U.S. patent application number 14/227027 was filed with the patent office on 2015-07-02 for identifying one or more substitute automated customized food generation machines for generating one or more substitute customized food items.
The applicant listed for this patent is Elwha LLC. Invention is credited to Pablos Holman, Son Hong, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R. Levchin, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, JR., Victoria Y.H. Wood.
Application Number | 20150186981 14/227027 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53480362 |
Filed Date | 2015-07-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150186981 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holman; Pablos ; et
al. |
July 2, 2015 |
IDENTIFYING ONE OR MORE SUBSTITUTE AUTOMATED CUSTOMIZED FOOD
GENERATION MACHINES FOR GENERATING ONE OR MORE SUBSTITUTE
CUSTOMIZED FOOD ITEMS
Abstract
Computationally implemented methods and systems include
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients; determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user; and identifying one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines present in
the nearby vicinity of the user that are able to currently generate
at least one substitute customized food item that is only in
partial compliance with the one or more customized food preferences
of the user. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are
described in the claims, drawings, and text.
Inventors: |
Holman; Pablos; (Seattle,
WA) ; Hong; Son; (San Francisco, CA) ; Hyde;
Roderick A.; (Redmond, WA) ; Ishikawa; Muriel Y.;
(Livermore, CA) ; Kare; Jordin T.; (Seattle,
WA) ; Levchin; Max R.; (San Francisco, CA) ;
Levien; Royce A.; (Lexington, MA) ; Lord; Richard
T.; (Gig Harbor, WA) ; Lord; Robert W.;
(Seattle, WA) ; Malamud; Mark A.; (Seattle,
WA) ; Myhrvold; Nathan P.; (Bellevue, WA) ;
Petroski; Robert C.; (Seattle, WA) ; Tegreene;
Clarence T.; (Mercer Island, WA) ; Whitmer;
Charles; (North Bend, WA) ; Wood, JR.; Lowell L.;
(Bellevue, WA) ; Wood; Victoria Y.H.; (Livermore,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Elwha LLC |
Bellevue |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53480362 |
Appl. No.: |
14/227027 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14145864 |
Dec 31, 2013 |
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14227027 |
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14144163 |
Dec 30, 2013 |
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14145864 |
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14176408 |
Feb 10, 2014 |
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14144163 |
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14175416 |
Feb 7, 2014 |
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14176408 |
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14200514 |
Mar 7, 2014 |
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14175416 |
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14199667 |
Mar 6, 2014 |
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14200514 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 9/002 20200501;
G07F 11/70 20130101; A23P 10/00 20160801; G06Q 30/0635 20130101;
G06Q 30/0639 20130101; G06Q 50/12 20130101; G07F 9/10 20130101;
G07F 9/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G07F 17/0064 20130101;
G06Q 30/0633 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/06 20060101
G06Q030/06 |
Claims
1. A computationally-implemented method, comprising: acquiring user
preference information of a user that indicates one or more
customized food preferences of the user including at least one or
more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity of one
or more ingredients; determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in nearby vicinity of
the user that is able to currently generate one or more customized
food items in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user; and identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user.
2-8. (canceled)
9. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user by acquiring the user preference
information in response to detecting that the user being spatially
near one or more automated customized food generation machines that
are designed to generate customized food items.
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user that indicates the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by acquiring user dietary preference
information of the user that indicates one or more dietary
preferences of the user.
13. (canceled)
14. The computationally-implemented method of claim 12, wherein
said acquiring the user preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more customized food preferences of the user
by acquiring user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates one or more dietary preferences of the user comprises:
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring user dietary information of the user that indicates one
or more food preparation preferences of the user for preparing the
one or more customized food items.
15. (canceled)
16. (canceled)
17. The computationally-implemented method of claim 12, wherein
said acquiring the user preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more customized food preferences of the user
by acquiring user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates one or more dietary preferences of the user comprises:
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring one or more dietary schedules of the user.
18. (canceled)
19. (canceled)
20. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user that includes the one or more ingredient
integrity preferences related to the integrity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring user preference information that includes
one or more preferences related to purity of the one or more
ingredients.
21. The computationally-implemented method of claim 20, wherein
said acquiring the user preference information of the user that
includes the one or more ingredient integrity preferences related
to the integrity of the one or more ingredients by acquiring user
preference information that includes one or more preferences
related to purity of the one or more ingredients comprises:
acquiring the user preference information that includes the one or
more preferences related to the purity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring user preference information that includes
one or more preferences that one or more sources for the one or
more ingredients were tested for presence or absence of one or more
impurities.
22. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user that includes the one or more ingredient
integrity preferences related to the integrity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring user preference information that includes
one or more user preferences that the one or more ingredients for
use in generating the one or more customized food items were
obtained from one or more specified sources and/or from one or more
specified locations.
23. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user that includes the one or more ingredient
integrity preferences related to the integrity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring user preference information that includes
one or more user preferences that the one or more ingredients were
not obtained from one or more specified sources and/or one or more
specified locations.
24. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user including acquiring user behavior
information indicating one or more historical behaviors of the user
that are indicative of one or more past preferences of the
user.
25. The computationally-implemented method of claim 24, wherein
said acquiring the user preference information of the user
including acquiring user behavior information indicating one or
more historical behaviors of the user that are indicative of one or
more past preferences of the user comprises: acquiring the user
behavior information of the user indicating the one or more
historical behaviors of the user that are indicative of the one or
more past preferences of the user by acquiring historical travel or
movement information of the user.
26. The computationally-implemented method of claim 24, wherein
said acquiring the user preference information of the user
including acquiring user behavior information indicating one or
more historical behaviors of the user that are indicative of one or
more past preferences of the user comprises: acquiring the user
behavior information of the user indicating the one or more
historical behaviors of the user that are indicative of the one or
more past preferences of the user by acquiring user historical
usage information indicating past usage of one or more automated
customized food generation machines by the user.
27. (canceled)
28. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients comprises: acquiring the user preference
information of the user by acquiring at least a portion of the user
preference information in response, at least in part, to
determining that an automated customized food generation machine
that is being interfaced by the user is unable to currently
generate one or more customized food items in compliance with one
or more customized food preferences of the user.
29-38. (canceled)
39. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in nearby vicinity of the user that is
able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user comprises: determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with one or more ingredient
preferences of the user.
40. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in nearby vicinity of the user that is
able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user comprises: determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with one or more
ingredient purity preferences of the user.
41. The computationally-implemented method of claim 40, wherein
said determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
is able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by determining that there is no capable automated customized
food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items in compliance with one or more ingredient purity preferences
of the user comprises: determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with one or more preferences of
the user that one or more sources for one or more ingredients for
the one or more customized food items were tested for presence or
absence of one or more impurities.
42-52. (canceled)
53. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user comprises: identifying the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user by querying one
or more nearby automated customized food generation machines
present in the nearby vicinity of the user in order to determine
whether any one or more of the one or more nearby automated
customized food generation machines have appropriate ingredient
supplies to be able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item that is only in partial compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user.
54. (canceled)
55. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user comprises: identifying the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user by identifying
only those substitute automated customized food generation machines
present within a mile from a current location of the user.
56. (canceled)
57. (canceled)
58. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user comprises: identifying the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item that is only in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user by
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that do not have one or more preferred
ingredients, as preferred by the user, in order to be able to
currently generate one or more customized food items in compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user.
59. The computationally-implemented method of claim 58, wherein
said identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that do not have one or more preferred
ingredients, as preferred by the user, in order to be able to
currently generate one or more customized food items in compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user
comprises: identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that do not have the one or
more preferred ingredients, as preferred by the user, in order to
be able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that do not have the one or more preferred
ingredients in order to be able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user but which do have one or more
substitute ingredients that substitute for the one or more
preferred ingredients in one or more sufficient quantities that
only allows the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines to be able to currently generate one or more
substitute customized food items that is only in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user.
60. (canceled)
61. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user comprises: identifying the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item that is only in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user by
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is in substantial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user.
62. The computationally-implemented method of claim 61, wherein
said identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in substantial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user comprises: identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
substantial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user by identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in compliance with a majority of a plurality of
customized food preferences of the user.
63. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user comprises: identifying the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item that is only in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user by
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is in compliance with a
first one or more customized food preferences of the user and not
in compliance with a second one or more customized food preferences
of the user.
64. (canceled)
65. (canceled)
66. The computationally-implemented method of claim 63, wherein
said identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with a first one or more customized food preferences of the user
and not in compliance with a second one or more customized food
preferences of the user comprises: identifying one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines that are
able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food
item that is in compliance with one or more ingredient preferences
of the user and not in compliance with one or more ingredient
integrity preferences of the user.
67. (canceled)
68. The computationally-implemented method of claim 66, wherein
said identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is in compliance with one
or more ingredient preferences of the user and not in compliance
with one or more ingredient integrity preferences of the user
comprises: identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with one or more ingredient preferences of the user and not in
compliance with one or more preferences of the user related to
obtaining or not obtaining one or more ingredients from one or more
specified sources and/or one or more specified locations.
69. The computationally-implemented method of claim 63, wherein
said identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with a first one or more customized food preferences of the user
and not in compliance with a second one or more customized food
preferences of the user comprises: identifying one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines that are
able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food
item that is in compliance with one or more ingredient integrity
preferences of the user and not in compliance with one or more
ingredient preferences of the user.
70. (canceled)
71. The computationally-implemented method of claim 69, wherein
said identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is in compliance with one
or more ingredient integrity preferences of the user and not in
compliance with one or more ingredient preferences of the user
comprises: identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with one or more preferences of the user related to obtaining or
not obtaining one or more ingredients from one or more specified
sources and/or from one or more specified locations and not in
compliance with one or more ingredient preferences of the user.
72. The computationally-implemented method of claim 63, wherein
said identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with a first one or more customized food preferences of the user
and not in compliance with a second one or more customized food
preferences of the user comprises: identifying one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines that are
able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food
item that is in compliance with a first one or more ingredient
preferences of the user and not in compliance with a second one or
more ingredient preferences of the user.
73. The computationally-implemented method of claim 63, wherein
said identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with a first one or more customized food preferences of the user
and not in compliance with a second one or more customized food
preferences of the user comprises: identifying one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines that are
able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food
item that is in compliance with a first one or more ingredient
integrity preferences of the user and not in compliance with a
second one or more ingredient integrity preferences of the
user.
74. The computationally-implemented method of claim 1, further
comprising: presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines.
75-79. (canceled)
80. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines by presenting one or more graphical indicators that
graphically discloses the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines.
81. (canceled)
82. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines including presenting one or more indicators that indicate
one or more distances to one or more locations of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines from a
current location of the user.
83. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines including presenting one or more indicators that specifies
one or more customized food preference deficiencies relative to the
one or more customized food preferences of the user of one or more
substitute customized food items that the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines are able to currently
generate.
84. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines including presenting one or more indicators that
specifically identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines as being located along one or
more past travel paths of the user.
85. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines including presenting one or more indicators that provide
one or more prices associated with one or more substitute
customized food items that the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines are able to currently generate
and that are only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user.
86. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines, the identification of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by the one or more
presented indicators being in response, at least in part, on one or
more determined locations of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines relative to the location of the
user.
87. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines, the identification of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by the one or more
presented indicators being in response, at least in part, to one or
more determined locations of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines relative to one or more past
travel paths of the user.
88. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines, the identification of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by the one or more
presented indicators being in response, at least in part, on one or
more identified prices of one or more substitute customized food
items that the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines are able to currently generate and that are
only in partial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user.
89. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines, the identification of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by the one or more
presented indicators being in response, at least in part, to
detected past usage of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines by the user.
90. The computationally-implemented method of claim 74, wherein
said presenting, in response at least in part to the
identification, one or more indicators that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
comprises: presenting the one or more indicators that identify the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines in response to the identification of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines and in
response to the determination that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user.
91. A computationally-implemented system, comprising: means for
acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one
or more customized food preferences of the user including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients; means for determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user; and means for identifying
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that are able
to currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in partial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user.
92-180. (canceled)
181. A system, comprising: circuitry for acquiring user preference
information of a user that indicates one or more customized food
preferences of the user including at least one or more ingredient
integrity preferences related to integrity of one or more
ingredients; circuitry for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user and circuitry for identifying one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
present in the nearby vicinity of the user that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in partial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] If an Application Data Sheet (ADS) has been filed on the
filing date of this application, it is incorporated by reference
herein. Any applications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn..sctn.119, 120, 121, or 365(c), and any and all
parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of such
applications, are also incorporated by reference, including any
priority claims made in those applications and any material
incorporated by reference, to the extent such subject matter is not
inconsistent herewith.
[0002] The present application is related to and/or claims the
benefit of the earliest available effective filing date(s) from the
following listed application(s) (the "Priority Applications"), if
any, listed below (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates
for other than provisional patent applications or claims benefits
under 35 USC .sctn.119(e) for provisional patent applications, for
any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.
applications of the Priority application(s)). In addition, the
present application is related to the "Related Applications," if
any, listed below.
PRIORITY APPLICATIONS
[0003] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/145,864, entitled SYSTEMS
AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED PACKAGINGS FOR CUSTOMIZED FOOD
ITEMS THAT WERE CUSTOMIZED BASED, AT LEAST IN PART, ON CUSTOMIZED
FOOD ITEM INTEGRITY PREFERENCE, naming Pablos Holman, Son Hong,
Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R.
Levchin, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A.
Malamud, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T.
Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Victoria Y. H.
Wood, as inventors, filed 31 Dec. 2013 with attorney docket no.
0913-002-007-000000, which is currently co-pending or is an
application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled
to the benefit of the filing date, and which is a continuation of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/144,163, entitled SYSTEMS AND
METHODS FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED PACKAGINGS FOR CUSTOMIZED FOOD
ITEMS THAT WERE CUSTOMIZED BASED, AT LEAST IN PART, ON CUSTOMIZED
FOOD ITEM INTEGRITY PREFERENCE, naming Pablos Holman, Son Hong,
Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R.
Levchin, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A.
Malamud, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T.
Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Victoria Y. H.
Wood, as inventors, filed 30 Dec. 2013 with attorney docket no.
0913-002-002-000000.
[0004] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/176,408, entitled SYSTEMS
AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED FOOD ITEMS THAT ARE CUSTOMIZED
BASED, AT LEAST IN PART, ON CUSTOMIZED FOOD ITEM INTEGRITY
PREFERENCE, naming Pablos Holman, Son Hong, Roderick A. Hyde,
Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R. Levchin, Royce A.
Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Nathan P.
Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles
Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Victoria Y. H. Wood, as
inventors, filed 10 Feb. 2014 with attorney docket no.
0913-002-008-000000, which is currently co-pending or is an
application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled
to the benefit of the filing date, and which is a continuation of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/175,416, entitled SYSTEMS AND
METHODS FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED FOOD ITEMS THAT ARE CUSTOMIZED
BASED, AT LEAST IN PART, ON CUSTOMIZED FOOD ITEM INTEGRITY
PREFERENCE, naming Pablos Holman, Son Hong, Roderick A. Hyde,
Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R. Levchin, Royce A.
Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Nathan P.
Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles
Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Victoria Y. H. Wood, as
inventors, filed 7 Feb. 2014 with attorney docket no.
0913-002-003-000000.
[0005] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/200,514, entitled DIRECTING
ONE OR MORE USERS TO ONE OR MORE AUTOMATED CUSTOMIZED FOOD
GENERATION MACHINES, naming Pablos Holman, Son Hong, Roderick A.
Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R. Levchin, Royce A.
Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Nathan P.
Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles
Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Victoria Y. H. Wood, as
inventors, filed 7 Mar. 2014 with attorney docket no.
0913-002-009-000000, which is currently co-pending or is an
application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled
to the benefit of the filing date, and which is a continuation of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/199,667, entitled DIRECTING ONE
OR MORE USERS TO ONE OR MORE AUTOMATED CUSTOMIZED FOOD GENERATION
MACHINES, naming Pablos Holman, Son Hong, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel
Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Max R. Levchin, Royce A. Levien,
Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Nathan P.
Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles
Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Victoria Y. H. Wood, as
inventors, filed 6 Mar. 2014 with attorney docket no.
0913-002-004-000000.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0006] None as of the filing date.
[0007] The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a
notice to the effect that the USPTO's computer programs require
that patent applicants reference both a serial number and indicate
whether an application is a continuation, continuation-in-part, or
divisional of a parent application. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of
Prior-Filed Application, USPTO Official Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. The
USPTO further has provided forms for the Application Data Sheet
which allow automatic loading of bibliographic data but which
require identification of each application as a continuation,
continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parent application. The
present Applicant Entity (hereinafter "Applicant") has provided
above a specific reference to the application(s) from which
priority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant
understands that the statute is unambiguous in its specific
reference language and does not require either a serial number or
any characterization, such as "continuation" or
"continuation-in-part," for claiming priority to U.S. patent
applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant understands
that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entry
requirements, and hence Applicant has provided designation(s) of a
relationship between the present application and its parent
application(s) as set forth above and in any ADS filed in this
application, but expressly points out that such designation(s) are
not to be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or
admission as to whether or not the present application contains any
new matter in addition to the matter of its parent
application(s).
[0008] If the listings of applications provided above are
inconsistent with the listings provided via an ADS, it is the
intent of the Applicant to claim priority to each application that
appears in the Priority Applications section of the ADS and to each
application that appears in the Priority Applications section of
this application.
[0009] All subject matter of the Priority Applications and the
Related Applications and of any and all parent, grandparent,
great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Priority Applications
and the Related Applications, including any priority claims, is
incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter
is not inconsistent herewith.
SUMMARY
[0010] In one or more various aspects, a method includes, but is
not limited to, acquiring user preference information of a user
that indicates one or more customized food preferences of the user
including at least one or more ingredient integrity preferences
related to integrity of one or more ingredients, determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
present in nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently
generate one or more customized food items in compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user; and
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user. In various
implementations, at least one of the above recited operations is
performed by a machine or article of manufacture. In addition to
the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims,
drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth
herein.
[0011] In one or more various aspects, one or more related systems
may be implemented in machines, compositions of matter, or
manufactures of systems, limited to patentable subject matter under
35 U.S.C. 101. The one or more related systems may include, but are
not limited to, circuitry and/or programming for effecting the
herein-referenced method aspects. The circuitry and/or programming
may be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or
firmware configured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects
depending upon the design choices of the system designer, and
limited to patentable subject matter under 35 USC 101.
[0012] In one or more various aspects, a system includes, but is
not limited to, means for acquiring user preference information of
a user that indicates one or more customized food preferences of
the user including at least one or more ingredient integrity
preferences related to integrity of one or more ingredients, means
for determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in nearby vicinity of the user that is
able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user and means for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item that is only in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user. In
addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in
the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set
forth herein.
