阅读说明：本技术 用于追踪食品包装以确保有效回收的方法及其装置 (Method and apparatus for tracking food packaging to ensure efficient recycling ) 是由 萨拉·埃吉迪 加布里埃莱·博雷利 里卡尔多·特罗瓦托 于 2020-03-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种用于追踪食品包装(102)以确保有效回收的方法(500)。方法(500)包括：在食品包装(102)和用户设备(104)之间建立(502)第一通信会话；接收(504)与用户设备(104)关联的用户标识；从食品包装(102)中设有的包装标识设备(108)接收(506)包装标识；在食品包装(102)与包装收集设备(106)之间建立(508)第二通信会话；从包装收集设备(106)接收(510)PCD标识；通过使用包装标识确定(512)与食品包装(102)关联的包装材料；通过使用PCD标识确定(514)与包装收集设备(106)关联的回收材料；如果包装材料与回收材料匹配(516),如果由所述包装收集设备(524)检测到包装处置,向与用户标识关联的用户账户登记(526)回收确认。(A method (500) for tracking food packaging (102) to ensure efficient recycling is provided. The method (500) comprises: establishing (502) a first communication session between a food package (102) and a user device (104); receiving (504) a user identification associated with a user device (104); receiving (506) a package identification from a package identification device (108) provided in a food package (102); establishing (508) a second communication session between the food package (102) and the package collection device (106); receiving (510) a PCD identification from a wrapper collection device (106); determining (512) packaging material associated with the food package (102) by using the package identification; determining (514) recycled material associated with the packaging collection device (106) by using the PCD identification; if the wrapper material matches (516) the recycled material, a recycle confirmation is registered (526) with a user account associated with the user identification if the wrapper disposition is detected by the wrapper collection device (524).)

1. A method (500) for tracking food packaging (102) to ensure efficient recycling, the method (500) comprising:

establishing (502) a first communication session between the food package (102) and a user device (104);

receiving (504) a user identification associated with the user equipment (104);

receiving (506) a package identification from a package identification device (108) provided in the food package (102);

establishing (508) a second communication session between the food package (102) and a Package Collection Device (PCD) (106);

receiving (510) a PCD identification from the wrapper collection device (106);

determining (512) packaging material associated with the food package (102) by using the package identification;

determining (514) recycled material associated with the packaging collection device (106) by using the PCD identification;

if the packaging material matches the recycled material (516),

if a package disposition is detected (524) by the package collection device,

a reclaim confirmation is registered (526) with a user account associated with the user identification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting (518) an acceptance signal to the package collection device (106) if the packaging material matches the recycled material; or

Transmitting (520) a rejection signal to the package collection device (106) if the packaging material is different from the recycled material.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing (552) information through a user interface (114) provided on the package collection device (106) in response to the acceptance signal or the rejection signal.

4. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

in response to receiving the package identification and the user identification, transmitting (518) product information associated with the package identification to the user device (104).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user identification is read by the food package (102) from the user device (104) and stored in a food package storage (202) and transmitted by the food package storage (202) to the package collecting device (104).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

wherein the package identification is transmitted from the food package (102) to the user device (104) and the user identification and the package identification are transmitted from the user device (104) to a server (110) during the first communication session,

wherein the package identification is transmitted from the food package (102) to the package collection device (104) and the package identification and the PCD identification are transmitted from the package collection device to the server (110) during the second communication session.

7. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

receiving (528) a carrier identification associated with the carrier (304) (e.g., truck) from a carrier;

associating (530) a package identification of a package disposed in the package collection device (106) with the carrier identification.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the package identity is read from a package identity device (108) provided in the food package (102) as part of a purchase process and is associated with the user identity.

9. A method (600) for facilitating placement of a food package (102) in a package collection device (104) associated with recycled material corresponding to packaging material of the food package (102), the method comprising:

reading (602) a package identification device (108) of the food package (102) by using a PCD control unit (112) to receive a package identification;

transmitting (604) the package identity and PCD identity to a server (110);

receiving (606) an acceptance signal from the server (110) if the packaging material and the recycled material match, or a rejection signal from the server (110) if the packaging material and the recycled material are different;

if the acceptance signal is received (510),

detecting (612) whether the food package (102) is disposed in the package collecting device (106),

if the food package (102) is disposed of (614) in the package collection apparatus (104),

transmitting (616) a package handling signal from the package collection device (104) to the server (110).

