U.S. patent application number 15/214056 was filed with the patent office on 2017-01-26 for food preparation control system.
The applicant listed for this patent is ChefSteps, Inc.. Invention is credited to Douglas Eugene Baldwin, Emmett Barton, Michael Natkin, Nelson Timothy Salazar, Christopher Charles Young.
Application Number | 20170020324 15/214056 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57834547 |
Filed Date | 2017-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170020324 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Young; Christopher Charles ;
et al. |
January 26, 2017 |
FOOD PREPARATION CONTROL SYSTEM
Abstract
Systems, methods, and articles to provide customized control of
a cooking appliance, such as a sous vide cooker. A user provides a
selection of one or more ending characteristics for a food product.
A processor-based device determines one or more output food
preparation parameters based on the user's selection of the one or
more ending characteristics. Measurements of temperature, power
delivery, or other characteristics may be obtained during cooking
process. A cooking program controlling the cooking process may be
revised or updated based at least in part on the obtained
measurements or analysis of the measurements. Estimations or
projections about the cooking process may be presented to a user
via a user interface of the cooking appliance or a user interface
of one or more computing devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet
computer) associated with the user.
Inventors: |
Young; Christopher Charles;
(Seattle, WA) ; Salazar; Nelson Timothy; (Seattle,
WA) ; Barton; Emmett; (Seattle, WA) ; Natkin;
Michael; (Seattle, WA) ; Baldwin; Douglas Eugene;
(Arvada, CO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ChefSteps, Inc. |
Seattle |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57834547 |
Appl. No.: |
15/214056 |
Filed: |
July 19, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62195199 |
Jul 21, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05B 19/042 20130101;
A47J 36/321 20180801; A47J 27/10 20130101; G05B 2219/2643 20130101;
G05B 19/0426 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47J 27/10 20060101
A47J027/10; G05B 19/042 20060101 G05B019/042 |
Claims
1-90. (canceled)
91. A processor-based food preparation guidance system, comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one nontransitory
processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor and which stores at least one of processor-executable
instructions or data, wherein in use the at least one processor:
receives a request for preparation guidance for a food product from
a user computing device; responsive to the received request, causes
at least one of a first set of at least two graphical prompts to be
displayed by the user computing device, each of the graphical
prompts in the first set of at least two graphical prompts
depicting a respective gradation of at least one first
characteristic of the food product, the respective gradations being
different from one another; receives a selection related to at
least one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product; responsive to the received
selection, causes a cooking program to be generated, the cooking
program including at least one of instructions or data usable by a
cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for the food
product; and controls a cooking appliance to perform the cooking
process which cooks the food product according to the cooking
program.
92. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the at
least one processor: causes at least two food product selection
prompts to be displayed by the user computing device, each of the
at least two food product selection prompts associated with a
different food product; and receives a selection of one of the at
least two food products selection prompts.
93. The food preparation guidance system of claim 92 wherein the at
least one processor: responsive to receiving the selection of one
of the at least two food products selection prompts, causes at
least one instructional image or instructional video associated
with the selected food product to be displayed by the user
computing device.
94. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the at
least one processor: causes a notification to be displayed by the
user computing device, the notification instructs a user to place
the food product in a food receiving portion of the cooking
appliance.
95. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the at
least one processor: causes a notification to be displayed by the
user computing device, the notification instructs a user to remove
the food product from a food receiving portion of the cooking
appliance.
96. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the at
least one processor: causes at least one food preparation parameter
to be displayed by the user computing device.
97. The food preparation guidance system of claim 96 wherein the at
least one processor: causes at least one of a temperature, a
projected cooking time, or a projected cooking completion time to
be displayed by the user computing device.
98. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the at
least one processor: receives a selection of a temperature which
relates to at least one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product.
99. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the at
least one processor: receives a selection of a temperature which is
between a first temperature associated with a first gradation and a
second temperature associated with a second gradation, the second
gradation adjacent the first gradation with respect to a
temperature scale.
100. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: receives a selection of a desired cooking
completion time indicative of a time by which a user desires the
food product to be fully cooked; and causes a first notification to
be displayed by the user computing device based at least in part on
the received selection of the desired cooking completion time, the
first notification instructs a user to turn on the cooking
appliance.
101. The food preparation guidance system of claim 100 wherein the
at least one processor: causes a second notification to be
displayed by the user computing device based at least in part on
the received selection of the desired cooking completion time, the
second notification instructs a user to place the food product in a
food receiving portion of the cooking appliance.
102. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: causes at least one of a first set of at
least two graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing
device, each of the graphical prompts in the first set of at least
two graphical prompts depicting respective different textures,
consistencies, or doneness for the food product.
103. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: receives a selection of one of the
gradations by a processor-based food preparation guidance system
over a data network, and causing a cooking program to be generated
comprises causing a cooking program to be generated by the food
preparation guidance system.
104. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: causes at least one of a first set of
images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device.
105. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: causes at least one of a first set of
images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device, the
first set of images or videos depicting a user interaction with the
food product.
106. The food preparation guidance system of claim 105 wherein the
at least one processor: causes at least one of a first set of
images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device, the
first set of images or videos depicting at least one of: cutting
the food product, breaking the food product into one or more
pieces, stirring the food product, pouring the food product, or
manipulating the food product.
107. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: causes a cooking program to be generated at
the food preparation guidance system; and sends the generated
cooking program from the food preparation guidance system to the
cooking appliance over a data channel.
108. The food preparation guidance system of claim 107 wherein the
at least one processor: sends the generated cooking program from
the food preparation guidance system to the cooking appliance over
the data channel via a user computing device coupled to each of the
food preparation guidance system and the cooking appliance.
109. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains at least one parameter measurement
indicative of a characteristic of the cooking process during
control of the cooking appliance; and determines at least one of an
update to the cooking program or a cooking projection parameter
relating to the cooking process based at least in part on the
obtained at least one parameter measurement.
110. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a temperature measurement of a
fluid bath of the cooking appliance and obtaining a measurement of
an amount of heat transferred to the fluid bath.
111. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a plurality of temporally spaced
parameter measurements.
112. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a plurality of temporally spaced
temperature measurements and a plurality of corresponding
temporally spaced measurements of an amount of heat transferred to
a fluid bath.
113. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a measurement indicative of at
least one of temperature of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance
or power delivered by the cooking appliance.
114. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a temperature measurement from a
temperature sensor of at least one of a surface of the food product
or an interior of the food product.
115. The food preparation guidance system of claim 114 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a temperature measurement from at
least one of a resistive temperature detector, a thermocouple, a
thermistor, a positive temperature coefficient element or a
blackbody/infrared emissions detector.
116. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: obtains a measurement indicative of power
from at least one of a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a
resistance sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a Hall effect sensor,
or a giant magnetoresistance sensor.
117. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: determines an estimated time until the food
product reaches a specific condition.
118. The food preparation guidance system of claim 109 wherein the
at least one processor: causes the at least one of an update to the
cooking program or a cooking projection parameter relating to the
cooking process to be presented by a user computing device.
119. The food preparation guidance system of claim 118 wherein the
at least one processor: sends data to the user computing device
over a data channel.
120. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: causes a cooking program to be generated
that includes at least one of instructions or data usable by a
cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for the food
product, the cooking appliance comprising an immersion
circulator.
121. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: receives a request for preparation of a
food product from a remotely located client computing device.
122. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: causes the determination of at least one of
a cooking temperature or a cooking time for the food product.
123. The food preparation guidance system of claim 91 wherein the
at least one processor: subsequent to receipt of the request for
preparation of the food product, causes at least one supplemental
prompt to be presented by a user computing device; receives a
response to the at least one supplemental prompt; and determines at
least one food preparation parameter for the cooking program based
at least in part on the received response to the supplemental
prompt.
124. The food preparation guidance system of claim 123 wherein the
at least one processor: causes at least one supplemental prompt to
be presented by the user computing device, the at least one
supplemental prompt relating to at least one of a physical
characteristic of the food product, an environmental condition, or
a food preparation condition.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to food
preparation, and in particular relates to providing food
preparation control useful, for example, in sous vide cooking
appliances.
[0003] Description of the Related Art
[0004] Cooking is the art of preparing food for consumption with
the use of heat. There are numerous methods of cooking, most of
which have been known for many years. These methods include baking,
roasting, frying, grilling, barbecuing, smoking, boiling, steaming
and braising, to name a few. Various methods use differing levels
of heat and moisture and vary in cooking time. The particular
method chosen normally affects the result because some foods are
more appropriate to some methods than others are.
[0005] Cooking recipes are a set of instructions that describes how
to prepare or make a food product. Recipes may generally include
various information about a food product such as the required
ingredients to prepare the food product along with the quantities
and proportions of each of the ingredients, the necessary
equipment, an ordered list of steps and techniques, one or more
cooking times, one or more cooking temperatures, etc.
[0006] When cooking some food products, such as eggs, meat and
vegetables, variations in the cooking time and cooking temperature
can have significant effects on the resulting texture and taste. As
people's tastes vary, different people have diverse preferences
regarding the texture, taste, or other properties of cooked food
products. Often it is difficult for a person cooking a food product
to know precisely how to cook the food product to achieve a desired
result, such as a desired texture, consistency, or doneness, for
the food product.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0007] A method of operation in a processor-based food preparation
guidance system may be summarized as including: receiving, via a
user computing device, a request for preparation guidance for a
food product; responsive to the received request, causing at least
one of a first set of at least two graphical prompts to be
displayed by the user computing device, each of the graphical
prompts in the first set of at least two graphical prompts
depicting a respective gradation of at least one first
characteristic of the food product, the respective gradations being
different from one another; receiving, via the user computing
device, a selection related to at least one of the gradations of
the at least one first characteristic of the food product;
responsive to the received selection, causing, by at least one
processor, a cooking program to be generated, the cooking program
including at least one of instructions or data usable by a cooking
appliance to perform a cooking process for the food product; and
controlling, by the at least one processor, a cooking appliance to
perform the cooking process which cooks the food product according
to the cooking program.
[0008] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: causing at least
two food product selection prompts to be displayed by the user
computing device, each of the at least two food product selection
prompts associated with a different food product; and receiving,
via the user computing device, a selection of one of the at least
two food products selection prompts.
[0009] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include, responsive to
receiving the selection of one of the at least two food products
selection prompts, causing at least one instructional image or
instructional video associated with the selected food product to be
displayed by the user computing device.
[0010] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include causing a
notification to be displayed by the user computing device, the
notification instructs a user to place the food product in a food
receiving portion of the cooking appliance.
[0011] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include causing a
notification to be displayed by the user computing device, the
notification instructs a user to remove the food product from a
food receiving portion of the cooking appliance.
[0012] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include causing at least
one food preparation parameter to be displayed by the user
computing device.