[0013] In one or more various aspects, a system includes, but is
not limited to, circuitry for acquiring user preference information
of a user that indicates one or more customized food preferences of
the user including at least one or more ingredient integrity
preferences related to integrity of one or more ingredients,
circuitry for determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in nearby vicinity of
the user that is able to currently generate one or more customized
food items in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user; and circuitry for identifying one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines present in
the nearby vicinity of the user that are able to currently generate
at least one substitute customized food item that is only in
partial compliance with the one or more customized food preferences
of the user. In addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are
described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the
disclosure set forth herein.
[0014] In one or more various aspects, a computer program product,
comprising a signal bearing non-transitory storage medium, bearing
one or more instructions including, but not limited to, acquiring
user preference information of a user that indicates one or more
customized food preferences of the user including at least one or
more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity of one
or more ingredients, determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in nearby vicinity of
the user that is able to currently generate one or more customized
food items in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user, and identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user. In addition to the foregoing, other computer program product
aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a
part of the disclosure set forth herein.
[0015] In one or more various aspects, a system includes, but is
not limited to, a user preference information obtaining module
configured to obtain user preference information of a user, the
user preference information to be obtained indicating one or more
customized food preferences of the user including at least one or
more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity of one
or more ingredients; a capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module configured to determine that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
present in nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently
generate one or more customized food items in compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user; a substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module configured to ascertain in the nearby vicinity of the user
presence of one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user; and indicator presenting module configured to present one or
more indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines in response, at least in part,
to the ascertainment of the presence of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines in the nearby
vicinity of the user.
[0016] In addition to the foregoing, various other method and/or
system and/or program product aspects are set forth and described
in the teachings such as text (e.g., claims and/or detailed
description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure.
[0017] The foregoing is a summary and thus may contain
simplifications, generalizations, inclusions, and/or omissions of
detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any
way limiting. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the
devices and/or processes and/or other subject matter described
herein will become apparent by reference to the detailed
description, the corresponding drawings, and/or in the teachings
set forth herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0018] For a more complete understanding of embodiments, reference
now is made to the following descriptions taken in connection with
the accompanying drawings. The use of the same symbols in different
drawings typically indicates similar or identical items, unless
context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described
in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to
be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes
may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the
subject matter presented here.
[0019] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary automated customized food
generation machine 10* that is designed to generate customized food
items in accordance with customization preferences of users.
[0020] FIG. 1B shows a user 13 in an example environment that
includes multiple automated customized food generation
machines.
[0021] FIG. 1C shows a user 13 in another example environment that
includes multiple automated customized food generation
machines.
[0022] FIG. 1D shows a user 13 in another example environment that
includes multiple automated customized food generation
machines.
[0023] FIG. 1E shows a user 13 in another example environment that
includes multiple automated customized food generation
machines.
[0024] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary screen that identifies
substitute automated customized food generation machines.
[0025] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary screen that provides
directions to a substitute automated customized food generation
machine.
[0026] FIG. 2C illustrates an exemplary screen that shows locations
of substitute automated customized food generation machines on a
map.
[0027] FIG. 3A shows a block diagram of a particular implementation
of the automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A
illustrated as automated customized food generation machine
10a.
[0028] FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of another implementation of
the automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A
illustrated as automated customized food generation machine
10b.
[0029] FIG. 3C shows a block diagram of another implementation of
the automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A
illustrated as automated customized food generation machine
10c.
[0030] FIG. 3D shows a block diagram of a particular implementation
of the network device 12* of FIG. 1B, 1C, or 1D illustrated as
network device 12a.
[0031] FIG. 3E shows a block diagram of a particular implementation
of the network device 12* of FIG. 1B, 1C, or 1D illustrated as
network device 12b.
[0032] FIG. 4A shows another perspective of the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E (e.g.,
the user preference information obtaining module 302' of FIG. 3A,
the user preference information obtaining module 302'' of FIG. 3B,
the user preference information obtaining module 302''' of FIG. 3D,
or the user preference information obtaining module 302'''' of FIG.
3E) in accordance with various implementations.
[0033] FIG. 4B shows another perspective of the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 304*
of FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E (e.g., the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining module 304' of FIG.
3A, the capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304'' of FIG. 3B, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module
304''' of FIG. 3D, or the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304'''' of FIG. 3E)
in accordance with various implementations.
[0034] FIG. 4C shows another perspective of the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E (e.g., the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306' of FIG. 3A, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306'' of FIG. 3B,
the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306''' of FIG. 3D, or the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306'''' of FIG. 3E) in accordance with various
implementations.
[0035] FIG. 4D shows another perspective of the indicator
presenting module 308* of FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E (e.g., the
indicator presenting module 308' of FIG. 3A, the indicator
presenting module 308'' of FIG. 3B, the indicator presenting module
308''' of FIG. 3D, or the indicator presenting module 308'''' of
FIG. 3E) in accordance with various implementations.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a high-level logic flowchart of a process, e.g.,
operational flow 500, according to some embodiments.
[0037] FIG. 6A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0038] FIG. 6B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0039] FIG. 6C is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0040] FIG. 6D is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0041] FIG. 7A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 of FIG. 5.
[0042] FIG. 7B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 of FIG. 5.
[0043] FIG. 7C is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 of FIG. 5.
[0044] FIG. 7D is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 of FIG. 5.
[0045] FIG. 8A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence identifying operation
506 of FIG. 5.
[0046] FIG. 8B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence identifying operation
506 of FIG. 5.
[0047] FIG. 8C is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence identifying operation
506 of FIG. 5.
[0048] FIG. 8D is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence identifying operation
506 of FIG. 5.
[0049] FIG. 8E is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence identifying operation
506 of FIG. 5.
[0050] FIG. 9 is a high-level logic flowchart of another process,
e.g., operational flow 900, according to some embodiments.
[0051] FIG. 10A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the indicator presenting
operation 908 of FIG. 9.
[0052] FIG. 10B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the indicator presenting
operation 908 of FIG. 9.
[0053] FIG. 10C is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the indicator presenting
operation 908 of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0054] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar or identical
components or items, unless context dictates otherwise. The
illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,
drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other
embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without
departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented
here.
[0055] The claims, description, and drawings of this application
may describe one or more of the instant technologies in
operational/functional language, for example as a set of operations
to be performed by a computer. Such operational/functional
description in most instances would be understood by one skilled
the art as specifically-configured hardware (e.g., because a
general purpose computer in effect becomes a special purpose
computer once it is programmed to perform particular functions
pursuant to instructions from program software).
[0056] Importantly, although the operational/functional
descriptions described herein are understandable by the human mind,
they are not abstract ideas of the operations/functions divorced
from computational implementation of those operations/functions.
Rather, the operations/functions represent a specification for the
massively complex computational machines or other means. As
discussed in detail below, the operational/functional language must
be read in its proper technological context, i.e., as concrete
specifications for physical implementations.
[0057] The logical operations/functions described herein are a
distillation of machine specifications or other physical mechanisms
specified by the operations/functions such that the otherwise
inscrutable machine specifications may be comprehensible to the
human mind. The distillation also allows one of skill in the art to
adapt the operational/functional description of the technology
across many different specific vendors' hardware configurations or
platforms, without being limited to specific vendors' hardware
configurations or platforms.
[0058] Some of the present technical description (e.g., detailed
description, drawings, claims, etc.) may be set forth in terms of
logical operations/functions. As described in more detail in the
following paragraphs, these logical operations/functions are not
representations of abstract ideas, but rather representative of
static or sequenced specifications of various hardware elements.
Differently stated, unless context dictates otherwise, the logical
operations/functions will be understood by those of skill in the
art to be representative of static or sequenced specifications of
various hardware elements. This is true because tools available to
one of skill in the art to implement technical disclosures set
forth in operational/functional formats--tools in the form of a
high-level programming language (e.g., C, java, visual basic,
etc.), or tools in the form of Very high speed Hardware Description
Language ("VHDL," which is a language that uses text to describe
logic circuits)--are generators of static or sequenced
specifications of various hardware configurations. This fact is
sometimes obscured by the broad term "software," but, as shown by
the following explanation, those skilled in the art understand that
what is termed "software" is a shorthand for a massively complex
interchaining/specification of ordered-matter elements. The term
"ordered-matter elements" may refer to physical components of
computation, such as assemblies of electronic logic gates,
molecular computing logic constituents, quantum computing
mechanisms, etc.
[0059] For example, a high-level programming language is a
programming language with strong abstraction, e.g., multiple levels
of abstraction, from the details of the sequential organizations,
states, inputs, outputs, etc., of the machines that a high-level
programming language actually specifies. See, e.g., Wikipedia,
High-level programming language,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-level_programming_language (as of
Jun. 5, 2012, 21:00 GMT). In order to facilitate human
comprehension, in many instances, high-level programming languages
resemble or even share symbols with natural languages. See, e.g.,
Wikipedia, Natural language,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_language (as of Jun. 5, 2012,
21:00 GMT).
[0060] It has been argued that because high-level programming
languages use strong abstraction (e.g., that they may resemble or
share symbols with natural languages), they are therefore a "purely
mental construct" (e.g., that "software"--a computer program or
computer programming--is somehow an ineffable mental construct,
because at a high level of abstraction, it can be conceived and
understood in the human mind). This argument has been used to
characterize technical description in the form of
functions/operations as somehow "abstract ideas." In fact, in
technological arts (e.g., the information and communication
technologies) this is not true.
[0061] The fact that high-level programming languages use strong
abstraction to facilitate human understanding should not be taken
as an indication that what is expressed is an abstract idea. In
fact, those skilled in the art understand that just the opposite is
true. If a high-level programming language is the tool used to
implement a technical disclosure in the form of
functions/operations, those skilled in the art will recognize that,
far from being abstract, imprecise, "fuzzy," or "mental" in any
significant semantic sense, such a tool is instead a near
incomprehensibly precise sequential specification of specific
computational machines--the parts of which are built up by
activating/selecting such parts from typically more general
computational machines over time (e.g., clocked time). This fact is
sometimes obscured by the superficial similarities between
high-level programming languages and natural languages. These
superficial similarities also may cause a glossing over of the fact
that high-level programming language implementations ultimately
perform valuable work by creating/controlling many different
computational machines.
[0062] The many different computational machines that a high-level
programming language specifies are almost unimaginably complex. At
base, the hardware used in the computational machines typically
consists of some type of ordered matter (e.g., traditional external
linking devices (e.g., transistors), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA),
quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics,
optical devices (e.g., optical interference devices), molecules,
etc.) that are arranged to form logic gates. Logic gates are
typically physical devices that may be electrically, mechanically,
chemically, or otherwise driven to change physical state in order
to create a physical reality of Boolean logic.
[0063] Logic gates may be arranged to form logic circuits, which
are typically physical devices that may be electrically,
mechanically, chemically, or otherwise driven to create a physical
reality of certain logical functions. Types of logic circuits
include such devices as multiplexers, registers, arithmetic logic
units (ALUs), computer memory, etc., each type of which may be
combined to form yet other types of physical devices, such as a
central processing unit (CPU)--the best known of which is the
microprocessor. A modern microprocessor will often contain more
than one hundred million logic gates in its many logic circuits
(and often more than a billion transistors). See, e.g., Wikipedia,
Logic gates, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_gates (as of Jun.
5, 2012, 21:03 GMT).
[0064] The logic circuits forming the microprocessor are arranged
to provide a microarchitecture that will carry out the instructions
defined by that microprocessor's defined Instruction Set
Architecture. The Instruction Set Architecture is the part of the
microprocessor architecture related to programming, including the
native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes,
memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external
Input/Output. See, e.g., Wikipedia, Computer architecture,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_architecture (as of Jun. 5,
2012, 21:03 GMT).
[0065] The Instruction Set Architecture includes a specification of
the machine language that can be used by programmers to use/control
the microprocessor. Since the machine language instructions are
such that they may be executed directly by the microprocessor,
typically they consist of strings of binary digits, or bits. For
example, a typical machine language instruction might be many bits
long (e.g., 32, 64, or 128 bit strings are currently common). A
typical machine language instruction might take the form
"11110000101011110000111100111111" (a 32 bit instruction).
[0066] It is significant here that, although the machine language
instructions are written as sequences of binary digits, in
actuality those binary digits specify physical reality. For
example, if certain semiconductors are used to make the operations
of Boolean logic a physical reality, the apparently mathematical
bits "1" and "0" in a machine language instruction actually
constitute shorthand that specifies the application of specific
voltages to specific wires. For example, in some semiconductor
technologies, the binary number "1" (e.g., logical "1") in a
machine language instruction specifies around +5 volts applied to a
specific "wire" (e.g., metallic traces on a printed circuit board)
and the binary number "0" (e.g., logical "0") in a machine language
instruction specifies around -5 volts applied to a specific "wire."
In addition to specifying voltages of the machines' configuration,
such machine language instructions also select out and activate
specific groupings of logic gates from the millions of logic gates
of the more general machine. Thus, far from abstract mathematical
expressions, machine language instruction programs, even though
written as a string of zeros and ones, specify many, many
constructed physical machines or physical machine states.
[0067] Machine language is typically incomprehensible by most
humans (e.g., the above example was just ONE instruction, and some
personal computers execute more than two billion instructions every
second). See, e.g., Wikipedia, Instructions per second,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second (as of Jun. 5,
2012, 21:04 GMT). Thus, programs written in machine language--which
may be tens of millions of machine language instructions long--are
incomprehensible. In view of this, early assembly languages were
developed that used mnemonic codes to refer to machine language
instructions, rather than using the machine language instructions'
numeric values directly (e.g., for performing a multiplication
operation, programmers coded the abbreviation "mult," which
represents the binary number "011000" in MIPS machine code). While
assembly languages were initially a great aid to humans controlling
the microprocessors to perform work, in time the complexity of the
work that needed to be done by the humans outstripped the ability
of humans to control the microprocessors using merely assembly
languages.
[0068] At this point, it was noted that the same tasks needed to be
done over and over, and the machine language necessary to do those
repetitive tasks was the same. In view of this, compilers were
created. A compiler is a device that takes a statement that is more
comprehensible to a human than either machine or assembly language,
such as "add 2+2 and output the result," and translates that human
understandable statement into a complicated, tedious, and immense
machine language code (e.g., millions of 32, 64, or 128 bit length
strings). Compilers thus translate high-level programming language
into machine language.
[0069] This compiled machine language, as described above, is then
used as the technical specification which sequentially constructs
and causes the interoperation of many different computational
machines such that humanly useful, tangible, and concrete work is
done. For example, as indicated above, such machine language--the
compiled version of the higher-level language--functions as a
technical specification which selects out hardware logic gates,
specifies voltage levels, voltage transition timings, etc., such
that the humanly useful work is accomplished by the hardware.
[0070] Thus, a functional/operational technical description, when
viewed by one of skill in the art, is far from an abstract idea.
Rather, such a functional/operational technical description, when
understood through the tools available in the art such as those
just described, is instead understood to be a humanly
understandable representation of a hardware specification, the
complexity and specificity of which far exceeds the comprehension
of most any one human. With this in mind, those skilled in the art
will understand that any such operational/functional technical
descriptions--in view of the disclosures herein and the knowledge
of those skilled in the art--may be understood as operations made
into physical reality by (a) one or more interchained physical
machines, (b) interchained logic gates configured to create one or
more physical machine(s) representative of sequential/combinatorial
logic(s), (c) interchained ordered matter making up logic gates
(e.g., interchained electronic devices (e.g., transistors), DNA,
quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics,
molecules, etc.) that create physical reality representative of
logic(s), or (d) virtually any combination of the foregoing.
Indeed, any physical object which has a stable, measurable, and
changeable state may be used to construct a machine based on the
above technical description. Charles Babbage, for example,
constructed the first computer out of wood and powered by cranking
a handle.
[0071] Thus, far from being understood as an abstract idea, those
skilled in the art will recognize a functional/operational
technical description as a humanly-understandable representation of
one or more almost unimaginably complex and time sequenced hardware
instantiations. The fact that functional/operational technical
descriptions might lend themselves readily to high-level computing
languages (or high-level block diagrams for that matter) that share
some words, structures, phrases, etc. with natural language simply
cannot be taken as an indication that such functional/operational
technical descriptions are abstract ideas, or mere expressions of
abstract ideas. In fact, as outlined herein, in the technological
arts this is simply not true. When viewed through the tools
available to those of skill in the art, such functional/operational
technical descriptions are seen as specifying hardware
configurations of almost unimaginable complexity.
[0072] As outlined above, the reason for the use of
functional/operational technical descriptions is at least twofold.
First, the use of functional/operational technical descriptions
allows near-infinitely complex machines and machine operations
arising from interchained hardware elements to be described in a
manner that the human mind can process (e.g., by mimicking natural
language and logical narrative flow). Second, the use of
functional/operational technical descriptions assists the person of
skill in the art in understanding the described subject matter by
providing a description that is more or less independent of any
specific vendor's piece(s) of hardware.
[0073] The use of functional/operational technical descriptions
assists the person of skill in the art in understanding the
described subject matter since, as is evident from the above
discussion, one could easily, although not quickly, transcribe the
technical descriptions set forth in this document as trillions of
ones and zeroes, billions of single lines of assembly-level machine
code, millions of logic gates, thousands of gate arrays, or any
number of intermediate levels of abstractions. However, if any such
low-level technical descriptions were to replace the present
technical description, a person of skill in the art could encounter
undue difficulty in implementing the disclosure, because such a
low-level technical description would likely add complexity without
a corresponding benefit (e.g., by describing the subject matter
utilizing the conventions of one or more vendor-specific pieces of
hardware). Thus, the use of functional/operational technical
descriptions assists those of skill in the art by separating the
technical descriptions from the conventions of any vendor-specific
piece of hardware.
[0074] In view of the foregoing, the logical operations/functions
set forth in the present technical description are representative
of static or sequenced specifications of various ordered-matter
elements, in order that such specifications may be comprehensible
to the human mind and adaptable to create many various hardware
configurations. The logical operations/functions disclosed herein
should be treated as such, and should not be disparagingly
characterized as abstract ideas merely because the specifications
they represent are presented in a manner that one of skill in the
art can readily understand and apply in a manner independent of a
specific vendor's hardware implementation.
[0075] Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state
of the art has progressed to the point where there is little
distinction left between hardware, software, and/or firmware
implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware,
software, and/or firmware is generally (but not always, in that in
certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can
become significant) a design choice representing cost vs.
efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate
that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems
and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g.,
hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred
vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or
systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an
implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the
implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle;
alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt
for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively,
the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software,
and/or firmware in one or more machines, compositions of matter,
and articles of manufacture, limited to patentable subject matter
under 35 USC 101. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by
which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies
described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently
superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a
choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be
deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or
predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those
skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of
implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware,
software, and or firmware.