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing (618) the package identification in a memory (302) of the package collection device (104);

transmitting (620) the PCD identification and the food package identification to the carrier (304).

11. A method (700) for ensuring that a food package associated with a user is placed in a package collection device (106) associated with recycled material corresponding to packaging material of the food package (102), the method comprising:

receiving (702) a package identification by reading a package identification device (108) of the food package (102) using a user device (104) associated with the user;

transmitting (704) the package identity and user identity from the user device to a server (110); and

receiving (706), by the user device (104), a reclamation acknowledgement from the server (110).

12. A server (110) configured to track food packaging (102) to ensure efficient recycling, the server (110) comprising a memory (800), a control unit (802), and a transceiver (806),

wherein the transceiver (806) is configured to:

receiving a user identification associated with the user device (104) during a first communication session between the food package (102) and the user device (104), and receiving a package identification from a package identification device (108) provided in the food package (102);

receiving a PCD identification from the package collection device (106) during a second communication session between the food package (102) and the package collection device (106);

receiving a package disposition signal confirming that a package disposition is detected;

transmitting a recovery confirmation to a user account associated with the user identification if the packaging material matches a recovery material and the packaging disposition is detected;

wherein the control unit (702) is configured to:

performing a packaging material determination function (808) to determine packaging material associated with the food package (102) by using the package identification;

performing a reclaimed material determination function (810) to determine the reclaimed material associated with the pack collection apparatus (106) by using the PCD identification; and

a packaging material to recycled material comparison function (812) is performed to determine if the packaging material matches the recycled material.

13. A package collection device (106) configured to cause a food package (102) to be placed in a package collection device (106) associated with recycled material corresponding to the packaging material of the food package (102), the package collection device (106) comprising a memory (302), a PCD control unit (112), and a transceiver (904),

wherein the transceiver (904) is configured to:

receiving a package identification by reading a package identification device (108) in the food package (102);

transmitting the package identity and PCD identity to a server (110);

receiving an acceptance signal from the server (110) if the packaging material and the recycled material match, or a rejection signal from the server (110) if the packaging material and the recycled material are different;

transmitting a package disposition signal confirming that a package disposition is detected;

wherein the PCD control unit (112) is configured to:

a package identification device (108) executing a package identification reader function (906) to read the food package (102); and

a package disposition detection function (908) is performed to detect whether the food package (102) is disposed in the package collection device (106).

14. A user device (104) configured to ensure that a food package (102) associated with a user is placed in a package collection device (106) associated with recycled material corresponding to the packaging material of the food package (102), the user device (104) comprising a memory (1000), a control unit (1002) and a transceiver (1006),

wherein the transceiver (1006) is configured to:

transmitting a package identification associated with the food package (102) and a user identification associated with the user device (104) to a server (110); and is

-receiving a recycling confirmation from the server (110) once the food package (102) is recycled;

wherein the control unit (1002) is configured to:

a package identification device (108) that performs a package identification reader function (1008) to read the food package (102); and

a recycle confirmation processing function (1010) is performed to receive the recycle confirmation.

15. A system (100, 200, 300) comprising the server (110) according to claim 12, at least one package collecting device (106) according to claim 13, and at least one user device (104) according to claim 14.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of package traceability. And more particularly to a method for tracking food packages, a method for causing food packages to be placed in a package collecting device associated with recycled material of packaging material corresponding to food packages, a method for ensuring that food packages associated with a user are placed in a package collecting device associated with recycled material of packaging material corresponding to food packages, a server configured to track packages, a package collecting device, a user device and a system.

Background

Today, consumers worldwide are increasingly interested in how food products are produced and processed. This interest also includes how the food is packaged, e.g., whether or not a recyclable package is used, and how the food is shipped. Finally, it is of utmost importance to some consumers how to handle emptied packages. This interest comes from the potential trend that consumers are increasingly concerned about the diet of them or their families to ensure that they are able to maintain health. Another trend has also driven this interest, which is the desire of many consumers to purchase and consume environmentally sustainable food products.

