Decoding a custom cooking program

• US 10,009,963 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sebastian Thrun
• Original Assignee: Silicon Valley Factory LLC
• Inventors: Thrun, Sebastian, St. Martin, David, Kani, Arash
• Primary Examiner(s): Van, Quang
• Application Number:
  US15/489,476
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 219705, 219506, 219679, 219494, 219412, 219492, 219682, 219708, 219497, 219714, 219680, 219681, 99342, 99421 H, 99325, 99332, 99326, 99329, 99333
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6441 allowing the input of coded operation instructions, e.g. bar code reader
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/687 for cooking

Abstract

In various embodiments, a method of decoding a custom cooking program includes using a tag reader to read heating instruction data encoded in an electronic tag, determining heating phases based on the read heating instruction data, and automatically controlling a heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using a tag reader to read heating instruction data encoded in an electronic tag;

determining, by a processor, heating phases based on the read heating instruction data;

automatically controlling a heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases, wherein the heating apparatus includes a plurality of cooking devices each configured to execute heating phases; and

executing a heating phase of the determined heating phases such that the heating phase terminates in a coordinated manner with respect to a heating phase executed by at least one other heating apparatus, wherein a heating phase executed by a first cooking device terminates in a coordinated manner with a heating phase executed by a second cooking device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating apparatus includes an electromagnetic source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reading the heating instruction data includes scanning the electronic tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic tag is an RFID tag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating instruction data includes a link to instructions stored in a remote server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined heating phases include at least one of:

a number phases, a duration of each of the phases, and an energy level of each of the phases.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the determined heating phases in a manner determined to cause the heating apparatus and the at least one other heating apparatus to complete cooking at substantially the same time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the determined heating phases in a manner determined to cause the heating apparatus and the at least one other heating apparatus to complete cooking at pre-defined different times.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input during a cooking process; and

modifying the determined heating phases based on the received user input.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input during a cooking process; and

delaying one of the determined heating phases based on the received user input.

11. A system comprising:

a tag reader configured to read heating instruction data encoded in an electronic tag;

a processor configured to;

determine heating phases based on the read heating instruction data;

automatically control a heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases, wherein the heating apparatus includes a plurality of cooking devices each configured to execute heating phases; and

execute a heating phase of the determined heating phases such that the heating phase terminates in a coordinated manner with respect to a heating phase executed by at least one other heating apparatus, wherein a heating phase executed by a first cooking device terminates in a coordinated manner with a heating phase executed by a second cooking device; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the determined heating phases include at least one of:

a number phases, a duration of each of the phases, and an energy level of each of the phases.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the determined heating phases in a manner determined to coordinate with at least one other heating apparatus.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the execution of the determined heating phases includes execution in a manner determined to cause the heating apparatus and the at least one other heating apparatus to complete cooking at substantially the same time.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the execution of the determined heating phases includes execution in a manner determined to cause the heating apparatus and the at least one other heating apparatus to complete cooking at pre-defined different times.

16. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

using a tag reader to read heating instruction data encoded in an electronic tag;

determining, by a processor, heating phases based on the read heating instruction data;

automatically controlling a heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases, wherein the heating apparatus includes a plurality of cooking devices each configured to execute heating phases; and

executing a heating phase of the determined heating phases such that the heating phase terminates in a coordinated manner with respect to a heating phase executed by at least one other heating apparatus, wherein a heating phase executed by a first cooking device terminates in a coordinated manner with a heating phase executed by a second cooking device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the determined heating phases include at least one of:

a number phases, a duration of each of the phases, and an energy level of each of the phases.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to execute the determined heating phases in a manner determined to coordinate with at least one other heating apparatus.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the execution of the determined heating phases includes execution in a manner determined to cause the heating apparatus and the at least one other heating apparatus to complete cooking at substantially the same time.