EP1634224A1 - Methods and apparatus for customizing pet food - Google Patents
Methods and apparatus for customizing pet foodInfo
- Publication number
- EP1634224A1 EP1634224A1 EP01916492A EP01916492A EP1634224A1 EP 1634224 A1 EP1634224 A1 EP 1634224A1 EP 01916492 A EP01916492 A EP 01916492A EP 01916492 A EP01916492 A EP 01916492A EP 1634224 A1 EP1634224 A1 EP 1634224A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- pet
- food
- accordance
- customer
- order
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to systems for producing individually customized products, and, more particularly, to a system for producing customized pet care plans and products.
- pet care product customers presently have a host of suppliers and products to choose from, it may take significant time, effort, and investigation to determine a product that best suits a particular pet's needs among the available alternatives. This is particularly true in the case of pet foods. While veterinarians and other professionals may assist in recommending a given brand of pet food for a particular pet, pet foods are typically mass manufactured to meet the needs of an average pet within a selected range of pets that is typically based on pet age and/or size. Nutritional needs, however, vary from pet to pet, and a customized regimen of appropriate nutrients for a particular pet or breed of pet would be beneficial. But in light of the practical difficulties and expenses of tailoring a custom diet for a particular pet, consumers are often forced to choose among the limited varieties of available mass-produced pet foods and products.
- a customized, consumer direct pet care plan system includes a method and apparatus for customizing pet care plans and products, including pet food, that utilizes an integrated Internet-based customer interface and workflow process management.
- the system is configured to receive and compile individual pet profiles from information provided by each customer, accept pet care plan purchase orders based upon information in corresponding individual pet profiles, and process each of the purchase orders to manufacture and package pet care products in accordance with the desires of each individual customer.
- the system communicates with a production facility, controls equipment runs during production, and tracks products through delivery to a customer's home. Thus, customers may purchase and receive made-to-order pet food and pet care plans, complete with customized packaging, from the convenience of their homes.
- Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a server architecture for a customized pet care plan system
- Figure 2 is a block diagram of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a server architecture for a customized pet care plan system
- Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a customized pet care production method.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a server architecture of a customized pet care plan system 10 including a web server 12, an application server 14, a database server 16, a directory server 18, a workflow server 20, and a mail server 22.
- a disk storage unit 24 is coupled to database server 16 and directory server 18 and provides a data repository for storing data pertaining to customized pet care plans and products.
- Servers 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 are coupled in a local area network (LAN) 24.
- LAN local area network
- a plurality of workstations 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are coupled to LAN 24 for simultaneous monitoring of various production tasks and methods described below.
- Web server 12 and mail server 22 are configured to be communicatively coupled to computers of customers 36, 37, 38 via an ISP Internet connection 40.
- LAN 24 is configured to generate orders from a customer interface (not shown) such as a web page maintained on web server 12, to control equipment runs during production of pet care products, and to track products through delivery to the point of distribution.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a server architecture of a customized pet care plan system 50.
- System 50 differs from system 10 in that system 50 includes a fax server 52 coupled to LAN 24.
- a fax server 52 coupled to LAN 24.
- fax server 52 communicates with customers via a telephone link. Also, in system 50 the mail server is incorporated into web server 12.
- the architecture of systems 10 and 50 are exemplary only. Other architectures are possible and can be utilized in connection with practicing the processes described below. Moreover, the processes described below could alternatively be initiated by a customer without a computer or fax machine. For example, customers could phone in or mail the required information and an operator could enter data directly into LAN 24 by an operator of a workstation 26, 28, 30, 32, or 34, or by an operator with a computer remotely communicating with LAN 24 through ISP Internet Connection 40 or another WAN.
- FIG 3 is a schematic diagram of a customized pet care product production method 60 coordinated by LAN 24 (shown in Figures 1 and 2).
- Method 60 involves five basic steps including creating consumer demand 62, accepting customized orders 64, processing customized orders 66, delivering customized orders 68, and obtaining re-orders 70 from previous purchasers.
- Creating consumer demand 62 is accomplished initially by targeting a potential customer base 72 with advertising 74, including but not limited to, television ads, radio ads, newspaper ads, magazine ads, and advertisement in consumer and trade publications. Advertising 74 serves to inform potential customer base 72 of an offering of customized pet care plans and products, the benefits of customized pet care products, and to direct interested customers to a customer interface 76.
- On-line advertising 78 could also be used to generate customer demand 62 among computer enthusiasts.