The interest of food producers reflects this interest of consumers. Thus, in addition to being able to produce savory and healthy food products, food producers also desire to provide clarity to consumers so that consumers can determine that these food products meet their expectations. To provide complete transparency, it is desirable to be able to track food from the farm to the store shelf.

To ensure that the food can be tracked, it is known today to provide individual packages with unique identification codes, for example by using RFID tags. RFID technology and many other technologies for providing individual identification suffer from the drawback of adding additional cost to the packaging and thus to the food product. Thus, while this technique for achieving tracking of individual packages has existed for a long time, significant commercial breakthroughs are also needed. Recently, new technologies have been proposed that may overcome cost barriers, such as RFID tags printed on packages, but today food packages with individual identification tags still account for a very small fraction of the total amount of food packages produced.

The cost problem is the main reason for not widely using food packages with individual identification tags, but in addition to this, another reason for not being able to track the packages from the packaging level is that a complex network of companies and different types of equipment is required in order to bring the food from the farm to the store shelf. This means that in order to be able to track food, all companies involved in processing such food must invest in and maintain equipment that provides tracking capabilities.

Thus, even though there are technologies available today for tracking packaged food products, there is a need to improve such technologies to make them more cost effective, and how to use these technologies to make tracking feasible. This is particularly applicable in the later stages of the life cycle of the food product, for example when emptied packages are being recycled.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to provide a method that enables efficient recovery in terms of cost and technical complexity.

In short, it is suggested to associate a package identity with a user identity in a first stage of the product life cycle, for example when the food provided in the food package is purchased by the user. Another option to associate the two is to do this while the user reads the package identification (by using her mobile phone associated with the user identification, for example) to receive the product information from the server.

In a second phase of the lifecycle, the package identification may be read by the package collection device and the user identification may be associated to a reclamation event. Since the package identity is connected to both the user identity and the recovery event, the recovery event may also be associated with the user identity, which in turn allows a recovery confirmation to be sent to the user associated with the user identity. In addition to being able to understand which packages are reclaimed and which packages are not, the proposed method also implements a reclamation reward system that increases the level of reclamation and thus reduces the impact on the environment.

Unlike the technology based on the idea of continuously tracking the food and the packaging in all steps from packaging the food to recycling the food, the method proposed herein presents a more cost-effective and in many aspects less complex process. The food package may be connected to the user identification in a first stage, e.g. when the user purchases the food contained in the food package, and the package identification may then be read again before the food package is placed in the package collecting device. By using a server that is connected both to the user device associated with the user and to the package collection device, the user identification can be connected to the recycling event by utilizing both connections to the package identification.

Another advantage is that by connecting the package to the user identification in a first phase, it is possible to track how many packages purchased by the user are recycled, which is not possible with existing solutions.

According to a first aspect, a method for tracking food packaging to ensure efficient recycling is provided. The method may include: establishing a first communication session between the food package and a user device; receiving a user identification associated with the user equipment; receiving a package identifier from a package identifier device provided in the food package; establishing a second communication session between the food package and a Package Collection Device (PCD); receiving a PCD identification from the package collection device; determining packaging material associated with the food package by using the package identifier; determining recycled material associated with the packaging collection device by using the PCD identification; registering a reclamation confirmation with a user account associated with the user identification if the packaging material matches the reclamation material, if package disposition is detected by the package collection device.

The method may further comprise: transmitting an acceptance signal to the package collection device if the packaging material matches the recycled material; or if the packaging material is different from the recycled material, transmitting a rejection signal to the package collecting device.

The method may further comprise: providing information via a user interface provided on the package collection apparatus in response to the acceptance signal or the rejection signal.

The method may further comprise: in response to receiving the package identification and the user identification, transmitting product information associated with the package identification to the user device.

The user identification may be read by the food package from the user device and stored in a food package storage and transferred by the food package storage to the package collection device.