[0013] Causing at least one food preparation parameter to be
displayed by the user computing device may include causing at least
one of a temperature, a projected cooking time, or a projected
cooking completion time to be displayed by the user computing
device. Receiving a selection related to at least one of the
gradations of the at least one first characteristic of the food
product may include receiving a selection of a temperature which
relates to at least one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product. Receiving a selection related
to at least one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product may include receiving a
selection of a temperature which is between a first temperature
associated with a first gradation and a second temperature
associated with a second gradation, the second gradation adjacent
the first gradation with respect to a temperature scale.
[0014] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: receiving, via the
user computing device, a selection of a desired cooking completion
time indicative of a time by which a user desires the food product
to be fully cooked; and causing a first notification to be
displayed by the user computing device based at least in part on
the received selection of the desired cooking completion time, the
first notification instructs a user to turn on the cooking
appliance.
[0015] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: causing a second
notification to be displayed by the user computing device based at
least in part on the received selection of the desired cooking
completion time, the second notification instructs a user to place
the food product in a food receiving portion of the cooking
appliance.
[0016] Causing at least one of a first set of at least two
graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing device may
include causing at least one of a first set of at least two
graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing device,
each of the graphical prompts in the first set of at least two
graphical prompts depicting respective different textures,
consistencies, or doneness for the food product. Receiving a
selection of one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product may include receiving, via a
user computing device, a selection of one of the gradations by a
processor-based food preparation guidance system over a data
network, and causing a cooking program to be generated comprises
causing a cooking program to be generated by the food preparation
guidance system. Causing at least one of a first set of at least
two graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing device
may include causing at least one of a first set of images or videos
to be displayed by the user computing device. Causing at least one
of a first set of at least two graphical prompts to be displayed by
the user computing device may include causing at least one of a
first set of images or videos to be displayed by the user computing
device, the first set of images or videos depicting a user
interaction with the food product. Causing at least one of a first
set of images or videos to be displayed by the user computing
device may include causing at least one of a first set of images or
videos to be displayed by the user computing device, the first set
of images or videos depicting at least one of: cutting the food
product, breaking the food product into one or more pieces,
stirring the food product, pouring the food product, or
manipulating the food product. Causing a cooking program to be
generated may include causing a cooking program to be generated at
the food preparation guidance system, and the method of operation
in a processor-based food preparation guidance system may further
include: sending the generated cooking program from the food
preparation guidance system to the cooking appliance over a data
channel. Sending the generated cooking program from the food
preparation guidance system to the cooking appliance may include
sending the generated cooking program from the food preparation
guidance system to the cooking appliance over the data channel via
a user computing device coupled to each of the food preparation
guidance system and the cooking appliance.
[0017] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: obtaining, by the
at least one processor, at least one parameter measurement
indicative of a characteristic of the cooking process during the
controlling of the cooking appliance; and determining, by the at
least one processor, at least one of an update to the cooking
program or a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking
process based at least in part on the obtained at least one
parameter measurement.
[0018] Obtaining at least one parameter measurement indicative of a
characteristic of the cooking process may include obtaining a
temperature measurement of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance
and obtaining a measurement of an amount of heat transferred to the
fluid bath. Obtaining at least one parameter measurement indicative
of a characteristic of the cooking process may include obtaining a
plurality of temporally spaced parameter measurements. Obtaining at
least one parameter measurement indicative of a characteristic of
the cooking process may include obtaining a plurality of temporally
spaced temperature measurements and a plurality of corresponding
temporally spaced measurements of an amount of heat transferred to
a fluid bath. Obtaining at least one parameter measurement
indicative of a characteristic of the cooking process may include
obtaining a measurement indicative of at least one of temperature
of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance or power delivered by the
cooking appliance. Obtaining at least one parameter measurement
indicative of a characteristic of the cooking process may include
obtaining a temperature measurement from a temperature sensor of at
least one of a surface of the food product or an interior of the
food product. Obtaining a temperature measurement from a
temperature sensor may include obtaining a temperature measurement
from at least one of a resistive temperature detector, a
thermocouple, a thermistor, a positive temperature coefficient
element or a blackbody/infrared emissions detector. Obtaining at
least one parameter measurement indicative of a characteristic of
the cooking process may include obtaining a measurement indicative
of power from at least one of a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a
resistance sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a Hall effect sensor,
or a giant magnetoresistance sensor. Determining at least one of an
update to the cooking program or a cooking projection parameter
relating to the cooking process may include determining an
estimated time until the food product reaches a specific
condition.
[0019] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include causing the at
least one of an update to the cooking program or a cooking
projection parameter relating to the cooking process to be
presented by a user computing device.
[0020] Causing the at least one of an update to the cooking program
or a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process
to be presented by a user computing device may include sending data
to the user computing device over a data channel. Causing a cooking
program to be generated may include causing a cooking program to be
generated that includes at least one of instructions or data usable
by a cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for the food
product, the cooking appliance including an immersion circulator.
Receiving a request for preparation of a food product may include
receiving, by the at least one processor, a request for preparation
of a food product from a remotely located client computing device.
Causing a cooking program to be generated may include causing the
determination of at least one of a cooking temperature or a cooking
time for the food product.
[0021] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: subsequent to
receiving the request for preparation of the food product, causing
at least one supplemental prompt to be presented by a user
computing device; receiving, via the user computing device, a
response to the at least one supplemental prompt; and determining
at least one food preparation parameter for the cooking program
based at least in part on the received response to the supplemental
prompt.
[0022] Causing at least one supplemental prompt to be presented by
the user computing device may include causing at least one
supplemental prompt to be presented by the user computing device,
the at least one supplemental prompt relating to at least one of a
physical characteristic of the food product, an environmental
condition, or a food preparation condition. Causing at least one
supplemental prompt to be presented by the user computing device
may include causing at least one supplemental prompt to be
presented by the user computing device, the at least one
supplemental prompt relating to at least one of a size of the food
product, a shape of the food product, a class of the food product,
a temperature of the food product, an altitude, a geographic
location, or a cooking method.
[0023] A processor-based food preparation guidance system may be
summarized as including: at least one processor; and at least one
nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to
the at least one processor and which stores at least one of
processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at
least one processor may: receive a request for preparation guidance
for a food product from a user computing device; responsive to the
received request, cause at least one of a first set of at least two
graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing device,
each of the graphical prompts in the first set of at least two
graphical prompts depicting a respective gradation of at least one
first characteristic of the food product, the respective gradations
being different from one another; receive a selection related to at
least one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product; responsive to the received
selection, cause a cooking program to be generated, the cooking
program including at least one of instructions or data usable by a
cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for the food
product; and control a cooking appliance to perform the cooking
process which cooks the food product according to the cooking
program.
[0024] The at least one processor may: cause at least two food
product selection prompts to be displayed by the user computing
device, each of the at least two food product selection prompts
associated with a different food product; and receive a selection
of one of the at least two food products selection prompts. The at
least one processor may, responsive to receiving the selection of
one of the at least two food products selection prompts, cause at
least one instructional image or instructional video associated
with the selected food product to be displayed by the user
computing device. The at least one processor may cause a
notification to be displayed by the user computing device, the
notification instructs a user to place the food product in a food
receiving portion of the cooking appliance. The at least one
processor may cause a notification to be displayed by the user
computing device, the notification instructs a user to remove the
food product from a food receiving portion of the cooking
appliance. The at least one processor may cause at least one food
preparation parameter to be displayed by the user computing device.
The at least one processor may cause at least one of a temperature,
a projected cooking time, or a projected cooking completion time to
be displayed by the user computing device. The at least one
processor may receive a selection of a temperature which relates to
at least one of the gradations of the at least one first
characteristic of the food product. The at least one processor may
receive a selection of a temperature which is between a first
temperature associated with a first gradation and a second
temperature associated with a second gradation, the second
gradation adjacent the first gradation with respect to a
temperature scale. The at least one processor may: receive a
selection of a desired cooking completion time indicative of a time
by which a user desires the food product to be fully cooked; and
cause a first notification to be displayed by the user computing
device based at least in part on the received selection of the
desired cooking completion time, the first notification instructs a
user to turn on the cooking appliance. The at least one processor
may cause a second notification to be displayed by the user
computing device based at least in part on the received selection
of the desired cooking completion time, the second notification
instructs a user to place the food product in a food receiving
portion of the cooking appliance. The at least one processor may
cause at least one of a first set of at least two graphical prompts
to be displayed by the user computing device, each of the graphical
prompts in the first set of at least two graphical prompts
depicting respective different textures, consistencies, or doneness
for the food product. The at least one processor may receive a
selection of one of the gradations by a processor-based food
preparation guidance system over a data network, and causing a
cooking program to be generated may include causing a cooking
program to be generated by the food preparation guidance system.
The at least one processor may cause at least one of a first set of
images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device. The
at least one processor may cause at least one of a first set of
images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device, the
first set of images or videos depicting a user interaction with the
food product. The at least one processor may cause at least one of
a first set of images or videos to be displayed by the user
computing device, the first set of images or videos depicting at
least one of: cutting the food product, breaking the food product
into one or more pieces, stirring the food product, pouring the
food product, or manipulating the food product. The at least one
processor may: cause a cooking program to be generated at the food
preparation guidance system; and send the generated cooking program
from the food preparation guidance system to the cooking appliance
over a data channel. The at least one processor may send the
generated cooking program from the food preparation guidance system
to the cooking appliance over the data channel via a user computing
device coupled to each of the food preparation guidance system and
the cooking appliance. The at least one processor may: obtain at
least one parameter measurement indicative of a characteristic of
the cooking process during control of the cooking appliance; and
determine at least one of an update to the cooking program or a
cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process based
at least in part on the obtained at least one parameter
measurement. The at least one processor may obtain a temperature
measurement of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance and may obtain
a measurement of an amount of heat transferred to the fluid bath.
The at least one processor may obtain a plurality of temporally
spaced parameter measurements. The at least one processor may
obtain a plurality of temporally spaced temperature measurements
and a plurality of corresponding temporally spaced measurements of
an amount of heat transferred to a fluid bath. The at least one
processor may obtain a measurement indicative of at least one of
temperature of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance or power
delivered by the cooking appliance. The at least one processor may
obtain a temperature measurement from a temperature sensor of at
least one of a surface of the food product or an interior of the
food product. The at least one processor may obtain a temperature
measurement from at least one of a resistive temperature detector,
a thermocouple, a thermistor, a positive temperature coefficient
element or a blackbody/infrared emissions detector. The at least
one processor may obtain a measurement indicative of power from at
least one of a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a resistance
sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a Hall effect sensor, or a giant
magnetoresistance sensor. The at least one processor may determine
an estimated time until the food product reaches a specific
condition. The at least one processor may cause the at least one of
an update to the cooking program or a cooking projection parameter
relating to the cooking process to be presented by a user computing
device. The at least one processor may send data to the user
computing device over a data channel. The at least one processor
may cause a cooking program to be generated that includes at least
one of instructions or data usable by a cooking appliance to
perform a cooking process for the food product, the cooking
appliance including an immersion circulator. The at least one
processor may receive a request for preparation of a food product
from a remotely located client computing device. The at least one
processor may cause the determination of at least one of a cooking
temperature or a cooking time for the food product. The at least
one processor may: subsequent to receipt of the request for
preparation of the food product, cause at least one supplemental
prompt to be presented by a user computing device; receive a
response to the at least one supplemental prompt; and determine at
least one food preparation parameter for the cooking program based
at least in part on the received response to the supplemental
prompt. The at least one processor may cause at least one
supplemental prompt to be presented by the user computing device,
the at least one supplemental prompt relating to at least one of a
physical characteristic of the food product, an environmental
condition, or a food preparation condition. The at least one
processor may cause at least one supplemental prompt to be
presented by the user computing device, the at least one
supplemental prompt relating to at least one of a size of the food
product, a shape of the food product, a class of the food product,
a temperature of the food product, an altitude, a geographic
location, or a cooking method.
