Oven system with automated customer messages

• US 7,094,995 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Mills, Nigel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, TU BA
• Application Number:
  US10/918,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20060032845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 219/492, 219/497, 219/506, 219/702, 219/714, 340/384.5, 340/384.71, 340/692, 340/286.09, 700/90, 700/300, 700/83, 993/30, 993/32, 348/61, 348/135, 348/156, 705/27, 704/272
• US Class Current: 219/492
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6435 Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

In an in-store oven system audible customer messages are automatically generated based upon a food product cooked in an oven within the store.

Claims

1. An in-store oven system with automated customer messaging, comprising:

an oven including a chamber for cooking food products, the oven located in a first department of a store;

a controller for running a cooking cycle of the oven;

an audio system including at least one speaker positioned remotely from the oven in a second department of the store for providing audio messages to customers in the store;

wherein based upon communication with the controller the audio system identifies an audio customer message and automatically outputs the audio customer message based upon cooking cycle completion.

2. The oven system of claim 1 wherein the audio system includes a computer located remotely from the oven, the computer stores multiple sound files for a corresponding multiplicity of food products, the computer identifies a sound file containing the audio customer message based upon information indicative of food product being cooked.

3. The oven system of claim 2 wherein the information indicative of food product being cooked is information identifying a specific cooking cycle of the oven.

4. The oven system of claim 1 wherein the audio system includes a computer located remotely from the oven, the computer stores multiple sound files for a corresponding multiplicity of food products, the computer identifies a sound file containing the audio customer message based upon a network address of the oven.

5. The oven system of claim 1 wherein the audio system includes a delay feature such that the audio customer message is output a certain time period after cooking cycle completion.

6. The oven system of claim 5 wherein the certain time period is dependent upon the food product.

7. The oven system of claim 5 wherein the audio customer message is a message advising customers of the availability of the food product.

8. The oven system of claim 7 wherein the audio customer message further advises customers of a coupon offer associated with the food product.

9. The oven system of claim 1 wherein the controller sends both a cooking cycle identifying signal and a cooking cycle complete signal to the audio system.

10. An automated method of marketing cooked food products in a store, comprising:

storing a plurality of audio customer messages;

receiving at a computer a signal indicative of a food product cooked by an oven in the store;

the computer automatically effects audible output of one of the audio customer messages based upon the received signal, where the audio customer message is output on at least one speaker in the store and the audio customer message advises customers of the food product cooked by the oven, and the audio customer message is delayed a certain time period after completion of a cooking cycle for the food product.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the computer receives a signal indicative of completion of the cooking cycle for the food product and the certain time period runs from receipt of the signal.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the delay is at least twenty minutes.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the delay is at least twenty-five minutes.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the oven is a rack oven located in a bakery section of the store and primarily used for producing fresh baked goods.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the oven is a rotisserie oven located in a deli or meat department of the store and the at least one speaker is located in a different department of the store.

16. An automated method of marketing food products in a store, comprising:

automatically identifying completion of a cooking cycle for a specific food product;

automatically outputting an audible customer message in the store, the audible customer message corresponding to the specific food product and advising customers of the availability of the specific food product in a section of the store.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the audible customer message further advises customers of a coupon offer associated with the specific food product.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein output of the audible customer message is delayed by at least fifteen minutes after completion of the cooking cycle.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein output of the audible customer message is delayed by at least twenty minutes after completion of the cooking cycle.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein output of the audible customer message is delayed by at least twenty-five minutes after completion of the cooking cycle.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the oven is a rack oven located in a bakery section of the store, the cooking cycle is a baking cycle and the specific food product is a baked good.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the oven is a rotisserie oven located in a meat or deli department of the store.

23. An in-store oven system with automated customer messaging, comprising:

an oven including a chamber for cooking food products;

a controller for running an operator selected cooking cycle of the oven;

an audio system including at least one speaker positioned for providing audio messages to customers in the store;

wherein the controller cooperates with the audio system such that the audio system automatically outputs an audio customer message selected based at least in part upon identity of a particular food product cooked in the oven based upon cooking cycle completion.

24. The oven system of claim 23 wherein the audio system includes a computer located remotely from the oven, the computer stores multiple sound files for a corresponding multiplicity of food products, the computer retrieves a sound file containing the audio customer message based upon information received from the oven controller, which information is indicative of the identity of the particular food product.

25. The oven system of claim 23 wherein the system includes a delay feature such that the audio customer message is output a certain time period after cooking cycle completion.

26. The oven system of claim 23 wherein the audio customer message is a message advising customers of the availability of the particular food product.

27. The oven system of claim 26 wherein the audio customer message further advises customers of a coupon offer associated with the particular food product.

28. The oven system of claim 23 wherein the audio system includes a message queing functionality.

29. The oven system of claim 23, further comprising a visual output device that is triggered when the audio customer message is output.