The package identity may be communicated from the food package to the user device and the user identity and the package identity are communicated from the user device to a server during the first communication session, and the package identity is communicated from the food package to the package collection device and the package identity and the PCD identity are communicated from the package collection device to the server during the second communication session.

The method may further comprise: receiving a carrier identification associated with a carrier (e.g., truck) from the carrier; associating a package identification of a package disposed in the package collection device with the carrier identification.

The package identity may be read from a package identity device provided in the food package as part of the purchase process, and is associated with the user identity.

According to a second aspect there is provided a method for facilitating placement of a food package in a package collecting device associated with recycled material corresponding to the packaging material of the food package. The method may include: reading a package identification device of the food package by using a PCD control unit to receive a package identification; transmitting the package identification and PCD identification to a server; receiving an acceptance signal from the server if the packaging material and the recycled material match or a rejection signal from the server if the packaging material and the recycled material are different; detecting whether the food package is disposed in the package collecting device if the acceptance signal is received, and transmitting a package disposition signal from the package collecting device to the server if the food package is disposed in the package collecting device.

The method may further comprise: storing the package identification in a memory of the package collection device; and transmitting the PCD identification and the food package identification to the carrier.

According to a third aspect, a method for ensuring that a food package associated with a user is placed in a package collecting device associated with recycled material corresponding to the packaging material of the food package is provided. The method may include: receiving a package identification by reading a package identification device of the food package using a user device associated with a user; transmitting the package identification and user identification from the user device to a server; and receiving, by the user device, a reclamation confirmation from the server.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided a server configured to track food packaging to ensure efficient recycling, the server comprising a memory, a control unit and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver may be configured to receive a user identification associated with a user device during a first communication session between the food packaging and the user device, and to receive a packaging identification from a packaging identification device provided in the food packaging; receiving a PCD identification from the package collection device during a second communication session between the food package and the package collection device; receiving a package disposition signal confirming that a package disposition is detected; transmitting a recovery confirmation to a user account associated with the user identification if the packaging material matches the recovery material and the packaging disposition is detected; wherein the control unit is configured to: performing a packaging material determination function to determine packaging material associated with the food package by using the package identifier; performing a reclaimed material determination function to determine the reclaimed material associated with the package collection device using the PCD identification; and performing a packaging material to recycled material comparison function to determine whether the packaging material matches the recycled material.

According to a fifth aspect there is provided a package collecting device configured to facilitate placement of a food package in a package collecting device associated with recycled material corresponding to the packaging material of the food package. The package collection device may include a memory, a PCD control unit, and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is configured to: receiving a package identification by reading a package identification device in the food package; transmitting the package identification and PCD identification to a server; receiving an acceptance signal from the server if the packaging material and the recycled material match or a rejection signal from the server if the packaging material and the recycled material are different; transmitting a package disposition signal confirming that a package disposition is detected; wherein the PCD control unit is configured to: a package identification device that performs a package identification reader function to read the food package; and performing a package disposition detection function to detect whether the food package is disposed in the package collecting apparatus.

According to a sixth aspect there is provided a user device configured to ensure that a food package associated with a user is placed in a package collecting device associated with recycled material corresponding to the packaging material of the food package. The user equipment may comprise a memory, a control unit and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is configured to: transmitting a package identification associated with the food package and a user identification associated with the user device to a server; and receiving a recycling confirmation from the server once the food package is recycled; wherein the control unit is configured to: a package identification device that performs a package identification reader function to read the food package; and performing a recycle confirmation processing function to receive the recycle confirmation.

According to a seventh aspect there is provided a system comprising a server according to the fourth aspect, at least one package collecting device according to the fifth aspect and at least one user device according to the sixth aspect.

Other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for associating a user identification with a package identification for recycling purposes;

FIG. 2 illustrates another system that is an alternative to the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows yet another system that is an alternative to the systems shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates another system that is an alternative to the systems shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for tracking packages that may be performed in a server;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method that may be performed in a package collection apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method that may be performed in a user equipment;

FIG. 8 shows a server in more detail;

figure 9 shows the package collecting device in more detail;

figure 10 shows the user equipment in more detail.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, a system 100 for tracking food product packaging 102 to ensure efficient recycling is shown. More specifically, the system 100 may include a user device 104, such as a mobile phone, and a package collection device 106, such as a bin (bin). Both the user device 104 and the package collection device 106 may be communicatively coupled to the package 102 such that the package identification can be obtained from a package identification device 108 disposed within or on the package 102.

