User-interactive refrigerator and control method thereof

• US 7,017,359 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Chang-nyeun, Hong, Gun-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US10/614,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20040035123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 621/25, 621/26, 621/27, 621/29, 621/30, 621/31, 621/61, 621/62, 621/63, 621/64, 236/51, 236/94, 700/215, 700/232, 700/236, 700/237, 700/244
• US Class Current: 62/127
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/04 Sensors detecting the presence of a person
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices

Abstract

A refrigerator having a cooling compartment provides a memory storing data about a user and data on food items stored in the cooling compartment; a user recognition device recognizing a present user; a controller reading the food item data corresponding to the user data relevant to the present user recognized by the user recognition device; and a display displaying the food item data read by controller. Thus, the refrigerator may be provided, which displays food item information appropriate to a user and reflecting the user'"'"'s taste, physical constitution and health condition.

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a cooling compartment comprising:

a memory storing user data about a user and food item data on food items stored in the cooling compartment;

a user recognition device recognizing a present user, wherein the user recognition device includes a biometric technology;

a controller reading the food item data corresponding to the user data relevant to the present user recognized by the user recognition device from the memory;

a display displaying the food item data read by the controller, and

a health information input device that includes at least one among a device measuring a pulse frequency of the present user, a device measuring a blood sugar level of the present user and a device measuring a weight of the present user.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the biometric technology is one of:

a finger-scan device, a facial-scan, and an iris-scan device.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the user data includes at least one of a list of food items that the present user prefers and data on a physical constitution data of the present user.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the physical constitution data includes a list of food items which are classified according to the physical constitution.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the user data further includes a list of food items which are classified according to the health condition.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a food item information input device inputting information data on the food items.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the food item information input device comprises a bar code reader reading a bar code on the food items stored in the cooling compartment.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising a food item information deleting device recognizing the food items which are taken out from the cooling compartment, wherein the controller deletes the food item data on the food items read by the food item information deleting device from the memory.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the food item information deleting device includes a bar code reader reading a bar code prepared on the food items.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the food item data includes at least one among a list of food items stored in the cooling compartment, a storage period, the number of each food item, a storage position, and a nutrient of each food item.

11. A user-interactive refrigerator having a cooling compartment comprising:

a user recognition device; and

a health information system, reading, storing and displaying health information of a present user and data on food items stored in the cooling compartment corresponding to the health information of the present user,

wherein the user recognition device includes a biometric technology,

wherein the health information of the present user includes at least one of;

a pulse frequency, a blood sugar level, and a body weight.

12. The user-interactive refrigerator according to claim 11 wherein the health information system comprises:

a controller reading the data on food items corresponding to the health information;

a memory storing the health information of the present user and the data on the food items; and

a display displaying the health information and the data on the food items read by the controller.

13. The user-interactive refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the health information system further includes:

a health information input device inputting health information of the user.

14. The user-interactive refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the health information system further includes:

a food item information input device inputting information data on the food items.

15. The user-interactive refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the food item information input device includes a bar code reader reading a bar code prepared on the food items stored in the cooling department.

16. The user-interactive refrigerator of claim 11 wherein the health information system further includes:

a food item information deleting device recognizing the food items which are taken out from the cooling compartment, wherein the controller deletes the food item data on the food items read by the food item information deleting device from the memory.

17. The user-interactive refrigerator of claim 11 wherein the data on the food items includes the health information of the food items corresponding to a health condition of the present user.

18. A user-interactive refrigerator having a cooling compartment comprising:

a biometric user recognition device; and

a health information device, reading, storing and displaying;

a pulse frequency, a blood sugar level, a body weight of a present user, or a combination of at least two thereof and corresponding stored food item data.