre-selected threshold or patterns or be determined according to adaptive algorithms.

(21) Communication between control unit 10 and the other components of system 1 can occur via wireless data transmission 11.

(22) Backpack 1 can additionally be configured for transmitting signals indicative of the detected parameters, or of data elaborated by control unit 10, to a remote database or server 200. To this aim, system 1 can include a (additional) data transmission device, possibly incorporated into control unit 10.

(23) In some embodiments, backpack 1 additionally comprises opening/closing detecting elements, in particular sensors or transducers, configured to detect opening and/or closing of chamber 31 and preferably in communication with control unit 10. Such additional detecting elements are denoted by 13 in FIG. 1 and shown as associated with front door 22.

(24) Signals associated with said opening/closing can be also transmitted to a remote provider, which may be the same server 200 or a different database or provider held by third parties with respect to the food delivery company. Said provider may be configured to generate univocal tracking codes to each opening or closing of the backpack 1.

(25) Variant embodiments may provide for an individual, dedicated access wall or door for each chamber or environment. In this case, individual tracking of access to individual chambers or environments may be implemented.

(26) The present invention has presented preferred embodiments. It is intended that there may be other embodiments which refer to the same inventive concept as defined by the scope of the following claims.