U.S. patent application number 13/367164 was filed with the patent office on 2013-08-08 for method for cooking food in an oven.
The applicant listed for this patent is Philip R. McKee. Invention is credited to Philip R. McKee.
Application Number | 20130202761 13/367164 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48903114 |
Filed Date | 2013-08-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130202761 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McKee; Philip R. |
August 8, 2013 |
Method for Cooking Food in an Oven
Abstract
A method for cooking food items in an oven is disclosed. A
history of instant oven temperatures is initially obtained during a
cook of a first food item. A salient representation of the oven
temperature history is stored in a non-volatile memory. The salient
representation includes multiple average oven temperatures, each
selected to represent a summary of the instant oven temperatures at
various specific time periods throughout the cook of the first food
item. During a cook of a second food item that is substantially
similar to the first cook item, the current cook settings are
dynamically adjusted during the cook of the second food item based
on the results of a comparison between the instant oven
temperatures and the stored average oven temperatures in order to
duplicate the result of the cook of the first item.
Inventors: |
McKee; Philip R.; (Frisco,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
McKee; Philip R. |
Frisco |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
48903114 |
Appl. No.: |
13/367164 |
Filed: |
February 6, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/523 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24C 7/088 20130101;
A23L 5/15 20160801; F24C 7/085 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/523 |
International
Class: |
A23L 1/01 20060101
A23L001/01 |
Claims
1. A method of cooking items in an oven, said method comprising:
obtaining a history of instant oven temperatures during a cook of a
first food item; storing a salient representation of said oven
temperature history in a non-volatile memory, wherein said salient
representation includes a plurality of average oven temperatures,
each selected to represent a summary of instant oven temperatures
at various specific time periods throughout said cook; and during a
cook of a second food item that is substantially similar to said
first cook item, obtaining instant oven temperature values at said
various specific time periods, and dynamically adjusting current
cook settings during said second cook of said second food item
based on the results of a comparison between said obtained instant
oven temperature values and said stored average oven temperature
values in order to duplicate the result of said cook of said first
item.
2. The oven of claim 1, wherein said storing further includes
storing said plurality of average oven temperatures in a
non-volatile memory.
3. The oven of claim 2, wherein said storing further includes
storing said plurality of average oven temperatures along with a
cook setting that was used to cook said first food item.
4. The oven of claim 3, wherein said storing further includes
storing said plurality of average oven temperatures along with a
cook setting that was used to cook said first food item under a
cook setting name.
5. A computer-readable medium having a computer program product for
cooking items in an oven, said computer readable medium comprising:
program code for obtaining a history of instant oven temperatures
during a cook of a first food item; program code for storing a
salient representation of said oven temperature history in a
non-volatile memory, wherein said salient representation includes a
plurality of average oven temperatures, each selected to represent
a summary of instant oven temperatures at various specific time
periods throughout said cook; and program code for, during a cook
of a second food item that is substantially similar to said first
cook item, obtaining instant oven temperature values at said
various specific time periods, and dynamically adjusting current
cook settings during said second cook of said second food item
based on the results of a comparison between said obtained instant
oven temperature values and said stored average oven temperature
values in order to duplicate the result of said cook of said first
item.
6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein said program
code for storing further includes program code for storing said
plurality of average oven temperatures in a non-volatile
memory.
7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein said program
code for storing further includes program code for storing said
plurality of average oven temperatures along with a cook setting
that was used to cook said first food item.
8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein said program
code for storing further includes program code for storing said
plurality of average oven temperatures along with a cook setting
that was used to cook said first food item under a cook setting
name.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to ovens in general, and in
particular to a method for cooking food in an oven.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Conventional ovens generally use a temperature feedback
mechanism to maintain oven temperature relatively constant at a set
temperature. The temperature feedback mechanism turns on the
heating source when the oven temperature is less than the set
temperature, and turns off the heating source when the oven
temperature is greater than the set temperature. Basically, the
only information that matters is the oven temperature, and the only
action taken based on the oven temperature information is to turn
the heating source on or off in order to maintain the oven
temperature as close to the set temperature as possible.
[0005] Once the oven temperature of an oven has reached a steady
state (i.e., the set temperature), a user can at any time put a
food item into the oven. The amount of time the food item should be
in the oven may be determined by the internal temperature at which
the food item has reached. Once the food item has reached a
predetermined internal temperature, the food item is considered to
be "done." In other words, for conventional ovens, once the oven
has achieved the set temperature, the only other variable is time.
A food item is considered to be done when it has been placed in the
oven operating at the proper set temperature for the desired amount
of time.
[0006] Rapid-cook ovens operate almost entirely based on time. Once
a rapid-cook oven has reached its set temperature, for example, if
a user pushes a button on a user interface that says "pepperoni
pizza," a set of previously entered cooking instructions that
correspond to that selected food item are executed. Those cooking
instructions may include: cook food item with a microwave on 50%
power and a blower on 100% power for 1.5 minutes, and then continue
to cook food item with the microwave on 100% power and the blower
on 80% power for another 3 minutes. At the end of the 4.5 minute
period, the cooking of the food item is deemed to have been
completed because the allotted cooking time at the desired
temperature and cook profile conditions have been met.
[0007] The present invention provides an improved method for
cooking food items in an oven.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a history of instant oven temperatures is initially
obtained during a cook of a first food item. A salient
representation of the oven temperature history is stored in a
non-volatile memory. The salient representation includes multiple
average oven temperatures, each selected to represent a summary of
the instant oven temperatures at various specific time periods
throughout the cook of the first food item. During a cook of a
second food item that is substantially similar to the first cook
item, a set of instant oven temperatures is obtained at the same
various specific time periods during the cooking of the first cook
item, and the current cook settings are dynamically adjusted during
the cook of the second food item based on the results of a
comparison between the obtained instant oven temperatures and the
stored average oven temperatures in order to duplicate the result
of the cook of the first item.
[0009] All features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed written description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use,
further objects, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by
reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative
embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a front view of an oven in which a preferred
embodiment of the present invention can be incorporated;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for developing a cook
setting for a food item during a cook_setting_development mode of
the oven from FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of
the present invention; and
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for cooking a food item
using a cook setting during a cook_with.sub.13 setting mode of the
oven from FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0014] Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1,
there is depicted a front view of an oven in which a preferred
embodiment of the present invention may be incorporated. As shown,
an oven 10 is defined by a housing 11 having a cavity 12. Oven 10
includes a heating and airflow system (not shown) to supply heat to
cavity 12 for heating up any food items that have been placed
inside cavity 12.
[0015] Oven 10 also includes a user interface panel 15. User
interface panel 15 is preferably implemented with touchscreens but
they can also be implemented with keypads and liquid crystal
displays. A user can enter commands, such as cooking temperature
within cavity 12, cooking time, blower speed, microwave, steam
amount, etc., via user interface panel 15 to effectuate cooking
controls on any food items placed within cavity 12. In addition,
oven 10 includes various electronic devices (not shown), such as a
controller, volatile memories, and non-volatile memories, for
providing various functions related to oven operations.
[0016] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, an oven operates under at least two different modes,
namely, cook_setting_development mode and cook_with_setting mode.
During the cook_setting_development mode, various cook settings for
different food items can be developed and stored in a non-volatile
memory within the oven. During the cook_with_setting mode, a
specific cook setting corresponding to a food item to be cooked is
recalled from the non-volatile memory, and the food item is cooked
in the oven with the specific cook setting.
I. Cook_Setting_Development Mode
[0017] When a cook is performed on a first food item during the
cook_setting_development mode, instant oven temperatures are
measured throughout the cook cycle of the first food item, and all
the measured instant oven temperatures are stored in a memory array
within a volatile memory of the oven, as shown in block 21 of FIG.
2. Preferably, each entry of the array contains the instant oven
temperature at each one second of the cook cycle. The array is to
be viewed to have ten equal-sized sections. So, for a four-minute
cook cycle, the array will contain 4.times.60=240 instant oven
temperature data points, and each of the ten sections contains
240/10=24 instant oven temperature data points. As another example,
if the cook cycle is six minutes, then the array will contain
6.times.60=360 instant oven temperature data points, and each of
the ten sections contains 360/10=36 instant temperature data
points.
[0018] After the cook cycle has been completed, the array should be
populated with instant oven temperatures accordingly, and the
number of temperature data points depends on the length of time of
the cook cycle. At this point, if the temperature data points
within the array are not saved by a user, such as a chef, the
temperature data points within the array will eventually be
discarded or overwritten by new temperature data points during a
subsequent cook, as depicted in block 22 of FIG. 2.
