System and method for automated distillery management

Abstract

A system and method for automated distillery management includes the ability to manage customers, manage inventory, and facilitate the production, aging, and sale of customized spirits. Customers, groups, and distillery staff may engage in the production, aging, and storage of customized spirits on a micro-brewing and/or micro-distilling scale. Various levels of customization may be available when producing the customized spirit. A level of customization of a spirit may be based upon type of spirit, recipe selection, amount of involvement in production process, type of involvement in production process, amount of notifications provided, types of notifications provided, participation in tasting during production process, spirit proof, aging type and time, storage time, customized labels for one or more casks, tanks, bottles, and/or other receptacles to hold the customized spirit and/or other factors related to producing a customized spirit. Customers and groups may also age and store spirits at the distillery storage site.

1 .- 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A system for automated distillery management, comprising:
 a memory storing machine-executable instructions; and   a processor configured to access the memory and execute the machine-executable instructions to:
 receive, via one or more computer-based interfaces, customer profile information relating to a distillery customer; 
 generate a customer profile for the customer; 
 associate one or more role-based permissions with the customer profile; 
 receive, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, a batch customization request from the customer comprising a customized set of production parameters for producing a customized spirit at a distillery on behalf of the distillery customer; 
 determine, based at least in part on the customized set of production parameters, spirit production information comprising a recipe for producing the customized spirit, the recipe specifying a set of production conditions and a set of corresponding distillation operations for producing the customized spirit, the set of production conditions including a first condition associated with a first distillation operation of the set of distillation operations; 
 monitor a production process for producing the customized spirit, wherein monitoring the production process comprising monitoring the first distillation operation; 
 obtain, during the monitoring and from a first sensor in the distillery, first sensor data associated with the first distillation operation; 
 determine that the first sensor data is within one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to the first condition specified by the recipe; 
 determine that the first condition is satisfied based at least in part on the first sensor data being within the one or more acceptable ranges of values; 
 automatically initiating, without user intervention, a second distillation operation of the set of distillation operations based at least in part on determining that the first condition is satisfied; and 
 provide, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, a notification to the distillery customer to schedule participation in the second distillation operation. 
   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the processor is further configured to access the memory and execute the machine-executable instructions to:
 perform one or more inventory management actions comprising determining a location at the distillery at which to store the customized spirit based on one or more of space available at the distillery, environmental conditions associated with the customized spirit, or length of storage.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the one or more role-based permissions comprise at least one of a batch-based role defining access for the customer to information relating to one or more specific batches or a group-based role defining access for the customer to one or more system features based on membership of the customer in a group. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the batch customization request specifies a level of customization for producing the customized spirit, the level of customization being selected from a set of predefined levels of customization. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the processor is further configured to access the memory and execute the machine-executable instructions to:
 provide, via the one or more computer-based interfaces and based on the specified level of customization, at least one of a notification of an action associated with production of the customized spirit or instructions relating to the action.   
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the specified level of customization comprises one or more of: selection of a type of spirit to be produced, selection of an amount of time the customized spirit is aged, participation in creation of the recipe for the customized spirit, participation in tasting the customized spirit during production, notification of one or more actions to be taken during production of the customized spirit, or provision of input regarding one or more actions to be taken during production of the customized spirit. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the customer is a first customer of a plurality of customers and the level of customization is a first level of customization associated with the first customer, and wherein the first level of customization is different from a second level of customization associated with a second customer of the plurality of customers. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the processor is further configured to access the memory and execute the machine-executable instructions to:
 provide, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, educational information related to spirit production, wherein the educational information comprises information related to one or more of: one or more recipes for one or more types of spirits, production information for the one or more types of spirits, one or more available levels of customization for the one or more types of spirits, or one or more timelines for producing the one or more types of spirits.   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein monitoring the production process further comprises monitoring the second distillation operation, and wherein the processor is further configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to:
 obtain, during the monitoring and from a second sensor in the distillery, second sensor data associated with the second distillation operation;   determine that the second sensor data is outside of one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to a second condition specified by the recipe, the second condition relating to the second distillation operation;   determine that the second condition is not satisfied based at least in part on determining that the second sensor data is outside the one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to the second condition; and   modify one or more of the set of production parameters related to the second distillation operation.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the processor is further configured to access the memory and execute the machine-executable instructions to:
 maintain inventory information for the customized spirit, wherein maintaining inventory information comprises storing an association between the customized spirit and the customer profile.   
     
