User interface and controller for a heating system

• US 10,120,553 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sebastian Thrun
• Original Assignee: Sebastian Thrun
• Inventors: Thrun, Sebastian, St. Martin, David, Kani, Arash
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhargava, Anil K
• Application Number:
  US15/489,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20180300047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6441 allowing the input of coded operation instructions, e.g. bar code reader
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/668 Microwave heating devices connected to a telecommunication network

Abstract

In various embodiments, a method of providing a user interface and controller for a heating system includes determining at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag, rendering the at least one option on a graphical user interface, receiving user input based on the rendered at least one option, relaying the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, and outputting a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor, at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag;

rendering, by the processor, historical activity and the at least one option on a graphical user interface, wherein the at least one option includes an inventory of heatable loads;

receiving user input based on the rendered at least one option;

relaying, by the processor, the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, wherein the controller is provided in a remote heating apparatus, and the remote heating apparatus is part of a system of a plurality of heating apparatuses, the plurality of heating apparatuses configured to communicate with each other in a local area network and operate in coordination;

receiving at least one sensor reading about a state of a load, wherein the at least one sensor reading is collected at least one of;

during execution of the heating instructions and responsive to termination of the heating instructions;

determining whether to modify heating based on the received at least one sensor reading; and

outputting, on the graphical user interface, a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one option is stored in the electronic tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one option is retrieved based on a link stored in the electronic tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the at least one option includes visual content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the at least one option includes audio content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input includes a photograph.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input includes audio.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting a notification includes a notification that a heating process will be completed within a pre-defined time period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting a notification includes a notification that a heating process is complete.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes at least one of:

a visual, an audio, and a haptic signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering, by the processor, recipe options associated with the inventory of heatable loads.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the received at least one sensor reading includes at least one of an image and a sound.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to a determination to modify heating, adjusting heating instructions for another user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes feedback based on the received at least one sensor reading.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the received at least one sensor reading is associated with a first user; and

the received at least one sensor reading is aggregated with at least one sensor reading about another load associated with a second user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the aggregated at least one sensor reading is used to modify heating instructions for the load and the load associated with the second user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating instructions include a plurality of phases, each phase having an associated energy level;

and

further comprising, responsive to a determination to modify heating, modifying at least one of a length of one of the plurality of phases and an energy level of one of the plurality of phases.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a progress of execution of the heating instructions in real time.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering:

(i) a progress of execution of the heating instructions in real time and (ii) at least one of a description of the load and nutritional facts of the load.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the historical activity includes whether an item is expired and, for previously-heated loads, a time when the load was heated.

21. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag;

render historical activity and the at least one option on a graphical user interface, wherein the at least one option includes an inventory of heatable loads;

receive user input based on the rendered at least one option;

relay the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, wherein the controller is provided in a remote heating apparatus, and the remote heating apparatus is part of a system of a plurality of heating apparatuses, the plurality of heating apparatuses configured to communicate with each other in a local area network and operate in coordination;

receive at least one sensor reading about a state of a load, wherein the at least one sensor reading is collected at least one of;

during execution of the heating instructions and responsive to termination of the heating instructions;

determine whether to modify heating based on the received at least one sensor reading; and

output, on the graphical user interface, a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

22. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag;

rendering historical activity and the at least one option on a graphical user interface, wherein the at least one option includes an inventory of heatable loads;

receiving user input based on the rendered at least one option;

relaying the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, wherein the controller is provided in a remote heating apparatus, and the remote heating apparatus is part of a system of a plurality of heating apparatuses, the plurality of heating apparatuses configured to communicate with each other in a local area network and operate in coordination;

receiving at least one sensor reading about a state of a load, wherein the at least one sensor reading is collected at least one of;

during execution of the heating instructions and responsive to termination of the heating instructions;

determining whether to modify heating based on the received at least one sensor reading; and

outputting, on the graphical user interface, a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete.