Control unit for a heating system with memory means

• US 4,841,125 A
• Filed: 06/23/1988
• Issued: 06/20/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Edamura, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US07/212,040
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 219/494, 219/492, 219/490, 219/508, 219/506, 219/10.55 B, 364/705, 364/710, 364/684, 364/400, 364/709, 235/435, 235/492, 426/243, 426/523
• US Class Current: 219/506
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6438 allowing the recording of a program of operation of the microwave heating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/66 Circuits

Abstract

A control unit for a heating system such as a microwave oven comprises a RAM into which cooking programs of many menus are transferred from one of a plurality of available external memory modules. Data related to the cooking programs are displayed in a display window sequentially or in small units and the user can operate input keys to select a desired menu. The number of times each menu has been selected is stored and can be displayed.

Claims

1. A control unit for a heating system comprising

a memory means having memory areas for storing data and cooking programs to be inputted thereto and outputted therefrom,

display means including a current program display window and a plurality of individual program display windows,

external memory means with memory modules for storing data to be loaded in said memory means,

control means serving to cause data stored in said memory means to be displayed by said display means,

program indicating means individually associated with said individual program display windows for specifying a program displayed in one of said individual program display windows,

menu entry means for causing said control means to store selected one or more of programs stored on said external memory,

means to be stored at specified one or more of said memory areas of said memory means,

menu call means for causing data associated with a program stored in said memory means and specified by said program indicating means to be displayed in said current program display window, and

starting means for causing said control means to start executing a program stored in said memory means and specified by said program indicating means and to display in said current program display window data associated with said program.

2. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said memory modules are selected from the group consisting of ROM modules, battery-backed RAM modules, IC cards and optical cards.

3. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said control means serves to cause data stored in said memory means to be partitioned into units and displayed by said display means in said units.

4. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said memory modules are individually removably attachable to said control unit.

5. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said control means further serves to cause said memory means to store count numbers of times said program indicating means have used specified programs, said control unit further comprising count calling means for causing said control means to display in said current program display window a specified one of said count numbers stored in said memory means.

6. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said control means is programmed to display an input requesting symbol in said display means to request one of said program indicating means to be selectively operated.

7. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said control means also serves to set a standard value to compare with the number of times a program recorded in said memory means has been used.

8. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said control means also serves to output a warning when one of the programs recorded in said memory means is selected if the number of times said selected program has been used is less than a standard value.

9. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said control means also serves to output after a predetermined monitoring period a message identifying those of programs recorded in said memory means which have been relatively unused.

10. The control unit of claim 6 wherein said control means also serves to output after a predetermined monitoring period a message if any of said programs has been unused.

11. A control unit for a heating system adapted to removably attach thereto a menu selection aid unit which comprises

a first memory for storing cooking programs and data individually associated to said cooking programs for different portions,

a display means,

questioning means for causing questions to be sequentially displayed on said display means for determining a type of cooking programs to be selected,

portion setting means for inputting a desired number of portions in response to a portion requesting question displayed on said display means,

a plurality of switch means for selectably inputting responses sequentially in response to questions sequentially displayed on said display means and thereby causing one or more recommended menus to be retrieved from said first memory means and displayed on said display means, said recommended menus being selected according to said desired number of portions inputted through said portion setting means and said responses inputted through said switch means,

modifying means for modifying one or more of said responses inputted through said switch means,

selecting means for selecting one of said recommended menus displayed on said display means,

reviewing means for causing data inclusive of ingredients associated with said selected menu selected by said selecting means to be displayed on said display means,

a counter means for counting the numbers of times said cooking programs have been used,

a second memory means for storing said numbers and cooking sequence data, and

a data transferring means for selectively causing said cooking sequence data from said aid unit to said control unit.

12. The control unit of claim 11 wherein each of said switch means comprises a linearly slidable operating piece and a plurality of discrete positions for said piece at which one of said displayed data can be selected.

13. The control unit of claim 11 wherein said questions include what should be the main ingredient, whether the time required to cook may be longer than a predetermined time length and what method of heating is intended.

15. The control unit of claim 11 further comprising referencing means for causing said control means to display in said display means reference data associated with the cooking program selected by said selecting means.

16. The control unit of claim 11 further comprising a counter which displays the number of times said searching means has been operated.

17. The control unit of claim 11 further comprising

warning means for displaying a warning signal corresponding individually to said groups,

frequency checking means for causing said control means to check the frequency number of times use has been made of a cooking program specified by said selecting means and to cause a warning signal to be displayed on one of said warning means corresponding to the group of said specified cooking program, depending on said checked frequency number of said specified program,

standard frequency setting means for transmitting to said control means a command to set for each of said groups a standard frequency value for the ratio between the number of programs used at least once and the total number of programs belonging to the group and to store said standard frequency value in said memory means, and

cleaning means for causing said standard frequency value stored in said memory means to be erased.

18. The control unit of claim 17 wherein said control means causes said warning signal to be displayed by said display means corresponding to a group, depending on whether said ratio for said group is larger or smaller than said standard frequency value.

14. A control unit for a heating system comprising

a control means,

memory means for storing data, said memory means having groups of memory areas each with an address,

display means for displaying data,

module access means for connecting said control unit with an external memory module means such that data related to cooking programs and stored on said memory module can be transferred into said memory means,

group specifying means for selectively specifying one of said groups,

loading means for causing said central processing means to transfer programs from an external memory module connected to said control means through said module access means into said memory means and to store said transferred programs individually and sequentially according to said addresses in those of said memory areas of the group specified by said group specifying means,

labels each associated with one of said group specifying means and describing said associated one of said groups,

searching means for causing said control means to sequentially display in said display means according to said addresses a set of a plural n-number of those of said cooking programs stored in those of said memory areas of a group specified by said group specifying means, and

selecting means for selecting one of said plural n-number of cooking programs displayed in said display means, said loading means further serving to transfer data related to the cooking program selected by said selecting means to a free space inside said memory means and said control means further serving in response to a start signal to execute the cooking program selected by said selecting means.