     
         41 . A computer-implemented method for automated distillery management, comprising:
 receiving, via one or more computer-based interfaces, customer profile information relating to a distillery customer;   generating a customer profile for the customer;   associating one or more role-based permissions with the customer profile;   receiving, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, a batch customization request from the customer comprising a customized set of production parameters for producing a customized spirit at a distillery on behalf of the distillery customer;   determining, based at least in part on the customized set of production parameters, spirit production information comprising a recipe for producing the customized spirit, the recipe specifying a set of production conditions and a set of corresponding distillation operations for producing the customized spirit, the set of production conditions including a first condition associated with a first distillation operation of the set of distillation operations;   monitoring a production process for producing the customized spirit, wherein monitoring the production process comprising monitoring the first distillation operation;   obtaining, during the monitoring and from a first sensor in the distillery, first sensor data associated with the first distillation operation;   determining that the first sensor data is within one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to the first condition specified by the recipe;   determining that the first condition is satisfied based at least in part on the first sensor data being within the one or more acceptable ranges of values;   automatically initiating, without user intervention, a second distillation operation of the set of distillation operations based at least in part on determining that the first condition is satisfied; and   providing, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, a notification to the distillery customer to schedule participation in the second distillation operation.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 performing one or more inventory management actions comprising determining a location at the distillery at which to store the customized spirit based on one or more of space available at the distillery, environmental conditions associated with the customized spirit, or length of storage.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the one or more role-based permissions comprise at least one of a batch-based role defining access for the customer to information relating to one or more specific batches or a group-based role defining access for the customer to one or more system features based on membership of the customer in a group. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the batch customization request specifies a level of customization for producing the customized spirit, the level of customization being selected from a set of predefined levels of customization. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , further comprising:
 providing, via the one or more computer-based interfaces and based on the specified level of customization, at least one of a notification of an action associated with production of the customized spirit or instructions relating to the action.   
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the specified level of customization comprises one or more of: selection of a type of spirit to be produced, selection of an amount of time the customized spirit is aged, participation in creation of the recipe for the customized spirit, participation in tasting the customized spirit during production, notification of one or more actions to be taken during production of the customized spirit, or provision of input regarding one or more actions to be taken during production of the customized spirit. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 providing, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, educational information related to spirit production, wherein the educational information comprises information related to one or more of: one or more recipes for one or more types of spirits, production information for the one or more types of spirits, one or more available levels of customization for the one or more types of spirits, or one or more timelines for producing the one or more types of spirits.   
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein monitoring the production process further comprises monitoring the second distillation operation, the method further comprising:
 obtaining, during the monitoring and from a second sensor in the distillery, second sensor data associated with the second distillation operation;   determining that the second sensor data is outside of one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to a second condition specified by the recipe, the second condition relating to the second distillation operation;   determining that the second condition is not satisfied based at least in part on determining that the second sensor data is outside the one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to the second condition; and   modifying one or more of the set of production parameters related to the second distillation operation.   
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 maintaining inventory information for the customized spirit, wherein maintaining inventory information comprises storing an association between the customized spirit and the customer profile.   
     
     
         50 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause operations to be performed comprising:
 receiving, via one or more computer-based interfaces, customer profile information relating to a distillery customer;   generating a customer profile for the customer;   associating one or more role-based permissions with the customer profile;   receiving, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, a batch customization request from the customer comprising a customized set of production parameters for producing a customized spirit at a distillery on behalf of the distillery customer;   determining, based at least in part on the customized set of production parameters, spirit production information comprising a recipe for producing the customized spirit, the recipe specifying a set of production conditions and a set of corresponding distillation operations for producing the customized spirit, the set of production conditions including a first condition associated with a first distillation operation of the set of distillation operations;   monitoring a production process for producing the customized spirit, wherein monitoring the production process comprising monitoring the first distillation operation;   obtaining, during the monitoring and from a first sensor in the distillery, first sensor data associated with the first distillation operation;   determining that the first sensor data is within one or more acceptable ranges of values corresponding to the first condition specified by the recipe;   determining that the first condition is satisfied based at least in part on the first sensor data being within the one or more acceptable ranges of values;   automatically initiating, without user intervention, a second distillation operation of the set of distillation operations based at least in part on determining that the first condition is satisfied; and   providing, via the one or more computer-based interfaces, a notification to the distillery customer to schedule participation in the second distillation operation.