[0025] A method of operation in a processor-based food preparation
guidance system may be summarized as including: causing, by at
least one processor, a cooking program to be generated, the cooking
program including at least one of instructions or data usable by a
cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for a food product;
controlling, by the at least one processor, the cooking appliance
to perform the cooking process which cooks the food product
according to the cooking program; from time-to-time, receiving, by
the at least one processor, state information data from the cooking
appliance; and sending, by the at least one processor, the received
state information data to a plurality of user computing devices
over at least one data communications channel.
[0026] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: receiving, by the
at least one processor, a modification to the cooking program from
at least one of the plurality of user computing devices over the at
least one data communications channel; responsive to receiving the
modification to the cooking program, modifying the generated
cooking program; and controlling, by the at least one processor,
the cooking appliance to perform the cooking process for the food
product according to the modified cooking program.
[0027] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include, responsive to
receiving the modification to the cooking program from at least one
of the plurality of user computing devices, sending, by the at
least one processor, data indicative of the modification to the
plurality of user computing devices over the at least one data
communications channel.
[0028] Receiving a modification to the cooking program from at
least one of the plurality of user computing devices over at least
one data communications channel may include receiving a
modification to the cooking program from a first user computing
device indirectly via a second user computing device. Receiving a
modification to the cooking program from at least one of the
plurality of user computing devices over at least one data
communications channel may include receiving a modification to the
cooking program from at least one of the plurality of user
computing devices over at least a first data communications channel
and a second data communications channel, the first data
communications channel different from the second data
communications channel.
[0029] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: receiving, by the
at least one processor, location information from at least one of
the plurality of user computing devices over the at least one data
communications channel; and logically associating, by the at least
one processor, the received location information with a physical
location of the cooking appliance in a nontransitory
processor-readable medium.
[0030] Sending the received state information data to a plurality
of user computing devices over at least one data communications
channel may include sending the received state information data to
a first user computing device indirectly via a second user
computing device. Sending the received state information data to a
plurality of user computing devices over at least one data
communications channel may include sending the received state
information data to at least one of the plurality of user computing
devices over at least a first data communications channel of a
first type and a second data communications channel of a second
type, the first type different from the second type.
[0031] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include: receiving, by the
at least one processor, a modification to the cooking program from
at least one of the plurality of user computing devices over the at
least one data communications channel; responsive to receiving the
modification to the cooking program, sending, by the at least one
processor, data indicative of the modification to the plurality of
user computing devices over the at least one data communications
channel; subsequent to the sending of the data indicative of the
modification to the plurality of user computing devices, modifying
the generated cooking program; and controlling, by the at least one
processor, the cooking appliance to perform the cooking process for
the food product according to the modified cooking program.
[0032] The method of operation in a processor-based food
preparation guidance system may further include, subsequent to the
controlling of the cooking appliance to perform the cooking process
for the food product according to the modified cooking program,
sending, by the at least one processor, updated state information
data to the plurality of user computing devices over the at least
one data communications channel.
[0033] A processor-based food preparation guidance system may be
summarized as including: at least one processor; and at least one
nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to
the at least one processor and which stores at least one of
processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at
least one processor: causes a cooking program to be generated, the
cooking program including at least one of instructions or data
usable by a cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for a
food product; controls the cooking appliance to perform the cooking
process which cooks the food product according to the cooking
program; from time-to-time, receives state information data from
the cooking appliance; and sends the received state information
data to a plurality of user computing devices over at least one
data communications channel.
[0034] The at least one processor may: receive a modification to
the cooking program from at least one of the plurality of user
computing devices over the at least one data communications
channel; responsive to receiving the modification to the cooking
program, modify the generated cooking program; and control the
cooking appliance to perform the cooking process for the food
product according to the modified cooking program. The at least one
processor may, responsive to receiving the modification to the
cooking program from at least one of the plurality of user
computing devices, send data indicative of the modification to the
plurality of user computing devices over the at least one data
communications channel. The at least one processor may receive a
modification to the cooking program from a first user computing
device indirectly via a second user computing device. The at least
one processor may receive a modification to the cooking program
from at least one of the plurality of user computing devices over
at least a first data communications channel and a second data
communications channel, the first data communications channel
different from the second data communications channel. The at least
one processor may: receive location information from at least one
of the plurality of user computing devices over the at least one
data communications channel; and logically associate the received
location information with a physical location of the cooking
appliance in a nontransitory processor-readable medium. The at
least one processor may send the received state information data to
a first user computing device indirectly via a second user
computing device. The at least one processor may send the received
state information data to at least one of the plurality of user
computing devices over at least a first data communications channel
of a first type and a second data communications channel of a
second type, the first type different from the second type. The at
least one processor may: receive a modification to the cooking
program from at least one of the plurality of user computing
devices over the at least one data communications channel;
responsive to receipt of the modification to the cooking program,
send data indicative of the modification to the plurality of user
computing devices over the at least one data communications
channel; subsequent to the sending of the data indicative of the
modification to the plurality of user computing devices, modify the
generated cooking program; and control the cooking appliance to
perform the cooking process for the food product according to the
modified cooking program. The at least one processor may,
subsequent to the control of the cooking appliance to perform the
cooking process for the food product according to the modified
cooking program, send updated state information data to the
plurality of user computing devices over the at least one data
communications channel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify
similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of
elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For
example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to
scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and
positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular
shapes of the elements as drawn, are not intended to convey any
information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements,
and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the
drawings.
[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an environment in which a food
preparation guidance system may be implemented, according to at
least one illustrated implementation.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the food preparation
guidance system of FIG. 1, according to at least one illustrated
implementation.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a method of operation of a
processor-based device in a food preparation guidance system,
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a method of operation of a
processor-based device in a food preparation guidance system,
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0040] FIG. 5A is a graph showing temperatures for a liquid bath of
a cooking appliance and a core of a food product during a cooking
process, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0041] FIG. 5B is a graph showing temperatures for a liquid bath of
a cooking appliance and a core of a food product during an
accelerated cooking process, according to at least one illustrated
implementation.
[0042] FIG. 6 is a screen print screen or window of a home screen
of a graphical user interface (GUI) provided by a processor-based
device for use in the food preparation guidance system of FIG. 1,
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0043] FIG. 7 is another screen print screen or window of the home
screen of the graphical user interface (GUI), according to at least
one illustrated implementation.
[0044] FIG. 8 is a screen print screen or window of a first steak
cooking setup screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0045] FIG. 9 is a screen print screen or window of a second steak
cooking setup screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0046] FIG. 10 is a screen print screen or window of a first
cooking process screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0047] FIG. 11 is a screen print screen or window of a second
cooking process screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0048] FIG. 12 is a screen print screen or window of a third
cooking process screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0049] FIG. 13 is a screen print screen or window of a fourth
cooking process screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0050] FIG. 14 is a screen print screen or window of a fifth
cooking process screen of the graphical user interface (GUI),
according to at least one illustrated implementation.
[0051] FIG. 15 is a screen print screen or window of a cooking tips
screen of the graphical user interface (GUI), according to at least
one illustrated implementation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0052] In the following description, certain specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various
disclosed implementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art
will recognize that implementations may be practiced without one or
more of these specific details, or with other methods, components,
materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures
associated with communications devices (e.g., smartphones, personal
computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants), server
computers, and/or communications networks have not been shown or
described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions
of the implementations.
[0053] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the
specification and claims that follow, the word "comprising" is
synonymous with "including," and is inclusive or open-ended (i.e.,
does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method
acts).
[0054] Reference throughout this specification to "one
implementation" or "an implementation" means that a particular
feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with
the implementation is included in at least one implementation.
Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one implementation" or "in
an implementation" in various places throughout this specification
are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation.
Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or
characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or
more implementations.
[0055] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the
singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless
the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted
that the term "or" is generally employed in its broadest sense,
that is, as meaning "and/or" unless the context clearly dictates
otherwise.
[0056] The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein
are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning
of the implementations.
[0057] Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to
systems and methods for providing customized food preparation
instruction, guidance and/or control. Initially, with reference to
FIGS. 1-4, 5A and 5B, environment for such systems and methods are
discussed. Then, with reference to FIGS. 6-15, systems and methods
for controlling a cooking appliance are discussed.
Food Preparation Guidance System
[0058] FIG. 1 shows a networked environment 100 for use in
providing customized food preparation instruction, guidance and/or
control. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the networked environment 100
may include a plurality of user computing devices 102 (e.g., tablet
computer 102A, smartphone 102B, laptop computer 102C, wearable
computing device (e.g., watch)), a cooking appliance 104 and a food
preparation guidance (FPG) system 108 communicatively coupled
together via one or more communications channels, for instance
communications networks 110 (e.g., LAN, WAN, Internet, Worldwide
Web, cellular network, USB.RTM., Bluetooth.RTM., Bluetooth.RTM. Low
Energy, Wi-Fi.RTM., NFC).
[0059] In the illustrated implementation, the cooking appliance 104
takes the form of a sous vide cooker that includes a vessel or
container 112 and a thermal immersion circulator 114 coupled to,
for instance, an edge of the container. In some implementations,
the cooking appliance 104 may be other types of cooking appliances,
such as an oven (convection and/or conventional), induction cooker,
etc. The container 112 holds a quantity (e.g., 10 liters) of liquid
116 (e.g., water) that may be heated and circulated using the
thermal immersion circulator 114. In addition to liquid, other
fluids (e.g., air, oil) may alternatively or additionally be used.
Further, in some implementations the container 112 may be insulated
and/or may have a selectively removable cover or lid 117. In the
illustrated example, a food product 118 is placed inside a
vacuum-sealed plastic bag or pouch 120 which is immersed in the
liquid bath 116. In some implementations, the food product 118 may
be placed inside of a resealable plastic bag or jar, or in any
other suitable container. The food product 118 may be any of a
number of different types of food products, such as meats, eggs or
vegetables. Some food products, such as eggs, may be placed
directly in the liquid bath 116 without use of the plastic bag 120
or other container. Further, in instances where the cooking
appliance utilizes a non-liquid fluid (e.g., air), the food product
may be placed inside the vessel or cooking chamber without use of a
container that separates the food product from the fluid.
