Automatic refrigerator system, refrigerator, automatic cooking system, and microwave oven

• US 20050091996A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakano, Shigeru, Ishikawa, Toshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,060,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/126
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/14 of tags , labels, cards, coupons, decorations or the like B65D23/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/42 Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4233 Cards, coupons, labels or the like formed separately from the container or lid
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/24 Inserts or accessories added or incorporated during filling of containers opening devices B65D77/30
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/00 Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6441 allowing the input of coded operation instructions, e.g. bar code reader

Abstract

An automatic cold-storage system includes a food package (22) provided with a noncontact IC tag (11), and a refrigerator (31) for storing the food package (22). Information is read from the noncontact IC tag (11) by a noncontact IC tag reader (12) and is compiled to a database (31c). A managing means (31b) controls the refrigerator (31) on the basis of information contained in the database (31c). The managing means (31b) makes a display device (14) display a warning on the basis of information read by the noncontact IC tag reader (12).

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. An automatic cooking system comprising:

a food package provided with a noncontact IC tag storing information about a food contained in the food package, and

a microwave oven capable of containing the food package and of cooking the food of the food package;

wherein the microwave oven is provided with a reader for reading the information from the noncontact IC tag, and has a cooking means to cook the food of the food package under optimum cooking conditions on the basis of the information read from the noncontact IC tag by the reader.

18. The automatic cooking system according to claim 17, wherein

the microwave oven further includes a display device, and the cooking means makes the display device display a message that the food of the food package is not suitable for cooking when it is decided, on the basis of the information about the food recorded on the noncontact IC tag.

19. The automatic cooking system according to claim 17, wherein

the information about the food includes a method of heating the food and an amount of heat energy for cooking, and the cooking means cooks the food of the food package under optimum conditions determined on the basis of the information.

20. The automatic cooking system according to claim 19, wherein

the information about the amount of heat energy is expressed in form of absolute amount of heat energy, and the cooking means adjusts an absolute amount of heat energy to be provided by the microwave oven on the basis of this information.

21. The automatic cooking system according to claim 19, wherein

information about the amount of heat energy is represented in form of a symbol indicating a level of the absolute amount of heat energy, and the cooking means adjusts an absolute amount of heat energy to be provided by the microwave oven on the basis of this information.

22. A microwave oven for containing a food package provided with a noncontact IC tag storing information about a food contained in the food package, and cooking the food of the food package, said microwave oven comprising:

a reader for reading information recorded on the noncontact IC tag, and

a cooking means for cooking the food of the food package under optimum cooking conditions determined on the basis of the information read from the noncontact IC tag by the reader.

23. The microwave oven according to claim 22 further comprising a display device;

wherein the cooking means makes the display device display a message that the food of the food package is not suitable for cooking when it is decided, on the basis of the information about the food recorded on the noncontact IC tag.

24. The microwave oven according to claim 22, wherein

the information about the food includes a method of heating the food and an amount of heat energy for cooking, and the cooking means cooks the food of the food package under optimum conditions determined on the basis of the information.

25. The microwave oven according to claim 24, wherein

the information about the amount of heat energy is expressed in form of absolute amount of heat energy, and the cooking means adjusts an absolute amount of heat energy to be provided by the microwave oven on the basis of this information.

26. The microwave oven according to claim 24, wherein

information about the amount of heat energy is represented in form of a symbol indicating a level of the absolute amount of heat energy, and the cooking means adjusts an absolute amount of heat energy to be provided by the microwave oven on the basis of this information.