The invention is a method of monitoring the temperature to which an object has
been exposed. The invention comprises combining a Time-Temperature Indicator (TTI)
with an electronic monitoring device to determine whether the temperature to which
the object has been exposed may have exceeded a predetermined threshold. The TTI
device can be used to make a rapid initial determination as to the acceptability
of the temperature history. The temperature history stored in the electronic monitoring
device can be retrieved if visual inspection of the TTI indicates that the temperature
history may possibly have exceeded the predetermined threshold. As a result, rejection
of goods based on inaccurate TTI readings can be reduced or prevented, and the
amount of time needed to retrieve data from an electronic monitoring device can
be limited to only those circumstances where the initial visualization of the TTI
indicates the possibility of an unacceptable temperature history.