The package identification may be acquired by the user device 104 during a first communication session (Com I). This may be accomplished by energizing the package identification device 108 (which may be a passive RFID tag) with electromagnetic radiation emitted by the user device 104, such that the package identification is transmitted from the package identification device 108 (where the package identification is stored) to the user device 104. Even though passive RFID technology is provided as an example, other technologies may be used, such as active RFID tags, Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, or a combination of RFID and NFC.

The only purpose of the user device 104 to read the package identification device 108 may be to connect the package 102 to a user connected to the user device 104 for recycling purposes, such as a recycling reward system, but it may also form part of other processes. For example, if a user is interested in receiving additional information for a food item contained in a package, or additional information for the package itself, the user may read the package identification device and send the package identification along with a request for additional information to the server 110 where the additional information (e.g., product information) is stored. In response to the request, the server 100 may transmit additional information related to the food product contained within the package to the user device 104. In connection with this, a question may be presented to the user whether he or she would like to connect the package 102 to his or her reclamation reward account. If the answer is in the affirmative, a user identification may also be provided from the user device 104 to the server 110, thereby establishing a connection between the user identification and the wrapper identification in the server 110. The connection of the package identity to the user identity can also be established automatically, i.e. without posing any problems to the user.

Another option is that the user device 104 is a credit card belonging to the user. As part of the purchase process, the cashier may read the package identification of the package 102 and, as part of the payment process, may ask the user if he or she would like to connect the package 102 to his or her reclaim reward account by connecting the package identification to the user identification. As described above, this can also be done automatically without posing a problem to the user.

Yet another example is that the user device 104 is a so-called smart refrigerator, i.e. a food product held in the refrigerator can be identified in order to inform the user or automatically create a grocery shopping list, e.g. when a certain food product is approaching an expiration date. In addition to these intelligent refrigerator features, the intelligent refrigerator may transmit package identification and user identification to the server 110 to connect the user to the package for recycling purposes. Another example is a car with a built-in reader so that the package identification can be read by the car and connected to the user identification, for example when driving home from a grocery store.

It will be appreciated from the above that any device directly or indirectly connected to a user identity may be used as the user device 104, and combinations of devices may also be used.

Once the food product has been consumed and the food product package 102 has been emptied and brought to the package collection device 106, a second communication session (Com II) may be established between the package 102 and the package collection device 106. If the package identification device 108 is embodied as a passive RFID tag, as provided by the above example, the package identification device 108 may be energized by the PCD control unit 112 such that the package identification is transmitted from the package 102 to the Package Collection Device (PCD)106 to establish the second communication session.

After reading the wrapper identification from the wrapper identification device 108, the wrapper collection device 106 may transmit the wrapper identification and the PCD identification stored in the PCD identification device in the wrapper collection device 106 to the server 110. In the server 110, the packaging material (i.e., the material from which the package is made, such as cardboard) may be compared to the recycled material (i.e., the material to be collected by the package collection device, such as cardboard). If the materials match, an acceptance signal may be sent from the server 110 to the package collection device 106, otherwise a rejection signal may be sent. The acceptance signal and the rejection signal may be sent to a user interface 114 (e.g., different colored LEDs) provided on the package collection device 106 so that the user can be made aware of whether a package is placed in the correct package collection device, e.g., in the package collection device 106 with recycled material corresponding to the package material. Even though the above examples are directed to one recycled material for the package collecting device 106, it should be noted that the same package collecting device may be connected to multiple recycled materials. For example, the pack collection apparatus 106 may be configured to collect both cardboard and plastic, and at a later stage of the recycling process, the cardboard and plastic items may be separated into different bins.

