Monitoring recipe preparation using interactive cooking device

• US 8,419,433 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Do, Lydia Mai, Grigsby, Travis M., Nesbitt, Pamela Ann, Seacat, Lisa Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US12/103,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• Field of Search: 434/127, 219/385, 219/391
• US Class Current: 434/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

An interactive cooking device is provided. A user selects a recipe from a list of available recipes. Preparation steps corresponding to the selected recipe are retrieved from a data store along with a set of ingredients. The retrieved preparation steps are sequentially displaying to the user on a display that is included in the interactive cooking preparation device. The user'"'"'s preparation actions are monitored, using one or more sensors. Gestures that correspond to the current preparation step are retrieved from the data store along with thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures. The user'"'"'s actions are compared to the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds. If the user'"'"'s actions vary from the gestures by more than the thresholds, an alert is generated. The user is then provided with a suggested course of correction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

selecting, by a user, a recipe from a plurality of recipes;

retrieving, from a data store, a plurality of preparation steps and a plurality of ingredients corresponding to the selected recipe;

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of retrieved preparation steps to the user on a display included in an interactive cooking preparation device; and

monitoring, using one or more sensors, a current preparation step, selected from the plurality of retrieved preparation steps, the current preparation step being performed by the user, wherein the monitoring comprises;

retrieving, from the data store, one or more gestures that correspond to the current preparation step, and one or more thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures;

recording the user performing the current preparation step;

comparing the recorded current preparation step being performed by the user with the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds;

generating an alert when the comparison reveals a variance greater than one of the retrieved thresholds; and

providing a suggested course of correction to the user, wherein the suggested course of correction corresponds to the variance.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying an area of the interactive cooking preparation device where an ingredient selected from the plurality of ingredients should be placed by the user, wherein the display is a horizontal surface display;

detecting an ingredient placed by the user in the area of the interactive cooking preparation device using one or more sensors included in the interactive cooking preparation device;

comparing the placed ingredient with the selected ingredient; and

alerting the user in response to the comparison revealing that the placed ingredient is different than the selected ingredient.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a list of one or more implements used to prepare the selected recipe;

comparing each of the one or more implements with an existing inventory of implements;

informing the user, using the display, to place implements in the existing inventory that match one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe on a surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device; and

alerting the user to obtain at least one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe that do not match one of the implements in the existing inventory.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

detecting that one of the implements placed by the user on the surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device using one or more sensors included in the interactive cooking preparation device does not match the implement corresponding to the informing; and

alerting the user to retrieve and place a different implement on the surface area in response to the detecting, wherein the alerting includes displaying an image of the implement corresponding to the informing.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a current inventory of ingredients;

comparing the current inventory of ingredients with the plurality of ingredients that correspond to the selected recipe, wherein the comparing reveals that at least one ingredient in the selected recipe is not in the current inventory of ingredients; and

requesting that the user obtain the one or more ingredients that are in the selected recipe and not in the current inventory of ingredients.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a preparation time corresponding to the current preparation step from the data store;

detecting, using the sensors, that the user has commenced the current preparation step;

setting a timer prior to the preparation time in response to the detecting; and

alerting the user when the timer expires.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing the plurality of ingredients to a list of a plurality of unhealthy ingredients;

identifying at least one of the plurality of ingredients that matches one of the unhealthy ingredients;

retrieving one or more healthy alternative ingredients corresponding to the identified ingredient; and

displaying to the user a substitution suggestion to the user to substitute the identified ingredient with one of the retrieved healthy alternative ingredients.

8. An information handling system that is an interactive cooking preparation device, the information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors;

a display accessible by at least one of the processors;

a surface area included in the interactive cooking preparation device where items are placed;

a nonvolatile storage device accessible by at least one of the processors;

one or more sensors accessible by at least one of the processors, wherein the sensors identify objects and actions in proximity to the interactive cooking preparation device;

a data store stored on the nonvolatile storage device that includes a plurality of recipes; and

a set of instructions which are loaded into the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

selecting, by a user, a recipe from the plurality of recipes;

retrieving, from the data store, a plurality of preparation steps and a plurality of ingredients corresponding to the selected recipe;

