Conditioner with sensors for nutritional substances

• US 10,332,421 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2018
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iceberg International SARL
• Original Assignee: Iceberg International SARL
• Inventors: Minvielle, Eugenio
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Application Number:
  US15/893,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20180165985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 235375
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 10/00 Shaping or working of foodstuffs characterised by the products
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4146 for controlling caloric intake, e.g. diet control
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3707 using a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0001 by organoleptic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/021 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0092 Nutrition

Abstract

Nutritional substance systems and methods are disclosed enabling the tracking and communication of changes in nutritional, organoleptic, and aesthetic values of nutritional substances, and further enabling the adaptive storage and adaptive conditioning of nutritional substances.

Claims

1. A dynamic conditioning system for nutritional substances comprising:

an input panel, configured to receive input regarding a type of nutritional substance and a target Δ

N;

a database including a set of conditioning protocols referenced to the type of nutritional substance, wherein each one of the set of conditioning protocols comprises different amounts of different types of conditioning, wherein each type of conditioning is associated with a different Δ

N;

a sensor configured to detect an attribute of the nutritional substance and output sensor data related to the attribute; and

a controller configured to select one of the set of the conditioning protocols and adjust the conditioning protocol based on the sensor data and the target Δ

N, output a modified conditioning protocol, and adapt operation of the conditioning system responsive to the modified conditioning protocol for the type of nutritional substance and the sensor data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the different types of conditioning comprise at least one of:

bake, broil, convection, and microwave.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the different amounts of conditioning comprise different times or temperatures.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a probe temperature sensor.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor is a weight sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller periodically modifies the modified conditioning protocol based on sensor data detected periodically throughout conditioning of the nutritional substance.

8. A dynamic conditioning system for conditioning nutritional substances comprising:

an input panel configured to receive information regarding a type of nutritional substance and a target nutritional value;

an infrared temperature sensor positioned to sense a surface temperature of the nutritional substance and output sensor data;

one or more types of conditioners;

a database comprising a set conditioning protocols referenced to known types of nutritional substances, wherein each of the set of conditioning protocols comprise different amounts of different types of conditioning, wherein each type of conditioning is associated with a different Δ

N;

a memory with machine executable code;

a controller, comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to;

select one conditioning protocol from the set of conditioning protocols based on the target Δ

N;

adjust the one conditioning protocol based on the sensor data and the target Δ

N;

output a modified conditioning protocol; and

operate conditioning parameters of the one more types of conditioners based on the modified conditioning protocol and the sensor data.

9. The dynamic conditioning system of claim 8, wherein one of the target Δ

N is a maximum loss of vitamins.

10. The dynamic conditioning system of claim 8, wherein the target Δ

N comprises a combination of balancing a nutritional and organoleptic value preference.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the conditioning parameters comprise time of a type of conditioning and surface nutritional substance temperature.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the conditioning system further comprises a weight sensor configured to output weight data related to a weight of a nutritional substance inside the conditioning system and wherein the controller modifies the modified conditioning protocol based on the weight data by changing a time of a certain type of conditioning.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the target Δ

N comprises browning.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the weight sensor is integrated with the conditioning system to allow the weight sensors to output weight data during conditioning.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller periodically modifies the modified conditioning protocol based on the sensor data detected periodically throughout conditioning of the nutritional substance.