System and Method for Maintaining Recipe Ratios when Measuring Ingredients for Culinary Combinations

• US 20150351441A1
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perfect Company Limited (Perfect Resources (M) Sdn. Bhd.), Pure Imagination LLC
• Original Assignee: Perfect Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Wallace, Michael, Odom, Philip T., Richardson, Brian, Barri, Darin
• Granted Patent: US 9,772,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 35/00 Food or foodstuffs not provided for in groups A23L5/00 – A23L33/00; Preparation or treatment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/00 Apparatus for or methods of weighing material of special form or property determining weight by measuring volume G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/00 Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups electric measuring arrangements involving comparison with a reference value G01R17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/22 for apportioning materials by weighing prior to mixing them ratio regulation G05D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/40 with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight indicating means for weighing apparatus G01G23/18; recording means for weighing apparatus G01G23/18; computers in general G06
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/56 combined with handles of tools or household implements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/382 using universal interface adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip

Abstract

A system and method for assisting a user in assembling a culinary combination according to a recipe. The system comprises a scale and a computing device configured to communicate with the scale. The system displays information regarding ingredients of the recipe and displays a progress of assembling the culinary combination based on the information from the scale. In some embodiments, a bar graph is displayed with a bar proportional to the measured amount of an ingredient of the recipe compared to a target amount for the ingredient. In some embodiments, the system displays a build column of one or more recipe blocks, representing actions or ingredients of the recipe. An active recipe block is displayed with a portion of the recipe block displayed in a different manner in proportion to the measured amount of an ingredient of the recipe compared to a target amount for the ingredient.

Claims

1. A method for a computing device to assist a user in assembling a culinary combination according to a recipe, the recipe identifying one or more ingredients and one or more target amounts, each of the ingredients associated with one of the target amounts, the method comprising:

the computing device receiving real-time data from a scale;

the computing device determining a tared weight based on the real-time data, wherein the tared weight represents weight added to the scale since taring;

the computing device causing an electronic display to display one or more recipe blocks, including a first recipe block;

the computing device selecting the first recipe block as an active block, then selecting a first ingredient as an active ingredient, wherein the first ingredient is one of the one or more ingredients, then selecting a target amount for the first ingredient as the target amount for the active ingredient, and then taring the tared weight;

the computing device determining a measured amount of the active ingredient based on the tared weight; and

the computing device causing the electronic display to display real-time progress of the measured amount of the active ingredient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computing device de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block as the active block if the computing device determines the measured amount of the active ingredient is more than a lower threshold and less than an upper threshold followed by a period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, wherein the second recipe block is one of the one or more recipe blocks, wherein the lower threshold is lower than the target amount for the active ingredient, wherein the upper threshold is greater than the target amount for the active ingredient.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the upper threshold is closer to the target amount for the active ingredient than is the lower threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computing device causing the electric display to display an indication for the user to perform a first action, then the computing device performing a second action if the computing device determines the first action has occurred.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the first action comprises removing a container from the scale;

and

wherein the computing device determines the first action has occurred by determining the tared weight has decreased.

6. The method of claim 4,

wherein the first action comprises placing a container on the scale;

and

wherein the computing device determines the first action has occurred by determining the tared weight has increased followed by a period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computing device de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block from the one or more recipe blocks as the active block in response to receiving a command from the user;

wherein the one or more recipe blocks are in an order; and

wherein the second recipe block is selected out of the order.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving a command from the scale, the computing device de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block from the one or more recipe blocks as the active block.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computing device, after a first period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, recording a first ingredient event amount and associating the first ingredient event amount with the active ingredient, wherein the first ingredient event amount is the tared weight at a time the first ingredient event amount was recorded;

the computing device, after a second period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, recording a second ingredient event amount and associating the second ingredient event amount with the active ingredient wherein the second ingredient event amount is the tared weight at a time the second ingredient event amount was recorded minus the first ingredient event amount; and

wherein the computing device determining the measured amount of the active ingredient based on the tared weight further comprises the computing device determining the measured amount of the active ingredient as a sum of the first ingredient event amount and the second ingredient event amount.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the computing device transferring association, upon user command, of the second ingredient event amount from the active ingredient to a second ingredient, wherein the second ingredient is one of the one or more ingredients of the recipe.

11. A system for assisting a user in assembling a culinary combination according to a recipe, the recipe identifying one or more ingredients and one or more target amounts for the ingredients, each of the ingredients associated with one of the target amounts, the system comprising:

a scale; and

a computing device with an electronic display, wherein the computing device is configured for;

receiving real-time data from the scale,

determining a tared weight based on the real-time data, wherein the tared weight represents weight added to the scale since taring,

causing the electronic display to display one or more recipe blocks, including a first recipe block,

selecting the first recipe block as an active block, then selecting a first ingredient as an active ingredient, wherein the first ingredient is one of the one or more ingredients, then selecting a target amount for the first ingredient as the target amount for the active ingredient, and then taring the tared weight,

determining a measured amount of the active ingredient based on the tared weight; and

causing the electronic display to display real-time progress of the measured amount of the active ingredient.