- Customer interface 76 is a web page including multiple information fields for interested consumers to complete prior to ordering customized products.
- each customer is provided with an account on database server 16 (shown in Figures 1 and 2) on which pet information is stored for later retrieval and use by the customer and systems 10 and 50 (shown in Figures 1 and 2).
- Information is gathered on relevant pet data, such as consumer data and the age, size, and breed of a pet or pets.
- Information is also gathered on desired product data, such as a desired nutrient level for a pet food, a desired flavor of the food, a desired kibble size, a desired kibble shape, and desired food supplements.
- information is gathered on desired consumer data, such as packaging preferences, product delivery preferences, and information relating to pet care, pet health issues, and other pet care issues.
- Informational screens could be incorporated to guide a user in the creation of a customized pet care plan, including recommended customized pet care products.
- the information is gathered for future reference to order customized pet care producers, such as, for example, dry pet food, and for providing other pet care products and services, including but not limited to generation of an Individual Care Plan for each consumer, further described below.
- customer interface 76 Once a customer completes the information fields via customer interface 76, the information is transmitted to LAN 24 via ISP Internet connection 40.
- customer interface 76 could include a live operator, an automated voice messaging system, or printed forms for mailing or faxing to a location where information can be entered into systems 10 and 50.
- the information is compiled to generate an individual pet profile 80.
- Individual pet profile 80 is stored in disk storage unit 24 (shown in Figures 1 and 2) and is used as an order template and to generate customer re-order 70 of selected products.
- database server 16 shown in Figures 1 and 2) could periodically scan disk storage unit 24 for pre-set flags in customer service profiles 80, such as an elapsed time since the respective customer's previous order.
- customer interface 76 includes the option of re-order notification 82 or automatic subscription
- individual pet profiles 80 are used to generate Individual Care Plans for each consumer.
- Individual Care Plans include description and rationale for various ingredients or nutrients in custom food made for an individual pet, feeding guidelines, specific health care instructions for general health and well being of the pet, as well as grooming, exercise, behavioral training, and veterinary visit information. Further still, reminders of important events in a life of a pet, such as birthdays or scheduled visits to veterinarians, and reminders to update individual pet profile information at important life stage changes of the corresponding pet may be incorporated into Individual Care Plans.
- Individual Care Plans may be offered as a stand-alone service offered in a variety of summary forms including, but not limited to, personalized printed pages, brochures, or personalized Internet Web pages for use by consumers. Alternatively, Individual Care Plans could be offered in companion form with purchased pet care products, including but not limited to dry pet food.
- Customer interface 76 could simply be used as an informational tool for interested customers and an information gathering device for a pet care product manufacturer, but in an exemplary embodiment, it is also used as the impetus for an order 64 of a pet care product.
- a pet care product can be made-to-order and customized to a level desired by a particular customer.
- a customer may purchase pet care products from at least one of four different categories: a completely custom-made food category 86, a custom-component food category 88, a custom-finish food category 90 and a custom-care category 92.
- Custom-care category 92 relates to general pet care products, supplements, accessories, and information, while completely custom-made food 86, custom- component food 88, and custom-finish food 90 categories all relate to pet food.
- Completely custom-made food category 86 provides a practically unlimited choice of customized pet food formulation in which pet food is manufactured from raw ingredients in a respective individual pet profile 80.
- Custom- component category 88 provides a limited range of customized formulations manufactured from pre-mixed components selected by a purchaser in a respective individual pet profile 80.
- Custom-finish food.90 provides a limited range of pet food customized only by a flavored coating over pre-selected food formulations chosen by a manufacturer.
- completely custom-made food category 86 provides for a maximum customization of pet food according to the desire of a purchasing customer as reflected in the respective individual pet profile 80
- custom-component food 88 provides for a moderate customization of pet food
- custom-finish food 90 provides a narrow range of customization of pet food.
- the range of categories 86, 88, 90 therefore provides a broad range of options for pet food within a corresponding range of prices to meet the needs of customer base 72.
- customer orders 64 could be limited to one of the four categories 86, 88, 90, 92, or other combinations of categories beyond that shown and described, provided that orders 64 comply with applicable regulatory provisions and are within manufacturing capabilities.
- a custom pet food formulation suitable to meet the needs of multiple pets is generated using information contained in more than one individual pet profile 80.
- a customer may own a dog and a cat, and after entering requested information in respective individual pet profiles 80 of the dog and the cat, a single pet food formulation that satisfies the nutritional needs of both the cat and the dog is determined based on information in the respective individual preference profiles.
