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

• US 20090259689A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grigsby, Travis M., Do, Lydia Mai, Seacat, Lisa Anne, Nesbitt, Pamela Ann
• Granted Patent: US 8,342,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

A way of delivering recipe preparation instruction to disabled individuals is provided using an interactive cooking preparation device. The device retrieves an instruction delivery preference that corresponds to a user with a disability, such as a hearing or sight disability. The user then selects a recipe from list of recipes. Preparation steps that correspond to the selected recipe are retrieved from a data store, such as a database. The retrieved preparation steps are provided to the user using the interactive cooking preparation device that provides the preparation steps in an alternative delivery mode based on the user'"'"'s delivery preference.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving an instruction delivery preference corresponding to a user with a disability, the instruction delivery preference received by an interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting, by the user, a recipe from a plurality of recipes;

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

providing the plurality of preparation steps to the user using the interactive cooking preparation device to provide the preparation steps in an alternative delivery mode based on the retrieved instruction delivery preference.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the disability is a hearing disability and the method further comprises:

retrieving a multimedia content corresponding to one or more of the preparation steps;

retrieving a subtitles text content that corresponds to the retrieved multimedia content; and

displaying the multimedia content and the subtitles text content on a display device included in the interactive cooking preparation device.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal display surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps; and

visually highlighting the location of the horizontal display surface of the interactive cooking preparation device that corresponds to the selected item.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and the method further comprises:

retrieving an auditory content corresponding to one or more of the preparation steps; and

playing the auditory content on a speaker that is connected to the interactive cooking preparation device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and the method further comprises:

retrieving one or more Braille instructions that correspond to one or more of the preparation steps; and

transmitting the retrieved Braille instructions to a Braille output area included in the interactive cooking preparation device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and the method further comprises:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps; and

vibrating the location of the horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device that corresponds to the selected item using one or more actuators located underneath the horizontal surface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and the method further comprises:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps, the selected item being in a selected location; and

triggering one or more sets of actuators located underneath the horizontal surface and outside of the selected location to generate a tactile sensation of rolling towards the selected location of the horizontal surface in order to provide the user towards the selected location.

16. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the disability is a hearing disability and further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving a multimedia content corresponding to one or more of the preparation steps;

retrieving a subtitles text content that corresponds to the retrieved multimedia content; and

displaying the multimedia content and the subtitles text content on a display device included in the interactive cooking preparation device.

17. The computer program product of claim 2 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal display surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps; and

visually highlighting the location of the horizontal display surface of the interactive cooking preparation device that corresponds to the selected item.

18. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving an auditory content corresponding to one or more of the preparation steps; and

playing the auditory content on a speaker that is connected to the interactive cooking preparation device.

19. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving one or more Braille instructions that correspond to one or more of the preparation steps; and

transmitting the retrieved Braille instructions to a Braille output area included in the interactive cooking preparation device.

20. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the disability is a sight disability and further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps; and

vibrating the location of the horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device that corresponds to the selected item using one or more actuators located underneath the horizontal surface.

8. An information handling system that is an interactive cooking preparation device, the information handling system comprising:

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;

a recipe data store stored on the nonvolatile storage device; and

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

retrieving an instruction delivery preference corresponding to a user with a disability;

selecting, by the user, a recipe from a plurality of recipes stored in the recipe data store;

retrieving, from a data store stored on the nonvolatile storage device, a plurality of preparation steps corresponding to the selected recipe; and

providing the plurality of preparation steps to the user using the interactive cooking preparation device to provide the preparation steps in an alternative delivery mode based on the retrieved instruction delivery preference.

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

retrieving a multimedia content corresponding to one or more of the preparation steps;

retrieving a subtitles text content that corresponds to the retrieved multimedia content; and

displaying the multimedia content and the subtitles text content on a display device included in the interactive cooking preparation device.

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

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal display surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps; and

visually highlighting the location of the horizontal display surface of the interactive cooking preparation device that corresponds to the selected item.

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

retrieving an auditory content corresponding to one or more of the preparation steps; and

playing the auditory content on a speaker that is connected to the interactive cooking preparation device.

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

retrieving one or more Braille instructions that correspond to one or more of the preparation steps; and

transmitting the retrieved Braille instructions to a Braille output area included in the interactive cooking preparation device.

13. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the disability is a sight disability and wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps; and

vibrating the location of the horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device that corresponds to the selected item using one or more actuators located underneath the horizontal surface.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the disability is a sight disability and wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

identifying a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of items used during the preparation steps, wherein the plurality of locations are included in a horizontal surface of the interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting one of the plurality of items is included in a current preparation step of the plurality of preparation steps, the selected item being in a selected location; and

triggering one or more sets of actuators located underneath the horizontal surface and outside of the selected location to generate a tactile sensation of rolling towards the selected location of the horizontal surface in order to provide the user towards the selected location.

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:

retrieving an instruction delivery preference corresponding to a user with a disability, the instruction delivery preference received by an interactive cooking preparation device;

selecting, by the user, a recipe from a plurality of recipes;

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

providing the plurality of preparation steps to the user using the interactive cooking preparation device to provide the preparation steps in an alternative delivery mode based on the retrieved instruction delivery preference.