If the recycled material and the packaging material match and it is detected that the package is disposed in the package collection device 106 (e.g., by having a slit in the package collection device 106 in conjunction with a photodetector or having other sensor means), a package disposition signal may be transmitted from the package collection device 106 to the server 110. In response to the wrapper handling signal, the server 110 may send a reclamation acknowledgement to the user device 104. As described above, if the reclaim confirmation is associated with a reclaim reward system, this may also mean that the reward associated with the user account of the user is issued.

Even though the wrapper and recycled material are shown to be compared in the server, such comparison may be made in the wrapper collection device, more particularly by the PCD control unit 112 if information is provided to the wrapper collection device 106. It is also possible to store a portion of the information available to the server 110 in the PCD control unit 112 to be able to handle situations where communication cannot be established between the wrapper collection device 106 and the server 110.

One advantage of this approach is that the user device 104 need not be brought to the package collection device 106 when the package 102 is disposed of for recycling. In addition, by being able to associate the wrapper 102 with the user device 104 and the time and place of the first communication session, and also with the wrapper collection device and the time and place of the second communication session, data can be collected that can be used to improve the likelihood of recycling.

Additionally, even if not shown, the user identification may be read by the package collection device 106 if the user carrying the package 102 to the package collection device 106 carries the user device 104. By doing so, it is possible to detect the user registering the wrapper identification during the first communication session and bring the wrapper to the user of the wrapper collection device 106.

To track the package identity and its associated data, a distributed ledger (distributed ledger) may be used. Elements of other blockchain techniques may also be used in addition to the distributed ledger.

Fig. 2 illustrates, by way of example, another system 200 for tracking food product packages 102 to ensure efficient recycling. The system 200 shown in fig. 2 is similar in many respects to the system 100 shown in fig. 1, but differs from the system 100 shown in fig. 1 in that the food package 102 is provided with a memory 202, such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), for storing the user identification. This has the advantage that the user equipment 104 does not need to be in communication connection with the server 110 during the first communication session. Once the first communication session is established in the system 200, shown by way of example in fig. 2, the user identification may be transferred from the user device 104 to the wrapper 102 and stored in the memory 202. During the second communication session, consistent with the system 100 shown in fig. 1, the user identification may be transferred from the package 102 to the package collection device 104, but the user identification stored in the memory 202 may also be transmitted. In other words, the package 102 may carry the user identification until the package 102 is to be reclaimed. Consistent with the system 100 shown in fig. 1, in the system 200, the user device 104 is also not required to be carried by the user when the packages 102 are processed in the package collection device 106. Although not required, the package identification may also be selectively communicated from the package 102 to the user device 104 during the first communication session.

The proposed method embodied by the system 200 shown in fig. 2 may be further extended to include a wrapper collection device 106, as communication with the server 110 adds additional cost in terms of, for example, additional equipment. More specifically, it is possible to design the system 300 (shown in FIG. 3) such that communication between the wrapper collection device 106 and the server 110 can be omitted. In addition to the system 200 (shown in fig. 2), the package collecting apparatus 106 of the system 300 is provided with a memory 302 for storing the user identification and the package identification. An internal database may be used if a user interface 114 is provided to indicate to the user whether the package 102 is properly placed on the package collection device 106.

In the example shown in fig. 3, once the package collection device 106 is emptied, a third communication session (Com III) may be established between the package collection device 106 and a carrier 304 (e.g., a truck or container in which packages may be collected from multiple package collection devices). During a third communication session, the user identification stored in both the memory 202 of the wrapper 102 and the memory 302 of the wrapper collection device 106, the wrapper identification stored in the memory 302, and the PCD identification may be transferred from the wrapper collection device 106 to the carrier 304. Further, optionally, a package disposition signal and an acceptance or rejection signal may be transmitted. The package disposition signal, the acceptance or rejection signal, and the user identification may be associated with a package identification. Data received from the package collection device 106 may be transmitted from the carrier 304 to the server 110 together with the carrier identification by using the carrier control unit 306.