[0076] In some implementations described herein, logic and similar
implementations may include software or other control structures.
Electronic circuitry, for example, may have one or more paths of
electrical current constructed and arranged to implement various
functions as described herein. In some implementations, one or more
media may be configured to bear a device-detectable implementation
when such media holds or transmits device detectable instructions
operable to perform as described herein. In some variants, for
example, implementations may include an update or modification of
existing software or firmware, or of gate arrays or programmable
hardware, such as by performing a reception of or a transmission of
one or more instructions in relation to one or more operations
described herein. Alternatively or additionally, in some variants,
an implementation may include special-purpose hardware, software,
firmware components, and/or general-purpose components executing or
otherwise invoking special-purpose components. Specifications or
other implementations may be transmitted by one or more instances
of tangible transmission media as described herein, optionally by
packet transmission or otherwise by passing through distributed
media at various times.
[0077] Alternatively or additionally, implementations may include
executing a special-purpose instruction sequence or invoking
circuitry for enabling, triggering, coordinating, requesting, or
otherwise causing one or more occurrences of virtually any
functional operations described herein. In some variants,
operational or other logical descriptions herein may be expressed
as source code and compiled or otherwise invoked as an executable
instruction sequence. In some contexts, for example,
implementations may be provided, in whole or in part, by source
code, such as C++, or other code sequences. In other
implementations, source or other code implementation, using
commercially available and/or techniques in the art, may be
compiled/implemented/translated/converted into a high-level
descriptor language (e.g., initially implementing described
technologies in C or C++ programming language and thereafter
converting the programming language implementation into a
logic-synthesizable language implementation, a hardware description
language implementation, a hardware design simulation
implementation, and/or other such similar mode(s) of expression).
For example, some or all of a logical expression (e.g., computer
programming language implementation) may be manifested as a
Verilog-type hardware description (e.g., via Hardware Description
Language (HDL) and/or Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware
Descriptor Language (VHDL)) or other circuitry model which may then
be used to create a physical implementation having hardware (e.g.,
an Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Those skilled in the
art will recognize how to obtain, configure, and optimize suitable
transmission or computational elements, material supplies,
actuators, or other structures in light of these teachings.
[0078] Throughout this application, examples and lists are given,
with parentheses, the abbreviation "e.g.," or both. Unless
explicitly otherwise stated, these examples and lists are merely
exemplary and are non-exhaustive. In most cases, it would be
prohibitive to list every example and every combination. Thus,
smaller, illustrative lists and examples are used, with focus on
imparting understanding of the claim terms rather than limiting the
scope of such terms.
[0079] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or
singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate
from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the
plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The
various singular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth
herein for sake of clarity.
[0080] One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein
described components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the
discussion accompanying them are used as examples for the sake of
conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are
contemplated. Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars
set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to be
representative of their more general classes. In general, use of
any specific exemplar is intended to be representative of its
class, and the non-inclusion of specific components (e.g.,
operations), devices, and objects should not be taken as
limiting.
[0081] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar or identical
components or items, unless context dictates otherwise. The
illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,
drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other
embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without
departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented
here.
[0082] The development and evolution of food vending machine
technology has remained relatively stagnant over the last few
decades even though there have been substantial technological
advancements in the fields of microelectronics, automated
manufacturing, and robotics. That is, today's food vending machines
are not that different from vending machines of thirty or even
forty years ago. With the exception of a very limited number of
vending machines (such as coffee machines that allow users to make
certain limited customizations of their order such as making their
coffee sweeter or adding cream), the vast majority of today's food
vending machines do not allow any customization of customer
purchases. The vast majority of today's food vending machines only
allow a user/customer to select and purchase a food item (e.g.,
candy bars, chips, sandwiches, drinks, and so forth) from a
plurality of ready-to-eat or substantially ready-to-eat food items
(note that some current food vending machines do offer food items
that will need to be heated using a microwave oven) and that do not
allow the user to customize their purchased food item.
[0083] With the advancement of microelectronics, robotics, and
automated manufacturing technologies such as 3-D
(three-dimensional) printing, it is envisioned that future food
vending machines will not only be able to manufacture food items
"on the spot" but will also be able to customize food items to the
specific customization preferences of users. For example, with the
development of 3-D (three-dimensional) printing technology, it is
envisioned that customized food bars (e.g., customized energy bars)
may be printed for users based on their preferences (e.g., if a
user is allergic to peanuts, no peanut ingredients are used in
forming an energy bar for the user). It is also envisioned that
with the use of robotics, fully customized meals (e.g., customized
sandwiches, breads, stews, soups, shakes, and so forth) may be
manufactured using automated customized food vending machines that
employ robotics or other forms of automation.
[0084] It is also envisioned that such automated customized food
vending machines for generating customized foods (herein
"customized food items") will be relatively compact and therefore,
will have relatively limited ingredient supplies (e.g., low-fat
milk, beef from Kobe, Japan, pecans, and so forth) for generating
customized food items. Consequently, there may be many instances in
which there will be no automated vending machines in the nearby
vicinity of a user that are able to generate a "compliant"
customized food item (e.g., a customized energy bar, a customized
sandwich, a customized shake, a customized stew, and so forth) that
is in full compliance with the customization preferences of the
user. In such situations, it may be desirable to direct the user to
one or more customized food vending machines (herein "automated
customized food generation machines") that will have capability to
generate a "substitute" customized food item that is only in
partial compliance with the customization preferences of the
user.
[0085] It should also be noted that many of today's sophisticated
consumers are very concerned about the integrity (e.g., purity,
cleanliness, sourcing, and so forth) of their food supplies. It
seems as though that in recent years food supply contamination
(e.g., salmonella, mad-cow disease, E-coli, and so forth) stories
are being reported on a regular basis. That is, today's food
supplies come from a vast number of food vendors located across the
globe. For example, some food supplies originate from countries in
the southern hemisphere that supply meats, fruits, and vegetables.
There are also countless domestic farms and ranches throughout
North America that supply chickens, pork, and beef. While the
vegetable and fruit farms of California and Florida supplying the
rest of America with a variety of produce. It is often very
difficult for end consumers to ensure that the ingredients used to
make, for example, ready-to-eat foods are of high purity and free
of any disease or pesticides.
[0086] Accordingly, methods, systems, and articles of manufactures
are presented herein that are designed to, among other things,
acquire or obtain user preference information of a user that
indicates one or more customized food preferences of the user
including at least one or more ingredient integrity preferences
related to integrity of one or more ingredients; determine that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
present in nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently
generate one or more customized food items in compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user; and identify
or ascertain one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user. As will be further
described herein, in some embodiments such operations may be
performed at an automated customized food generation machine (e.g.,
a vending machine that can dispense customized foods), while in
other embodiments such operations may be performed at a network
device (e.g., one or more servers, a workstation, and so forth)
that may be in communication with one or more automated customized
food generation machines.
[0087] As will be used herein, the phrase "customized food
preference" or "customized food preferences" of a user may be in
reference to the user's preferences for customizing a food item.
Examples of customization preferences include, for example,
preference for using beef ingredients from Kobe Japan and not from
Britain, preference that aspartame be used as a sweetener,
preferences that ingredients be included in the customized food
item are free of tree nuts, sources of ingredients, such as beef,
having been tested to be free of impurities such as certain
bacterial agents, and so forth Other examples of customization
preferences will be provided herein. In various embodiments,
references in the following to "capable" automated customized food
generation machine[s] may be in reference to automated customized
food generation machines that have the capabilities (e.g., having,
for example, sufficient amounts of preferred ingredients in
sufficient quantities) to be able to presently generate at least
one customized food item (herein "compliant" customized food item)
that is in total compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of a user. In contrast, references in the following to
"substitute" automated customized food generation machine[s] may be
in reference to automated customized food generation machines that
have capabilities to generate customized food items (herein
"substitute" customized food items) that are only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of a
user.
[0088] Referring now to FIG. 1A, which illustrates an exemplary
automated customized food generation machine 10* that is designed
to generate customized food items 22 in accordance with
customization preferences of users. Note that although the
exemplary automated customized food generation machine 10*
illustrated in FIG. 1A is depicted as generating a customized food
item 22 that is in the form of an energy bar, in alternative
embodiments, the exemplary automated customized food generation
machine 10* may generate other types of customized food items 22
(e.g., customized sandwiches, customized stew, customized shakes,
and so forth) having other forms. In some embodiments, the
exemplary automated customized food generation machine 10* may be a
standalone system that is self-contained with all of the logic
needed in order to execute the various operations to be described
herein--see, for example, FIG. 5. Alternatively, at least some of
the operations to be described herein may actually be executed by a
network device 12* that may be in communication with the exemplary
automated customized food generation machines 10* as illustrated,
for example, in FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D.
[0089] Note that FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are three block diagrams of
three different implementations of the exemplary automated
customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A illustrated in
FIG. 3A as exemplary automated customized food generation machine
10a, illustrated in FIG. 3B as exemplary automated customized food
generation machine 10b, and illustrated in FIG. 3C as exemplary
automated customized food generation machine 10c. Further note that
for purposes of the following description, "*" represents a
wildcard. Thus, references in the following description to, for
example, "automated customized food generation machine 10*" may be
in reference to any one of, for example, the exemplary automated
customized food generation machine 10a of FIG. 3A, to the exemplary
automated customized food generation machine 10b of FIG. 3B, or to
the exemplary automated customized food generation machine 10c of
FIG. 3C (and/or to the automated customized food generation machine
10', 10'', 10''', or 10'''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E.
[0090] Referring back to the exemplary automated customized food
generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A, the exemplary automated
customized food generation machine 10*, as illustrated, includes a
display screen 30 (which may be a touchscreen), a keypad 32, a
compartment 34 for dispensing one or more customized food items 22,
and a slot 36 for inserting a credit card or a Smartcard. The
display screen 30 may be employed to display (as well as to enter
user input if it is a touchscreen) food menus, ingredient options,
ingredient purity options (e.g., use ingredients free of
pesticides), ingredient sourcing options (e.g., use only chicken
ingredients from Tysons farm), and so forth. In various
embodiments, keypad 32 may be used by a user to make selections
(e.g., selection of user preferences), as well as to provide input
for other types of information (e.g., user identification, credit
card information, dietary information, and so forth). The automated
customized food generation machine 10* may further include a slot
36 for reading a credit card or a Smartcard. Such cards may be a
source for providing certain user information including user
identification information and user preferences. Such cards,
particularly Smartcards, which may have connectivity to mobile
devices such as Smartphones, may be used in order to provide other
types of user data including social networking data through their
connectivity to the mobile devices or directly from such cards.
[0091] Referring briefly now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, which illustrate
two block diagrams of two different implementations of the
exemplary automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG.
1A when the exemplary automated customized food generation machine
10* is a "standalone" device that has, for example, most or all of
the various logic needed in order to execute, for example, the
various functionalities to be described herein. In particular,
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate two extreme implementations of the
standalone implementation of the automated customized food
generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A in which all of the logic modules
are implemented using purely hardware solutions (e.g., employing
dedicated circuitry such as application specific integrated
circuitry or ASIC) as illustrated in FIG. 3A (e.g., illustrated in
FIG. 3A as automated customized food generation machine 10a) or in
which all of the logic modules are implemented using software
solutions (e.g., software executed by one or more processors or
controllers) as illustrated in FIG. 3B (e.g., illustrated in FIG.
3B as automated customized food generation machine 10b).
[0092] Note that for purposes of simplicity and for ease of
illustration, only the two extreme implementations (e.g., the
"hardware" implementation as illustrated by the automated
customized food generation machine 10a of FIG. 3A and the
"software" implementation as illustrated by the automated
customized food generation machine 10b of FIG. 3B) of the
standalone automated customized food generation machine 10* are
presented here. However, it is recognized that any combination of
software and hardware solutions are possible and may be employed in
various alternative embodiments. In any event, the "standalone"
automated customized food generation machine 10a depicted in FIG.
3A is the "hard" implementation of the standalone implementation of
the automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A
where all of the logic modules (e.g., the user preference
information obtaining module 302', the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining module 304', the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306', and the indicator presenting module 308')
are implemented using purely hardware solutions (e.g., circuitry
such as application specific integrated circuit or ASIC). In
contrast, the automated customized food generation machine 10b of
FIG. 3B is the soft implementation of the standalone implementation
of the automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A
where all of the logic modules (e.g., the user preference
information obtaining module 302'', the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module
304'', the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306'', and the indicator presenting
module 308'') are implemented using software solutions (e.g.,
programmable instructions in the form of computer readable
instructions 342 being executed by hardware such as one or more
processors 330) as illustrated in, for example, FIG. 3B. Note that
FIG. 3C illustrates a block diagram (illustrated in FIG. 3C as
automated customized food generation machine 10c) of a particular
implementation of the automated customized food generation machine
10* of FIG. 1 when the automated customized food generation machine
10* is not a standalone device (e.g., when one or more logic
modules may be remotely located, such as at a network device 12*,
as illustrated in FIG. 1B)
[0093] Turning now to FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, which illustrate
various exemplary scenarios of a user 13 interacting with a network
device 12* and/or with one or more automated customized food
generation machines 10* in accordance with various embodiments.
These scenarios are presented herein in order to facilitate
understanding of various operations and concepts to be described
herein. Note that in the exemplary scenarios illustrated in FIGS.
1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, the network device 12* or one of the automated
customized food generation machines 10* may actually implement the
various operations to be described herein--see, for example,
operational flow 500 of FIG. 5.
[0094] Referring particularly now to FIG. 1B, which shows a user 13
directly interfacing or interacting with an automated customized
food generation machine 10' (herein "interfacing" automated
customized food generation machine) in order to order/purchase one
or more customized food items 22. Upon obtaining user preference
information indicating food customization preferences of the user
13 from the user 13 or from other sources, a determination (which
may be made by the network device 12* and/or by the interfacing
automated customized food generation machine 10') may be made that
the automated customized food generation machine 10' is unable to
satisfactorily fulfill the user's customization preferences.
[0095] The network device 12* (e.g., a network system such as a
server or a workstation, or a plurality of network computers--"the
cloud") may then determine whether there are any nearby "capable"
automated customized food generation machines that are in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 that are able to currently generate
one or more customized food items 22 in full compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user 13. For
purposes of the example scenario of FIG. 1B (as well as in the
example scenarios of FIGS. 1C, 1D, and 1E), the automated
customized food generation machine 10'''' will be assumed to be a
capable automated customized food generation machine that is able
to currently (e.g., at the time of the determination) generate one
or more customized food items 22 (e.g., "compliant" customized food
items) in full compliance with the customization preferences
(herein "customized food preferences") of the user 13. However,
because the capable automated customized food generation machine
10'''' is far away from the user 13 and not in the nearby vicinity
(e.g., within half a mile, within two miles, or within some other
short travel distance) of the user 13, the capable automated
customized food generation machine 10'''' may not be considered as
a viable machine for the user 13 to use and therefore, the user 13
may not be directed to such a machine.
[0096] In various embodiments, the network device 12* may be
further designed to identify in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
"substitute" automated customized food generation machines that are
able to generate one or more "substitute" customized food items
that are only in partial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user 13. For purposes of this example
scenario of FIG. 1B (as well as for the example scenarios of FIGS.
1C, 1D, and 1E) only the automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' will be assumed to be substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are located in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13. Note that for purposes of the scenario of
FIG. 1B, the automated customized food generation machine 10' may
be referred to as the "interfacing" automated customized food
generation machine because the user 13 is directly
interfacing/interacting with the automated customized food
generation machine 10'.
[0097] In order to determine whether any automated customized food
generation machines 10* that are located in the nearby vicinity of
the user 13 are capable automated customized food generation
machines that are able to currently generate one or more customized
food items 22 in full compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user 13, the network device 12* may query
those nearby automated customized food generation machines (e.g.,
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''') that
are determined to be within the nearby vicinity of the user 13 as
to whether such machines have the capability (e.g., having the
appropriate ingredients in sufficient quantities) to generate one
or more customized food items that are in full compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user 13.
Alternatively, such a determination may be based on ingredient
supply status data previously provided by the nearby automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''') and stored in a memory 340
(see FIG. 3D or 3E, which illustrate two different implementations
of the network device 12* of FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D--a hard
implementation as illustrated in FIG. 3D in which all of the logic
modules are implemented using hardware, and a soft implementation
as illustrated in FIG. 3E, in which all of the logic modules are
implemented using software executed by one or more processors
330).
[0098] The network device 12* may also query the nearby automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''') that are determined to be
within the nearby vicinity of the user 13 as to whether such
machines have the capability (e.g., having the appropriate
ingredients in sufficient quantities) to generate one or more
"substitute" customized food items that are only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13. Alternatively, such a determination may be based on status
data previously provided by the nearby automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''') and stored in a memory 340.
[0099] In some cases, if no capable automated customized food
generation machines is found in the nearby vicinity of the user 13,
then the network device 12*, via the "interfacing" automated
customized food generation machine 10', may direct the user 13 to
one or more of the substitute customized food generation machines
10'' and 10''', which were identified by the network device 12* as
being able to currently generate one or more substitute customized
food items. As will be further described herein, in various
embodiments, various information may be provided to the user 13 in
addition to the simple identification of the substitute customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' including, for example, the
distances and directions to the substitute customized food
generation machines 10'' and 10''' from the current location of the
user 13 and the deficiencies, relative to the one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13, of the substitute
customized food items that such machines may be able to currently
generate.
[0100] Turning now to FIG. 1C, which illustrates another scenario
that is a slight variation from the scenario illustrated in FIG.
1B. In this example scenario of FIG. 1C, a user 13 is shown
interacting with a network device 12* via a computing device 15
(e.g., a Smartphone, a tablet computer, a workstation, a laptop,
and so forth). In this scenario, the user 13 is in direct
communication with the network device 12* via the computing device
15 so that the network device 12* may direct, via the computing
device 15, the user 13 to one or more capable automated customized
food generation machines, and if no capable automated customized
food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food
generation machine 10'''' of FIG. 1C) are detected in the nearby
vicinity (e.g., within one mile or within three miles) of the user
13, the network device 12* may direct the user 13 to one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines (e.g.,
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''').
[0101] That is, upon obtaining user preference information
indicating one or more customized food preferences of the user 13
from the computing device 15 or from other sources (based on user
identification information provided through the computing device
15), the network device 12* may determine whether there are any
capable automated customized food generation machines in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13. Further, the network device 12* may be
designed to identify, in the nearby vicinity of the user 13, the
presence of one or more substitute customized food generation
machines that are currently capable of generating one or more
substitute customized food items that are in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user 13. In
order to make such determinations/identifications, the network
device 12* may query those automated customized food generation
machines 10* (e.g., "nearby machines") that are located in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 in order to determine whether any of
the nearby machines have the capabilities to currently generate one
or more compliant customized food items that are in compliance with
the one or more customized food preferences of the user 13 and/or
to determine whether any of the nearby machines having the
capabilities to currently generate one or more substitute
customized food items that are only in partial compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user. In some
embodiments, if no capable automated customized food generation
machines are found in the nearby vicinity of the user 13, then the
network device 12*, via the computing device 15, may direct the
user 13 to one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are in the nearby vicinity of the user
13.
