Decoding a custom cooking program

• US 10,839,175 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2018
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sebastian Thrun
• Original Assignee: Sebastian Thrun
• Inventors: Thrun, Sebastian, St. Martin, David, Kani, Arash
• Primary Examiner(s): Van, Quang T
• Application Number:
  US15/972,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20180302957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 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:

determining, by a processor, heating phases based on heating instruction data read from an electronic tag associated with a load to be heated;

automatically controlling a first heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases; and

automatically instructing a second heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases such that the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus terminate heating in a coordinated manner.

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

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating instruction data is read by 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, wherein the electronic tag stores heating instructions locally.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the first heating apparatus causes the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus to complete cooking at substantially the same time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the first heating apparatus causes the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus to complete cooking at pre-defined different times.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. A system comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive heating instruction data ready from an electronic tag; and

a processor configured to;

determine heating phases based on the heating instruction data; and

automatically control a first heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases; and

automatically instructing a second heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases such that the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus terminate heating in a coordinated manner.

13. The system of claim 12, 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.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the heating instruction data includes a link to instructions stored in a remote server.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the controlling the first heating apparatus causes the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus to complete cooking at substantially the same time.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the controlling the first heating apparatus causes the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus to complete cooking at pre-defined different times.

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

determining, by a processor, heating phases based on heating instruction data read from an electronic tag associated with a load to be heated;

automatically controlling a first heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases; and

automatically instructing a second heating apparatus to execute the determined heating phases such that the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus terminate heating in a coordinated manner.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the 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.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the controlling the first heating apparatus causes the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus to complete cooking at substantially the same time.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the controlling the first heating apparatus causes the first heating apparatus and the second heating apparatus to complete cooking at pre-defined different times.