As mentioned above, aggregating (aggregating) data may provide a more cost-effective system, as suggested by the examples shown in fig. 2 and 3, due to fewer components that need to be communicatively connected to the server 110. However, even though the costs involved in the communicative connection of the user device 104 and the wrapper collection device 106 to the server 110 may be reduced in the near future by invoking new technologies, the aggregation of data may still be useful for other purposes. By storing data in the wrapper 102 and the wrapper collection device 106 (as shown in fig. 2 and 3), redundancy is provided and stability is improved. Thus, by having storage capability in the wrapper and wrapper collection device, the system will continue to operate even if, for example, communication between the wrapper collection device 106 and the server 110 is interrupted.

Fig. 4 shows, by way of example, a system 400, the system 400 being an extension of the system 300 shown in fig. 3. In addition to the system 300 shown in fig. 3, the system 400 also includes a reclamation factory 402, with which the carrier 304 may establish a fourth communication session (Com IV). During the fourth communication session, the data sent from the wrapper collection device 106 to the carrier 304, along with the carrier ID, may be sent from the carrier 304 to the recycling plant 402. The data sent from the carrier 304 to the recovery plant 402, as well as the plant identification, may be sent from the recovery plant 402 to the server 110.

Further, the reclamation information collected at the reclamation plant 402 during the reclamation process may be sent from the reclamation plant 402 to the server 110. One advantage of doing so is that the reclamation acknowledgement sent from the server 110 to the user device 104 may be more than just a binary statement indicating whether the wrapper 102 is placed on the wrapper collection device 106. For example, it may describe how likely the package 102 is to be recycled.

The system 400 shown in fig. 4 may be effective in situations where the package collection device 106 is intended to receive different recycled materials, such as if the package collection device is intended to receive both plastic and cardboard. Using the system 400, the different material items dispatched in the package collection apparatus 106 may be processed together up to the recycling facility 402. In the recycling plant 402, the items may be sorted based on material so that items of different materials may be processed separately. As part of this process, the package identification may be read such that the package identification may be associated with a material and/or quality assessment, such as an assessment as to how much the package 102 may be recycled.

If the package collection apparatus is placed in a home, it may be relevant to process multiple different materials in the same package collection apparatus 106. By having multiple different materials in the same bin, fewer package collection devices may be required, which will save space.

When the package collection device 106 is a vending machine placed in a store for collecting used packages, it may also be advantageous for the package collection device 106 to be able to handle a number of different materials, as fewer devices are required for the store for housing and maintenance.

The package 102 may be a primary package, i.e., a package that directly contains a food product, such as tetra Pak^TM(Tetra Pak^TM) Tetra Pak for sale^TM(Tetra Brik^TM) But also secondary packages, such as cardboard trays or any other means for holding primary packages, it is also advantageous in this respect to arrange the package collecting device 106 to handle different materials. It is possible to arrange the package collecting device to receive a plurality of different materialsEnabling both primary and secondary packages to be handled in the same package collecting device.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram generally illustrating a method 500 for tracking food packaging 102 to ensure efficient recycling that may be performed by server 110. In a first step 502, a first communication session may be established between the food package 102 and the user device 104. After the communication is established, in a second step 504, a user identification associated with the user device 104 may be received. Further, in a third step 506, a package identification may be received.

At a later point in time, at a fourth step 508, a second communication session may be established between the wrapper 102 and the wrapper collection device 106. After the communication is established, in a fifth step 510, a PCD identification may be received.

The PCD identification may be sent directly from the wrapper collection device to the server 110 as shown in fig. 1, or may be sent indirectly to the server 110, for example through the carrier 304 as shown in fig. 3, or through the carrier 304 and recycling factory 402 as shown in fig. 4. In a similar manner, the user identification may be sent directly to the server, as shown in FIG. 1, or the user identification may be sent indirectly to the server 110, such as through the wrapper collection device 106 as shown in FIG. 2.

In a sixth step 512, the packaging material may be determined. This may be achieved by providing a database of the package identities and the packaging materials in which they are associated. In a seventh step 514, recycled material, i.e. material that the recycled material is intended to receive, may be determined, for example by comparing the PCD identification with a database of PCD identifications and associated recycled material.