[0102] Note again that in the example scenario of FIG. 1C, as well
as for purposes of the following discussions related to the various
operations to be described herein, the automated customized food
generation machine 10'''' of FIG. 1C is a capable automated
customized food generation machine that is able to currently
generate one or more compliant customized food items that are in
full compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of
the user 13 but which is not in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
and, therefore, not a viable machine. And as before, the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' are two
substitute automated customized food generation machines that are
able to currently generate one or more substitute customized food
items that are in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13 and that are located in
the nearby vicinity of the user 13.
[0103] As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the network device 12* may be in
communication with a plurality of automated customized food
generation machines 10* (e.g., automated customized food generation
machine 10'', automated customized food generation machine 10''',
and automated customized food generation machine 10''''). Though
not explicitly illustrated, the network device 12* may communicate
with the automated customized food generation machines 10* and the
computing device 15 via wireless and/or wired networks in order to
determine, for example, whether there are any capable automated
customized food generation machines near the user 13 and whether
there are any substitute automated customized food generation
machines near the user 13.
[0104] Turning now to FIG. 1D, which illustrates a scenario that is
a slight variation from the scenario illustrated in FIG. 1B. The
only difference between the scenario illustrated in FIG. 1B and the
scenario illustrated in FIG. 1D is that in the scenario illustrated
in FIG. 1D the user 13 communicates with the automated customized
food generation machine 10' through a computing device 15 (e.g., a
Smartphone, a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a
desktop computer, and so forth). Thus, rather than the user 13
inputting user information (e.g., user preference information, user
ID/password, and so forth) directly into the "interfacing"
automated customized food generation machine 10', the user 13 may
provide user input through the computing device 15, and to receive
output information (e.g., identification of one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''').
[0105] Referring now to FIG. 1E, which illustrates a scenario that
is a hybrid scenario of the scenario illustrated in FIG. 1B and the
scenario illustrated in FIG. 1C. In the scenario of FIG. 1E, the
user 13 directly interacts with the automated customized food
generation machine 10' (e.g., "interfacing" automated customized
food generation machine). Upon the automated customized food
generation machine 10' determining that it is unable to
successfully generate one or more customized food items 22 in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13, the automated customized food generation machine 10' may
execute the same or similar operations that the network device 12*
of 10b and 10c is able to execute including, for example,
determining whether there are any capable automated customized food
generation machines in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 and
determining whether there are any substitute automated customized
food generation machines in the nearby vicinity of the user 13. If
no capable automated customized food generation machines are
detected in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 then the automated
customized food generation machine 10' may direct the user 12 to
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines (e.g., automated customized food generation machines 10''
and 10''') that are determined to be in the nearby vicinity (e.g.,
within 30 minutes of walking, mass transit, and/or automatable
traveling distance) of the user 13.
[0106] It should be noted that although in the above description of
the various scenarios, the operation to determine whether there are
any capable automated customized food generation machine present in
the nearby vicinity of the user and the operation to identify
presence of any substitute automated customized food generation
machines in the nearby vicinity of the user were described as two
separate operations, in alternative embodiments such operations may
be performed through a single common operation. That is, an
operation to determine the manufacturing capabilities of all
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 may perform both of the these operations
(e.g., an operation to determine whether there are any capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 and the operation to identify presence of
any substitute automated customized food generation machines in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13).
[0107] Referring now to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, which illustrate
exemplary screens that may be displayed through a computing device
15 (see, for example, FIG. 1C or 1D) or through an automated
customized food generation machine 10' (see, for example, FIG. 1C
or 1E) and that provides indicators that direct a user 13 to one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines in
accordance with various embodiments. Turning particularly now to
FIG. 2A, which illustrates an exemplary screen 200a that includes
indicator 210a that provides information that identifies the
customized food being requested (e.g., hamburger) and the
customized food preferences (e.g., Beef from Kobe, Japan, source
for the beef tested for prions, and so forth) of the user 13.
Exemplary screen 200a also includes indicator 220a that identifies
substitute automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the
automated customized food generation machines of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D,
and 1E) that are determined to be able to currently generate one or
more substitute customized food items that are only in partial
compliance with one or more customized food preferences of the user
13. Indicator 220a identifies the substitute automated customized
food generation machines by machine identifier (e.g., "Red vending
machine" and "Vending machine 2"), by address (e.g., "235 Main
Street" and "550 2.sup.nd Street), and by name of location (e.g.,
"Union 76 Gas Station"). Indicator 220a also indicates the
distances to the substitute automated customized food generation
machines from the current location of the user 13. Indicator 220a
additionally indicates the non-compliance (e.g., deficiency or
deficiencies relative to the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 of the substitute customized food items
that the substitute automated customized food generation machines
may be able to generate) of the substitute customized food items
that the substitute automated customized food generation machines
are able to generate. Indicator 220a further indicates the prices
of the substitute customized food items that can be generated by
the substitute automated customized food generation machines.
Indicator 220a, as illustrated, ranks the different machines
automated customized food generation machines based on their
distances from the user 13 (e.g., Option 1 is ranked first because
it is only 745 yards away). Note also, that indicator 220a
indicates that the first listed substitute automated customized
food generation machine (e.g., option 1) is located along a past
travel path of the user 13 (e.g., a travel route or path that the
user 13 has previously used). Exemplary screen 200a also includes
indicator 212a that indicates that there are no capable automated
customized food generation machines located in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13.
[0108] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary screen 200b that may be
displayed upon the user 13 selecting "option 1" of screen 200a of
FIG. 2A. As a result of electing option 1, screen 200b is displayed
that shows directions (e.g., instructions) for traveling to the
corresponding substitute automated customized food generation
machine (e.g., automated customized food generation machine 10'''
or 10'''' of FIG. 1B, 1C, 1D, or 1E) as indicated by indicator
220b. In contrast, indicator 210b of FIG. 2B identifies the
substitute automated customized food generation machine that was
selected by the user 13 (e.g., "Red vending machine at 245 North
Street") and the original user preference information (e.g., name
of the food requested--hamburger and customization
preferences--beef from Kobe, Japan, ingredient source tested for
prions, and so forth).
[0109] Turning now to FIG. 2C, which illustrates an exemplary
screen 200c that includes indicator 220c that identifies the
locations of the two substitute automated customized food
generation machines relative to the current location of the user 13
on a map. In particular, indicator 220c includes black squares that
indicate locations of substitute automated customized food
generation machines superimposed on top of a map. Indicator 220c
further includes route 232 that shows a route that the user 13 may
take in order to get to the location of one of the substitute
automated customized food generation machines from the current
location of the user 13. A more detailed discussion related to the
exemplary screens 200a, 200b, and 200c of FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C will
be provided below with respect to the various operations and
processes to be described herein.
[0110] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, which as briefly described
above, illustrate two block diagrams of two different
implementations of the automated customized food generation machine
10* of FIG. 1A when the automated customized food generation
machine 10* is a standalone device with all of the necessary logic
to perform the various operations to be described below with
respect to the flow process of FIG. 5. In particular, and as will
be further described herein, FIG. 3A illustrates an automated
customized food generation machine 10a that is the "hardwired" or
"hard" implementation of a standalone automated customized food
generation system that can implement the operations and processes
to be described herein. The automated customized food generation
machine 10a may comprise certain logic modules including, for
example, a user preference information obtaining module 302', a
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 304', a substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306', and/or an
indicator presenting module 308' that are implemented using purely
hardware or circuitry components (e.g., application specific
integrated circuit or "ASIC"). In contrast, FIG. 3B illustrates a
standalone automated customized food generation machine 10b that is
the "soft" implementation of an automated customized food
generation system that can implement the operations and processes
to be described herein. In various embodiments, the automated
customized food generation machine 10b may also include certain
logic modules including, for example, a user preference information
obtaining module 302'', a capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304'', a substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306'', and/or an indicator presenting module 308'' that are
implemented using electronic circuitry (e.g., one or more
processors 330 including one or more microprocessors, controllers,
etc.) executing one or more programming instructions (e.g.,
software in the form of computer readable instructions 342--see
FIG. 3B).
[0111] The embodiments of the standalone automated customized food
generation machine 10* illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B are two
extreme implementations of a standalone automated customized food
generation system in which all of the logic modules (e.g., the user
preference information obtaining module 302', the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module
304', the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306', and the indicator presenting
module 308') are implemented using purely hardware solutions (e.g.,
circuitry such as ASIC) as illustrated in, for example, FIG. 3A or
in which all of the logic modules (e.g., the user preference
information obtaining module 302'', the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module
304'', the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306'', and the indicator presenting
module 308'') are implemented using software solutions (e.g.,
programmable instructions in the form of computer readable
instructions 342 being executed by hardware such as one or more
processors 330) as illustrated in, for example, FIG. 3B. Since
there are many ways of combining hardware, software, and/or
firmware in order to implement the various logic modules (e.g., the
user preference information obtaining module 302*, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304*, the substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306*, and the indicator
presenting module 308*), only the two extreme implementations
(e.g., the purely hardware solution as illustrated in FIG. 3A and
the software solution of FIG. 3B) are illustrated here. It should
be noted here that with respect to the "soft" implementation
illustrated in FIG. 3B, hardware in the form of circuitry such as
one or more processors 330 are still needed in order to execute the
software. Further details related to the two implementations of the
standalone automated customized food generation machine 10*
illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B will be provided in greater detail
below.
[0112] In still other implementations, the automated customized
food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A may not actually include the
various logic modules (e.g., the user preference information
obtaining module 302*, the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304*, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306*, and the indicator presenting module 308*) that
implement the various operations/processes described herein. For
example, the automated customized food generation machine 10c of
FIG. 3C illustrates such a device that does not have the various
logic modules (e.g., a user preference information obtaining module
302*, a capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304*, a substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence ascertaining module 306*, and an
indicator presenting module 308*) included in the automated
customized food generation machine 10a and 10b of FIGS. 3A and 3B.
Instead, such logic modules may be located in a remote device such
as at a network device 12* as illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 3D
and 3E. In such implementations, the other device (e.g., network
device 12*) may be endowed with the various logic modules (e.g., a
user preference information obtaining module 302*, a capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304*, a substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306*, and an indicator
presenting module 308*) in order to be able to perform at least
some of the processes and operations to be described herein. In
various implementations, the network device 12* may be a network
computing device (e.g., a server or a workstation) or a plurality
of network devices (e.g., the cloud).
[0113] FIGS. 3D and 3E illustrates two extreme implementations of
the network device 12* of FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D in which all of the
logic modules (e.g., the user preference information obtaining
module 302''', the capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module 304''', the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306''', and the indicator presenting module 308''') are
implemented using purely hardware solutions (e.g., circuitry such
as ASIC) as illustrated in, for example, FIG. 3D, or in which all
of the logic modules (e.g., the user preference information
obtaining module 302'''', the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304'''', the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306'''', and the indicator presenting module
308'''') are implemented using software solutions (e.g.,
programmable instructions in the form of computer readable
instructions 342 being executed by hardware such as one or more
processors 330) as illustrated in, for example, FIG. 3E. Again,
although there are many ways to combine hardware, software, and/or
firmware in order to implement the various logic modules (e.g., the
user preference information obtaining module 302*, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304*, the substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306*, and the indicator
presenting module 308*), for ease of illustration only the two
extreme implementations (e.g., the purely hardware solution as
illustrated in FIG. 3D and the software solution of FIG. 3E) are
illustrated here.
[0114] In some instances, one or more components may be referred to
herein as "configured to," "configured by," "configurable to,"
"operable/operative to," "adapted/adaptable," "able to,"
"conformable/conformed to," "designed to," etc. Those skilled in
the art will recognize that such terms (e.g., "configured to")
generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state
components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires
otherwise.
[0115] Referring back to FIG. 3A, which illustrates a block diagram
of an automated customized food generation machine 10a that
includes a user preference information obtaining module 302', a
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 304', a substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306', and an
indicator presenting module 308', memory 340, a communication
system 350 (e.g., a network interface card, a transceiver, and so
forth), a user interface 360 (e.g., a display, a speaker, and so
forth), one or more processors 330 (e.g., one or more
microprocessors), and a customized food item production system 320.
In some embodiments, the memory 340 may store ingredient supply
data 341 that indicates ingredient supply information of one or
more automated customized food generation machines 10* (which in
this case, may also indicate the supply information of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a). In various
embodiments, the customized food item production system 320 may
include one or more ingredient supplies, and components for
manufacturing customized food items including, for example, robotic
components, 3-D printing components, heating and/or cooling
components, ingredient mixing components, molding components, and
so forth for producing or manufacturing one or more customized food
items in accordance with customized food preferences of one or more
users. In some embodiments, the user interface 360 may include a
display screen 30 such as a touchscreen, a keypad 32, and so
forth.
[0116] In various embodiments, the user preference information
obtaining module 302' of the automated customized food generation
machine 10a of FIG. 3A is a logic module that may be designed to,
among other things, obtain user preference information of a user,
the user preference information to be obtained indicating one or
more customized food preferences of the user 13 including at least
one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity
of one or more ingredients. In contrast, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 304'
of FIG. 3A is a logic module that may be configured to determine
that there is no capable automated customized food generation
machine present in nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to
currently generate one or more customized food items 22 in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13. The substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306' is a logic module that
may be configured to, among other things, ascertain in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 presence of one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in partial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user 13. The indicator presenting module
308' of FIG. 3A, on the other hand, is a logic module that may be
configured to, among other things, present one or more indicators
220* that identify the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines in response, at least in part, to the
ascertainment of the presence of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13.
[0117] Turning now to FIG. 3B, which illustrates a block diagram of
another automated customized food generation machine 10b that can
implement the operations and processes to be described herein. As
indicated earlier, the automated customized food generation machine
10b in FIG. 3B is merely the "soft" version of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a of FIG. 3A because the
various logic modules: the user preference information obtaining
module 302'', the capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module 304'', the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306'', and the indicator presenting module 308'' are implemented
using one or more processors 330 (e.g., one or more microprocessors
or controllers) executing software (e.g., computer readable
instructions 342) rather than being implemented using purely
hardware (e.g., ASIC) solutions as was the case in the automated
customized food generation machine 10a of FIG. 3A. Thus, the user
preference information obtaining module 302'', the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304'', the substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306'', and the indicator
presenting module 308'' of FIG. 3B may be designed to execute the
same or similar functions as the user preference information
obtaining module 302', the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304', the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306', and the indicator presenting module 308' of FIG. 3A.
The automated customized food generation machine 10b, as
illustrated in FIG. 3B, may include other components (e.g., the
user interface 360, the communication system 350, the memory 340
that stores the ingredient supply data 341 and the computer
readable instructions 342, the customized food item production
system 320, and so forth) that are the same or similar to the other
components that may be included in the automated customized food
generation machine 10a of FIG. 3A. Note that in the embodiment of
the automated customized food generation machine 10b illustrated in
FIG. 3B, the various logic modules (e.g., the user preference
information obtaining module 302'', the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module
304'', the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306'', and the indicator presenting
module 308'') may be implemented by the one or more processors 330
(or other types of circuitry such as field programmable gate arrays
or FPGAs) executing one or more computer readable instructions 342
stored in memory 340.
[0118] In various embodiments, the memory 340 of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a of FIG. 3A and the automated
customized food generation machine 10b of FIG. 3B may comprise one
or more of mass storage device, read-only memory (ROM),
programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable
read-only memory (EPROM), cache memory such as random access memory
(RAM), flash memory, synchronous random access memory (SRAM),
dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or other types of memory
devices.
[0119] FIG. 3C illustrates the automated customized food generation
machine 10* of FIG. 1A (e.g., illustrated in FIG. 3C as automated
customized food generation machine 10c) when the automated
customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 1A is not a
standalone device but instead, relies on another device (e.g., the
network device 12* of FIG. 1C or 1D) to provide the various logic
needed in order to, for example, execute the various operations to
be described herein (e.g., see FIG. 5 or 9). In contrast, FIGS. 3D
and 3E illustrate two extreme implementations (e.g., in which all
of the logic modules are implemented using hardware solutions as
illustrated in the network device 12a of FIG. 3D or in which all of
the logic modules are implemented using software solutions as
illustrated in the network device 12b of FIG. 3E) of the network
device 12* of FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D. Note that both the network
device 12a of FIG. 3D and the network device 12b of FIG. FIG. 3E
have the same logic modules as those logic modules included in the
customized food preparation systems 10a and 10b of FIGS. 3A and 3B
performing the same or similar functionalities.
[0120] Turning now to FIG. 4A illustrating a particular
implementation of the user preference information obtaining module
302* (e.g., the user preference information obtaining module 302',
the user preference information obtaining module 302'', the user
preference information obtaining module 302''', or the user
preference information obtaining module 302'''') of FIG. 3A, 3B,
3D, or 3E. As illustrated, the user preference information
obtaining module 302* may include one or more sub-logic modules in
various alternative implementations. For example, in various
embodiments, the user preference information obtaining module 302*
may include a user entry obtaining module 402, a user associated
device provided user preference information obtaining module 404, a
memory provided user preference information obtaining module 406,
an internet provided user preference information obtaining module
408, a user proximity detecting module 410, and/or a user
interfaced automated customized food generation machine
unsatisfactory determining module 412 (which may further include a
deficient ingredient supply determining module 414). Specific
details related to the user preference information obtaining module
302* as well as the above-described sub-modules of the user
preference information obtaining module 302* will be provided below
with respect to the operations and processes to be described
herein.
[0121] Turning now to FIG. 4B illustrating a particular
implementation of the capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module 304* (e.g., the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304', the capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module 304'', the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module
304''', or the capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304'''') of FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E. As
illustrated, the capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module 304* may include one or more
sub-logic modules in various alternative implementations. For
example, in various embodiments, the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining module 304* may
include an automated customized food generation machine querying
module 416, a preparation preference capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining module 418, a
taste/flavor preference capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 420, an ingredient
preference capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 422, an ingredient purity preference
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 424, an ingredient source preference capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 426, and/or an ingredient source location preference capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 428. Specific details related to the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 304*
as well as the above-described sub-modules of the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 304*
will be provided below with respect to the operations and processes
to be described herein.