[0060] The thermal immersion circulator 114 may be an electrically
powered device that circulates and heats the liquid bath 116 at an
accurate and stable temperature. The thermal immersion circulator
114 may include a circulator pump 122 (FIG. 2) to move the liquid
in the liquid bath 116 and a heating element 124 (FIG. 2) immersed
in the liquid to heat the liquid. The thermal immersion circulator
114 may also include a probe or sensor 126 (FIG. 2), for example, a
temperature sensor to sense the temperature of the liquid bath 116
and control circuitry which compares the temperature measured by
the temperature probe with a desired temperature value and supplies
power to the heating element as required to control the temperature
of the liquid bath. Various components of the cooking appliance 104
are shown in FIG. 2. The control circuitry may control the
temperature of the liquid bath 116 so that the food product 118 may
be cooked according to particular cooking instructions or a
determined cooking program. For example, in the case where the food
product 118 is a one-inch thick rib-eye steak, the control
circuitry may be programmed to heat the liquid bath 116 to a
temperature of 60.degree. C., whereas the control circuitry may be
programmed to heat the liquid bath to a temperature of 85.degree.
C. to cook root vegetables.
[0061] The thermal immersion circulator 114 may optionally include
a user interface 128 that includes one or more inputs (e.g.,
buttons, touch screen, microphone) and one or more outputs (e.g.,
screen, LED(s), speaker(s)). The user may interact with the user
interface 128 to select one or more cooking programs, select one or
more temperature settings or select one or more cooking durations.
As discussed below, in some implementations the user interface 128
may provide information to the user relating to the current status
or estimated future status for a cooking process. In some
implementations, the thermal immersion circulator 114 may not
include a user interface and the user may interact with a user
interface integrated into the cooking appliance 104 or an interface
of another device (e.g., one or more user computing devices 102
communicatively coupled to the circulator 114).
[0062] In some implementations, the control circuitry may utilize a
proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control scheme to accurately
control the temperature of the liquid bath 116 according to a
determined cooking program or process. A PID controller calculates
an error value as the difference between a measured temperature and
a desired set point. The PID controller attempts to minimize the
error by adjusting the temperature through use of the controllable
heating element 124. Generally, the PID controller algorithm
involves three separate constant parameters (e.g., "P", "I", "D").
These parameters may be interpreted in terms of time: P depends on
the present temperature error, I depends on the accumulation of
past temperature errors, and D is an estimation of future
temperature errors based on current rate of change. The weighted
sum of these three actions may be used to adjust the temperature
control for the cooking process via controlling the power supplied
to the controllable heating element 124. In some implementations,
other control algorithms may be used, such as PI control, PD
control, P control, I control or other linear or nonlinear control
schemes.
[0063] In some implementations, a user may utilize one or more of
the client computing devices 102 to interact with the cooking
appliance 104. For example, the client computing devices 102 may
execute a program or "app" that provides at least one of
instructions or data to the cooking appliance 104 and receives
information from the cooking appliance via one or more suitable
communications interfaces (e.g., Bluetooth.RTM., Bluetooth.RTM. Low
Energy, USB.RTM., Wi-Fi.RTM.). In some implementations, the client
computing devices 102, the cooking appliance 104 and/or the FPG
system 108 may communicate via more than one communication
interface (e.g., Bluetooth.RTM., Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy, and/or
Wi-Fi.RTM.), and may utilize one of the communication interfaces if
another communication interface fails or is otherwise unavailable
or unreliable. For example, the cooking appliance 104 may first
communicate with the computing device 102 via a Bluetooth.RTM. Low
Energy interface. Then, upon determining that the Bluetooth.RTM.
Low Energy interface is unreliable or unavailable, the cooking
appliance 104 may communicate with the computing device 102 vie a
Wi-Fi.RTM. interface. Such redundant use of communication
interfaces provides additional reliability and flexibility of
communication between the various devices of the system.
[0064] In some implementations, multiple user computing devices 102
may use short-range connections (e.g., Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy)
to form a mesh network for relaying control and state information
to more distant devices. For example, if the laptop computer 102C
is positioned so that it can communicate directly with the
smartphone 102B but cannot communicate directly with the circulator
114, data may be transferred between the circulator and the laptop
computer indirectly via the smartphone.
[0065] Additionally, as discussed in further detail below, a user
may utilize the client computing device 102 to experience (e.g.,
view, listen) one or more audio/image/video ("media") depictions of
a prepared food product. The one or more media depictions may
present audio or visual depictions of the prepared food product at
various gradations or variants of an ending characteristic, such as
texture, taste-sensation, consistency or doneness. The media
depictions allow the user to simply select a preferred gradation
for one or more characteristics of a cooked food product, such as
the texture, consistency, color, or any other still or moving
visual indication of a desired result for a food product (e.g., egg
yolk, egg white, steak) based on visual image, pictorial or video
representations of the food product at a variety of different
gradations.
[0066] The user may utilize the client computing devices 102 to
send one or more input parameters such as ending preferences or
starting conditions to the food preparation guidance (FPG) system
108 via one or more communications channels such as the
communications networks 110. In response, the FPG system 108 may
send output food preparation parameters, output cooking parameters
(e.g., time, temperature, pressure, speed, etc.), and/or an
arbitrarily complex cooking program to the cooking appliance 104
over communications networks 110 to autonomously control the
cooking appliance. The FPG system 108 may communicate directly with
the cooking appliance 104 via the communications networks 110 or
may communicate with the cooking appliance indirectly via the
client computing devices 102. In some implementations, the user may
view the output cooking parameters or program on a display of one
or more of the client computing devices 102 or the cooking
appliance 104. The cooking appliance 104 may then prepare the food
product 118 according to the received food preparation parameters
or program. Although the term "cooking" is used herein, it should
be appreciated that the present implementations may also be applied
to food preparation that does not necessarily require heat, such as
preparing a puree, ice cream, smoothie, dough, or other food
products.
[0067] The FPG system 108 may take the form of one or more server
computer systems 108A with associated nontransitory
processor-readable storage media or data store 108B. While
illustrated as a single server computer system 108A and associated
nontransitory storage media 108B, many implementations may employ
two or more server computer system 108A and/or nontransitory
associated processor- or computer-readable storage media 108B. In
some implementations or instances, the nontransitory processor- or
computer-readable media 108B may include a database or other data
structure which stores one or more of: image data, video data,
audio data, cooking simulation models, lookup tables, food
preparation algorithms, customer identifiers, customer account
identifiers, customer identity information, financial account
information (e.g., credit and/or debit account numbers, expiration
dates, security codes), customer cooking history, data captured
during cooking processes, and/or other data or statistics.
[0068] While generally described below in terms of a user interface
generated via instructions executing on a computing device, in some
implementations the FPG system 108 may serve as a user portal that
may operate, for example, as a Web server, serving HTML pages or
providing Web services which function as the user interface. Thus,
in some implementations, the FPG system 108 serves as a user
portal, providing a user interface, for instance a Web based
interface, which allows users access functionality disclosed herein
via various processor-based computing devices 102.
[0069] A user interface displayed on the display of the computing
devices 102 may include various pull-down menus, tabs, user
selectable icons, input fields, scroll bars, images, videos, audio,
and dialog boxes, as well as other user interface components. The
user interface may allow a user or customer to create a user or
customer account using the computing devices 102. The user or
customer may enter their full name, screen name or nickname,
address, and/or date of birth. The user or customer may optionally
enter financial account information, for instance an account
number, expiration date, and validation or security code associated
with a charge or debit account. This allows automated charging or
debiting on purchase of items, goods or services by the user or
customer.
[0070] The various systems, subsystems, and/or processor-based
devices are capable of communications, for example, via the one or
more networks 110 which may be, for instance, packet switched
communications networks, such as the Internet, Worldwide Web
portion of the Internet, extranets, intranets, and/or various other
types of telecommunications networks such as cellular phone and
data networks or channels, and plain old telephone system (POTS)
networks. The type of communications infrastructure should not be
considered limiting. The communications networks 110 may take any
of a large variety of forms, and may include modems (e.g., DSL
modem, cable modem), routers, network switches, and/or bridges,
etc.
[0071] While often illustrated as a single nontransitory
processor-readable storage medium, in many implementations each of
the various illustrated nontransitory computer- or
processor-readable storage media may constitute a plurality of
nontransitory storage media. The plurality of nontransitory storage
media may be commonly located at a common location, or distributed
at a variety of remote locations. Database(s) may be stored
separately from one another on separate computer- or
processor-readable storage medium or may be stored on the same
computer- or processor-readable storage medium as one another.
Various computer- or processor-readable storage medium may be
co-located with the corresponding computer systems, for example, in
the same room, building or facility. Alternatively, various
computer- or processor-readable storage medium may be located
remotely from the corresponding computer systems (e.g., server
computer systems) for example, in a different facility, city, state
or country. Electronic or digital information, files or records or
other collections of information may be stored at specific
locations in non-transitory computer- or processor-readable media,
thus are logically addressable portions of such media, which may or
may not be contiguous.
[0072] While FIG. 1 illustrates a representative networked
environment 100, typical networked environments may include many
additional computer systems and entities. The concepts taught
herein may be employed in a similar fashion with more populated
networked environments than that illustrated in FIG. 1. For
example, there are likely hundreds, if not thousands or even
millions of users or customers, computing devices 102 and cooking
appliances 104. There may be more than one FPG system 108, for
example, located in different countries or regions within a
country. Further, some or all of the FPG system 108 may be
implemented within the computing devices 102 and/or the cooking
appliance 104.
[0073] In implementations where the cooking appliance 104
implements sous vide cooking, the cooking appliance may measure the
temperature of the liquid bath 116 and measure or estimate the
amount of heat transferred to the liquid. For implementations where
the cooking appliance 104 is of another type, the cooking appliance
may measure the surface temperature of the food product 118 using a
suitable sensor and measure or estimate the amount of heat that is
absorbed by the food product. In some implementations, the cooking
appliance 104 measures the surface temperature of the food product
118 and measures one or more interior temperatures of the food
product.
[0074] The cooking appliance 104 collects and stores some or all of
the aforementioned data at fixed or variable time intervals. This
collection of data forms a collection of time-series data that may
be processed to provide updates to a cooking program and/or to
provide cooking projections presentable to a user through a user
interface, such as a display of one or more of the client computing
devices 102 or a display of the cooking appliance 104.
[0075] As discussed above, the client computing devices 102 may
communicate with the FPG system 108 and the cooking appliance 104
via the communication networks 110. The client computing devices
102 may allow a user to select an end result for the food product
118 which the user is cooking via the user interface. For example,
the user may select an image displayed on a display of the user
interface of one or more of the client computing devices 102 that
corresponds to a desired doneness of meat. As another example, the
user may select a video that depicts a desired texture for a
custard.
