Connected food preparation system and method of use

• US 9,644,847 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2016
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: June Life LLC
• Original Assignee: June Life, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhogal, Nikhil, Van Horn, Matthew, Park, Seunghoon, Sivalingam, Ravishankar, Clark, Christopher Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): SAVANI, AVINASH A
• Application Number:
  US15/147,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20160327279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 126 19 R, 126198, 126369
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/15 using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/17 in a gaseous atmosphere with forced air or gas circulation, in vacuum or under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0623 Small-size cooking ovens, i.e. defining an at least partially closed cooking cavity A47J37/0605 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0664 Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/008 Illumination for oven cavities
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 3/124 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/062 on stoves
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/085 on baking ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/087 of electric circuits regulating heat
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0263 Ovens

Abstract

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

Claims

1. A connected oven, comprising:

an oven body defining a cooking cavity, the oven body comprising an oven base opposing an oven top;

an oven door mounted to the oven body;

a heating element mounted proximal the oven top;

a camera defining a field of view, the camera mounted to the oven top with the field of view directed toward the oven base;

a first and second light emitting element mounted to the oven top, equidistant from the camera, the first and second light emitting element arranged on a first and second side of the camera, respectively, wherein the first and second light emitting elements comprise white light emitting elements, wherein surfaces of the oven body defining the cooking cavity comprise a low reflectance coating;

a user interface unit comprising;

a touchscreen overlaying a display, the user interface unit defining a broad face, the user interface unit mounted to the oven door and arranged with a normal vector to the broad face intersecting the cooking cavity;

a rotary knob mounted to the oven door, the rotary knob defining a rotary axis intersecting the cooking cavity; and

a processing system connected to the heating element, the camera, the first and second light emitting elements, and the user interface unit, the processing system mounted to the display, the processing system configured to;

automatically determine a classification for foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on an image recorded by the camera; and

automatically operate the heating element based on the classification.

2. The connected oven of claim 1, wherein the oven door comprises a first and second panel offset by an air gap, the first and second panel each comprise transparent windows coextensive with the cooking cavity, wherein a visual transmittance of the transparent windows are equal.

3. The connected oven of claim 2, wherein the user interface unit is mounted to the transparent window of the first panel.

4. The connected oven of claim 2, wherein the second panel is removably coupled to and offset from the first panel by a magnetic bezel, wherein the first panel is actuatably mounted to the oven body, wherein the user interface unit is mounted to the first panel offset from a coupling region for the magnetic bezel, and wherein the second panel is removably coupled to an interior surface of the first panel.

5. The connected oven of claim 1, wherein the first and second light emitting elements are individually indexed, wherein the processing system is configured to individually control the first and second light emitting elements.

6. The connected oven of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical connector mounted to a surface of the oven body defining the cooking cavity, the electrical connector connected to the processing system and configured to connect a temperature probe to the processing system;

a foot mounted to the oven base opposing the cooking cavity; and

a weight sensor arranged within the foot and connected to the processing system;

wherein the processing system is configured to automatically operate the heating element based on the classification, a weight recorded by the weight sensor, and a foodstuff temperature recorded by the temperature probe.

7. The connected oven of claim 1, further comprising:

a set of oven walls extending between the oven base and the oven top, wherein each oven wall comprises an interior and exterior wall; and

molded insulation arranged between the interior and exterior walls of each oven wall.

8. A connected oven, comprising:

an oven body defining a cooking cavity, the oven body comprising an oven base and an oven top;

an oven door mounted to the oven body, the oven door comprising a transparent window coextensive with the cooking cavity, the transparent window optically connecting an ambient environment with the cooking cavity;

an optical sensor defining a field of view, the optical sensor arranged along the oven top with the field of view directed toward the cooking cavity;

a heating element mounted proximal the optical sensor;

a user interface unit comprising a touchscreen overlaying a display, the user interface unit defining a broad face, the user interface unit mounted to the oven door and arranged with a normal vector to the broad face intersecting the cooking cavity; and

a processing system connected to the optical sensor, the heating element, and the user interface unit, the processing system configured to;

automatically determine a classification for foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on an image recorded by the optical sensor; and

automatically operate the heating element based on the classification.

9. The connected oven of claim 8, wherein the user interface unit further comprises a rotary knob mounted to the oven door and connected to the user interface unit, the rotary knob actuatable about a rotary axis and arranged with the rotary axis intersecting the cooking cavity.

10. The connected oven of claim 8, further comprising:

a foot mounted to the oven base opposing the cooking cavity; and

a weight sensor arranged between the foot and the oven base, the weight sensor connected to the processing system;

wherein the processing system is configured to automatically operate the heating element based on the classification and a measurement recorded by the weight sensor.

11. The connected oven of claim 8, wherein the optical sensor comprises a fisheye camera.

12. The connected oven of claim 11, further comprising a dedicated dewarping circuit connecting the fisheye camera to the processing system.

13. The connected oven of claim 8, further comprising an ambient light sensor connected to the processing system, and a first and second light emitting element arranged along the oven top, wherein the processing system is configured to control operation of the first and second light emitting elements based on ambient light measurements recorded by the ambient light sensor.

14. The connected oven of claim 8, wherein the oven door comprises a first and second panel offset by a gap, wherein the transparent window is defined by aligned transparent regions of the first and second panels, wherein the transparent regions have substantially the same visual transmittance.

15. The connected oven of claim 14, wherein the second panel is removably coupled to an interior surface of the first panel, wherein the first panel is actuatably mounted to the oven body, wherein the oven door comprises a magnetic element removably coupling the first panel to the second panel.

16. The connected oven of claim 14, wherein the user interface unit is mounted to the transparent region of the first panel, offset from a first panel edge.

17. The connected oven of claim 16, wherein the processing system defines a processing system normal vector, wherein the processing system is mounted to the display.

18. The connected oven of claim 17, further comprising a wireless communication module mounted to the processing system.