Interactive recipe preparation using instructive device with integrated actuators to provide tactile feedback

• US 20090259688A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grigsby, Travis M., Do, Lydia Mai, Seacat, Lisa Anne, Nesbitt, Pamela Ann
• Granted Patent: US 8,992,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B

Abstract

An interactive cooking preparation device is presented. The user places ingredients that the user wishes to use in a recipe. The interactive cooking preparation device detects the ingredients placed by the user in the detection area of the interactive cooking preparation device using sensors. The detection results in a set of ingredient identifiers that correspond to the placed ingredients. A recipes database is then searched for the detected set of ingredient identifiers. The database search results in one or more suggested recipes. The suggested recipes are displayed to the user on a display device that is included in the interactive cooking preparation device. The user then selects one of the suggested recipes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting a plurality of ingredients placed by a user in a detection area of an interactive cooking preparation device, the detecting performed using one or more sensors, and the detecting resulting in a plurality of ingredient identifiers corresponding to the plurality of placed ingredients;

searching one or more recipes databases for the detected plurality of ingredient identifiers, the searching resulting in one or more suggested recipes;

displaying the one or more suggested recipes to the user on a display device included in the interactive cooking preparation device; and

receiving, from the user, a selection corresponding to one of the displayed suggested recipes.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving one or more dietary profiles corresponding to one or more consumers;

comparing the dietary profiles to the suggested recipes; and

removing one or more recipes from the one or more suggested recipes based on the comparison, wherein the removing is performed prior to the displaying.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving one or more dietary profiles corresponding to one or more consumers, wherein one or more of the dietary profiles include one or more ingredient allergies;

comparing the plurality of placed ingredients to the retrieved ingredient allergies; and

alerting the user in response to any of the plurality of ingredients matching any of the placed ingredients.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a selection from a user, wherein the selection corresponds to one of the suggested recipes;

retrieving, from a data store, a plurality of preparation steps and a plurality of ingredients corresponding to the selected recipe;

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of retrieved preparation steps to the user on a horizontal surface display included in an interactive cooking preparation device;

monitoring, using one or more sensors, a current preparation step, selected from the plurality of retrieved preparation steps, the current preparation step being performed by the user;

retrieving, from the data store, one or more gestures that correspond to the current preparation step, and one or more thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures;

comparing the current preparation step being performed by the user the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds;

generating an alert when the comparison reveals a variance greater than one of the retrieved thresholds; and

providing a suggested course of correction to the user, wherein the suggested course of correction corresponds to the variance.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a list of one or more implements used to prepare the selected recipe;

comparing each of the one or more implements with an existing inventory of implements; and

informing the user, using the horizontal surface display, to place implements in the existing inventory that match one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe on a surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

after the informing, identifying one of the implements placed by the user on the surface area;

retrieving one or more implement condition thresholds from an implements data store;

detecting a condition of the identified implement;

analyzing the condition of the identified implement using the retrieved implement condition thresholds; and

alerting the user in response to the analysis revealing that the identified implement does not meet one or more of the retrieved implement condition thresholds.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the alerting further comprises:

retrieving a maintenance procedure multimedia content corresponding to the identified implement; and

presenting the maintenance procedure multimedia content to the user using the display device.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors;

a nonvolatile storage device accessible by at least one of the processors; and

a set of instructions which are loaded into the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

detecting a plurality of ingredients placed by a user in a detection area of an interactive cooking preparation device, the detecting performed using one or more sensors, and the detecting resulting in a plurality of ingredient identifiers corresponding to the plurality of placed ingredients;

one or more recipes databases for the detected plurality of ingredient identifiers, the searching resulting in one or more suggested recipes;

displaying the one or more suggested recipes to the user on a display device included in the interactive cooking preparation device; and

receiving, from the user, a selection corresponding to one of the displayed suggested recipes.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

retrieving one or more dietary profiles corresponding to one or more consumers;

comparing the dietary profiles to the suggested recipes; and

removing one or more recipes from the one or more suggested recipes based on the comparison, wherein the removing is performed prior to the displaying.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

retrieving one or more dietary profiles corresponding to one or more consumers, wherein one or more of the dietary profiles include one or more ingredient allergies;

comparing the plurality of placed ingredients to the retrieved ingredient allergies; and

alerting the user in response to any of the plurality of ingredients matching any of the placed ingredients.

11. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

receiving a selection from a user, wherein the selection corresponds to one of the suggested recipes;

retrieving, from a data store, a plurality of preparation steps and a plurality of ingredients corresponding to the selected recipe;

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of retrieved preparation steps to the user on a horizontal surface display included in an interactive cooking preparation device;

monitoring, using one or more sensors, a current preparation step, selected from the plurality of retrieved preparation steps, the current preparation step being performed by the user;

retrieving, from the data store, one or more gestures that correspond to the current preparation step, and one or more thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures;

comparing the current preparation step being performed by the user the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds;

generating an alert when the comparison reveals a variance greater than one of the retrieved thresholds; and

providing a suggested course of correction to the user, wherein the suggested course of correction corresponds to the variance.

12. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

retrieving a list of one or more implements used to prepare the selected recipe;

comparing each of the one or more implements with an existing inventory of implements; and

informing the user, using the horizontal surface display, to place implements in the existing inventory that match one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe on a surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device.

13. The information handling system of claim 12 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

after the informing, identifying one of the implements placed by the user on the surface area;

retrieving one or more implement condition thresholds from an implements data store;

detecting a condition of the identified implement;

analyzing the condition of the identified implement using the retrieved implement condition thresholds; and

alerting the user in response to the analysis revealing that the identified implement does not meet one or more of the retrieved implement condition thresholds.

14. The information handling system of claim 13 wherein the alerting further includes additional actions comprising:

retrieving a maintenance procedure multimedia content corresponding to the identified implement; and

presenting the maintenance procedure multimedia content to the user using the display device.

15. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

detecting a plurality of ingredients placed by a user in a detection area of an interactive cooking preparation device, the detecting performed using one or more sensors, and the detecting resulting in a plurality of ingredient identifiers corresponding to the plurality of placed ingredients;

one or more recipes databases for the detected plurality of ingredient identifiers, the searching resulting in one or more suggested recipes;

displaying the one or more suggested recipes to the user on a display device included in the interactive cooking preparation device; and

receiving, from the user, a selection corresponding to one of the displayed suggested recipes.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving one or more dietary profiles corresponding to one or more consumers;

comparing the dietary profiles to the suggested recipes; and

removing one or more recipes from the one or more suggested recipes based on the comparison, wherein the removing is performed prior to the displaying.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving one or more dietary profiles corresponding to one or more consumers, wherein one or more of the dietary profiles include one or more ingredient allergies;

comparing the plurality of placed ingredients to the retrieved ingredient allergies; and

alerting the user in response to any of the plurality of ingredients matching any of the placed ingredients.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

receiving a selection from a user, wherein the selection corresponds to one of the suggested recipes;

retrieving, from a data store, a plurality of preparation steps and a plurality of ingredients corresponding to the selected recipe;

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of retrieved preparation steps to the user on a horizontal surface display included in an interactive cooking preparation device;

monitoring, using one or more sensors, a current preparation step, selected from the plurality of retrieved preparation steps, the current preparation step being performed by the user;

retrieving, from the data store, one or more gestures that correspond to the current preparation step, and one or more thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures;

comparing the current preparation step being performed by the user the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds;

generating an alert when the comparison reveals a variance greater than one of the retrieved thresholds; and

providing a suggested course of correction to the user, wherein the suggested course of correction corresponds to the variance.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving a list of one or more implements used to prepare the selected recipe;

comparing each of the one or more implements with an existing inventory of implements; and

informing the user, using the horizontal surface display, to place implements in the existing inventory that match one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe on a surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

after the informing, identifying one of the implements placed by the user on the surface area;

retrieving one or more implement condition thresholds from an implements data store;

detecting a condition of the identified implement;

analyzing the condition of the identified implement using the retrieved implement condition thresholds; and

alerting the user in response to the analysis revealing that the identified implement does not meet one or more of the retrieved implement condition thresholds.