[0076] The client computing devices 102 may also allow the user to
provide information indicating what food product(s) the user plans
to prepare. For example, the user may provide or select a recipe
for a food product from a plurality of recipes for one or more food
products. The amount of detail provided by the user may alter how
the food product is prepared by the cooking appliance 104. For
example, simply indicating a food product as a steak may generate a
different cooking program than indicating a food product is four
prime-grade, two centimeters thick, top-loin steaks that weigh 1.3
kilograms.
[0077] As an example, the user may input any or all of the
following relating to a food product to be prepared: the species
and/or muscles of cuts of meat, fish or poultry; one or more
ingredients in the plastic pouch (e.g., fats, flavorful liquids),
the initial temperature of the food product; the volume or mass of
the food product; the surface area of the food product; geographic
origin or source of the food product (e.g., New Zealand, XYZ farm);
or how the raw food product was prepared (e.g., brined, dry-aged,
marinated, cured, blended, ground, molded). For example, if the
user specifies that a steak is grass-fed beef from New Zealand, the
system may recognize that such has a lower fat content, and may
adjust a cooking program accordingly. The user may also input the
shape of the food product, such as its characteristic length or
width, or a description of the food product (e.g., "slab-like,"
"large egg"). In some implementations, the user may input or select
one or more photographs or videos of the food product which may be
usable by the client computing device 102, FPG system 108, and/or
cooking appliance 104 to generate a cooking program for preparing
the food product 118.
[0078] In some implementations, the user may select a recipe that
provides information usable by the client computing device 102, the
FPG system 108, and/or cooking appliance 104 to generate a cooking
program for preparing the food product 118. For example, the user
may select a recipe on a Web site which automatically provides
details to the computing device 102, the FPG system 108, and/or
cooking appliance 104 about the food product to be prepared upon
selection of the recipe. In some implementations, the user may be
able to modify the selected recipe to suit the user's particular
preferences.
[0079] The cooking appliance 104 may transmit various data or
information to the client computing devices 102 and/or to the FPG
system 108. For example, the cooking appliance 104 may from
time-to-time transmit a subset or all of the collected time-series
measurement data to the client computing devices 102 or to the FPG
system 108. In some implementations, the cooking appliance 104 may
transmit only a subset of the collected time-series data that
includes the most recent measurement or the measurements obtained
since the previous successful transmission of the measurement data
to the client computing devices 102.
[0080] The cooking appliance 104 may also transmit information
about the present state of the cooking appliance and/or one or more
previous states of the cooking appliance. Such information may
include whether the cooking appliance 104 is powered on or in a
standby mode, current and previous set-point temperatures, or any
manually adjusted parameters of the cooking appliance, such as a
manually selectable temperature set-point. The cooking appliance
104 may also transmit information about non-standard operating
conditions, such as power interruptions or a low liquid level for
the liquid bath 116. The cooking appliance 104 may also transmit
system parameters, such as control parameter settings, firmware
version, memory usage, sample rate, etc. The cooking appliance 104
may also transmit information or data received from the FPG system
108 to the client computing devices 102, or vice versa.
[0081] The client computing devices 102 may transmit various data
or information to the cooking appliance 104 and/or to the FPG
system 108. For example, the client computing devices 102 may
transmit a cooking program to the cooking appliance 104 or new
firmware to the cooking appliance.
[0082] A cooking program may include, for example, a program type,
a program start time (e.g., immediately or at a determined future
time), and a recipe or dish title (e.g., eggs, steak). The cooking
program may also specify a set-point temperature for the liquid
bath 116 (e.g., 60.degree. C., 75.degree. C.) of a sous vide
cooker. The cooking program may also specify a cooking duration,
which may begin after a starting event. The starting event may be a
time when the cooking program is received by the cooking appliance
104 or when the liquid bath 116 has been heated to a determined
temperature (e.g., a set-point temperature). The starting event may
also be when the cooking appliance 104 senses that the food product
118 has been inserted therein or when the user indicates the food
product has been inserted into the cooking appliance 104. The
starting event may also occur at a determined time or after a
determined delay after one or more events.
[0083] The cooking program may also indicate whether the liquid
bath 116 should be pre-heated prior to insertion of the food
product 118 into the liquid bath. For example, the cooking program
may specify that the liquid bath 116 should be heated to at least
40.degree. C. before the food product is placed in the liquid bath.
As another example, the cooking program may indicate that the food
product 118 should be placed in the liquid bath 116 without
pre-heating the liquid bath.
[0084] In some implementations, the cooking program may include
parameters used to implement an accelerated cooking program. For
example, an accelerated cooking program may cause the liquid bath
116 to be heated to a first temperature above a set-point
temperature for a period of time, and then the temperature of the
liquid bath may be reduced to a second temperature at or near the
set-point temperature for the remainder of the cooking period. As
discussed more below, the cooking program may utilize a
characteristic of the food product (e.g., mass) or one or more
measurements (e.g., temperature, power) to determine how much
additional power is needed to heat the food product 118, and use
full power delivery until that amount of power has been
delivered.
[0085] The cooking program may also indicate whether the cooking
appliance 104 should use the time-series data to determine or
forecast near equilibrium conditions for the food product 118
indicative of completion of a cooking process.
[0086] In some implementations, the cooking program may indicate
the amount of time the food product 118 should be held at the
set-point temperature or at a safe holding temperature. For
example, a cooking program may indicate that the set-point
temperature is reduced to a lower temperature after the food
product has been held at a higher temperature for a determined
period of time. This feature may minimize or reduce undesirable
texture changes in the food product that could occur if the food
product is held at a relatively high temperature for an extended
duration.
[0087] The cooking program may also include an indication relating
to when the cooking program should be started. For example, the
cooking program may wait for a command, wait a fixed amount of
time, wait until the cooking appliance 104 is pre-heated, wait
until the food product has been inserted into the cooking
appliance, wait until a food product(s) is removed from the cooking
appliance, etc.
[0088] The FPG system 108 may transmit various information or data
to the cooking appliance 104 and/or the client computing devices
102. For example, the FPG system 108 may transmit a cooking program
to the cooking appliance 104 to control the operation thereof. The
FPG system 108 may also transmit to the client computing devices
102 a determination or estimation for when the cooking program will
be completed. For example, the FPG system 108 may provide a
notification on the client computing devices 102 that indicates
that the core of the food product will be 1.degree. C. below a
set-point temperature at a certain time (e.g., 103 minutes, 6:00
pm), so the user can plan to remove the food product from the
cooking appliance 104 at that time.
[0089] The FPG system 108 may also provide suggestions to a user of
the client computing devices 102 based on food products currently
or previously cooked by the user. For example, the FPG system 108
may recommend side dishes, certain recipes or a particular doneness
for a food product based on feedback gathered from past behavior of
the user. Such feedback may be obtained by direct query of the user
or may be obtained indirectly based on selections or actions
performed by the user (e.g., selecting a particular doneness,
selecting recipes in a certain class of recipes).
[0090] In some implementations, the time-series data may be
filtered before used in other algorithms or methods. For example,
noise may be reduced or removed from the time-series data using one
or more low pass filters, total variation minimization methods,
moving averages, iterative moving averages, polynomial or rational
exponential fitting using various norms (e.g., L1 or L2) for
minimization, or the like. In some implementations, localized
disruptions, such as spikes or missing data points, may be removed.
In some implementations, variable time-series data may be changed
into fixed time-series data through interpolation, or fixed
time-series data may be changed to variable time-series data.
[0091] Using the time-series data and the state of the cooking
appliance 104, the FPG system 108 may measure or determine one or
more liquid bath characteristics, food product characteristics,
and/or liquid bath and food product interaction characteristics.
Liquid bath characteristics may include, but are not limited to,
volume, mass, initial temperature, thermal loss or gain from the
environment through conduction through the container, thermal loss
or gain from the environment from radiation, thermal loss to the
environment from evaporation, or change in mass and volume from
evaporation.
[0092] Food characteristics may include, but are not limited to,
surface area, mass, volume, shape, initial temperature, state
(e.g., partially frozen, fully frozen, slushy, thawed).
[0093] Liquid bath and food product interaction characteristics may
include the efficiency of the liquid bath to heat the food product
as measured by the thermal heat transfer coefficient between the
liquid and the food product. Liquid bath and food product
interaction characteristics may also include when one or more
pieces of a food product are inserted into the liquid bath, which
could occur before the liquid starts to heat, while the liquid is
heating or after the liquid has heated to a determined
temperature.
[0094] Using the time-series data and one or more of the
characteristics discussed above, the FPG system 108 may perform
various functions. For example, the FPG system 108 may determine or
estimate how long it will take the liquid bath 116 to reach a
set-point temperature. As another example, the FPG system 108 may
determine or estimate when the food product 118 will be heated to a
particular temperature. After heating the food product 118 to the
particular temperature, the FPG system 108 may either hold the
liquid bath 116 at that temperature or reduce the temperature to a
safe holding temperature.
[0095] The FPG system 108 may also generate a rapid or accelerated
cooking program, as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 5A and
5B. Additionally, if there is a failure, such as a power
interruption, the FPG system 108 may determine whether the food is
still safe for consumption. For example, the FPG system 108 may
determine for how long and at what temperatures the food product
was in a range that promotes foodborne pathogen growth. Further,
after a recognized power interruption, the FPG system 108 may
determine whether any modifications to the cooking program are
required and cause such modifications to be implemented.
[0096] In some implementations, it may be desirable for the cooking
appliance 104 and/or the circulator 114 to obtain location
information. For example, in some regions or countries, terms may
have different meanings (e.g., the meaning of "medium rare" may
vary across geographic locations). As another example, the location
of the cooking appliance 104 may be used to determine a local
boiling point for a liquid, which may in turn be used to adjust the
cooking program, for example, to limit temperatures to below the
local boiling point. The cooking appliance 104 and/or the
circulator 114 may receive geographic location information
automatically (e.g., via GPS) or manually (e.g., via user input)
and account for differences in terminology due to geographic
location. In some implementations, the cooking appliance 104 and/or
the circulator 114 may receive location information from one or
more of the user computing devices 102, and utilize such location
information as an approximation for the location of the cooking
appliance and/or the circulator. Thus, in some implementations, the
cooking appliance 104 and/or the circulator 114 may include
location specific functionality without requiring dedicated
location determination hardware (e.g., a GPS receiver) by utilizing
the location determination hardware of other computing devices
physically located nearby.
[0097] FIG. 2 and the following discussion provide a brief, general
description of the components forming an exemplary networked
environment 100 including the FPG system 108, cooking appliance 104
and computing devices 102 (only one shown) in which the various
illustrated implementations can be implemented. The networked
environment 100 may, for example, implement the various functions
and operations discussed immediately above in reference to FIG. 1.