[0122] Turning now to FIG. 4C illustrating a particular
implementation of the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* (e.g., the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306', the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306'', the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306'', or the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence ascertaining module 306'''') of
FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E. As illustrated, the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306* may include one or more sub-logic modules in various
alternative implementations. For example, in various embodiments,
the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306* may include a substitute
automated customized food generation machine description
ascertaining module 430, a substitute automated customized food
generation machine location ascertaining module 432, a
user/substitute machine distance ascertaining module 434, a travel
route ascertaining module 436, an automated customized food
generation machine querying module 438, and/or a preferred
ingredient deficient substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 440 (which may
further include a substitute ingredient stocked substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 442). Specific details related to the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306* as well as the above-described sub-modules of the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* will be provided below with respect to the operations
and processes to be described herein.
[0123] Referring to FIG. 4D, which illustrates a particular
implementation of the indicator presenting module 308* (e.g., the
indicator presenting module 308', the indicator presenting module
308'', the indicator presenting module 308''', or the indicator
presenting module 308'''') of FIG. 3A, 3B, 3D, or 3E. As
illustrated, the indicator presenting module 308* may include one
or more sub-logic modules in various alternative implementations.
For example, in various embodiments, the indicator presenting
module 308* may include an electronic indicator communicating
module 444, a textual indicator presenting module 446, a graphical
indicator presenting module 448, a distance indicator presenting
module 450, and/or a substitute customized food item deficiency
indicator presenting module 452. Specific details related to the
indicator presenting module 308* as well as the above-described
sub-modules of the indicator presenting module 308* will be
provided below with respect to the operations and processes to be
described herein.
[0124] In the following, various operations are presented in
accordance with various embodiments that may be implemented by the
automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 3A, 3B, or
3C, or that may be implemented by the network device 12* of FIG. 3D
or 3E. FIG. 5, for example, illustrates an operational flow 500
representing example computationally-implemented operations that
may be implemented for, among other things, acquiring user
preference information of a user that indicates one or more
customized food preferences of the user, determining that there is
no capable automated customized food generation machine present
near the user that is capable of currently generating one or more
customized food items in total or complete compliance with the one
or more customized food preferences of the user, and identifying
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines in the nearby vicinity of the user that are able to
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
partial compliance with the one or more customized food preferences
of the user. In some implementations, at least some portions of
these operations may be implemented via an automated customized
food generation machine 10* (e.g., the automated customized food
generation machine 10a, automated customized food generation
machine 10b, or the automated customized food generation machine
10c) of, for example, FIG. 3A, 3B, or 3C or via a network device
12* (e.g., the network device 12a or the network device 12b) of
FIG. 3D or 3E.
[0125] In FIG. 5 and in the following figures that include various
examples of operational flows, discussions and explanations will be
provided with respect to the automated customized food generation
machine 10* or the network device 12* described above and as
illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, and/or
with respect to other examples (e.g., as provided in FIGS. 1A, 1B,
1C, 1D, 1E, 2A, 2B, and 2C) and contexts. However, it should be
understood that the operational flows may be executed in a number
of other environments and contexts, and/or in modified versions of
FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4B, 4C,
and 4D. Also, although the various operational flows are presented
in the sequence(s) illustrated, it should be understood that the
various operations may be performed in orders other than those
which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently.
[0126] Further, in FIG. 5 and in the figures to follow thereafter,
various operations may be depicted in a box-within-a-box manner.
Such depictions may indicate that an operation in an internal box
may comprise an optional example embodiment of the operational step
illustrated in one or more external boxes. However, it should be
understood that internal box operations may be viewed as
independent operations separate from any associated external boxes
and may be performed in any sequence with respect to all other
illustrated operations, or may be performed concurrently. Still
further, these operations illustrated in FIG. 5 as well as the
other operations to be described herein are performed by at least
one of a machine, an article of manufacture, or a composition of
matter unless indicated otherwise.
[0127] For ease of understanding, the flowcharts are organized such
that the initial flowcharts present implementations via an example
implementation and thereafter the following flowcharts present
alternate implementations and/or expansions of the initial
flowchart(s) as either sub-component operations or additional
component operations building on one or more earlier-presented
flowcharts. Those having skill in the art will appreciate that the
style of presentation utilized herein (e.g., beginning with a
presentation of a flowchart(s) presenting an example implementation
and thereafter providing additions to and/or further details in
subsequent flowcharts) generally allows for a rapid and easy
understanding of the various process implementations. In addition,
those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the style of
presentation used herein also lends itself well to modular and/or
object-oriented program design paradigms.
[0128] In any event, after a start operation, the operational flow
500 of FIG. 5 may move to a user preference information acquiring
operation 502 for acquiring user preference information of a user
that indicates one or more customized food preferences of the user
including at least one or more ingredient integrity preferences
related to integrity of one or more ingredients. For instance, and
as illustration, the user preference information obtaining module
302* of the automated customized food generation machine 10* of
FIG. 3A or 3B (e.g., the user preference information obtaining
module 302' of FIG. 3A or the user preference information obtaining
module 302'' of FIG. 3B) or of the network device 12* of FIG. 3D or
3E (e.g., the user preference information obtaining module 302'''
of FIG. 3D or the user preference information obtaining module
302'''' of FIG. 3E) acquiring or obtaining user preference
information (e.g., user dietary information, user dietary
preferences, user dietary restrictions, ingredient preference, food
preference, and so forth) of a user 13 that indicates one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13 including at least one
or more ingredient integrity preferences (e.g., purity preferences
and/or sourcing preferences) related to integrity of one or more
ingredients (e.g., meats, dairy products, vegetables, processed
ingredients such as flour or sugar, and so forth) that may be used
for generating one or more customized food items 22 (e.g.,
customized energy bars, customized sandwiches, customized shakes or
smoothies, customized stews, and so forth).
[0129] Operational flow 500 may also include a capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 for determining that there is no capable automated customized
food generation machine present in nearby vicinity of the user that
is able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user. For instance, the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 3A or 3B
(e.g., the capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304' of FIG. 3A or the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304'' of FIG. 3B) or of the network device 12* of FIG. 3D or
3E (e.g., the capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304''' of FIG. 3D or the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304'''' of FIG. 3E) determining or ascertaining that there
is no capable automated customized food generation machine (e.g.,
there are no "capable" automated customized food generation machine
10'''' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in nearby
vicinity (e.g., within half a mile) of the user 13 that is able to
currently (e.g., at the time of the determination) generate one or
more customized food items 22 in full or complete compliance with
the one or more customized food preferences (e.g., preference for
aspartame as a sweetener, preference that beef ingredients that are
to be used not be from Britain, and so forth) of the user 13.
[0130] Operational flow 500 may further include a substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence identifying
operation 506 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item that is only in partial compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user. For
instance, the substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the automated
customized food generation machine 10* of FIG. 3A or 3B (e.g., the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306' of FIG. 3A or the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306'' of FIG. 3B) or of the network device 12* of FIG. 3D or 3E
(e.g., the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306''' of FIG. 3D or the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306'''' of FIG. 3E) identifying or ascertaining one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines (e.g.,
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''')
present in the nearby vicinity (e.g., within one mile) of the user
13 that are able to currently (e.g., at the time of the
identifying) generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in partial compliance (as opposed to complete or full
compliance) with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13.
[0131] For example, identifying or ascertaining at least one
substitute automated customized food generation machine 10'' or
10''' that is capable of generating, at least at the time of
identification, a substitute customized food item 22 that is in
partial compliance with the customization preferences of the user
13. Thus, references in the following to a "substitute automated
customized food generation machine" or to "one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines" (as opposed to one
or more "capable automated customized food generation machines")
may be in reference to one or more automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) that can
currently (e.g., at the time of identification or ascertainment)
generate one or more substitute customized food items (e.g.,
customized food items 22) that are only in partial compliance with
one or more customized food preferences of a user 13 as they
related to one or more particular food items (e.g., customization
preferences as they relate to energy bars, sandwiches, shakes,
soups, and so forth).
[0132] In contrast, references in the following to a "capable
automated customized food generation machine" or to "one or more
capable automated customized food generation machines" may be in
reference to one or more automated customized food generation
machines (e.g., capable automated customized food generation
machine 10'''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) that can currently
generate one or more compliant customized food items (e.g.,
customized food item 22 of FIG. 1A) that are in full or complete
compliance with one or more customized food preferences of the user
13 as they related to one or more particular food items. In various
embodiments, the ability of a capable automated customized food
generation machine to be able to currently generate one or more
compliant customized food items may be as a result of having
current access to (e.g., having supplies of) the necessary or
preferred ingredients in sufficient quantities in order to generate
one or more compliant customized food items that are in full
compliance with one or more preferences of a user 13. In contrast,
the inability of a substitute automated customized food generation
machine (e.g., the substitute automated customized food generation
machine 10'' or 10''' of FIG. 1B, 1C, 1D, or 1E) to be able to
currently generate one or more substitute customized food items may
be as a result of not having at least current access to the
necessary or preferred ingredients in sufficient quantities that
are needed in order to currently generate one or more compliant
customized food items that are in full compliance with one or more
preferences of a user 13. For purposes of the following
description, a "compliant customized food item" is a customized
food item that is generated in complete or total compliance with
one or more customized food preferences of a user 13. In contrast,
a substitute customized food item is a customized food item that is
generated in partial compliance with one or more customized food
preferences of a user and that is generated in order to substitute
for a compliant customized food item.
[0133] As will be described below, the user preference information
acquiring operation 502, the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining operation 504, and the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
identifying operation 506 may be executed in a variety of different
ways in various alternative implementations. FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and
6D, for example, illustrate at least some of the alternative ways
that the user preference information acquiring operation 502 of
FIG. 5 may be implemented in various alternative implementations.
In some cases, for example, the user preference information
acquiring operation 502 may include an operation 602 for acquiring
the user preference information of the user by acquiring at least a
portion of the user preference information from the user as
illustrated in FIG. 6A. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user preference
information of the user 13 by acquiring or obtaining at least a
portion of the user preference information from the user 13 (e.g.,
preference information such as user ID, food item selection, and so
forth as entered by the user 13).
[0134] In various implementations, operation 602 may further
include one or more additional operations including, in some cases,
an operation 603 for acquiring the at least a portion of the user
preference information from the user by acquiring one or more
entries entered by the user through a user interface of an
automated customized food generation machine that is designed to
generate customized food items. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* including the user entry
obtaining module 402 (see FIG. 4A) of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the at least a
portion of the user preference information from the user 13 by
having the user entry obtaining module 402 acquire or obtain one or
more entries entered by the user 13 through a user interface 360 of
an automated customized food generation machine 10* that is
designed to generate customized food items 22 in accordance with
user customization preferences.
[0135] In some implementations, operation 602 may further include
an operation 604 for acquiring the at least a portion of the user
preference information from the user by acquiring the at least a
portion of the user preference information from one or more devices
associated with the user. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* including the user associated
device provided user preference information obtaining module 404
(see FIG. 4A) of the automated customized food generation machine
10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the at least a portion of the user
preference information from the user 13 by having the user
associated device provided user preference information obtaining
module 404 acquire or obtain the at least a portion of the user
preference information from one or more devices 15 (e.g., mobile
computing devices such as Smartphones, tablet computer, and so
forth) associated with the user 13.
[0136] In some cases, operation 604 may include an operation 605
for acquiring the at least a portion of the user preference
information from the one or more devices associated with the user
by acquiring the at least a portion of the user preference
information from one or more of a credit card, a smart card, and/or
a computing device associated with the user. For instance, the user
associated device provided user preference information obtaining
module 404 (see FIG. 4A) of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the at least a
portion of the user preference information from the one or more
devices 15 associated with the user 13 by acquiring or obtaining
the at least a portion of the user preference information from one
or more of a credit card, a smart card, and/or a computing device
(e.g., mobile device, desktop or laptop computer, etc.) associated
with the user 13.
[0137] In some implementations, the user preference information
acquiring operation 502 may actually include an operation 606 for
acquiring the user preference information of the user by retrieving
at least a portion of the user preference information from a memory
based, at least in part, on one or more user identifications
provided by the user. For instance, the user preference information
obtaining module 302* including the memory user preference
information obtaining module 406 (see FIG. 4A) of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the
user preference information of the user 13 by having the memory
user preference information obtaining module 406 retrieve or obtain
at least a portion of the user preference information from a memory
340 based, at least in part, on one or more user identifications
(e.g., username, password, credit card number, and so forth)
directly or indirectly provided by the user 13. For example, the
user 13 may directly input user identification information via a
user interface 360 of an automated customized food generation
machine 10* or via a computing device 15, which may already have
such user identification information stored in memory 340. Based on
the obtained user identification information, user preference
information may be retrieved.
[0138] In various implementations, the user preference information
acquiring operation 502 may actually include an operation 607 for
acquiring the user preference information of the user by retrieving
at least a portion of the user preference information from the
internet based, at least in part, on one or more user
identifications provided by the user. For instance, the user
preference information obtaining module 302* including the internet
user preference information obtaining module 408 (see FIG. 4A) of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user preference information of the user 13 by having
the internet user preference information obtaining module 408
retrieve or obtain at least a portion of the user preference
information from the internet based, at least in part, on one or
more user identifications (e.g., username, email address, password,
and so forth) provided by the user 13.
[0139] In some cases, operation 607 may further include an
operation 608 for retrieving at least the portion of the user
preference information from one or more social networking websites
based, at least in part, on one or more user identifications
provided by the user. For instance, the internet user preference
information obtaining module 408 of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) retrieving or obtaining at
least the portion of the user preference information from one or
more social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, and so
forth) based, at least in part, on one or more user identifications
directly or indirectly provided by the user 13.
[0140] Referring now to FIG. 6B, in various implementations, the
user preference information acquiring operation 502 may include an
operation 609 for acquiring the user preference information of the
user by acquiring the user preference information in response to
detecting that the user being spatially near one or more automated
customized food generation machines that are designed to generate
customized food items. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* including the user proximity
detecting module 410 (see FIG. 4A) of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user preference
information of the user 13 by automatically acquiring the user
preference information in response to, for example, the user
proximity detecting module 410 detecting that the user 13 being
spatially near one or more automated customized food generation
machines 10* that are designed to generate customized food items
22. In some cases, the user 13 may be detected as being near the
one or more customized food generation machines 10* based on
locational data (e.g., GPS provided data) provided by the computing
device 15 (e.g., Smartphone or tablet computer) of the user 13.
[0141] As further illustrated in FIG. 6B, operation 609 may further
include an operation 610 for acquiring the user preference
information in response to detecting that the user being spatially
near the one or more automated customized food generation machines
by acquiring the user preference information in response to
detecting that the user is within 20 feet from one or more
locations of the one or more automated customized food generation
machines. For instance, the user preference information obtaining
module 302* including the user proximity detecting module 410 of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user preference information in response to detecting
that the user 13 being spatially near the one or more automated
customized food generation machines 10* by acquiring the user
preference information in response to, for example, the user
proximity detecting module 410 detecting that the user 13 is within
20 feet from one or more locations of the one or more automated
customized food generation machines 10*.
[0142] In some implementations, operation 609 may include an
operation 611 for acquiring the user preference information in
response to detecting that the user being spatially near the one or
more automated customized food generation machines by acquiring the
user preference information in response to detecting that the user
is approaching the one or more automated customized food generation
machines. For instance, the user preference information obtaining
module 302* including the user proximity detecting module 410 of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user preference information in response to detecting
that the user 13 being spatially near the one or more automated
customized food generation machines 10* by acquiring the user
preference information in response to, for example, the user
proximity detecting module 410 detecting that the user 13 is
approaching or nearing the one or more automated customized food
generation machines 10*.
[0143] In various implementations, the user preference information
acquired through the user preference information acquiring
operation 502 may include a variety of user information. For
example, in some cases, the user preference information acquiring
operation 502 may include an operation 612 for acquiring the user
preference information of the user that indicates the one or more
customized food preferences of the user by acquiring user dietary
preference information of the user that indicates one or more
dietary preferences of the user. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user preference
information of the user 13 that indicates the one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13 by acquiring or
obtaining user dietary preference information of the user 13 that
indicates one or more dietary preferences (e.g., beef rather than
chicken, spicy, low-fat milk, and so forth) of the user 13.
[0144] As further illustrated in FIG. 6B, in some implementations,
operation 612 may actually include an operation 613 for acquiring
the user dietary preference information of the user that indicates
one or more dietary preferences of the user by acquiring user
dietary information of the user that indicates one or more food
item preferences of the user. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user dietary
preference information of the user 13 that indicates one or more
dietary preferences of the user 13 by acquiring or obtaining user
dietary information of the user 13 that indicates one or more food
item preferences (e.g., a user selection for a particular food item
such as a hamburger, a peanut-chocolate chip energy bar, a
chocolate shake, and so forth) of the user 13.
[0145] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 612
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 614 for
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring user dietary information of the user that indicates one
or more food preparation preferences of the user for preparing the
one or more customized food items. For instance, the user
preference information obtaining module 302* of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the
user dietary preference information of the user 13 that indicates
the one or more dietary preferences of the user 13 by acquiring or
obtaining user dietary information of the user 13 that indicates
one or more food preparation (e.g., heating or cooling) preferences
of the user 13 for preparing the one or more customized food items
22.
[0146] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 612
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 615 for
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring one or more taste or flavor preferences of the user. For
instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302* of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user 13
that indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user 13
by acquiring or obtaining one or more taste or flavor preferences
(e.g., spicy preferences, sweetness preferences, tartness
preferences, and so forth) of the user 13.
[0147] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 612
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 616 for
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring one or more ingredient preferences of the user as
illustrated in FIG. 6C. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user dietary
preference information of the user 13 that indicates the one or
more dietary preferences of the user 13 by acquiring or obtaining
one or more ingredient preferences (e.g., preference that beef
ingredient to be used be from a source that has been tested to be
free of prions or from other impurities, preference that chicken
ingredient to be used be from Tyson farms, preference for whole
milk ingredients, and so forth) of the user 13.
[0148] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 612
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 617 for
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring one or more dietary schedules of the user. For instance,
the user preference information obtaining module 302* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user 13
that indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user 13
by acquiring or obtaining one or more dietary schedules (e.g., diet
plans) of the user 13. In some cases, the obtained dietary schedule
or schedules may indicate the food preference and the customization
preference of the user 13.
[0149] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 612
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 618 for
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring one or more dietary restrictions of the user. For
instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302* of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user 13
that indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user 13
by acquiring or obtaining one or more dietary restrictions (e.g.,
no peanuts, no dairy products, no pork, and so forth) of the user
13.
[0150] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 612
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 619 for
acquiring the user dietary preference information of the user that
indicates the one or more dietary preferences of the user by
acquiring one or more dietary needs of the user. For instance, the
user preference information obtaining module 302* of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the
user dietary preference information of the user 13 that indicates
the one or more dietary preferences of the user 13 by acquiring or
obtaining one or more dietary needs (e.g., need for high iron
ingredients, need for vitamin enriched ingredients, and so forth)
of the user 13.
