ANALYTICS-BASED DESIGN AND PLANNING OF CREATIVE MENUS

• US 20150161912A1
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhattacharjya, Debarun, Pinel, Florian, Varshney, Lav R.
• Application Number:
  US14/564,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20150161912A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/34095 Details of apparatus for generating or regenerating gases
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/16 using chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/90 Odorous compounds not provided for in groups B01D2257/00 - B01D2257/708
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2207 Use of data, i.e. barcodes, 3D codes or similar type of tagging information, as instruction or identification codes for controlling the computer programs, e.g. for manipulation, handling, production or compounding in mixing plants B01F33/848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/025 Gas chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/8809 analysis specially adapted for the sample
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/88 Integrated analysis systems specially adapted therefor, not covered by a single one of the groups G01N30/04 - G01N30/86
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/11 for solving equations , e.g. nonlinear equations, general mathematical optimization problems optimization specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/16 Matrix or vector computation , e.g. matrix-matrix or matrix-vector multiplication, matrix factorization matrix transposition G06F7/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0092 Nutrition
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 : relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method for analytics-based design and planning of creative menus. A method for designing and planning a menu, wherein the menu comprises at least one dish comprising a set of ingredients prepared according to a recipe includes obtaining a user-specified ingredient that must be included in the menu, obtaining a user-specified criterion that must be satisfied by the menu, automatically formulating an optimization problem that evaluates a plurality of potential dishes for inclusion in the menu by optimizing over the user-specified criterion, and automatically selecting the at least one dish from among the plurality of potential dishes, wherein the automatically selecting is performed based at least in part on a solution to the optimization problem, and wherein the at least one dish includes the user-specified ingredient.

Claims

1. A method for designing and planning a menu, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of dishes, and each dish in the plurality of dishes comprises a set of ingredients prepared according to a recipe, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a processor, a user-specified ingredient that must be included in the menu;

obtaining, by the processor, a user-specified criterion that must be satisfied by the menu;

automatically formulating, by the processor, an optimization problem that evaluates a plurality of potential dishes for inclusion in the menu by optimizing over the user-specified criterion; and

automatically selecting, by the processor, the plurality of dishes from among the plurality of potential dishes, wherein the automatically selecting is performed based at least in part on a solution to the optimization problem, and wherein at least one dish in the plurality of dishes includes the user-specified ingredient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specified criterion is a type of cuisine that must be included in the menu.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specified criterion is an attribute that must be maximized in the menu.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the attribute is novelty of the menu.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the attribute is variety of the menu.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of potential dishes includes dishes that satisfy the user-specified criterion and contain the user-specified ingredient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization problem comprises a weighted linear function of scores including a score for the user-specified criterion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the optimization problem additionally attempts to satisfy a constraint on the menu.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the constraint is user-specified.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the constraint relates to a nutritional requirement of the menu.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the constraint is an availability of a resource required to prepare the menu.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein at least the score for the user-specified criterion is generated in accordance with an assessment model.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the assessment model is built using data from a plurality of recipes.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the assessment model is built using data from a plurality of expert opinions relating at least to the user-specified criterion.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the assessment model is built using data from a plurality of interviews relating at least to resource and facility availability.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically designing, by the processor, a work plan, wherein the work plan specifies a schedule of tasks for preparation of the menu.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the work plan accounts for resources and facilities available for use in the preparation of the menu.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the work plan accounts for a time constraint on the preparation of the menu.

19. A device for designing and planning a menu, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of dishes, and each dish in the plurality of dishes comprises a set of ingredients prepared according to a recipe, the device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

obtaining a user-specified ingredient that must be included in the menu;

obtaining a user-specified criterion that must be satisfied by the menu;

automatically formulating an optimization problem that evaluates a plurality of potential dishes for inclusion in the menu by optimizing over the user-specified criterion; and

automatically selecting the plurality of dishes from among the plurality of potential dishes, wherein the automatically selecting is performed based at least in part on a solution to the optimization problem, and wherein at least one dish in the plurality of dishes includes the user-specified ingredient.

20. A system for designing and planning a menu, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of dishes, and each dish in the plurality of dishes comprises a set of ingredients prepared according to a recipe, the system comprising:

a database storing recipes for a plurality of potential dishes; and

an application server for automatically selecting the plurality of dishes from among the plurality of potential dishes, wherein the automatically selecting is performed by automatically evaluating the plurality of dishes by optimizing over a user-specified criterion, wherein the plurality of dishes includes at least one dish that includes a user-specified ingredient.