Although not required, some portion of the implementations will be
described in the general context of computer-executable
instructions or logic, such as program application modules,
objects, or macros being executed by a computer. Those skilled in
the relevant art will appreciate that the illustrated
implementations as well as other implementations can be practiced
with other computer system or processor-based device
configurations, including handheld devices for instance Web enabled
cellular phones or PDAs, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, personal
computers ("PCs"), network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,
and the like. The implementations can be practiced in distributed
computing environments where tasks or modules are performed by
remote processing devices, which are linked through a
communications network. In a distributed computing environment,
program modules may be located in both local and remote memory
storage devices.
[0098] The FPG system 108 may take the form of a conventional PC,
server, or other computing system executing logic or other machine
executable instructions. The FPG system 108 includes one or more
processors 206, a system memory 208 and a system bus 210 that
couples various system components including the system memory 208
to the processor 206. The FPG system 108 will at times be referred
to in the singular herein, but this is not intended to limit the
implementations to a single system, since in certain
implementations, there will be more than one FPG system 108 or
other networked computing device involved. Non-limiting examples of
commercially available systems include, but are not limited to, an
80.times.86 or Pentium series microprocessor from Intel
Corporation, U.S.A., a PowerPC microprocessor from IBM, a Sparc
microprocessor from Sun Microsystems, Inc., a PA-RISC series
microprocessor from Hewlett-Packard Company, or a 68xxx series
microprocessor from Motorola Corporation.
[0099] The processor 206 may be any logic processing unit, such as
one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors,
digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.
Unless described otherwise, the construction and operation of the
various blocks shown in FIG. 2 are of conventional design. As a
result, such blocks need not be described in further detail herein,
as they will be understood by those skilled in the relevant
art.
[0100] The system bus 210 can employ any known bus structures or
architectures, including a memory bus with memory controller, a
peripheral bus, and a local bus. The system memory 208 includes
read-only memory ("ROM") and random access memory ("RAM"). A basic
input/output system ("BIOS"), which may be incorporated into at
least a portion of the ROM, contains basic routines that help
transfer information between elements within the FPG system 108,
such as during start-up. Some implementations may employ separate
buses for data, instructions and power.
[0101] The data storage 108B of the FPG system 108 also may include
a hard disk drive for reading from and writing to a hard disk, and
an optical disk drive and a magnetic disk drive for reading from
and writing to removable optical disks and magnetic disks,
respectively. The optical disk can be a CD or a DVD, while the
magnetic disk can be a magnetic floppy disk or diskette. The hard
disk drive, optical disk drive and magnetic disk drive communicate
with the processor 206 via the system bus 210. The hard disk drive,
optical disk drive and magnetic disk drive may include interfaces
or controllers (not shown) coupled between such drives and the
system bus 210, as is known by those skilled in the relevant art.
The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide
nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data
structures, program modules and other data for the FPG system 108.
Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that other types
of computer-readable media may be employed to store data accessible
by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards,
Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, smart cards, etc.
[0102] Program modules can be stored in the system memory 208, such
as an operating system, one or more application programs, other
programs or modules, and program data.
[0103] The application program(s) may include logic capable of
providing customized food preparation guidance or instructions to
the cooking appliance 104 directly or through the user computing
device 102. For example, where the user or customer selects one or
more starting conditions and/or ending preferences, the FPG system
108 may determine one or more food preparation parameters based on
the starting conditions or ending preferences. For example, the one
or more starting conditions may relate to food type, food size,
food weight, starting temperature, altitude, geographic location,
or the like. Ending preferences may include temperature, texture,
"doneness," taste, or the like. One or more geolocation devices,
for example a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and one or
more position sensing devices (e.g., one or more
microelectromechanical systems or "MEMS" accelerometers,
gyroscopes, etc.) that are not shown in FIG. 2 may be communicably
coupled to the processor 206 to provide additional functionality
such as geolocation data and three-dimensional position data to the
processor. For example, such information may be used with captured
image data to determine the size and shape of a food product using
structure from the motion determination processes. As another
example, in some regions or countries, terms may have different
meanings (e.g., the meaning of "medium rare" may vary across
geographic locations). The processor may receive geographic
location information automatically (e.g., via GPS) or manually
(e.g., via user input) and account for differences in terminology
due to geographic location. The application program(s) may, for
example, be stored within the system memory 208 as one or more sets
of logic or one or more sets of machine executable
instructions.
[0104] The system memory 208 may include communications programs
that permit the FPG system 108 to access and exchange data with
other networked systems or components, such as the cooking
appliance 104, other computing devices 102, an external computer
system, or the like.
[0105] The operating system, application programs, other
programs/modules, program data and communications can be stored on
the system memory or other data storage.
[0106] Authorized personnel can enter commands (e.g., system
maintenance, upgrades, etc.) and information (e.g., cooking
simulation parameters, equations, models, etc.) into the FPG system
108 using a user interface 212 that includes one or more
communicably coupled input devices such as a touch screen or
keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, and/or a push button.
Other input devices can include a microphone, joystick, game pad,
tablet, scanner, biometric scanning device, etc. These and other
input devices are connected to the processor 206 through an
interface such as a universal serial bus ("USB") interface that
couples to the system bus 210, although other interfaces such as a
parallel port, a game port or a wireless interface or a serial port
may be used. The user interface 212 may include a monitor or other
display device that is coupled to the system bus 210 via a video
interface, such as a video adapter. In at least some instances, the
input devices may be located proximate the FPG system 108, for
example when the system is installed at the system user's premises.
In other instances, the input devices may be located remote from
the FPG system 108, for example when the system is installed on the
premises of a service provider.
[0107] In some implementations, the FPG system 108 operates in an
environment 100 (FIG. 1) using one or more of the logical
connections to optionally communicate with one or more remote
computers, servers and/or other devices via one or more
communications channels, for example, one or more networks 110.
These logical connections may facilitate any known method of
permitting computers to communicate, such as through one or more
LANs and/or WANs. Such networking environments are well known in
wired and wireless enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets,
extranets, and the Internet.
[0108] In some implementations, a network port or interface 256,
communicatively linked to the system bus 210, may be used for
establishing and maintaining communications over the communications
network 110. Further, a database interface 252, which is
communicatively linked to the system bus 210, may be used for
establishing communications with the nontransitory
processor-readable storage medium or data store 108B, which may be
a part of the FPG system 108 or at least in operative communication
therewith. For example, the data store 108B may include a
repository for storing information regarding cooking programs,
cooking simulation parameters, cooking simulation models, media
files depicting ending gradations or preferences for food products
(e.g., images or videos depicting texture and/or consistency of an
egg yolk, textures and/or consistency of an egg white, images
depicting exterior of a steak, images depicting an interior of a
steak), end user account information (e.g., user cooking appliances
and parameters therefor, user preferences, etc.), end user
computing device information, system user specific information
relevant to providing one or more customized food preparation
instructions to the end user, or combinations thereof. In some
implementations, the database interface 252 may communicate with
the data store 108B via the networks 110.
[0109] In the networked environment 100 (FIG. 1), program modules,
application programs, or data, or portions thereof, can be stored
in another server computing system (not shown). Those skilled in
the relevant art will recognize that the network connections shown
in FIG. 2 are only some examples of ways of establishing
communications between computers, and other connections may be
used, including wirelessly. In some implementations, program
modules, application programs, or data, or portions thereof, can
even be stored in other computer systems or other devices (not
shown).
[0110] The processor 206, system memory 208, network port 256 and
database interface may be communicatively coupled to each other via
the system bus 210, thereby providing connectivity between the
above-described components. In alternative implementations, the
above-described components may be communicatively coupled in a
different manner than illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, one or
more of the above-described components may be directly coupled to
other components, or may be coupled to each other, via intermediary
components (not shown). In some implementations, system bus 210 is
omitted and the components are coupled directly to each other using
suitable connections.
[0111] The computing device 102 can include any device, system or
combination of systems and devices having at least wired or
wireless communications capabilities. In most instances, the
computing device 102 includes additional devices, systems, or
combinations of systems and devices capable of providing graphical
data display capabilities. Examples of such computing devices 102
can include without limitation, cellular telephones, smart phones,
tablet computers, desktop computers, laptop computers,
ultraportable or netbook computers, personal digital assistants,
handheld devices, and the like.
[0112] The computing device 102 may include one or more processors
282 and nontransitory computer- or processor-readable media or
memory, for instance one or more nonvolatile memories 284 such as
read only memory (ROM) or FLASH memory and/or one or more volatile
memories 286 such as random access memory (RAM).
[0113] The computing device 102 may include one or more
transceivers or radios 288 and associated antennas 290. For
example, the computing device 102 may include one or more cellular
transceivers or radios, one or more Wi-Fi.RTM. transceivers or
radios, one or more Bluetooth.RTM. transceivers or radios, and one
or more Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy along with associated antennas.
The computing device 102 may further include one or more wired
interfaces (not shown) that utilize parallel cables, serial cables,
or wireless channels capable of high speed communications, for
instance, via one or more of FireWire.RTM., Universal Serial
Bus.RTM. (USB), Thunderbolt.RTM., or Gigabyte Ethernet.RTM., for
example.
[0114] The computing device 102 may include a user input/output
subsystem, for example including a touchscreen or touch sensitive
display device 292A and one or more speakers 292B. The touchscreen
or touch sensitive display device 292A can include any type of
touchscreen including, but not limited to, a resistive touchscreen
or a capacitive touchscreen. The touchscreen or touch sensitive
display device 292A may present a graphical user interface, for
example in the form of a number of distinct screens or windows,
which include prompts and/or fields for selection. The touchscreen
or touch sensitive display device 292A may present or display
individual icons and controls, for example virtual buttons or
slider controls and virtual keyboard or key pads which are used to
communicate instructions, commands, and/or data. While not
illustrated, the user interface may additionally or alternatively
include one or more additional input or output devices, for
example, a microphone, a barometer (e.g., for altitude estimation),
an alphanumeric keypad, a QWERTY keyboard, a joystick, scroll
wheel, touchpad or similar physical or virtual input device. For
example, the computing device 102 may include a microphone that
allows for voice control of the computing device.
[0115] The computing device 102 may include one or more image
capture devices 294, for example, cameras with suitable lenses, and
optionally one or more flash or lights for illuminating a field of
view to capture images. The image capture device(s) 294 may capture
still digital images or moving or video digital images. Image
information may be stored as files via the non-volatile memory 284,
for example.
[0116] Some or all of the components within the computing device
102 may be communicably coupled using at least one bus 296 or
similar structure adapted to transferring, transporting, or
conveying data between the devices, systems, or components used
within the computing device 102. The bus 296 can include one or
more serial communications links or a parallel communications link
such as an 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, or 64-bit data bus. In some
implementations, a redundant bus (not shown) may be present to
provide failover capability in the event of a failure or disruption
of the primary bus 296.