[0151] In various implementations, the user preference information
acquiring operation 502 may include an operation 620 for acquiring
the user preference information of the user that includes the one
or more ingredient integrity preferences related to the integrity
of the one or more ingredients by acquiring user preference
information that includes one or more preferences related to purity
of the one or more ingredients. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user preference
information of the user 13 that includes the one or more ingredient
integrity preferences related to the integrity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring or obtaining user preference information
that includes one or more preferences related to purity (e.g., free
of impurities) of the one or more ingredients.
[0152] As further illustrated in FIG. 6C, in some cases, operation
620 may further include an operation 621 for acquiring the user
preference information that includes the one or more preferences
related to the purity of the one or more ingredients by acquiring
user preference information that includes one or more preferences
that one or more sources for the one or more ingredients were
tested for presence or absence of one or more impurities. For
instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302* of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user preference information that includes the one or
more preferences related to the purity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring or obtaining user preference information
that includes one or more preferences that one or more sources
(e.g., farms, cattle herds, domesticated animals, harvest crops,
and so forth) for the one or more ingredients (e.g., meat
ingredients, dairy products, vegetable ingredients, and so forth)
were tested for presence or absence of one or more impurities
(e.g., viral or bacterial agents including, for example, prions,
pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, and so forth).
[0153] In the same or alternative implementations, the user
preference information acquiring operation 502 may additionally or
alternatively include an operation 622 for acquiring the user
preference information of the user that includes the one or more
ingredient integrity preferences related to the integrity of the
one or more ingredients by acquiring user preference information
that includes one or more user preferences that the one or more
ingredients for use in generating the one or more customized food
items were obtained from one or more specified sources and/or from
one or more specified locations. For instance, the user preference
information obtaining module 302* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user preference
information of the user 13 that includes the one or more ingredient
integrity preferences related to the integrity of the one or more
ingredients by acquiring or obtaining user preference information
that includes one or more user preferences that the one or more
ingredients for use in generating the one or more customized food
items were obtained from one or more specified sources (e.g., Oscar
Meyer, Jolly Green Giant, Dole, and so forth) and/or from one or
more specified locations (e.g., Kobe--Japan, Florida, and so
forth).
[0154] In the same or alternative implementations, the user
preference information acquiring operation 502 may additionally or
alternatively include an operation 623 for acquiring the user
preference information of the user that includes the one or more
ingredient integrity preferences related to the integrity of the
one or more ingredients by acquiring user preference information
that includes one or more user preferences that the one or more
ingredients were not obtained from one or more specified sources
and/or one or more specified locations as illustrated in FIG. 6D.
For instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302*
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) acquiring the user preference information of the user 13 that
includes the one or more ingredient integrity preferences related
to the integrity of the one or more ingredients by acquiring or
obtaining user preference information that includes one or more
user preferences that the one or more ingredients were not obtained
from one or more specified sources (e.g., Tyson's chicken, Kirkland
brand, Del Monte, and so forth) and/or one or more specified
locations (e.g., Britain, Mexico, and so forth).
[0155] In the same or alternative implementations, the user
preference information acquiring operation 502 may additionally or
alternatively include an operation 624 for acquiring the user
preference information of the user including acquiring user
behavior information indicating one or more historical behaviors of
the user that are indicative of one or more past preferences of the
user. For instance, the user preference information obtaining
module 302* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) acquiring the user preference information of the
user 13 including acquiring or obtaining user behavior information
indicating one or more historical behaviors (e.g., past purchasing
information related to customized food items, past usage
information of automated customized food generation machines, and
so forth) of the user 13 that are indicative of one or more past
preferences of the user 13.
[0156] In some implementations, operation 624 may actually include
an operation 625 for acquiring the user behavior information of the
user indicating the one or more historical behaviors of the user
that are indicative of the one or more past preferences of the user
by acquiring historical travel or movement information of the user.
For instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302*
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) acquiring the user behavior information of the user 13
indicating the one or more historical behaviors of the user 13 that
are indicative of the one or more past preferences of the user 13
by acquiring or obtaining historical travel or movement information
of the user 13. In some cases, the acquisition of such information
may be helpful in determining which automated customized food
generation machines will the user 13 prefer to use or will be
willing to use.
[0157] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 624
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 626 for
acquiring the user behavior information of the user indicating the
one or more historical behaviors of the user that are indicative of
the one or more past preferences of the user by acquiring user
historical usage information indicating past usage of one or more
automated customized food generation machines by the user. For
instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302* of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user behavior information of the user 13 indicating
the one or more historical behaviors of the user 13 that are
indicative of the one or more past preferences of the user 13 by
acquiring or obtaining user historical usage information indicating
past usage of one or more automated customized food generation
machines 10* by the user 13. In some cases, obtaining such
information may be helpful in predicting which automated customized
food generation machine machines 10* will the user 13 likely employ
if directed to such machines.
[0158] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 624
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 627 for
acquiring the user behavior information of the user indicating the
one or more historical behaviors of the user that are indicative of
the one or more past preferences of the user by acquiring
historical response information indicating one or more historical
user responses of the user in response to being previously
presented with one or more recommendations to use one or more
specific automated customized food generation machines. For
instance, the user preference information obtaining module 302* of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring the user behavior information of the user 13 indicating
the one or more historical behaviors of the user 13 that are
indicative of the one or more past preferences of the user 13 by
acquiring or obtaining historical response information indicating
one or more historical user responses of the user 13 in response to
being previously presented with one or more recommendations to use
one or more specific automated customized food generation machines
10*. For example, if a user 13 has previously been directed to use
a particular automated customized food generation machine 10* but
chose not to use the particular automated customized food
generation machine 10*, then such past behavior may indicate that
the user 13 prefer not to use the particular automated customized
food generation machine 10*
[0159] In various implementations, the acquisition of at least a
portion of the user preference information may be in response to a
number of factors. For example, in some cases, the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 may include an operation 628
for acquiring the user preference information of the user by
acquiring at least a portion of the user preference information in
response, at least in part, to determining that an automated
customized food generation machine that is being interfaced by the
user is unable to currently generate one or more customized food
items in compliance with one or more customized food preferences of
the user. For instance, the user preference information obtaining
module 302* including the user interfaced automated customized food
generation machine unsatisfactory determining module 412 (see FIG.
4A) of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) acquiring the user preference information of the user 13 by
acquiring or obtaining at least a portion of the user preference
information in response, at least in part, to the user interfaced
automated customized food generation machine unsatisfactory
determining module 412, for example, determining that an automated
customized food generation machine 10' (see, for example, FIG. 1B
or 1D) that is being interfaced by the user 13 is unable to
currently generate one or more customized food items 22 in full or
total compliance with one or more customized food preferences of
the user 13.
[0160] In some cases, operation 628 may further include an
operation 629 for acquiring at least the portion of the user
preference information in response, at least in part, to
determining that the automated customized food generation machine
that is being interfaced by the user does not at least have
sufficient quantity or quantities of one or more ingredients that
are preferred by the user to be able to currently generate the one
or more customized food items in compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user. For instance, the user
preference information obtaining module 302* including the
deficient ingredient supply determining module 414 (see FIG. 4A) of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
acquiring at least the portion of the user preference information
in response, at least in part, to the deficient ingredient supply
determining module 414, for example, determining that the automated
customized food generation machine 10' (see, for example, FIG. 1B
or 1D) that is being interfaced by the user 13 does not at least
have sufficient quantity or quantities of one or more ingredients
that are preferred by the user 13 to be able to currently generate
the one or more customized food items 22 in full or total
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13.
[0161] Referring back to the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining operation 504 of FIG. 5,
the capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining operation 504 similar to the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 of FIG. 5 may be executed in a
number of different ways in various alternative embodiments as
illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D. In some
cases, for example, the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining operation 504 may actually
include or involve an operation 730 for determining that there is
no capable automated customized food generation machine present in
the nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate
one or more customized food items in compliance with the one or
more customized food preferences of the user by determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
present in the nearby vicinity of the user that have one or more
preferred ingredients in one or more sufficient quantities to be
able to currently generate at least one customized food item in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user as illustrated in FIG. 7A. For instance, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 304*
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items 22 in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 by determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine (e.g., no "capable"
automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of, for
example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 that have one or more preferred ingredients in one
or more sufficient quantities to be able to currently (e.g., at the
time of the determination) generate at least one customized food
item 22 in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13.
[0162] As further illustrated in FIG. 7A, operation 730 may further
include an operation 731 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that have the one or more preferred
ingredients in the one or more sufficient quantities to be able to
currently generate at least one customized food item in compliance
with the one or more customized food preferences of the user, the
determination being based, at least in part, on ingredient supply
status data stored in memory that indicates ingredient supply
status of one or more nearby automated customized food generation
machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user, the ingredient
supply status data having been previously provided by the one or
more nearby customized food generation machines. For instance, the
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 304* of the automated customized food generation
machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a
or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine (e.g., no "capable"
automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of, for
example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 that have the one or more preferred ingredients in
the one or more sufficient quantities to be able to currently
generate at least one customized food item 22 in compliance with
the one or more customized food preferences of the user 13, the
determination being based, at least in part, on ingredient supply
status data stored in memory 340 (see FIG. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, or 3E)
that indicates ingredient supply status of one or more nearby
automated customized food generation machines 10* present in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13, the ingredient supply status data
having been previously provided by the one or more nearby
customized food generation machines 10*.
[0163] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 730
may additionally or alternative include an operation 732 for
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
have the one or more preferred ingredients in the one or more
sufficient quantities to be able to currently generate at least one
customized food item in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by querying one or more nearby
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user in order to determine whether any one or more
of the one or more nearby automated customized food generation
machines have the one or more preferred ingredients in the one or
more sufficient quantities to be able to currently generate at
least one customized food item in compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user. For instance, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304* including the automated customized food generation
machine querying module 416 (see FIG. 4B) of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 that have the one or
more preferred ingredients in the one or more sufficient quantities
to be able to currently generate at least one customized food item
22 in full or total compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 by having the automated customized food
generation machine querying module 416, for example, querying one
or more nearby automated customized food generation machines 10*
present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 in order to determine
whether any one or more of the one or more nearby automated
customized food generation machines 10* have the one or more
preferred ingredients in the one or more sufficient quantities to
be able to currently generate at least one customized food item 22
in full or complete compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13.
[0164] Turning now to FIG. 7B, in various implementations, the
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining operation 504 may include an operation 733 for
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
is able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customization preferences of the
user by determining that there is no capable automated customized
food generation machine present within a 30 minutes traveling
distance via walking, mass transit, and/or automobile from a
current location of the user. For instance, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 304*
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items 22 in compliance with the one or more customization
preferences of the user 13 by determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine (e.g., no "capable"
automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of, for
example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present within a 30 minutes
traveling distance via walking, mass transit, and/or automobile
from a current location of the user 13 (e.g., within a distance
that may be traveled by the user 13 by walking, mass transit (e.g.,
buses or commuter trains) and/or automobile.
[0165] In some implementations, the+capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining operation 504 may
include an operation 734 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more
customization preferences of the user by determining that there is
no capable automated customized food generation machine present
within half a mile from a current location of the user. For
instance, the capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate
one or more customized food items 22 in compliance with the one or
more customization preferences of the user 13 by determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
(e.g., no "capable" automated customized food generation machine
10'''' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present within
half a mile from a current location (e.g., user location at the
time of the determination) of the user 13.
[0166] In some alternative implementations, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 may include an operation 735 for determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with the one or more
customization preferences of the user by determining that there is
no capable automated customized food generation machine present
within one mile from a current location of the user. For instance,
the capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 304* of the automated customized food generation
machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a
or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or
more customized food items 22 in compliance with the one or more
customization preferences of the user 13 by determining that there
is no capable automated customized food generation machine (e.g.,
no "capable" automated customized food generation machine 10''''
of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present within one mile
from a current location of the user 13.
[0167] In still other implementations, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 may include an operation 736 for determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with the one or more
customization preferences of the user by determining that there is
no capable automated customized food generation machine present
within five miles from a current location of the user. For
instance, the capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 304* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate
one or more customized food items 22 in compliance with the one or
more customization preferences of the user 13 by determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
(e.g., there is no "capable" automated customized food generation
machine 10'''' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present
within five miles from a current location of the user 13.
[0168] In some implementations, the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining operation 504 may
include an operation 737 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with one or more food
preparation preferences of the user. For instance, the preparation
preference capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 418 (see FIG. 4B) of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
(e.g., no "capable" automated customized food generation machine
10'''' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate
one or more customized food items 22 in compliance with one or more
food preparation (e.g., heating and/or cooling) preferences of the
user 13.
[0169] Referring to FIG. 7C, in the same or alternative
implementations, the capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining operation 504 may additionally or
alternatively include an operation 738 for determining that there
is no capable automated customized food generation machine present
in the nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently
generate one or more customized food items in compliance with one
or more taste or flavor preferences of the user. For instance, the
taste/flavor preference capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 420 (see FIG. 4B) of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine (e.g., no "capable" automated customized food
generation machine 10'' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E)
present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to
currently generate one or more customized food items 22 in
compliance with one or more taste or flavor preferences (e.g.,
spicy preferences, sweetness preference, beef flavor preferences,
and so forth) of the user 13.
[0170] In the same or alternative implementations, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an
operation 739 for determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with one or more ingredient
preferences of the user. For instance, the ingredient preference
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 422 (see FIG. 4B) of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there
is no capable automated customized food generation machine (e.g.,
no "capable" automated customized food generation machine 10''''
of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or
more customized food items 22 in compliance with one or more
ingredient preferences (e.g., preference for beef rather than
chicken, preference for low fat milk, preference for aspartame as a
sweetener, and so forth) of the user 13.
[0171] In the same or alternative implementations, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an
operation 740 for determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with one or more
ingredient purity preferences of the user. For instance, the
ingredient purity preference capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 424 (see FIG. 4B) of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items 22 in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 by determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine (e.g., no "capable"
automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of, for
example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items 22 in compliance with one or more ingredient
purity preferences (e.g., preferences that sources for ingredients
to be used were tested to be free of impurities such as bacteria or
viruses) of the user 13.
[0172] As further illustrated in FIG. 7C, operation 740 may further
include an operation 741 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with one or more preferences of
the user that one or more sources for one or more ingredients for
the one or more customized food items were tested for presence or
absence of one or more impurities in various implementations. For
instance, the ingredient purity preference capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 424
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine (e.g., no "capable" automated customized food
generation machine 10'''' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and
1E) present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to
currently generate one or more customized food items 22 in
compliance with one or more preferences of the user 13 that prefer
that one or more sources (e.g., farm, cattle herd, harvest crop,
and so forth) for one or more ingredients for the one or more
customized food items 22 were tested for presence or absence of one
or more impurities (e.g., prions, bacterial agents, viral agents,
heavy metals, pesticides, and so forth).
[0173] In some cases, operation 741 may, in turn, further include
an operation 742 for determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity
of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with one or more preferences of
the user that one or more sources for one or more ingredients for
the one or more customized food items were tested to be free of the
one or more impurities. For instance, the ingredient purity
preference capable automated customized food generation machine
presence determining module 424 of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine (e.g., no
"capable" automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of,
for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or
more customized food items 22 in compliance with one or more
preferences of the user 13 that prefer that one or more sources
(e.g., cattle, harvest crop, and so forth) for one or more
ingredients for the one or more customized food items 22 were
tested to be free of the one or more impurities (e.g., prions,
heavy metals, pesticides, and so forth).
[0174] In some cases, operation 741 may include an operation 743
for determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
is able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with one or more preferences of the user that one or
more sources for one or more ingredients for the one or more
customized food items were tested to have the one or more
impurities below one or more defined levels. For instance, the
ingredient purity preference capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 424 of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
(e.g., no "capable" automated customized food generation machine
10'' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate
one or more customized food items 22 in compliance with one or more
preferences of the user 13 that one or more sources (e.g., cattle
herd) for one or more ingredients (e.g., beef) for the one or more
customized food items 22 were tested to have the one or more
impurities (e.g., antibiotics) below one or more defined
levels.
[0175] Turning now to FIG. 7D, in various implementations, the
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining operation 504 may include an operation 744 for
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user that
is able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by determining that there is no capable automated customized
food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items in compliance with one or more user preferences that one or
more ingredients that are used for generating the one or more
customized food items were obtained from one or more specified
sources. For instance, the capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 304* including the
ingredient source preference capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 426 (see FIG. 4B) of
the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG.
3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
determining that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items 22 in compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 by having, for example, the ingredient
source preference capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining module 426 determine that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine (e.g., no
"capable" automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of,
for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or
more customized food items 22 in full compliance with one or more
user preferences that one or more ingredients (e.g., sausage) that
are used for generating the one or more customized food items 22
were obtained from one or more specified sources (e.g., Oscar
Meyer).
[0176] In some implementations, the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining operation 504 may
include an operation 745 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with one or more user
preferences that one or more ingredients that are used for
generating the one or more customized food items were not obtained
from one or more specified sources. For instance, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304* including the ingredient source preference capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 426 of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items 22 in compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13 by having, for example,
the ingredient source preference capable automated customized food
generation machine presence determining module 426 determine that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machine
(e.g., no "capable" automated customized food generation machine
10'''' of, for example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the
nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate
one or more customized food items 22 in full compliance with one or
more user preferences that one or more ingredients (e.g., Chicken
meat) that are used for generating the one or more customized food
items 22 were not obtained from one or more specified sources
(e.g., Tyson farms).
[0177] In some implementations, the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining operation 504 may
include an operation 746 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with one or more user
preferences that one or more ingredients that are used for
generating the one or more customized food items were obtained from
one or more specified locations. For instance, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304* including the ingredient source location preference
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 428 (see FIG. 4B) of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there
is no capable automated customized food generation machine present
in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently
generate one or more customized food items 22 in compliance with
the one or more customized food preferences of the user 13 by
having, for example, the ingredient source location preference
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 428 determine that there is no capable automated
customized food generation machine (e.g., there is no "capable"
automated customized food generation machine 10'''' of, for
example, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items 22 in compliance with one or more user
preferences that one or more ingredients (e.g., beef ingredient)
that are used for generating the one or more customized food items
22 were obtained from one or more specified locations (e.g., Kobe,
Japan).