In an eighth step 516, the packaging material and the recycled material may be compared and if the two match, an acceptance signal may be transmitted in a ninth step 518 or if the two are different, a rejection signal may be transmitted in a tenth step 520. An acceptance or rejection signal may be sent to the package collection device 106 so that information may be provided to the user via a user interface (e.g., an LED provided on the package collection device) at an eleventh step 522.

If a wrapper disposition is detected in a twelfth step 524, a reclamation confirmation may be registered in a thirteenth step 526. Optionally, a carrier identification (e.g., an identification of the carrier collecting the package in the package collection device) may be received at a fourteenth step 528 and associated with the package in the package collection device at a fifteenth step 530. The fourteenth and fifteenth step 528, 530 may be performed after the reclamation confirmation is registered and provided to the user by, for example, the user device, but as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the reclamation confirmation may also be registered after the fourteenth and fifteenth step 528, 530.

Even if presented in a particular order, the different steps may be performed in other orders.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for causing food product packages to be placed in a package collection device associated with recycled material. The recycled material corresponds to the packaging material of the food package. The method may be performed in a package collection device 106.

In a first step 602, the package identification device 108 of the food package 106 may be read by using the PCD control unit 112 to receive a package identification.

Next, at a second step 604, the wrapper identification and the PCD identification may be transmitted to the server 110.

Then, in a third step 606, an acceptance signal (if the packaging material matches the recycled material) or a rejection signal (if the packaging material and the recycled material are different) may be received from the server 110.

Optionally, in a fourth step 608, the acceptance or rejection signal may be reflected by a user interface of the package collection device, thereby providing visual feedback to the user.

In a fifth step 610, it may be determined whether an acceptance signal has been received. If so, it may be detected in a sixth step 612 whether the food package is disposed in the package collecting device 104. If yes in the seventh step 614, a package disposition signal may be transmitted in an eighth step 616.

Optionally, in an eighth step 618, the package identity may be stored at the package collection device 106, and in a ninth step 620, the PCD identity and the package identity may be transferred to the carrier 304, as shown in fig. 3 and 4.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for ensuring that food product packages associated with a user are placed in the package collection device 106 associated with recycled material. The recycled material corresponds to the packaging material of the food package 102. The method may be performed by the user equipment 104.

In a first step 702, a package identification may be received by reading a package identification device 108 of a food package 102 using a user device 104 associated with a user.

In a second step 704, the package identification and the user identification may be transmitted from the user device to the server 110.

In a third step 706, a reclamation acknowledgement from the server may be received by the user device.

Fig. 8 shows the server 110 in more detail by way of example. The server 110 may include a memory 800, a control unit 802, and a transceiver 806. The control unit 802 may in turn comprise a processor 804. The memory 800 may include a packaging material determination function 808, a recycled material determination function 810, and a packaging material to recycled material comparison function 812. A packaging material determination function 808 is used to determine packaging material associated with the food package by using the package identifier; the recycled material determination functionality 810 is for determining recycled material associated with the packaging collection device 106 by using the PCD identification; the packaging material to recycled material comparison function 812 is used to determine whether the packaging material matches the recycled material.

Fig. 9 shows the pack collection apparatus 106 in more detail by way of example. Wrapper collection device 106 may include memory 302 and PCD control unit 112. PCD control unit 112 may include a processor 902 and wrapper collection device 106 may be further provided with a transceiver 904 for sending and receiving data.

The memory 302 may include a package identification reader function 906 to read the package identification of the food package 102. Further, the memory 302 may include a package disposition detection function 908 to detect whether the food package 102 is disposed in a package collection device.

Optionally, the memory 302 may include a user interface control function 910 to control the user interface 114 of the package collection device 106, and a carrier identification reader function 912 to read the carrier identification of the carrier 304.

Fig. 10 shows the user device 104 in more detail by way of example. The user device 104 may be a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone), a smart refrigerator, a car, or any other device capable of reading the package identification and providing the user identification.

The user equipment 104 may include a memory 1000, a control unit 1002, and a transceiver 1006, and the control unit 1002 may include a processor 1004.

The memory 1000 may include a package identification reader function 1008 to read the package identification device 108 of the food package 102 and a recycling confirmation processing function 1010 to receive the recycling confirmation.

From the above description, while various embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.