- a single food formulation may be provided for feeding to multiple pets, and a purchaser need not purchase separate foods for separate animals.
- a single food formulation can be fabricated that meets the needs of two or more dogs, of either the same or different breed.
- LAN 24 begins processing 66 orders to manufacture 94 and package 96 customized orders 64 of purchasing customers in accordance with the respective individual pet profiles 80.
- LAN 24 communicates with processing equipment (not shown) in one or more centralized processing facilities (not shown) to batch and mix customized pet food for an individual customer according to known methods and techniques. Workstations
- 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 are used to monitor, input and control various phases of product manufacture of pet care products to customer desires in accordance with information contained in the respective individual pet profile 80 for the particular product being manufactured.
- work flow procedures 66 are used to control traffic flow of orders 64 in production and to speed the processing of orders, such as by processing a group of similar orders in sequence before switching to dissimilar orders, or by conducting common manufacturing steps of a group of orders at the same time, and then completing customized steps to differentiate the orders.
- LAN 24 is configured to enable extensive statistical analysis and report generation of orders received and the processing of orders to allow for optimization of desired phases of method 60.
- LAN 24 also controls customized packaging 96 of orders to match a requested packaging in a respective individual pet profile 80.
- customers would be offered the choice of ordering pet food in quantities other than the traditional bulk by weight, e.g., a 10 lb. bag. Rather, food could be offered for a selected number of cups, a selected number of servings, or a supply of food to last for a certain time period, e.g., six months worth of food, that LAN 24 could calculate based on pet data provided in the applicable individual pet profile 80.
- considerable choice is offered in amounts of pet care product that can be purchased, and consumers can be given choice of packaging style and graphics as well to completely tailor pet care products to different pets.
- orders 64 are shipped for delivery 68 to customers using distributors 98 located near production facilities in which orders 64 are processed 66.
- existing third party distributors such as UPS and FEDERAL EXPRESS, are used to ship customized pet care products to the consumer's door, thereby saving consumers a trip to the store to pick up food.
- Existing tracking procedures can be used and coordinated by LAN 24 to ensure delivery of customized pet care products.
- a made-to-order pet care plan system that allows consumers to place orders 64 direct from a manufacturer from the convenience of their homes, and to promptly receive a customized pet care product order delivered to their door. With re-order noticing 82 and subscription 84 options in place, customers may consistently receive made-to- order pet food tailored to the particular needs of their pets.
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- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Strategic Management (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
- Development Economics (AREA)
- Finance (AREA)
- Economics (AREA)
- Game Theory and Decision Science (AREA)
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
- Marketing (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
- Fodder In General (AREA)
- Feeding And Watering For Cattle Raising And Animal Husbandry (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US52258600A | 2000-03-10 | 2000-03-10 | |
PCT/US2001/007459 WO2001069487A1 (en) | 2000-03-10 | 2001-03-08 | Methods and apparatus for customizing pet food |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1634224A1 true EP1634224A1 (en) | 2006-03-15 |
Family
ID=24081462
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP01916492A Ceased EP1634224A1 (en) | 2000-03-10 | 2001-03-08 | Methods and apparatus for customizing pet food |
Country Status (12)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1634224A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2003527694A (en) |
CN (1) | CN1421017A (en) |
AU (2) | AU2001243511B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR0109153A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2402225C (en) |
HU (1) | HU230500B1 (en) |
IL (1) | IL151567A0 (en) |
NO (1) | NO20024314L (en) |
RU (1) | RU2269158C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2001069487A1 (en) |
ZA (1) | ZA200207072B (en) |