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of retrieved preparation steps to the user on the display; and

monitoring, using one or more of the sensors, a current preparation step, selected from the plurality of retrieved preparation steps, the current preparation step being performed by the user, wherein the monitoring comprises instructions executed by at least one of the processors to perform additional actions comprising;

retrieving, from the data store, one or more gestures that correspond to the current preparation step, and one or more thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures;

recording the user performing the current preparation step;

comparing the recorded current preparation step being performed by the user with the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds;

generating an alert when the comparison reveals a variance greater than one of the retrieved thresholds; and

providing a suggested course of correction to the user, wherein the suggested course of correction corresponds to the variance.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

displaying an area of the interactive cooking preparation device where an ingredient selected from the plurality of ingredients should be placed by the user, wherein the display is a horizontal surface display;

detecting an ingredient placed by the user in the area of the interactive cooking preparation device using the sensors;

comparing the placed ingredient with the selected ingredient; and

alerting the user in response to the comparison revealing that the placed ingredient is different than the selected ingredient.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

retrieving a list of one or more implements used to prepare the selected recipe;

comparing each of the one or more implements with an existing inventory of implements;

informing the user, using the display, to place implements in the existing inventory that match one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe on the surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device; and

alerting the user to obtain at least one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe that do not match one of the implements in the existing inventory.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

using the sensors, detecting that one of the implements placed by the user on the surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device does not match the implement corresponding to the informing; and

alerting the user to retrieve and place a different implement on the surface area in response to the detecting, wherein the alerting includes displaying an image of the implement corresponding to the informing.

12. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

retrieving a current inventory of ingredients;

comparing the current inventory of ingredients with the plurality of ingredients that correspond to the selected recipe, wherein the comparing reveals that at least one ingredient in the selected recipe is not in the current inventory of ingredients; and

requesting that the user obtain the one or more ingredients that are in the selected recipe and not in the current inventory of ingredients.

13. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

retrieving a preparation time corresponding to the current preparation step from the data store;

detecting, using the sensors, that the user has commenced the current preparation step;

setting a timer prior to the preparation time in response to the detecting; and

alerting the user when the timer expires.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the instructions executed by at least one of the processors perform additional actions comprising:

comparing the plurality of ingredients to a list of a plurality of unhealthy ingredients;

identifying at least one of the plurality of ingredients that matches one of the unhealthy ingredients;

retrieving one or more healthy alternative ingredients corresponding to the identified ingredient; and

displaying to the user a substitution suggestion to the user to substitute the identified ingredient with one of the retrieved healthy alternative ingredients.

15. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

selecting, by a user, a recipe from a plurality of recipes;

retrieving, from a data store, a plurality of preparation steps and a plurality of ingredients corresponding to the selected recipe;

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of retrieved preparation steps to the user on a display included in an interactive cooking preparation device; and

monitoring, using one or more sensors, a current preparation step, selected from the plurality of retrieved preparation steps, the current preparation step being performed by the user, wherein the monitoring comprises;

retrieving, from the data store, one or more gestures that correspond to the current preparation step, and one or more thresholds that correspond to each of the gestures;

recording the user performing the current preparation step;

comparing the recorded current preparation step being performed by the user with the retrieved gestures using the retrieved thresholds;

generating an alert when the comparison reveals a variance greater than one of the retrieved thresholds; and

providing a suggested course of correction to the user, wherein the suggested course of correction corresponds to the variance.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

displaying an area of the interactive cooking preparation device where an ingredient selected from the plurality of ingredients should be placed by the user, wherein the display is a horizontal surface display;

detecting an ingredient placed by the user in the area of the interactive cooking preparation device using one or more sensors included in the interactive cooking preparation device;

comparing the placed ingredient with the selected ingredient; and

alerting the user in response to the comparison revealing that the placed ingredient is different than the selected ingredient.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving a list of one or more implements used to prepare the selected recipe;

comparing each of the one or more implements with an existing inventory of implements;

informing the user, using the display, to place implements in the existing inventory that match one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe on a surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device; and

alerting the user to obtain at least one of the implements used to prepare the selected recipe that do not match one of the implements in the existing inventory.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

detecting that one of the implements placed by the user on the surface area of the interactive cooking preparation device using one or more sensors included in the interactive cooking preparation device does not match the implement corresponding to the informing; and

alerting the user to retrieve and place a different implement on the surface area in response to the detecting, wherein the alerting includes displaying an image of the implement corresponding to the informing.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving a current inventory of ingredients;

comparing the current inventory of ingredients with the plurality of ingredients that correspond to the selected recipe, wherein the comparing reveals that at least one ingredient in the selected recipe is not in the current inventory of ingredients; and

requesting that the user obtain the one or more ingredients that are in the selected recipe and not in the current inventory of ingredients.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising functional descriptive material that causes the information handling system to perform additional actions that include:

retrieving a preparation time corresponding to the current preparation step from the data store;

detecting, using the sensors, that the user has commenced the current preparation step;

setting a timer prior to the preparation time in response to the detecting; and

alerting the user when the timer expires.