[0178] In some implementations, the capable automated customized
food generation machine presence determining operation 504 may
include an operation 747 for determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by determining that there is no
capable automated customized food generation machine present in the
nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one
or more customized food items in compliance with one or more user
preferences that one or more ingredients that are used for
generating the one or more customized food items were not obtained
from one or more specified locations. For instance, the capable
automated customized food generation machine presence determining
module 304* including the ingredient source location preference
capable automated customized food generation machine presence
determining module 428 of the automated customized food generation
machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a
or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) determining that there is no capable
automated customized food generation machine present in the nearby
vicinity of the user 13 that is able to currently generate one or
more customized food items 22 in compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13 by having, for example,
the ingredient source location preference capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining module 428
determine that there is no capable automated customized food
generation machine (e.g., there is no "capable" automated
customized food generation machine 10'''' of, for example, FIGS.
1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E) present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13
that is able to currently generate one or more customized food
items 22 in compliance with one or more user preferences that one
or more ingredients (e.g., beef ingredient) that are used for
generating the one or more customized food items 22 were not
obtained from one or more specified locations (e.g., Britain where
there was an outbreak of mad cow disease).
[0179] Referring back to the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence identifying operation 506 of FIG. 5,
the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence identifying operation 506 similar to the user preference
information acquiring operation 502 and the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504 of FIG. 5 may be executed in a number of different ways in
various alternative embodiments as illustrated, for example, in
FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E. In some cases, for example, the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
identifying operation 506 may actually include or involve an
operation 848 for identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines by determining one or more
descriptions of the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines as illustrated in FIG. 8A. For instance,
the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306* including the substitute
automated customized food generation machine description
ascertaining module 430 (see FIG. 4C) of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines by
having the substitute automated customized food generation machine
description ascertaining module 430 determine or ascertain one or
more descriptions (e.g., machine number, specific location of the
substitute machine in a store, machine color, and so forth) of the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines (e.g., the "substitute" customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E).
[0180] As further illustrated in FIG. 8A, in the same or
alternative implementations the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 849 for
identifying the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines including identifying one or more locations of
the one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* including the
substitute automated customized food generation machine location
ascertaining module 432 (see FIG. 4C) of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
including identifying or ascertaining, by the substitute automated
customized food generation machine location ascertaining module
432, of one or more locations of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the
"substitute" customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of
FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E).
[0181] In the same or alternative implementations, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence identifying
operation 506 may additionally or alternatively include an
operation 850 for identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines including identifying one or
more distances between the current location of the user and one or
more current locations of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* including the user/substitute machine distance
ascertaining module 434 (see FIG. 4C) of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
including identifying or ascertaining, by the user/substitute
machine distance ascertaining module 434, of one or more distances
between the current location of the user 13 and one or more current
locations of the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., the "substitute" customized food
generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and
1E).
[0182] In the same or alternative implementations, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence identifying
operation 506 may additionally or alternatively include an
operation 851 for identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines including identifying one or
more travel routes from a current location of the user to one or
more current locations of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* including the travel route ascertaining module 436 (see
FIG. 4C) of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or
10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG.
3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines including identifying or
ascertaining, by the travel route ascertaining module 436, of one
or more travel routes from a current location of the user 13 to one
or more current locations of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the "substitute"
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and 1E).
[0183] In the same or alternative implementations, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence identifying
operation 506 may additionally or alternatively include an
operation 852 for identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user based, at least in part, on ingredient supply status
data stored in memory that indicates ingredient supply status of
one or more nearby automated customized food generation machines
present in the nearby vicinity of the user, the ingredient supply
status data having been previously provided by the one or more
nearby customized food generation machines. For instance, the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines present in
the nearby vicinity of the user 13 based, at least in part, on
ingredient supply status data stored in memory 340 that indicates
ingredient supply status of one or more nearby automated customized
food generation machines (e.g., the customized food generation
machines 10', 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E)
present in the nearby vicinity (e.g., within three miles) of the
user 13, the ingredient supply status data having been previously
provided by the one or more nearby customized food generation
machines (e.g., the customized food generation machines 10', 10''
and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E).
[0184] In the same or alternative implementations, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence identifying
operation 506 may additionally or alternatively include an
operation 853 for identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user by querying one or more nearby automated customized
food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user
in order to determine whether any one or more of the one or more
nearby automated customized food generation machines have
appropriate ingredient supplies to be able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* including the
automated customized food generation machine querying module 438
(see FIG. 4C) of the automated customized food generation machine
10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 by having, for example, the automated customized
food generation machine querying module 438 query one or more
nearby automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the
customized food generation machines 10', 10'' and 10''' of FIGS.
1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) present in the nearby vicinity (e.g., within
five miles) of the user 13 in order to determine whether any one or
more of the one or more nearby automated customized food generation
machines (e.g., the customized food generation machines 10', 10''
and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) have appropriate
ingredient supplies to be able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item (e.g., customized food item 22 of,
for example, FIG. 1A) that is only in partial compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user 13.
[0185] In some implementations, the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
include an operation 854 for identifying the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user by identifying only those substitute automated
customized food generation machines present within a half a mile
from a current location of the user as illustrated in FIG. 8B. For
instance, the substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user 13 by
identifying or ascertaining only those substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the customized food
generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E)
present within a half a mile from a current location of the user
13.
[0186] In some implementations, the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
include an operation 855 for identifying the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user by identifying only those substitute automated
customized food generation machines present within a mile from a
current location of the user. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 by identifying or ascertaining only those substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E) present within a mile from a current location of the
user 13.
[0187] In some implementations, the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
include an operation 856 for identifying the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user by identifying only those substitute automated
customized food generation machines located within five miles from
a current location of the user. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 by identifying or ascertaining only those substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E) located within five miles from a current location of
the user 13.
[0188] In some implementations, the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
include an operation 857 for identifying the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby
vicinity of the user by identifying only those substitute automated
customized food generation machines present within a 30 minutes
traveling distance via walking, mass transit, and/or automobile
from a current location of the user. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity
of the user 13 by identifying or ascertaining only those substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E) present within a 30 minutes traveling distance via
walking, mass transit, and/or automobile from a current location of
the user 13.
[0189] In some implementations, the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
include an operation 858 for identifying the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in partial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that do not have one
or more preferred ingredients, as preferred by the user, in order
to be able to currently generate one or more customized food items
in compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of
the user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* including the
preferred ingredient deficient substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 440 (see FIG. 4C)
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item (e.g., customized food
item 22 of, for example, FIG. 1A) that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13 by having, for example, the preferred ingredient deficient
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 440 identify or ascertain one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of
FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) that do not have one or more preferred
ingredients, as preferred by the user 13, in order to be able to
currently generate one or more customized food items 22 in full
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13.
[0190] As further illustrated in FIG. 8B, operation 858 may further
include, in some cases, an operation 859 for identifying the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines that
do not have the one or more preferred ingredients, as preferred by
the user, in order to be able to currently generate one or more
customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that do not have the
one or more preferred ingredients in order to be able to currently
generate one or more customized food items in compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user but which do
have one or more substitute ingredients that substitute for the one
or more preferred ingredients in one or more sufficient quantities
that only allows the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines to be able to currently generate one or
more substitute customized food items that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user. For instance, the preferred ingredient deficient substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 440 including the substitute ingredient stocked substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 442 (see FIG. 4C) of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines that do
not have the one or more preferred ingredients, as preferred by the
user 13, in order to be able to currently generate one or more
customized food items 22 in full or complete compliance with the
one or more customized food preferences of the user 13 by having,
for example, the substitute ingredient stocked substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module 442
identify or ascertain one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food
generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E)
that do not have the one or more preferred ingredients in order to
be able to currently generate one or more customized food items in
full or complete compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 but which do have one or more substitute
ingredients that substitute for the one or more preferred
ingredients in one or more sufficient quantities in order to be
able to currently generate one or more substitute customized food
items (e.g., customized food items 22) in partial compliance with
the one or more customized food preferences of the user 13.
[0191] Referring now to FIG. 8C, in various implementations, the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
identifying operation 506 may include an operation 860 for
identifying the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that have one or more preferred
ingredients, as preferred by the user, in one or more insufficient
quantities that only allows the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines to be able to currently
generate one or more substitute customized food items that is only
in partial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user. For instance, the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306* including the preferred ingredient deficient substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 440 of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is only
in partial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 by having, for example, the preferred
ingredient deficient substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 440 identify or
ascertain one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) that have
one or more preferred ingredients, as preferred by the user 13, in
one or more insufficient quantities that only allows the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines to be
able to currently generate one or more substitute customized food
items (e.g., customized food items 22) that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13.
[0192] In some implementations, the substitute automated customized
food generation machine presence identifying operation 506 may
include an operation 861 for identifying the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in partial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user by identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is in substantial compliance with the one or more customized
food preferences of the user. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is only
in partial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13 by identifying or ascertaining one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
(e.g., the automated customized food generation machines 10'' and
10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item (e.g.,
customized food item 22 of, for example, FIG. 1A) that is only in
substantial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13.
[0193] In some cases, operation 861 may further include an
operation 862 for identifying the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
substantial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user by identifying one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines that are able to
currently generate at least one substitute customized food item
that is only in compliance with a majority of a plurality of
customized food preferences of the user. For instance, the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines that are
able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food
item that is only in substantial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user 13 by identifying or
ascertaining one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) that are
able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food
item (e.g., customized food item 22) that is only in compliance
with a majority of a plurality of customized food preferences of
the user 13.
[0194] Turning now to FIG. 8D, in various implementations, the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
identifying operation 506 may include an operation 863 for
identifying the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user by identifying one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is in compliance
with a first one or more customized food preferences of the user
and not in compliance with a second one or more customized food
preferences of the user. For instance, the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) identifying the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines that are able to currently generate at
least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13 by identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E) that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item (e.g., customized food item 22 of,
for example, FIG. 1A) that is in compliance with a first one or
more customized food preferences (e.g., ingredient purity
preference) of the user 13 and not in compliance with a second one
or more customized food preferences (e.g., ingredient source
preference) of the user 13.
[0195] As further illustrated in FIG. 8D, operation 863 may include
one or more additional operations in various alternative
implementations. For example, in some implementations, operation
863 may further include an operation 864 for identifying one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines that
are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized
food item that is in compliance with one or more food preparation
preferences of the user and not in compliance with one or more
ingredient preferences of the user. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E) that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item (e.g., customized food item 22 of,
for example, FIG. 1A) that is in compliance with one or more food
preparation (e.g., heating and/or cooling) preferences of the user
13 and not in compliance with one or more ingredient preferences
(e.g., preference for non-fat dairy ingredients) of the user
13.
[0196] In some implementations, operation 863 may include an
operation 865 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more ingredient preferences of the user and
not in compliance with one or more food preparation preferences of
the user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) that are able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item (e.g., customized food item 22 of, for
example, FIG. 1A) that is in compliance with one or more ingredient
preferences (e.g., preference for beef ingredient) of the user 13
and not in compliance with one or more food preparation preferences
(e.g., preference for cooking beef with minimal heat) of the user
13.
[0197] In some implementations, operation 863 may include an
operation 866 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more ingredient preferences of the user and
not in compliance with one or more ingredient integrity preferences
of the user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) that are able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item that is in compliance with one or more
ingredient preferences (e.g., preference for a particular vegetable
ingredient such as alfalfa sprouts) of the user 13 and not in
compliance with one or more ingredient integrity preferences (e.g.,
preference that source for vegetable ingredients, such as a farm or
harvest crop, was tested to be free of certain bacteria) of the
user 13.
[0198] In some implementations, operation 866 may further include
an operation 867 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more ingredient preferences of the user and
not in compliance with one or more ingredient purity preferences of
the user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) that are able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item that is in compliance with one or more
ingredient preferences (e.g., preference for beef ingredient) of
the user 13 and not in compliance with one or more ingredient
purity preferences (e.g., preference that source of beef ingredient
was tested to be free of prions) of the user 13.
[0199] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 866
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 868 for
identifying one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines that are able to currently generate at least
one substitute customized food item that is in compliance with one
or more ingredient preferences of the user and not in compliance
with one or more preferences of the user related to obtaining or
not obtaining one or more ingredients from one or more specified
sources and/or one or more specified locations. For instance, the
substitute automated customized food generation machine presence
ascertaining module 306* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying or ascertaining one
or more substitute automated customized food generation machines
(e.g., the automated customized food generation machines 10'' and
10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more ingredient preferences (e.g.,
preference for beef) of the user 13 and not in compliance with one
or more preferences of the user 13 related to obtaining or not
obtaining one or more ingredients from one or more specified
sources and/or one or more specified locations (e.g., preference
for beef ingredients that are from Kobe, Japan).
[0200] In some implementations, operation 863 may include an
operation 869 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more ingredient integrity preferences of the
user and not in compliance with one or more ingredient preferences
of the user as illustrated in FIG. 8E. For instance, the substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence ascertaining
module 306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a
or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of
FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E) that are able to currently generate at least one
substitute customized food item that is in compliance with one or
more ingredient integrity preferences (e.g., preferences that
vegetable ingredients to be used were provided by a particular
source such as Del Monte) of the user 13 and not in compliance with
one or more ingredient preferences (e.g., preference that alfalfa
sprouts be used) of the user 13.
[0201] In some implementations, operation 869 may further include
an operation 870 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more ingredient purity preferences of the
user and not in compliance with one or more ingredient preferences
of the user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) that are able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item that is in compliance with one or more
ingredient purity preferences (e.g., the sources for vegetable
ingredients were tested to be free of salmonella) of the user 13
and not in compliance with one or more ingredient preferences
(e.g., preference that alfalfa sprouts be used) of the user 13.
[0202] In some implementations, operation 869 may actually include
an operation 871 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with one or more preferences of the user related to
obtaining or not obtaining one or more ingredients from one or more
specified sources and/or from one or more specified locations and
not in compliance with one or more ingredient preferences of the
user. For instance, the substitute automated customized food
generation machine presence ascertaining module 306* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) that are able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item that is in compliance with one or more
preferences of the user 13 related to obtaining or not obtaining
one or more ingredients from one or more specified sources and/or
from one or more specified locations (e.g., preference that meat
ingredients not be obtained from Britain) and not in compliance
with one or more ingredient preferences (e.g., preference for beef
ingredients instead of chicken ingredients) of the user 13.
[0203] In some implementations, operation 863 may include an
operation 872 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with a first one or more ingredient preferences of the
user and not in compliance with a second one or more ingredient
preferences of the user. For instance, the substitute automated
customized food generation machine presence ascertaining module
306* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) identifying or ascertaining one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) that are able to currently generate at least one substitute
customized food item that is in compliance with a first one or more
ingredient preferences (e.g., preference for pecans) of the user 13
and not in compliance with a second one or more ingredient
preferences (e.g., preference for using aspartame as a sweetener)
of the user 13.
[0204] In some implementations, operation 863 may include an
operation 873 for identifying one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with a first one or more ingredient integrity
preferences of the user and not in compliance with a second one or
more ingredient integrity preferences of the user. For instance,
the substitute automated customized food generation machine
presence ascertaining module 306* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) identifying or ascertaining one
or more substitute automated customized food generation machines
(e.g., the automated customized food generation machines 10'' and
10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) that are able to currently
generate at least one substitute customized food item that is in
compliance with a first one or more ingredient integrity
preferences (e.g., preference that a source for a beef ingredient
was tested to be free of one or more specific viral agents) of the
user 13 and not in compliance with a second one or more ingredient
integrity preferences (e.g., preference that a source for chicken
ingredients was tested to be free of salmonella) of the user
13.
[0205] Turning now to FIG. 9 illustrating another operational flow
900. Operational flow 900 includes certain operations that mirror
the operations included in operational flow 500 of FIG. 5. These
operations include a user preference information acquiring
operation 902, a capable automated customized food generation
machine presence determining operation 904, and a substitute
automated customized food generation machine presence identifying
operation 906 that corresponds to and mirrors the user preference
information acquiring operation 502, the capable automated
customized food generation machine presence determining operation
504, and the substitute automated customized food generation
machine presence identifying operation 506, respectively, of FIG.
5.
[0206] In addition, operational flow 900 further includes an
indicator presenting operation 908 for presenting, in response at
least in part to the identification, one or more indicators that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines. For instance, the indicator presenting module
308* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) presenting, in response at least in part to the identification
(or ascertainment), one or more indicators (e.g., indicators 220*
of FIG. 2A, 2B, or 2C) that identify the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E).
[0207] Referring now to FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, which illustrate
various ways that the indicator presenting operation 908 may be
executed in various alternative implementations. For example, in
some implementations, the indicator presenting operation 908 may
include an operation 1075 for presenting the one or more indicators
that identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines by audibly and/or visually presenting the one
or more indicators. For instance, the indicator presenting module
308* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B presenting the one or more indicators that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines by audibly and/or visually presenting the one
or more indicators (e.g., indicators 220* of FIG. 2A, 2B, or 2C)
via, for example, user interface 360 (e.g., a display such as a
touchscreen and/or one or more speakers).
[0208] In some implementations, the indicator presenting operation
908 may include an operation 1076 for presenting the one or more
indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines by transmitting to one or more
computing devices one or more electronic indicators that identify
the one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines. For instance, the indicator presenting module 308*
including the electronic indicator communicating module 444 (see
FIG. 4D) of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or
10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG.
3D or 3E) presenting the one or more indicators 220* that identify
the one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines by having, for example, the electronic indicator
communicating module 444 transmit or communicate to one or more
computing devices 15 (e.g., a mobile device such as a Smartphone or
tablet computer) one or more electronic indicators 220* that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E).
[0209] In some implementations, the indicator presenting operation
908 may include an operation 1077 for presenting the one or more
indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines by presenting one or more
textual indicators that identify the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines. For instance, the
indicator presenting module 308* including the textual indicator
presenting module 446 (see FIG. 4D) of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the one or
more indicators 220* that identify the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by presenting (e.g.,
electronically transmitting or visually and/or audibly presenting)
one or more textual indicators (see, for example, indicators 220a,
220b, or 220c of FIG. 2A, 2B, or 2C, each of which have textual
components) that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E).
[0210] As further illustrated in FIG. 10A, in some implementations,
operation 1077 may further include an operation 1078 for presenting
the one or more textual indicators that identify the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines by
presenting one or more textual indicators that provide one or more
addresses and/or descriptions of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines. For instance, the
textual indicator presenting module 446 of the automated customized
food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the
network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the one or
more textual indicators 220* that identify the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines by
presenting one or more textual indicators (e.g., indicator 220a or
220b of FIG. 2A or 2B) that provide one or more addresses and/or
descriptions of the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food
generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E).
[0211] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 1077
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 1079 for
presenting the one or more textual indicators that identify the one
or more substitute automated customized food generation machines by
presenting one or more textual indicators that provide travel
instructions for reaching the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines from the current location of
the user. For instance, the textual indicator presenting module 446
of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of
FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) presenting the one or more textual indicators 220* that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines by presenting one or more textual indicators
(e.g., indicator 220b of FIG. 2B) that provide travel instructions
for reaching the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines (e.g., the automated customized food generation
machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) from the
current location of the user 13.
