Rapid cooking oven with broadband communication capability to increase ease of use

• US 7,493,362 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TurboChef Technologies Incorporated (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TurboChef Technologies Incorporated (Middleby Corporation)
• Inventors: Connell, Bryan, Bogatin, Jeffrey, Caron, Richard, Pryor, Carl, McFadden, David, Pool, James K. III
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US11/486,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-208, 709223-229, 700/83, 700/90, 700/211, 219391-393, 219/702
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/325 electrically-heated
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/666 Safety circuits emergency protective circuits in general H02H
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/687 for cooking

Abstract

An improved oven for use in a residence is described. The oven includes a cooking chamber, a programmable controller for executing program instructions, memory media for recording executable program instructions, and at least one controllable cooking system under control of the programmable controller, which provides a data-processing-controlled high speed cooking process which may be applied to food placed in the oven chamber. A plurality of cooking programs are recorded in the memory media of the oven. These define a plurality of high speed cooking routines available for use with the oven. A gateway server is communicatively coupled to the programmable controller. It manages the communication of digital content which is at least in-part related to operation and utilization of the improved oven. A broadband communication channel extends from a source of digital content, which is external to the residence, to the residence. The broadband communication channel delivers particular digital content related to the oven through the gateway server for distribution within the residence, including distribution to the programmable controller of the oven in order to facilitate cooking operations utilizing the oven.

Claims

1. A communications network comprising:

a. one or more high speed ovens capable of combining hot air impingement cooking and microwave cooking comprising;

i. memory media for storing cooking programs divided into a predetermined duration of states in a cooking cycle which are capable of running for a predetermined percentage of a total cook time; and

ii. defined high speed cooking routines for alternating hot air impingement cooking and microwave cooking at fixed increments of capacity for a predetermined time; and

b. at least one service provider capable of communicating with said one or more high speed ovens via said communications network, wherein said at least one service provider comprises a plurality of aggregated content databases for providing content from said at least one service provider to said one or more high speed ovens.

2. The communications network of claim 1, further comprising a gateway appliance for providing wireless communication with said one or more high speed ovens and said at least one service provider.

3. The communications network of claim 2, wherein said gateway appliance further comprises a wireless transceiver for communication with a wireless communications appliance.

4. The communications network of claim 3, wherein said wireless communications appliance comprises a graphical user interface capable of communicating information to a user.

5. The communications network of claim 2, wherein said gateway appliance comprises a graphical user interface capable of communicating information to a user.

6. The communications network of claim 3, wherein said one or more high speed ovens further comprises a wireless transceiver for communication with said wireless communications appliance.

7. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said high speed oven is within a residence.

8. The communications network of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of household subsystems, wherein said plurality of household subsystems is selected from a group consisting of a cupboard, a pantry, a library, and a kitchen.

9. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said plurality of aggregated content databases comprises databases selected from the group consisting of:

a recipe database;

a cook setting database;

a tutor system database;

a nutrition database;

a multimedia library database;

a kitchen inventory database;

a service database; and

an online store database.

10. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said service provider provides said content from said plurality of aggregated content databases to said one or more high speed ovens on a fee basis.

11. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said at least one service provider further comprises a plurality of communication services, said plurality of communication services being capable of being provided to a user associated with said one or more high speed ovens.

12. The communications network of claim 11, wherein said communication services comprise services selected from the group consisting of an e-mail service, a calendaring service, an address book service, and a messaging service.

13. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said at least one service provider further comprises at least one affiliated goods provider, said at least one affiliated goods provider being capable of being provided to a user associated with said one or more high speed ovens.

14. The communications network of claim 13, wherein said at least one affiliated goods provider further comprises at least one specialty service affiliate.

15. The communications network of claim 14, wherein said at least one specialty service affiliate comprises an affiliate selected from the group consisting of a medical doctor and a nutrition consultant.

16. A communications network comprising:

a. means for providing one or more high speed ovens capable of combining hot air impingement cooking and microwave cooking;

the high speed oven further comprising;

i. memory media for storing cooking programs divided into a predetermined duration of states in a cooking cycle which are capable of running for a predetermined percentage of a total cook time; and

ii. defined high speed cooking routines for alternating hot air impingement cooking and microwave cooking at fixed increments of capacity for a predetermined time; and

b. means for providing at least one service provider capable of communicating with said one or more high speed ovens via said communications network,

wherein said at least one service provider comprises a plurality of aggregated content databases for providing content from said at least one service provider to said one or more high speed ovens.