[0117] The processor(s) 282 may include any type of processor
(e.g., ARM Cortext-A8, ARM Cortext-A9, Snapdragon 600, Snapdragon
800, NVidia Tegra 4, NVidia Tegra 4i, Intel Atom Z2580, Samsung
Exynos 5 Octa, Apple A7, Motorola X8) adapted to execute one or
more machine executable instruction sets, for example a
conventional microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer
(RISC) based processor, an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), or similar. Within the
processor(s) 282, a non-volatile memory may store all or a portion
of a basic input/output system (BIOS), boot sequence, firmware,
startup routine, and communications device operating system (e.g.,
iOS.RTM., Android.RTM., Windows.RTM. Phone, Windows.RTM. 8, and
similar) executed by the processor 282 upon initial application of
power. The processor(s) 282 may also execute one or more sets of
logic or one or more machine executable instruction sets loaded
from the volatile memory 286 subsequent to the initial application
of power to the processor 282. The processor 282 may also include a
system clock, a calendar, or similar time measurement devices. One
or more geolocation devices, for example a Global Positioning
System (GPS) receiver and one or more position sensing devices
(e.g., one or more microelectromechanical systems or "MEMS"
accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) that are not shown in FIG. 2 may
be communicably coupled to the processor 282 to provide additional
functionality such as geolocation data and three-dimensional
position data to the processor 282.
[0118] The transceivers or radios 288 can include any device
capable of transmitting and receiving communications via
electromagnetic energy.
[0119] Non-limiting examples of cellular communications
transceivers or radios 288 include a CDMA transceiver, a GSM
transceiver, a 3G transceiver, a 4G transceiver, an LTE
transceiver, and any similar current or future developed computing
device transceiver having at least one of a voice telephony
capability or a data exchange capability. In at least some
instances, the cellular transceivers or radios 288 can include more
than one interface. For example, in some instances, the cellular
transceivers or radios 288 can include at least one dedicated,
full- or half-duplex, voice call interface and at least one
dedicated data interface. In other instances, the cellular
transceivers or radios 288 can include at least one integrated
interface capable of contemporaneously accommodating both full- or
half-duplex voice calls and data transfer.
[0120] Non-limiting examples of Wi-Fi.RTM. transceivers or radios
288 include various chipsets available from Broadcom, including
BCM43142, BCM4313, BCM94312MC, BCM4312, and chipsets available from
Atmel, Marvell, or Redpine. Non-limiting examples of Bluetooth.RTM.
transceivers or radios 288 include various chipsets available from
Nordic Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Cambridge Silicon Radio,
Broadcom, and EM Microelectronic.
[0121] As noted, nontransitory computer- or processor-readable
media can include non-volatile storage memory 284 and in some
implementations may include volatile memory 286 as well. At least a
portion of the memory may be used to store one or more processor
executable instruction sets for execution by the processor 282. In
some implementations, all or a portion of the memory may be
disposed within the processor 282, for example in the form of a
cache. In some implementations, the memory may be supplemented with
one or more slots configured to accept the insertion of one or more
removable memory devices such as a secure digital (SD) card, a
compact flash (CF) card, a universal serial bus (USB) memory
"stick," or the like.
[0122] In at least some implementations, one or more sets of logic
or machine executable instructions providing applications or "apps"
executable by the processor 282 may be stored in whole or in part
in at least a portion of the memory 284, 286. In at least some
instances, the applications may be downloaded or otherwise acquired
by the end user, for example using an online marketplace such as
the Apple App Store, Amazon Marketplace, or Google Play
marketplaces. In some implementations, such applications may start
up in response to selection of a corresponding user selectable icon
by the user or consumer. The application can facilitate
establishing a data link between the computing device 102 and the
FPG system 108 or the cooking appliance 104 via the transceivers or
radios 288 and communication networks 110.
[0123] As discussed in more detail below, the application(s) may
include logic or instructions to provide the end user with access
to a number of graphical screens or windows with prompts, fields,
and other user interface structures that allow the user or consumer
to obtain food preparation instructions, control or guidance via
the FPG system 108. Such may include, for example, logic or machine
executable instructions for various screens or windows.
[0124] The cooking appliance 104 can include a device, system or
combination of systems and devices that implement the disclosed
functionality. In some implementations, the cooking appliance 104
has wired or wireless communications capabilities and includes
additional devices, systems, or combinations of systems and devices
capable of providing graphical data display capabilities. Examples
of such cooking appliances can include without limitation, thermal
immersion circulators and vessels, water ovens, baking ovens,
induction cookers, and the like.
[0125] The cooking appliance 104 may include one or more processors
260 and nontransitory computer- or processor-readable media, for
instance one or more nonvolatile memories 262 such as read only
memory (ROM) or FLASH memory and/or one or more volatile memories
264 such as random access memory (RAM).
[0126] The cooking appliance 104 may include a cooking chamber 112
(e.g., a container, vessel) with one or more heaters 124 positioned
therein to, for example, heat a fluid (e.g., water, air) inside the
cooking chamber. The cooking chamber 112 may be insulated and may
include a selectively closable cover (e.g., lid, door). The cooking
appliance 104 may also include one or more circulator(s) or
circulator pumps 122 that stir a fluid. As discussed above, the
cooking appliance 104 may also include one or more sensors or
detectors 126 that sense or detect one or more characteristics,
such as temperature, pressure, power, motion, fluid flow, presence
or absence of a food product, etc. The circulator(s) 122, heater(s)
124, and sensor(s) 126 may be operatively coupled to the one or
more processors 260. The sensors 126 may include one or more of a
thermocouple, thermistor, platinum resistance temperature detector
(RTD), positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater/element,
blackbody/infrared emissions detector, voltage sensor, current
sensor (e.g., shunt resistor, current transformer, Hall effect
sensor, magnetometer/GMR (giant magnetoresistive)), resistance
sensor, barometer (e.g., for altitude estimation), etc.
[0127] The cooking appliance 104 may include one or more
transceivers or radios 266 and associated antennas 268. For
example, the cooking appliance 104 may include one or more cellular
transceivers or radios, one or more Wi-Fi.RTM. transceivers or
radios, one or more Bluetooth.RTM. transceivers or radios, and one
or more Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy transceivers or radios, along
with associated antennas. The cooking appliance 104 may further
include one or more wired interfaces (not shown) that utilize
parallel cables, serial cables, or wireless channels capable of
high speed communications, for instance, via one or more of
FireWire.RTM., Universal Serial Bus.RTM. (USB), Thunderbolt.RTM.,
or Gigabyte Ethernet.RTM., for example.
[0128] The cooking appliance 104 may include a user input/output
subsystem 128, for example including a touchscreen or touch
sensitive display device and one or more speakers. The touchscreen
or touch sensitive display device can include any type of
touchscreen including, but not limited to, a resistive touchscreen
or a capacitive touchscreen. The touchscreen or touch sensitive
display device may present a graphical user interface, for example
in the form of a number of distinct screens or windows, which
include prompts and/or fields for selection. The touchscreen or
touch sensitive display device may present or display individual
icons and controls, for example virtual buttons or slider controls
and virtual keyboard or key pads which are used to communicate
instructions, commands, and/or data. While not illustrated, the
user interface may additionally or alternatively include one or
more additional input or output devices, for example a microphone,
an alphanumeric keypad, a QWERTY keyboard, a joystick, scroll
wheel, touchpad or similar physical or virtual input device. For
example, the cooking appliance 104 may include a microphone that
allows for voice control of the cooking appliance.
[0129] Some or all of the components within the cooking appliance
104 may be communicably coupled using at least one bus 270 or
similar structure adapted to transferring, transporting, or
conveying data between the devices, systems, or components used
within the cooking appliance 104. The bus 270 can include one or
more serial communications links or a parallel communications link
such as an 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, or 64-bit data bus. In some
implementations, a redundant bus (not shown) may be present to
provide failover capability in the event of a failure or disruption
of the primary bus 270.
[0130] The processor(s) 260 may include any type of processor
(e.g., ARM Cortext-A8, ARM Cortext-A9, Snapdragon 600, Snapdragon
800, NVidia Tegra 4, NVidia Tegra 4i, Intel Atom Z2580, Samsung
Exynos 5 Octa, Apple A7, Motorola X8) adapted to execute one or
more machine executable instruction sets, for example a
conventional microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer
(RISC) based processor, an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), or similar. Within the
processor(s) 260, a non-volatile memory may store all or a portion
of a basic input/output system (BIOS), boot sequence, firmware,
startup routine, and communications device operating system (e.g.,
iOS.RTM., Android.RTM., Windows.RTM. Phone, Windows.RTM. 8, and
similar) executed by the processor 260 upon initial application of
power. The processor(s) 260 may also execute one or more sets of
logic or one or more machine executable instruction sets loaded
from the volatile memory 264 subsequent to the initial application
of power to the processor 260. The processor 260 may also include a
system clock, a calendar, or similar time measurement devices. One
or more geolocation devices, for example a Global Positioning
System (GPS) receiver and one or more position sensing devices
(e.g., one or more microelectromechanical systems or "MEMS"
accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) that are not shown in FIG. 2 may
be communicably coupled to the processor 260 to provide additional
functionality such as geolocation data and three-dimensional
position data to the processor 260.
[0131] The transceivers or radios 266 can include any device
capable of transmitting and receiving communications via
electromagnetic energy.
[0132] Non-limiting examples of cellular communications
transceivers or radios 266 include a CDMA transceiver, a GSM
transceiver, a 3G transceiver, a 4G transceiver, an LTE
transceiver, and any similar current or future developed computing
device transceiver having at least one of a voice telephony
capability or a data exchange capability. In at least some
instances, the cellular transceivers or radios 266 can include more
than one interface. For example, in some instances, the cellular
transceivers or radios 266 can include at least one dedicated,
full- or half-duplex, voice call interface and at least one
dedicated data interface. In other instances, the cellular
transceivers or radios 266 can include at least one integrated
interface capable of contemporaneously accommodating both full- or
half-duplex voice calls and data transfer.
[0133] Non-limiting examples of Wi-Fi.RTM. transceivers or radios
266 include various chipsets available from Broadcom, including
BCM43142, BCM4313, BCM94312MC, BCM4312, and chipsets available from
Atmel, Marvell, or Redpine. Non-limiting examples of Bluetooth.RTM.
transceivers or radios 266 include various chipsets available from
Nordic Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Cambridge Silicon Radio,
Broadcom, and EM Microelectronic.
[0134] As noted, nontransitory computer- or processor-readable
medium can include non-volatile storage memory and in some
implementations may include a volatile memory as well. At least a
portion of the memory is used to store one or more processor
executable instruction sets for execution by the processor 260. In
some implementations, all or a portion of the memory may be
disposed within the processor 260, for example in the form of a
cache. In some implementations, the memory may be supplemented with
one or more slots configured to accept the insertion of one or more
removable memory devices such as a secure digital (SD) card, a
compact flash (CF) card, a universal serial bus (USB) memory
"stick," or the like.