[0019] However, if the chef is completely satisfied with the
quality of the cooked first food item and considers the first food
item is perfectly cooked, the chef can press a button on a user
interface, such as user interface panel 15 from FIG. 1, to cause
the average temperature of each of the ten sections within the
array to be calculated, and to cause the ten average temperatures
to be stored in the non-volatile memory along with the cook setting
that was previously used to achieve the perfectly cooked food under
a cook setting name such as Cook_setting X, as shown in block 23 of
FIG. 2.
II. Cook_with_Setting Mode
[0020] When cooking a second food item, which is substantially
similar to the first cook item, under the cook_with_setting mode,
cook setting Cook_setting X is initially recalled from the
non-volatile memory within the oven. During the cook cycle of the
second food item, the instant oven temperatures are measured during
the cook cycle, as shown in block 31 of FIG. 3. An average value of
the measured instant oven temperatures is obtained at or near the
end of each tenth segment of the cook cycle, as depicted in block
32 of FIG. 3. The average oven temperature value obtained at the
end of each tenth segment of the cook cycle is compared to the
stored average temperature value associated with Cook_setting X for
the same time segment of the cook cycle, as shown in block 33 of
FIG. 3.
[0021] If the average oven temperature value of the "current" cook
for the second food item is different from the stored average
temperature value, then the time duration of that tenth segment of
the cook cycle is extended or reduced by a correction factor of the
time duration of that tenth segment of the cook cycle, as depicted
in block 34 of FIG. 3. In essence, when cooking the second food
item, the cook setting of the oven is dynamically adjusted
according to the comparison of the average oven temperature values
to the stored average values associated with Cook_setting X at the
same time segments during the cook of the first food item.
[0022] For example, suppose the total cook time for the second food
item, which is similar to the first food item, is five minutes
(i.e., 300 seconds). If the stored average temperature value for
the first tenth segment of the five-minute cook cycle (i.e., 30
seconds) is 450 degrees, and the measured average temperature value
for the first tenth segment of the current cook (i.e., 30 seconds)
is 441 degrees, that means there is a 450-441=9 degrees (or
9/450.times.100%=2%) difference between the stored and measured
average temperature values. Based on that, the first tenth segment
of the current cook can be extended by using a correction factor.
When a correction factor of 2 is employed, then the first tenth
segment of the current cook is extended by twice that amount, i.e.,
2.times.2% .times.30 seconds=1.2 seconds. Thus, if the measured
average temperature value in each of the ten segments of the
current cook is 9 degrees (or 2%) lower than its stored average
temperature value counterpart, then the total cook time for the
second food item will be extended by 10.times.1.2 seconds=12
seconds.
[0023] Although a correction factor of 2 is used in the
above-mentioned example, it is understood by those skilled in the
art that the correction factor can be any numerical value. In
addition, while the difference between the measured and stored
average temperature values in each of the ten segments of the
current cook is shown to be the same (i.e., 9 degrees lower) in the
above-mentioned example, it is understood by those skilled in the
art that the average temperature difference may vary from one
segment to another, and from one cook cycle to another.
[0024] It is also understood by those skilled in the art that the
difference between the measured and stored average temperature
value can be a positive number, a negative number or zero. A
positive number will result in a reduction of the corresponding
tenth segment of the current cook cycle. A negative number will
result in an extension of the corresponding tenth segment of the
current cook cycle. A zero means nothing needs to be changed to the
corresponding tenth segment of the current cook cycle. A total cook
cycle can have any of the positive, negative and zero average
temperature differences. Thus, an entire current cook cycle for the
second food item may have, for example, 3 time extensions (to
increase the corresponding tenth segments of the current cook cycle
by a total of 10 seconds) and 2 time reductions (to reduce the
corresponding tenth segments of the current cook cycle by a total
of 8 seconds) for a net change in the total cook time of an
additional 2 seconds.
[0025] As has been described, the present invention provides an
improved method of cooking in an oven. While all conventional ovens
capture an instant oven temperature and use it in the temperature
feedback loop, then discard it immediately thereafter, the method
of the present invention captures a history of instant oven
temperatures for a "perfect" cook, and compares each subsequent
cook to that perfect cook as the cook is unfolding and makes a
series of small adjustments to the cook cycle based on those
differences so that the conditions that resulted in the "perfect"
cook can be duplicated as closely as possible.
[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms
of the present invention are capable of being distributed as a
program product in a variety of recordable type media such as
compact discs and digital video discs.
[0027] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention.
* * * * *