APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR AT LEAST SEMI-AUTONOMOUS MEAL STORAGE AND COOKING VIA FLUID IMMERSION

• US 20170135383A1
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Tech Innovation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Home Tech Innovation, Inc.
• Inventors: Liss, Robin
• Granted Patent: US 10,440,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/068 with packages or with shaping in the form of blocks or portions
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/364 with packages or with shaping in form of blocks or portions
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/10 General methods of cooking foods, e.g. by roasting or frying
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/13 using water or steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/002 Construction of cooking-vessels; Methods or processes of manufacturing specially adapted for cooking-vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/18 heated by water-bath , e.g. pasta-cookers
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/00 Parts, details or accessories of cooking-vessels A47J27/00 - A47J33/00 take precedence insofar as these parts, details or accessories are restricted to a particular kind of cooking-vessel provided for in a single one of these groups
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/32 Time-controlled igniting mechanisms or alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device

Abstract

A method of using a fluid-immersion storage and cooking device having a thermal container that defines a first volume and a second volume includes disposing a first food item in the first volume. A second food item and a third food item are disposed in the second volume in a first position and a second position, respectively. A volume of fluid having a first temperature is circulated through the first volume to transfer thermal energy to the first food item. After a predetermined time, at least a portion of the volume of fluid is heated to a second temperature. A portion of the volume of fluid is conveyed to the second volume such that (1) the second food item is substantially submerged in the portion of the volume of fluid and (2) the third food item is disposed substantially outside of the portion of the volume of fluid.

Claims

1. A method of using a fluid-immersion storage and cooking device, the device including a thermal container defining a first volume and a second volume, the method comprising:

disposing a first food item in the first volume;

disposing a second food item in a first position within the second volume;

disposing a third food item in a second position within the second volume, the second position different from the first position;

circulating a volume of fluid through the first volume, the volume of fluid having a first temperature and being configured to transfer thermal energy to the first food item;

heating, after a predetermined time, at least a portion of the volume of fluid to a second temperature greater than the first temperature; and

conveying at least the portion of the volume of fluid to the second volume, the second food item being substantially submerged in the portion of the volume of fluid conveyed into the second volume, the third food item being disposed substantially outside of the volume of fluid conveyed into the second volume.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position within the second volume is below the second position within the second volume.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal container includes a thermally conductive wall, the thermally conductive wall defining a portion of the first volume and a portion of the second volume,

the conveying of the volume of fluid into the second volume filling the second volume to a fill height substantially below the wall.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is based on a cook time associated with the first food item.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined time is based on a cook time associated with the first food item, the second food item, and the third food item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes a controller, the controller configured to receive data associated with each food item when each food item is disposed in the thermal container.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first food item is disposed in a first food cartridge having a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag including data associated with the first food item.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second food item is disposed in a second food cartridge having a RFID tag including data associated with the second food item, and the third food item is disposed in a third food cartridge having a RFID tag including data associated with the third food item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a first amount of thermal energy is transferred to the first food item, a second amount of thermal energy less than the first amount is transferred to the second food item, and a third amount of thermal energy less than the second amount is transferred to the third food item.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

disposing a fourth food item in a third position within the second volume, the third position being different from the first position and the second position;

a fourth amount of thermal energy being less than the third amount of thermal energy is transferred to the fourth food item.

11. An apparatus, comprising;

a thermal container formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity, the thermal container having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion defining a first volume configured to receive a first food item, the second portion defining a second volume configured to receive a second food item and a third food item, the thermal container including a wall collectively defining a portion of the first volume and a portion of the second volume, the wall formed of a material having a relatively high thermal conductivity; and

a fluid circulation system in fluid communication with the first volume and the second volume, the fluid circulation system having a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration,

wherein, in the first configuration, the fluid circulation system is configured to circulate a volume of fluid having a first amount of thermal energy through the first volume,

wherein, in the second configuration, the fluid circulation system is configured to circulate the volume of fluid having a second amount of thermal energy through the first volume, the second amount of thermal energy being greater than the first amount of thermal energy, and