[0212] In various implementations, the indicator presenting
operation 908 may include an operation 1080 for presenting the one
or more indicators that identify the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by presenting one or
more graphical indicators that graphically discloses the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines. For
instance, the indicator presenting module 308* including the
graphical indicator presenting module 448 (see FIG. 4D) of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
presenting the one or more indicators 220* that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines by
having, for example, the graphical indicator presenting module 448
present (e.g., electronically transmit or visually and/or audibly
present) one or more graphical indicators (e.g., indicator 220c of
FIG. 2C) that graphically discloses the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E).
[0213] In some cases, operation 1080 may further include an
operation 1081 for presenting the one or more graphical indicators
that graphically discloses the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines by presenting one or more maps
that graphically discloses one or more locations of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines and/or one
or more routes to the one or more locations of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines from the
current location of the user as illustrated in FIG. 10A. For
instance, the graphical indicator presenting module 448 (see FIG.
4D) of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) presenting the one or more graphical indicators 220* that
graphically discloses the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) by presenting (e.g., electronically transmitting or visually
and/or audibly presenting) one or more maps (see, for example,
indicator 220c of FIG. 2C) that graphically discloses one or more
locations of the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines and/or one or more routes (e.g., route 232 of
FIG. 2C) to the one or more locations of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines from the current
location of the user 13.
[0214] Referring to FIG. 10B, in the same or alternative
implementations, the indicator presenting operation 908 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 1082 for
presenting the one or more indicators that identify the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines including
presenting one or more indicators that indicate one or more
distances to one or more locations of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines from a current
location of the user. For instance, the indicator presenting module
308* including the distance indicator presenting module 450 (see
FIG. 4D) of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or
10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG.
3D or 3E) presenting the one or more indicators 220* that identify
the one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines including presenting, by the distance indicator presenting
module 450, for example, one or more indicators (e.g., indicator
220a or 220b of FIG. 2A or 2B) that indicate one or more distances
to one or more locations of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) from a current location of the user 13.
[0215] In the same or alternative implementations, the indicator
presenting operation 908 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 1083 for presenting the one or more indicators that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines including presenting one or more indicators
that specifies one or more customized food preference deficiencies
relative to the one or more customized food preferences of the user
of one or more substitute customized food items that the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines are
able to currently generate. For instance, the indicator presenting
module 308* including the substitute customized food item
deficiency indicator presenting module 452 (see FIG. 4D) of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
presenting the one or more indicators 220* that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
including presenting, by the substitute customized food item
deficiency indicator presenting module 452, for example, one or
more indicators (e.g., indicator 220a of FIG. 2A) that specifies
one or more customized food preference deficiencies relative to the
one or more customized food preferences of the user 13 of one or
more substitute customized food items that the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of
FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E) are able to currently generate.
[0216] In the same or alternative implementations, the indicator
presenting operation 908 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 1084 for presenting the one or more indicators that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines including presenting one or more indicators
that specifically identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines as being located along one or
more past travel paths of the user. For instance, the indicator
presenting module 308* of the automated customized food generation
machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a
or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the one or more indicators 220*
that identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines including presenting (e.g., electronically
transmitting or visually and/or audibly presenting) one or more
indicators (e.g., indicator 220a of FIG. 2A) that specifically
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines as being located along one or more past travel
paths of the user 13 (note that in FIG. 2A, indicator 220a
indicates that option 1 is "along user travel path").
[0217] In the same or alternative implementations, the indicator
presenting operation 908 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 1085 for presenting the one or more indicators that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines including presenting one or more indicators
that provide one or more prices associated with one or more
substitute customized food items that the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines are able to currently
generate and that are only in partial compliance with the one or
more customized food preferences of the user. For instance, the
indicator presenting module 308* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the one or more
indicators 220* that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines including presenting (e.g.,
electronically transmitting or visually and/or audibly presenting)
one or more indicators (e.g., indicator 220a of FIG. 2A) that
provide one or more prices associated with one or more substitute
customized food items that the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) are able to currently generate and that are only in partial
compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the
user 13.
[0218] In the same or alternative implementations, the indicator
presenting operation 908 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 1086 for presenting the one or more indicators that
identify the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines, the identification of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines by the one
or more presented indicators being in response, at least in part,
on one or more determined locations of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines relative to the
location of the user. For instance, the indicator presenting module
308* of the automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b
of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or
3E) presenting the one or more indicators (e.g., indicator 220a or
220c of FIG. 2A or 2C) that identify the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated
customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C,
1D, and/or 1E), the identification of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines (e.g., indicator 220a
or 220c of FIG. 2A or 2C) being in response, at least in part, on
one or more determined locations of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines relative to the
location of the user 13 (e.g., only those substitute customized
food generation machines that is closest to the user 13 may be
identified rather than identifying all nearby substitute customized
food generation machines).
[0219] In some implementations, the indicator presenting operation
908 may include an operation 1087 for presenting the one or more
indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines, the identification of the one
or more substitute automated customized food generation machines by
the one or more presented indicators being in response, at least in
part, to one or more determined locations of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines relative
to one or more past travel paths of the user as illustrated in FIG.
10C. For instance, the indicator presenting module 308* of the
automated customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A
or 3B (or of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E)
presenting the one or more indicators 220* that identify the one or
more substitute automated customized food generation machines
(e.g., the automated customized food generation machines 10'' and
10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E), the identification of the
one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines by the one or more presented indicators 220* being in
response, at least in part, to one or more determined locations of
the one or more substitute automated customized food generation
machines relative to one or more past travel paths of the user 13.
For example, in some cases, only those substitute automated
customized food generation machines that are located along or near
(e.g., within 100 yards) the past travel paths of the user 13 may
be listed (e.g., in FIG. 2A, only option 1 may be listed as option
2 is not located along or near the past travel paths of the user
13). In such cases, an option could also be provided (e.g. provided
through, for example, a graphical user interface), that allows the
user 13 to elect to have all nearby substitute automated customized
food generation machines including those that are not located along
or near the past travel paths of the user 13.
[0220] In some implementations, the indicator presenting operation
908 may include an operation 1088 for presenting the one or more
indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines, the identification of the one
or more substitute automated customized food generation machines by
the one or more presented indicators being in response, at least in
part, on one or more identified prices of one or more substitute
customized food items that the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines are able to currently generate
and that are only in partial compliance with the one or more
customized food preferences of the user. For instance, the
indicator presenting module 308* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the one or more
indicators 220* that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E), the identification of the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines by the one or more presented
indicators 220* being in response, at least in part, on one or more
identified prices of one or more substitute customized food items
that the one or more substitute automated customized food
generation machines are able to currently generate and that are
only in partial compliance with the one or more customized food
preferences of the user 13. For example, in some cases, only those
nearby substitute automated customized food generation machines
that sell the cheapest substitute customized food items may at
least be initially identified. Of course, in such cases, the user
13 may be provided with an option (e.g., via graphical user
interface) to elect to have all nearby substitute automated
customized food generation machines identified.
[0221] In some implementations, the indicator presenting operation
908 may include an operation 1089 for presenting the one or more
indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines, the identification of the one
or more substitute automated customized food generation machines by
the one or more presented indicators being in response, at least in
part, to detected past usage of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by the user. For
instance, the indicator presenting module 308* of the automated
customized food generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or
of the network device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the
one or more indicators 220* that identify the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines (e.g., the
automated customized food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of
FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or 1E), the identification of the one or more
substitute automated customized food generation machines by the one
or more presented indicators 220* being in response, at least in
part, to detected past usage of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines by the user 13. For
example, in some cases, a user 13 may prefer to use automated
customized food generation machines that the user 13 has previously
used. Thus, in some cases, only those nearby substitute automated
customized food generation machines that the user 13 has previously
used may at least be initially identified. Again, the user 13 may
also be given an option (e.g., via graphical user interface) to
view other nearby substitute automated customized food generation
machines even if they were never previously used by the user
13.
[0222] In some implementations, the indicator presenting operation
908 may include an operation 1090 for presenting the one or more
indicators that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines in response to the
identification of the one or more substitute automated customized
food generation machines and in response to the determination that
there is no capable automated customized food generation machines
present in the nearby vicinity of the user. For instance, the
indicator presenting module 308* of the automated customized food
generation machine 10a or 10b of FIG. 3A or 3B (or of the network
device 12a or 12b of FIG. 3D or 3E) presenting the one or more
indicators 220* that identify the one or more substitute automated
customized food generation machines (e.g., the automated customized
food generation machines 10'' and 10''' of FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and/or
1E) in response to the identification of the one or more substitute
automated customized food generation machines and in response to
the determination that there is no capable automated customized
food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity (e.g.,
within 30 minutes walking distance) of the user 13.
[0223] While particular aspects of the present subject matter
described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein,
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and,
therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope
all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit
and scope of the subject matter described herein. It will be
understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used
herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the
appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the
term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not
limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at
least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but
is not limited to," etc.).
[0224] It will be further understood by those within the art that
if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended,
such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the
absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example,
as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may
contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one
or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such
phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a
claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any
particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to
claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same
claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least
one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or
"an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one
or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles
used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a
specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly
recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such
recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the
recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations,"
without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations,
or two or more recitations).
[0225] Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous
to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a
construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art
would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least
one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems
that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C
together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In
those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A,
B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended
in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the
convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C"
would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B
alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further
understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive
word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms,
whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be
understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the
terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates
otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be typically
understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and
B."
[0226] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally
be performed in any order. Also, although various operational flows
are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the
various operations may be performed in other orders than those
which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. Examples
of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved,
interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental,
simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context
dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like "responsive to,"
"related to," or other past-tense adjectives are generally not
intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates
otherwise.
[0227] In some instances, one or more components may have been
referred to herein as "configured to," "configured by,"
"configurable to," "operable/operative to," "adapted/adaptable,"
"able to," "conformable/conformed to," etc. Those skilled in the
art will recognize that such terms (e.g. "configured to") generally
encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components
and/or standby-state components, unless context requires
otherwise.
[0228] This application may make reference to one or more
trademarks, e.g., a word, letter, symbol, or device adopted by one
manufacturer or merchant and used to identify and/or distinguish
his or her product from those of others. Trademark names used
herein are set forth in such language that makes clear their
identity, that distinguishes them from common descriptive nouns,
that have fixed and definite meanings, or, in many if not all
cases, are accompanied by other specific identification using terms
not covered by trademark. In addition, trademark names used herein
have meanings that are well-known and defined in the literature, or
do not refer to products or compounds for which knowledge of one or
more trade secrets is required in order to divine their meaning.
All trademarks referenced in this application are the property of
their respective owners, and the appearance of one or more
trademarks in this application does not diminish or otherwise
adversely affect the validity of the one or more trademarks. All
trademarks, registered or unregistered, that appear in this
application are assumed to include a proper trademark symbol, e.g.,
the circle R or bracketed capitalization (e.g., [trademark name]),
even when such trademark symbol does not explicitly appear next to
the trademark. To the extent a trademark is used in a descriptive
manner to refer to a product or process, that trademark should be
interpreted to represent the corresponding product or process as of
the date of the filing of this patent application.
[0229] Throughout this application, the terms "in an embodiment,"
`in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in several
embodiments," "in at least one embodiment," "in various
embodiments," and the like, may be used. Each of these terms, and
all such similar terms should be construed as "in at least one
embodiment, and possibly but not necessarily all embodiments,"
unless explicitly stated otherwise. Specifically, unless explicitly
stated otherwise, the intent of phrases like these is to provide
non-exclusive and non-limiting examples of implementations of the
invention. The mere statement that one, some, or may embodiments
include one or more things or have one or more features, does not
imply that all embodiments include one or more things or have one
or more features, but also does not imply that such embodiments
must exist. It is a mere indicator of an example and should not be
interpreted otherwise, unless explicitly stated as such.
[0230] A sale of a system or method may likewise occur in a
territory even if components of the system or method are located
and/or used outside the territory. Further, implementation of at
least part of a system for performing a method in one territory
does not preclude use of the system in another territory
[0231] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize
that the various embodiments described herein can be implemented,
individually and/or collectively, by various types of
electro-mechanical systems having a wide range of electrical
components such as hardware, software, firmware, and/or virtually
any combination thereof, limited to patentable subject matter under
35 U.S.C. 101; and a wide range of components that may impart
mechanical force or motion such as rigid bodies, spring or
torsional bodies, hydraulics, electro-magnetically actuated
devices, and/or virtually any combination thereof. Consequently, as
used herein, "electro-mechanical system" includes, but is not
limited to, electrical circuitry operably coupled with a transducer
(e.g., an actuator, a motor, a piezoelectric crystal, a Micro
Electro Mechanical System (MEMS), etc.), electrical circuitry
having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical
circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical
circuitry having at least one application specific integrated
circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing
device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose
computer configured by a computer program which at least partially
carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a
microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least
partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein),
electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of memory
(e.g., random access, flash, read only, etc.)), electrical
circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem,
communications switch, optical-electrical equipment, etc.), and/or
any non-electrical analog thereto, such as optical or other analogs
(e.g., graphene based circuitry). Those skilled in the art will
also appreciate that examples of electro-mechanical systems
include, but are not limited to, a variety of consumer electronics
systems, medical devices, as well as other systems such as
motorized transport systems, factory automation systems, security
systems, and/or communication/computing systems. Those skilled in
the art will recognize that electro-mechanical as used herein is
not necessarily limited to a system that has both electrical and
mechanical actuation except as context may dictate otherwise.
[0232] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize
that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented,
individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware,
software, firmware, and/or any combination thereof can be viewed as
being composed of various types of "electrical circuitry."
Consequently, as used herein "electrical circuitry" includes, but
is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one
discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least
one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one
application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry
forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer
program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer
program which at least partially carries out processes and/or
devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a
computer program which at least partially carries out processes
and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a
memory device (e.g., forms of memory (e.g., random access, flash,
read only, etc.)), and/or electrical circuitry forming a
communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch,
optical-electrical equipment, etc.). Those having skill in the art
will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be
implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination
thereof.
[0233] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a
portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be
integrated into a data processing system. Those having skill in the
art will recognize that a data processing system generally includes
one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device,
memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory, processors such as
microprocessors or digital signal processors, computational
entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user
interfaces, and application programs, one or more interaction
devices (e.g., a touch pad, a touch screen, an antenna, etc.),
and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors
(e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control
motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A
data processing system may be implemented utilizing suitable
commercially available components, such as those typically found in
data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication
systems.
[0234] In certain cases, use of a system or method may occur in a
territory even if components are located outside the territory. For
example, in a distributed computing context, use of a distributed
computing system may occur in a territory even though parts of the
system may be located outside of the territory (e.g., relay,
server, processor, signal-bearing medium, transmitting computer,
receiving computer, etc. located outside the territory).
[0235] For the purposes of this application, "cloud" computing may
be understood as described in the cloud computing literature. For
example, cloud computing may be methods and/or systems for the
delivery of computational capacity and/or storage capacity as a
service. The "cloud" may refer to one or more hardware and/or
software components that deliver or assist in the delivery of
computational and/or storage capacity, including, but not limited
to, one or more of a client, an application, a platform, an
infrastructure, and/or a server. The cloud may refer to any of the
hardware and/or software associated with a client, an application,
a platform, an infrastructure, and/or a server. For example, cloud
and cloud computing may refer to one or more of a computer, a
processor, a storage medium, a router, a switch, a modem, a virtual
machine (e.g., a virtual server), a data center, an operating
system, a middleware, a firmware, a hardware back-end, a software
back-end, and/or a software application. A cloud may refer to a
private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, and/or a community
cloud. A cloud may be a shared pool of configurable computing
resources, which may be public, private, semi-private,
distributable, scaleable, flexible, temporary, virtual, and/or
physical. A cloud or cloud service may be delivered over one or
more types of network, e.g., a mobile communication network, and
the Internet.
[0236] As used in this application, a cloud or a cloud service may
include one or more of infrastructure-as-a-service ("IaaS"),
platform-as-a-service ("PaaS"), software-as-a-service ("SaaS"),
and/or desktop-as-a-service ("DaaS"). As a non-exclusive example,
IaaS may include, e.g., one or more virtual server instantiations
that may start, stop, access, and/or configure virtual servers
and/or storage centers (e.g., providing one or more processors,
storage space, and/or network resources on-demand, e.g., EMC and
Rackspace). PaaS may include, e.g., one or more software and/or
development tools hosted on an infrastructure (e.g., a computing
platform and/or a solution stack from which the client can create
software interfaces and applications, e.g., Microsoft Azure). SaaS
may include, e.g., software hosted by a service provider and
accessible over a network (e.g., the software for the application
and/or the data associated with that software application may be
kept on the network, e.g., Google Apps, SalesForce). DaaS may
include, e.g., providing desktop, applications, data, and/or
services for the user over a network (e.g., providing a
multi-application framework, the applications in the framework, the
data associated with the applications, and/or services related to
the applications and/or the data over the network, e.g., Citrix).
The foregoing is intended to be exemplary of the types of systems
and/or methods referred to in this application as "cloud" or "cloud
computing" and should not be considered complete or exhaustive.
[0237] One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein
described components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the
discussion accompanying them are used as examples for the sake of
conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are
contemplated. Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars
set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to be
representative of their more general classes. In general, use of
any specific exemplar is intended to be representative of its
class, and the non-inclusion of specific components (e.g.,
operations), devices, and objects should not be taken as
limiting.
[0238] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates
different components contained within, or connected with, different
other components. It is to be understood that such depicted
architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other
architectures may be implemented which achieve the same
functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components
to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such
that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two
components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality
can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired
functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or
intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated
can also be viewed as being "operably connected" or "operably
coupled" to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and
any two components capable of being so associated can also be
viewed as being "operably couplable" to each other to achieve the
desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable
include, but are not limited, to physically mateable and/or
physically interacting components, and/or wirelessly interactable,
and/or wirelessly interacting components, and/or logically
interacting, and/or logically interactable components.
[0239] Although one or more users may be shown and/or described
herein as a single illustrated figure, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that one or more users may be representative of one
or more human users, robotic users (e.g., computational entity),
and/or substantially any combination thereof (e.g., a user may be
assisted by one or more robotic agents) unless context dictates
otherwise. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in
general, the same may be said of "sender" and/or other
entity-oriented terms as such terms are used herein unless context
dictates otherwise.
[0240] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing
specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are
representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or
technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed
herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.
* * * * *
References