12. The system of claim 11, the computing device further configured for:

de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block as the active block if the computing device determines the measured amount of the active ingredient is more than a lower threshold and less than an upper threshold followed by a period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, wherein the second recipe block is one of the one or more recipe blocks, wherein the lower threshold is lower than the target amount for the active ingredient, wherein the upper threshold is greater than the target amount for the active ingredient.

13. The system of claim 12,

wherein the upper threshold is closer to the target amount for the active ingredient than is the lower threshold.

14. The system of claim 11, the computing device further configured for:

causing the electric display to display an indication for the user to perform a first action, then performing a second action if the computing device determines the first action has occurred.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the first action comprises removing a container from the scale;

and

wherein the computing device determines the first action has occurred by determining the tared weight has decreased.

16. The system of claim 14,

wherein the first action comprises placing a container on the scale;

and

wherein the computing device determines the first action has occurred by determining the tared weight has increased followed by a period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change.

17. The system of claim 11, the computing device further configured for:

de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block from the one or more recipe blocks as the active block in response to receiving a command from the user;

wherein the one or more recipe blocks are in an order; and

wherein the second recipe block is selected out of the order.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

buttons on the scale configured for accepting user commands; and

the computing device, in response to receiving a command from the scale, de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block from the one or more recipe blocks as the active block.

19. The system of claim 11, the computing device further configured for:

after a first period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, recording a first ingredient event amount and associating the first ingredient event amount with the active ingredient, wherein the first ingredient event amount is the tared weight at a time the first ingredient event amount was recorded;

after a second period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, recording a second ingredient event amount and associating the second ingredient event amount with the active ingredient wherein the second ingredient event amount is the tared weight at a time the second ingredient event amount was recorded minus the first ingredient event amount; and

wherein determining the measured amount of the active ingredient based on the tared weight further comprises determining the measured amount of the active ingredient as a sum of the first ingredient event amount and the second ingredient event amount.

20. The system of claim 19, the computing device further configured for:

transferring association, upon user command, of the second ingredient event amount from the active ingredient to a second ingredient, wherein the second ingredient is one of the one or more ingredients of the recipe.

21. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps of a method for assisting a user in assembling a culinary combination according to a recipe, the recipe identifying one or more ingredients and one or more target amounts for the ingredients, the steps comprising:

receiving real-time data from a scale,

determining a tared weight based on the real-time data, wherein the tared weight represents weight added to the scale since taring,

causing an electronic display to display one or more recipe blocks, including a first recipe block,

selecting the first recipe block as an active block, then selecting a first ingredient as an active ingredient, wherein the first ingredient is one of the one or more ingredients, then selecting a target amount for the first ingredient as the target amount for the active ingredient, and then taring the tared weight,

determining a measured amount of the active ingredient based on the tared weight; and

causing the electronic display to display real-time progress of the measured amount of the active ingredient.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having stored thereon additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform additional steps comprising:

de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block as the active block if the measured amount of the active ingredient is more than a lower threshold and less than an upper threshold followed by a period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, wherein the second recipe block is one of the one or more recipe blocks, wherein the lower threshold is lower than the target amount for the active ingredient, wherein the upper threshold is greater than the target amount for the active ingredient.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22,

wherein the upper threshold is closer to the target amount for the active ingredient than is the lower threshold.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having stored thereon additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform additional steps comprising:

causing the electronic display to display an indication for the user to perform a first action, then performing a second action if the processor determines the first action has occurred.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24,

wherein the first action comprises removing a container from the scale;

and

wherein the process determines the first action has occurred by determining the tared weight has decreased.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24,

wherein the first action comprises placing a container on the scale;

and

wherein the processor determines the first action has occurred by determining the tared weight has increased followed by a period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having stored thereon additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform additional steps comprising:

de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block from the one or more recipe blocks as the active block in response to receiving a command from the user;

wherein the one or more recipe blocks are in an order; and

wherein the second recipe block is selected out of the order.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having stored thereon additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform additional steps comprising:

in response to receiving a command from the scale, de-selecting the first recipe block as the active block and selecting a second recipe block from the one or more recipe blocks as the active block.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having stored thereon additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform additional steps comprising:

after a first period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, recording a first ingredient event amount and associating the first ingredient event amount with the active ingredient, wherein the first ingredient event amount is the tared weight at a time the first ingredient event amount was recorded;

after a second period of inactivity during which the tared weight does not change, recording a second ingredient event amount and associating the second ingredient event amount with the active ingredient wherein the second ingredient event amount is the tared weight at a time the second ingredient event amount was recorded minus the first ingredient event amount; and

wherein determining the measured amount of the active ingredient based on the tared weight further comprises determining the measured amount of the active ingredient as a sum of the first ingredient event amount and the second ingredient event amount.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, having stored thereon additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform additional steps comprising:

transferring association, upon user command, of the second ingredient event amount from the active ingredient to a second ingredient, wherein the second ingredient is one of the one or more ingredients of the recipe.