wherein, in the third configuration, the fluid circulation system is configured to (1) increase the thermal energy of the volume of fluid from the second amount of thermal energy to a third amount of thermal energy and (2) convey at least a portion of the volume of fluid having the third amount of thermal energy to the second volume.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first amount of thermal energy is operable in maintaining at least the first food item at a storage temperature, the storage temperature being below a temperature threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second amount of thermal energy is operable to cook the first food item substantially at a first cooking temperature and the third amount of thermal energy is operable to cook the second food item, and the third food item substantially at a second cooking temperature greater than the first cooking temperature.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wall has a height, the height of the wall being about one half of a height of at least one of the first portion or the second portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller in electronic communication with the fluid circulation system, the controller configured to transition the fluid circulation system between the first configuration, the second configuration, and the third configuration based at least in part on data associated with the first food item, the second food item, and the third food item.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first food item is disposed in a first food cartridge having a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag including data associated with the first food item, the second food item is disposed in a second food cartridge having a RFID tag including data associated with the second food item, and the third food item is disposed in a third food cartridge having a RFID tag including data associated with the third food item,

the first portion of the thermal container has an RFID reader configured to receive data from the RFID tag of the first food cartridge when disposed in the first volume, and the second portion of the thermal container has at least one RFID reader configured to receive data from at least one of the second food cartridge or the third food cartridge when the second food cartridge or the third food cartridge, respectively, are disposed in the second volume.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to detect a presence of one or more food cartridges disposed in the thermal container based on detecting a presence of one or more RFID tags.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the fluid circulation system includes a chiller assembly and a heater assembly, the fluid circulation system, when in the first configuration, is configured to (1) define a first fluid flow path defined between the chiller assembly and the first volume and (2) fluidically isolate the second volume from the first fluid flow path.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the fluid circulation system, when in the second configuration, is configured to (1) define a second fluid flow path defined between the heater assembly and the first volume and (2) fluidically isolate the first volume from the first fluid flow path, and (3) fluidically isolate the second volume from the second fluid flow path.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the fluid circulation system, when in the third configuration, is configured to (1) define a third fluid flow path defined between the first volume, the second volume, and the heater assembly and (2) convey at least a portion of the volume of fluid to the second volume.

21. A method of using a fluid-immersion storage and cooking device, the device including a thermal container defining a first volume and a second volume, the method comprising:

disposing a first food item in the first volume;

disposing a second food item in the second volume;

circulating a volume of fluid through the first volume, the volume of fluid having a temperature below a temperature threshold, the food item in the first volume being at least partially disposed in the volume of fluid to at least temporarily maintain a temperature of the food item below the temperature threshold;

transferring thermal energy from the second volume to the first volume via a thermally conductive wall disposed between a portion of the first volume and a portion of the second volume, a portion of the thermal energy being absorbed by the volume of fluid circulating through the first volume; and

removing thermal energy from the volume of fluid.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the food item disposed in the first volume is a protein.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the food item disposed in the second volume is at least one of a starch or a vegetable.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the temperature threshold is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the thermal container is formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the thermally conductive wall is formed of a material having a relatively high thermal conductivity, the thermal conductivity of the wall being greater than the thermal conductivity of the thermal container.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the thermally conductive wall has a height, the height of the wall being about one half of a height of at least one of the first volume or the second volume.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the device includes a fluid circulation system, the fluid circulation system is in fluid communication with the first volume and the second volume, the device has a first configuration in which the fluid circulation system includes a first fluid flow path between the first volume and a chiller assembly,

the fluid circulation system configured to circulate the volume of fluid through the first fluid flow path when the device is in the first configuration such that the chiller assembly removes thermal energy from the volume of fluid flowing therethrough to maintain the temperature of the volume of fluid below the temperature threshold.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the temperature threshold is a first temperature threshold, the device has a second configuration in which the fluid circulation system includes a second fluid flow path between the first volume and a heater assembly,

the fluid circulation system configured to circulate the volume of fluid through the second fluid flow path when the device is in the second configuration such that the heater assembly adds thermal energy to the volume of fluid flowing therethrough to increase the temperature of the volume of fluid substantially to a second temperature threshold greater than the first temperature threshold.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the device has a third configuration in which the fluid circulation system includes a third fluid flow path between the first volume, the second volume, and the heater assembly,

the fluid circulation system configured to circulate the volume of fluid through the third fluid flow path when the device is in the third configuration such that (1) the heater assembly adds thermal energy to the volume of fluid flowing therethrough to increase the temperature of the volume of fluid substantially to a third temperature threshold greater than the second temperature threshold and (2) the fluid circulation system conveys at least a portion of the volume of fluid being substantially at the third temperature threshold to the second volume.