Families Citing this family (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8234099B2 (en) | 1999-10-15 | 2012-07-31 | Hemopet | Computer program for determining a nutritional diet product for a canine or feline animal |
US7548839B2 (en) | 1999-10-15 | 2009-06-16 | Hemopet | System for animal health diagnosis |
US6730023B1 (en) | 1999-10-15 | 2004-05-04 | Hemopet | Animal genetic and health profile database management |
US6493641B1 (en) * | 2001-06-15 | 2002-12-10 | Nestec Ltd | Methods and apparatus for customizing pet food |
US20030009370A1 (en) * | 2001-06-15 | 2003-01-09 | Singh Bhajmohan (Ricky) | Method and apparatus for customizing a multiple component pet food |
AU2011223981B2 (en) * | 2004-05-13 | 2012-07-05 | Massey University | Customised Nutritional Food And Beverage Dispensing System |
NZ532906A (en) * | 2004-05-13 | 2006-10-27 | Fonterra Co Operative Group | Customised nutritional food and beverage dispensing system for dispensing a customised nutritional serving |
WO2009135527A1 (en) * | 2008-05-07 | 2009-11-12 | Foss Analytical A/S | Feedstuff formulations |
US7873482B2 (en) | 2008-12-16 | 2011-01-18 | Bruno Stefanon | Diagnostic system for selecting nutrition and pharmacological products for animals |
DE102012007310A1 (en) * | 2012-04-13 | 2013-10-17 | Futalis Gmbh | A method of providing a pet food product for a pet and pet food product provided therewith |
JP2014021564A (en) * | 2012-07-12 | 2014-02-03 | Temona Inc | Order reception management device, order reception management method and order reception management program |
WO2014151521A1 (en) * | 2013-03-15 | 2014-09-25 | Nestec Sa | Systems and methods for ordering and manufacturing custom pet food |
GB2552122B (en) * | 2013-06-05 | 2020-02-26 | Mars Inc | Weight control apparatus |
CA3145245A1 (en) | 2019-09-23 | 2021-04-01 | Jean-Baptiste ROCHE | Individualized animal dry food composition |
IT202100001883A1 (en) | 2021-01-29 | 2022-07-29 | Econher Srl | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING FOOD RATIONS MEASURING THE ENERGY NEEDS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5930768A (en) * | 1996-02-06 | 1999-07-27 | Supersonic Boom, Inc. | Method and system for remote user controlled manufacturing |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6117477A (en) * | 1998-03-18 | 2000-09-12 | Kal Kan Foods, Inc. | Multicomponent food product and methods of making and using the same |
US6358546B1 (en) * | 1999-01-15 | 2002-03-19 | Ralston Purina Company | Methods for customizing pet food |
EP1093719B1 (en) * | 1999-10-07 | 2017-11-22 | SmartPak Equine, LLC | Method for facilitated feed supplementation for a horse |
-
2001
- 2001-03-08 BR BR0109153-0A patent/BR0109153A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2001-03-08 HU HU0301988A patent/HU230500B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2001-03-08 AU AU2001243511A patent/AU2001243511B2/en not_active Ceased
- 2001-03-08 IL IL15156701A patent/IL151567A0/en unknown
- 2001-03-08 CN CN01806247A patent/CN1421017A/en active Pending
- 2001-03-08 CA CA2402225A patent/CA2402225C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2001-03-08 AU AU4351101A patent/AU4351101A/en active Pending
- 2001-03-08 JP JP2001567486A patent/JP2003527694A/en not_active Ceased
- 2001-03-08 WO PCT/US2001/007459 patent/WO2001069487A1/en active Application Filing
- 2001-03-08 RU RU2002127000/09A patent/RU2269158C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2001-03-08 EP EP01916492A patent/EP1634224A1/en not_active Ceased
-
2002
- 2002-09-03 ZA ZA200207072A patent/ZA200207072B/en unknown
- 2002-09-09 NO NO20024314A patent/NO20024314L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5930768A (en) * | 1996-02-06 | 1999-07-27 | Supersonic Boom, Inc. | Method and system for remote user controlled manufacturing |
Non-Patent Citations (2)
Title |
---|
JAN GOOSSENAERTS ET AL: "Product Configuration in the Framework of the Virtual Enterprise", LIFE CYCLE APPROACHES TO PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, ASI 97, 1 June 1998 (1998-06-01), pages 33 - 38, XP055121579, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.53.8727&rep=rep1&type=pdf> [retrieved on 20140604] * |
See also references of WO0169487A1 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2402225A1 (en) | 2001-09-20 |
WO2001069487A1 (en) | 2001-09-20 |
AU2001243511B2 (en) | 2006-06-22 |
AU4351101A (en) | 2001-09-24 |
HUP0301988A3 (en) | 2004-04-28 |
JP2003527694A (en) | 2003-09-16 |
RU2002127000A (en) | 2004-02-20 |
IL151567A0 (en) | 2003-04-10 |
CN1421017A (en) | 2003-05-28 |
NO20024314D0 (en) | 2002-09-09 |
NO20024314L (en) | 2002-11-11 |
CA2402225C (en) | 2016-11-22 |
HU230500B1 (en) | 2016-09-28 |
HUP0301988A2 (en) | 2003-09-29 |
ZA200207072B (en) | 2003-11-17 |
BR0109153A (en) | 2003-04-22 |
RU2269158C2 (en) | 2006-01-27 |
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