Connected food preparation system and method of use

• US 10,024,544 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: June Life LLC
• Original Assignee: June Life, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhogal, Nikhil, Van Horn, Matthew, Park, Seunghoon, Sivalingam, Ravishankar, Clark, Christopher Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): SAVANI, AVINASH A
• Application Number:
  US15/450,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20170176019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 126 19 R, 126198
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/15 using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/17 in a gaseous atmosphere with forced air or gas circulation, in vacuum or under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0623 Small-size cooking ovens, i.e. defining an at least partially closed cooking cavity A47J37/0605 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0664 Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/008 Illumination for oven cavities
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 3/124 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/062 on stoves
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/085 on baking ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/087 of electric circuits regulating heat
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0263 Ovens

Abstract

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

Claims

1. A method for oven operation, comprising:

detecting a foodstuff insertion event;

determining a series of default cooking instructions;

determining food parameter values based on signals sampled by sensors on-board the oven;

automatically generating a series of custom cooking instructions by adjusting the default cooking instructions based on the food parameter values;

automatically controlling oven operation according to the series of custom cooking instructions;

in response to detection of the foodstuff insertion event, automatically sampling video of the oven cavity with the camera during oven operation; and

automatically displaying the video on a user display of a user device, separate from the oven, in near-real time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically determining the food parameter values during oven operation; and

dynamically adjusting upcoming cooking instructions within the series of custom cooking instructions based on the periodically determined food parameter values.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a recipe identifier from a user at the user device;

wherein the series of default cooking instructions are retrieved based on the recipe identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a user preference from the user at a user input on the oven;

wherein the series of custom cooking instructions is generated based on the user preference and the foodstuff parameter values.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the video from the oven to a remote computing system; and

transmitting the video from the remote computing system to the user display.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the series of default cooking instructions is determined based on a foodstuff class determined based on the video, the method further comprising:

at the remote computing system, determining, with a food identification module, a set of potential foodstuff classes based on the video;

transmitting the set of potential foodstuff classes to the oven from the remote computing system;

displaying the potential foodstuff classes on the oven;

receiving, from a user at the oven, a foodstuff class selection from the potential foodstuff classes;

retrieving the set of default cooking instructions associated with the foodstuff class selection;

transmitting the foodstuff class selection to the remote computing system; and

training the foodstuff identification module based on the foodstuff class selection.

7. A method for oven operation, the oven defining an oven cavity and including a camera directed toward the oven cavity, the method comprising:

detecting a foodstuff insertion event;

determining a series of cooking instructions;

automatically controlling oven operation according to the series of cooking instructions;

automatically sampling video of the oven cavity with the camera during oven operation according to the series of cooking instructions;

transmitting the video to a user device through a wireless connection established between the oven and the user device; and

automatically displaying the video on a user display of the user device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting the video to the user device comprises:

transmitting the video to a remote computing system separate from the oven and user device; and

transmitting the video from the remote computing system to the user device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a series of cooking instructions comprises:

at the remote computing system, determining, with a food identification module, a set of potential foodstuff classes for the foodstuff based on the video;

transmitting the set of potential foodstuff classes to the oven from the remote computing system;

displaying the potential foodstuff classes on the oven;

receiving a foodstuff class selection from a user at the oven; and

retrieving the series of cooking instructions associated with the foodstuff class selection;

the method further comprising;

transmitting the foodstuff class selection to the remote computing system; and

training the food identification module based on the foodstuff class selection.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

periodically determining food parameter values during oven operation; and

dynamically adjusting upcoming cooking instructions based on the periodically determined food parameter values.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining food parameter values during oven operation comprises extracting the food parameter values from the video.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the oven determines the food parameter values in near-real time based on sensor measurements sampled by sensors on-board the oven and dynamically adjusts the upcoming cooking instructions based on the food parameter values.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein dynamically adjusting upcoming cooking instructions comprises:

determining an expected foodstuff parameter value based on initial foodstuff parameter values for the foodstuff;

determining a difference between the determined foodstuff parameter value and the expected foodstuff parameter value;

determining a set of instruction adjustments based on the difference; and

automatically adjusting cooking instructions associated with a future time based on the set of instruction adjustments.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining initial foodstuff parameter values.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the initial foodstuff parameter values comprises receiving the foodstuff parameter values from a user device separate from the oven.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the initial foodstuff parameter values comprises:

sampling sensor measurements with sensors on-board the oven within a threshold time duration of detecting the foodstuff insertion event; and

determining the initial foodstuff parameter values based on the sampled sensor measurements.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a recipe identifier from a user, wherein the series of cooking instructions are determined based on the recipe identifier;

determining a user foodstuff preference; and

automatically adjusting the series of cooking instructions based on the user foodstuff preference before controlling oven operation.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein a cooking instruction of the series of cooking instruction comprises a steaming instruction, wherein the oven automatically operates a steam injector of the oven according to the steaming instruction.

19. A method for oven operation, the oven defining an oven cavity and including a camera directed toward the oven cavity, the method comprising:

detecting a foodstuff insertion event;

determining a series of cooking instructions;

automatically controlling oven operation according to the series of cooking instructions;

periodically determining food parameter values during oven operation;

dynamically adjusting upcoming cooking instructions based on the periodically determined food parameter values;

automatically sampling video of the oven cavity with the camera during oven operation according to the series of cooking instructions; and

automatically displaying the video on a user display.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining food parameter values during oven operation comprises extracting the food parameter values from the video.