Food preparation control system

• US 10,194,770 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Breville USA Incorporated (Breville Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ChefSteps, Inc. (Breville Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Young, Christopher Charles, Barton, Emmett, Natkin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan K
• Application Number:
  US15/009,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20160220064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 2202/00 Devices having temperature indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/10 Cooking-vessels with water-bath arrangements for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/00 Parts, details or accessories of cooking-vessels A47J27/00 - A47J33/00 take precedence insofar as these parts, details or accessories are restricted to a particular kind of cooking-vessel provided for in a single one of these groups
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles to provide customized control of a cooking appliance. A user provides a selection of one or more ending characteristics for a food product. A processor-based device determines one or more output food preparation parameters based on the user'"'"'s selection of the one or more ending characteristics. Measurements of temperature, power, or other characteristics may be obtained during cooking process. A cooking program controlling the cooking process may be revised or updated based at least in part on the obtained measurements or analysis of the measurements. Estimations or projections about the cooking process may be presented to a user via a user interface of the cooking appliance or a user interface of a computing device (e.g., smartphone) associated with the user. The processor-based device may autonomously detect a temperature scale of a temperature setting input by a user without requiring the user to specify the temperature scale.

Claims

1. A method of operation in a processor-based food preparation control system, the method comprising:

causing, by at least one processor, a prompt to be provided on a computing device, the prompt indicating a request for a numerical value corresponding to a cooking temperature setting for a cooking appliance without requiring specification of a temperature scale for the cooking temperature setting;

receiving, by the at least one processor via a user interface of the computing device, a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits;

determining, by the at least one processor, a temperature scale for the received numerical value based at least in part on at least one of the numerical digits of the numerical value and based at least in part on at least one characteristic of the cooking appliance;

determining, by the at least one processor, the cooking temperature setting based on the received numerical value and the determined temperature scale; and

controlling, by the at least one processor, the cooking appliance based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting,

wherein the cooking appliance is configured to automatically cook a food product based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a temperature scale for the received numerical value comprises determining a temperature scale for the received numerical value prior to receiving all of the plurality of numerical digits of the numerical value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, by the at least one processor, an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein causing an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device comprises causing an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device prior to receiving all of the plurality of numerical digits of the numerical value.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a temperature scale for the received numerical value based at least in part on at least one characteristic of the cooking appliance comprises determining a temperature scale for the received numerical value based on an expected range of temperature values for the cooking temperature setting for the cooking appliance.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein causing a prompt to be provided on a computing device comprises causing a prompt to be provided on a display of the cooking appliance.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein causing a prompt to be provided on a computing device comprises causing a prompt to be provided on a display of a client computing device communicatively coupled to the cooking appliance.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the at least one processor, at least one parameter measurement indicative of a characteristic of a cooking process during the controlling of the cooking appliance; and

determining, by the at least one processor, a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process based at least in part on the obtained at least one parameter measurement.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein determining a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process comprises determining an estimated time until a temperature of the cooking appliance reaches the determined cooking temperature setting, the method further comprising:

causing the cooking projection parameter related to the cooking process to be presented by the computing device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein causing a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process to be presented by the computing device comprises sending data to the computing device over a data channel.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits comprises receiving, via a user interface that includes a numeric keypad viewable on a display of the computing device, a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits comprises receiving a numerical value over at least one of a plurality of redundant wireless communication interfaces.

13. A method of operation in a processor-based food preparation control system, the method comprising:

causing, by at least one processor, a prompt to be provided on a computing device, the prompt indicating a request for a numerical value corresponding to a cooking temperature setting for a cooking appliance without requiring specification of a temperature scale for the cooking temperature setting;

receiving, by the at least one processor via a user interface of the computing device, a first numerical digit of a numerical value;

determining, by the at least one processor, whether the temperature scale for the numerical value is determinable based on the first numerical digit;

in response to determining the temperature scale for the numerical value is determinable based on the first numerical digit, causing, by the at least one processor, an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device;

receiving, by the at least one processor via the user interface of the computing device, a second numerical digit of the numerical value;

in response to determining the temperature scale for the numerical value is not determinable based on the first numerical digit, determining, by the at least one processor, the temperature scale for the numerical value based at least in part on the received first and second numerical digits of the numerical value;

causing, by the at least one processor, an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device; and

determining, by the at least one processor, the cooking temperature setting based on the numerical value and the determined temperature scale; and

controlling, by the at least one processor, the cooking appliance based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting,

wherein the cooking appliance is configured to automatically cook a food product based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting.

14. A processor-based food preparation control system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and which stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at least one processor;

causes a prompt to be provided on a computing device, the prompt indicating a request for a numerical value corresponding to a cooking temperature setting for a cooking appliance without requiring specification of a temperature scale for the cooking temperature setting;

receives, via a user interface of the computing device, a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits;

determines a temperature scale for the received numerical value based at least in part on at least one of the numerical digits of the numerical value and based at least in part on at least one characteristic of the cooking appliance; and

determines the cooking temperature setting based on the received numerical value and the determined temperature scale; and

controls the cooking appliance based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting,

wherein the cooking appliance is configured to automatically cook a food product based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting.

15. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

determines a temperature scale for the received numerical value prior to receiving all of the plurality of numerical digits of the numerical value.

16. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

causes an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device.

17. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 16 wherein the at least one processor:

causes an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device prior to receipt of all of the plurality of numerical digits of the numerical value.

18. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

determines a temperature scale for the received numerical value based on an expected range of temperature values for the cooking temperature setting for the cooking appliance.

19. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

causes a prompt to be provided on a display of the cooking appliance.

20. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

causes a prompt to be provided on a display of a client computing device communicatively coupled to the cooking appliance.

21. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

obtains at least one parameter measurement indicative of a characteristic of a cooking process during the controlling of the cooking appliance; and

determines a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process based at least in part on the obtained at least one parameter measurement.

22. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 21 wherein the at least one processor:

determines an estimated time until a temperature of the cooking appliance reaches the determined cooking temperature setting; and

causes the cooking projection parameter related to the cooking process to be presented by the computing device.

23. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 22 wherein the at least one processor:

sends data to the computing device over a data channel.

24. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

receives, via a user interface that includes a numeric keypad viewable on a display of the computing device, a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits.

25. The processor-based food preparation control system of claim 14 wherein the at least one processor:

receives a numerical value that includes a plurality of numerical digits over at least one of a plurality of redundant wireless communication interfaces.

26. A processor-based food preparation control system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and which stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at least one processor;

causes a prompt to be provided on a computing device, the prompt indicating a request for a numerical value corresponding to a cooking temperature setting for a cooking appliance without requiring specification of a temperature scale for the cooking temperature setting;

receives, via a user interface of the computing device, a first numerical digit of a numerical value;

determines whether the temperature scale for the numerical value is determinable based on the first numerical digit;

in response to a determination that the temperature scale for the numerical value is determinable based on the first numerical digit, causes an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device;

receives, via the user interface of the computing device, a second numerical digit of the numerical value;

in response to a determination that the temperature scale for the numerical value is not determinable based on the first numerical digit, determines the temperature scale for the numerical value based at least in part on the received first and second numerical digits of the numerical value;

causes an indication of the determined temperature scale to be presented by the computing device; and

determines the cooking temperature setting based on the received numerical value and the determined temperature scale; and

controls the cooking appliance based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting,

wherein the cooking appliance is configured to automatically cook a food product based at least in part on the determined cooking temperature setting.