[0135] In at least some implementations, one or more sets of logic
or machine executable instructions providing programs executable by
the processor 260 may be stored in whole or in part in at least a
portion of the memory 262, 264. In at least some instances, the
applications may be downloaded or otherwise acquired by the end
user, for example using an online marketplace. In some
implementations, such applications may start up in response to
selection of a corresponding user selectable icon by the user or
consumer. The application can facilitate establishing a data link
between the cooking appliance 104 and the FPG system 108 or the
computing device 102 via the transceivers or radios 266 and
communication networks 110.
[0136] In some implementations, some of the components of the
cooking appliance 104 may be embodied in a computing device
separate from the cooking chamber 112, such as in the example shown
in FIG. 1. In some implementations, the cooking appliance 104 may
be an integrated device that includes some or all of the
aforementioned components. Further, it should be appreciated that
although certain functions are described herein as being
implemented in one of the client computing device 102, the cooking
appliance 104, or the FPG system 108, some or all of such functions
may be performed by numerous combinations of these devices, or may
be performed in a different one or more of the devices than
described above. In other words, the functionality described herein
may be implemented in a highly distributed manner or may be
implemented in a single self-contained device.
[0137] FIG. 3 shows a method 300 of operating a processor-based
device to control preparation of a food product in a food
preparation guidance (FPG) system, such as the FPG system 108 of
FIGS. 1 and 2. For explanatory purposes, the method 300 is
discussed in the context of a sous vide cooking process, but the
method is not limited to such a cooking process. For example, the
method 300 may be implemented using a baking oven or other cooking
appliance. As noted above, sous vide is a method of cooking food in
a liquid bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for
longer than normal cooking times at an accurately regulated
temperature much lower than normally used for conventional cooking.
In some instances, the food is sealed (e.g., liquid-tight,
air-tight) in plastic bags. Sous vide cooking techniques typically
employ temperatures around 55.degree. C. to 80.degree. C. for meats
and higher for vegetables. The intention is to cook the item
evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without
overcooking the outside, and retain moisture.
[0138] The method 300 starts at 302. For example, the method 300
may start in response to an opening of a specific application or
selection of an icon displayed on a display of a computing device.
In response, the processor-based device may cause a display or
presentation of a splash screen or an introduction screen.
[0139] At 304, at least one processor causes a cooking program to
be generated. For example, at least one processor of an FPG system
may generate a cooking program. The cooking program may include at
least one of instructions or data usable by a cooking appliance to
perform a cooking process for a food product. The cooking program
may be downloaded or otherwise provided to the cooking appliance at
any time prior to the cooking session.
[0140] At 306, the at least one processor controls the cooking
appliance to perform the cooking process for the food product
according to the cooking program. For example, at least one
processor of the cooking appliance may control a heater element to
heat a liquid bath according to the generated cooking program.
[0141] At 308, the at least one processor of the cooking appliance
may receive state information data from the cooking appliance. Such
state information data may include, for example, set-point
temperature, current temperature, water level, estimated time until
completion, estimated time until the food product should be placed
in a cooking chamber of the cooking appliance, etc.
[0142] At 310, the at least one processor of the cooking appliance
may send the received state information data to a plurality of user
computing devices over at least one data communications channel.
For example, the at least one processor of the cooking appliance
may send state information data to a user's laptop computer,
smartphone and tablet computer, so that the user may receive such
data using any one of such devices. As another example, the at
least one processor of the cooking appliance may send the state
information data to a first user computing device associated with a
first user and to a second user computing device associated with a
second user.
[0143] At 312, the at least one processor may receive a
modification to the cooking program (or other control instruction)
from at least one of the plurality of user computing devices over
the at least one data communications channel. At 314, responsive to
receiving the modification to the cooking program, the at least one
processor may modify the generated cooking program. At 316, the at
least one processor may control the cooking appliance to perform
the cooking process for the food product according to the modified
cooking program. At 318, the at least one processor may send data
indicative of the modification to the plurality of user computing
devices over the at least one data communications channel.
[0144] As noted above, in some implementations the at least one
processor may receive a modification to the cooking program or a
control instruction from a first user computing device indirectly
via a second user computing device. Such may be advantageous in
instances when the second user computing device is not able to
communicate directly with the cooking appliance and/or the FPG
system.
[0145] As discussed above, multiple user computing devices may be
used to remotely control a cooking appliance, and to receive data
therefrom. Multiple user computing devices may communicate with the
cooking appliance concurrently, or sequentially over the course of
a cooking session. In some implementations, the cooking appliance
acts as the primary source for the current state of the system,
though that state may be replicated on multiple computing devices
(e.g., user computing devices, cloud-based services). In some
instances, changes to the state of the cooking appliance may be
displayed on the user computing devices optimistically as if the
changes had definitely occurred on the cooking appliance to
minimize the perceived lag time, and conflicts or errors may be
resolved later.
[0146] In some implementations, a single user computing device may
be communicatively coupled to the cooking appliance via multiple
communications channels (e.g., Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy and
Wi-Fi.RTM.), and may correctly resolve inconsistent commands. The
cooking appliance may be connected to one or more controlling
devices or web services, or may be temporarily disconnected, while
still being able to reconstruct correct and consistent time series
data in the cloud when reconnected. This time series data may be
used to adaptively estimate the future state of the system, in
particular when the system as a whole will reach a preset
equilibrium temperature. In some instances, multiple control
devices and/or cooking appliances may use short-range connections,
such as Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy, to form a mesh network for
relaying control and state data to more distant controlling devices
or cooking appliances. As discussed above, the approximate
geospatial location of a cooking appliance without built-in GPS may
be determined by proximity to a controlling device that implements
GPS or other spatial positioning technology.
[0147] The method ends at 320, for example, at the completion of a
cooking session.
[0148] FIG. 4 shows a method 400 of operating a processor-based
device to control preparation of a food product in a food
preparation guidance (FPG) system, such as the FPG system 108 of
FIGS. 1 and 2. For explanatory purposes, the method 400 is
discussed in the context of a sous vide cooking process, but the
method is not limited to such a cooking process. For example, the
method 400 may be implemented using a baking oven or other cooking
appliance.
[0149] Notably, the approaches described herein provide updates to
cooking programs and/or estimations about cooking processes by
obtaining one or more measurements from a cooking appliance and
making decisions based on the obtained measurements.
[0150] The method 400 starts at 402. For example, the method 400
may start in response to an opening of a specific application or
selection of an icon displayed on a display of a computing device.
In response, the processor-based device may cause a display or
presentation of a splash screen or introduction screen.
[0151] At 404, the processor-based device may receive a request for
preparation of a food product. For example, the processor-based
device may receive a request for preparation of a steak from a
user-operated client computing device over a communications
network. The user may select a recipe or may manually enter
instructions into a user interface via the client computing device
and/or via the cooking appliance.
[0152] At 406, the processor-based device may provide a prompt for
an ending condition, temperature, preference or characteristic for
the selected food product, for instance, via a display of the
computing device. For example, the processor-based device may
display or cause to be displayed an egg white texture prompt screen
(e.g., a visual prompt) that allows a user to view and scroll
through images of egg whites having differing textures (e.g.,
runny, medium, firm). Various user interface elements may be
employed, including those commonly associated with touchscreen
interfaces allowing multi-finger input, tapping, and swiping. In
some implementations, a set of at least two graphical prompts may
include a set of still images in addition to or instead of a set of
videos. In some implementations, each video or image may also
include audio which may allow the user to observe additional
information about a characteristic of the cooked food product
(e.g., crispness, crunch, etc.). In some implementations, a set of
audio clips with audio prompts and without visual prompts is
provided. Audio prompts may include spoken word prompts or sound
prompts (e.g., sound of egg cracking).
[0153] The processor-based device may receive a selection
indicative of an ending condition or preference for the food
product. For example, the processor-based device may detect an
input or selection of a slide bar via a touchscreen display.
[0154] At 408, the processor-based device determines a cooking
program based at least in part on the received selection indicative
of the food product to be prepared and/or an ending preference. For
example, the processor-based device may perform one or more
simulations utilizing the selected food product and ending
preferences as inputs to determine a cooking time and a cooking
temperature to cook the food product to achieve the selected ending
preferences (e.g., texture, consistency, doneness). The
processor-based device may determine one or more general food
preparation parameters for the cooking program using any suitable
methods, such as one or more simulations, modeling, one or more
lookup tables, one or more analytical or numerically solvable
equations, or the like. In some instances, a cooking program or
protocol may include a schedule of a plurality of temperatures
which vary as a function of time (e.g., a first temperature for a
first time period, a second temperature for a second time period,
and a third temperature for a third time period).
[0155] At 410, the processor-based device sends the generated or
determined cooking program to the cooking appliance. For example,
the FPG system 108 of FIG. 1 may send the determined cooking
program to the cooking appliance 104 over the communications
network 110 directly or via the client computing device 102.
[0156] At 412, the cooking appliance executes the cooking program.
For example, the cooking program may provide instructions to the
cooking appliance to heat a liquid bath to 60.degree. C., to alert
a user to insert the food product into the liquid bath when the
liquid bath reaches 60.degree. C., and to hold the temperature of
the liquid bath for three hours.
[0157] At 414, the cooking appliance obtains measurements, and
stores these measurements in a data store as a time-series. As
discussed above, these measurements may be obtained by sensors
(FIG. 2) that directly or indirectly measure one or more of
temperature, power, fluid flow, the presence or absence of a food
product, liquid level, power disruptions, etc. This time-series is
a record of the obtained measurements at different times. The
time-series data may be arranged in chronological order or reverse
chronological order. The time period between measurements may be
constant or variable.
[0158] At 416, the processor-based device may receive some or all
of the measurements obtained by the cooking appliance. For example,
the FPG system 108 of FIG. 1 may obtain some or all of the
measurements from the cooking appliance 104 over the communications
network 110 directly or via the client computing device 102. In
some implementations, the cooking appliance may transmit a subset
of the time-series data that includes the most recent measurement
or the measurements obtained since the previous successful
transmission of the measurement data to the client computing device
or to the FPG system.
[0159] In addition to receiving the time-series data, the
processor-based device may receive metadata, such as the type of
cooking appliance, user information, or recipe information. If the
transmission of data includes all the information needed by the FPG
system to determine or update the cooking program, the transmission
may be referred to as a "system state" transmission. If the
transmission of data does not include all the information needed by
the FPG system but is sufficient when combined with previously sent
information, the transmission may be referred to as a "system state
update" transmission.
[0160] At 418, the processor-based device may update the cooking
program and/or generated one or more projections about the cooking
process based on the system state of the cooking appliance. As
discussed above, the system state may be a synthesis of several
system state updates. The updated cooking program may be sent to
the cooking appliance for execution thereby. For example, the
updated cooking program may alter control of one or more
operational parameters of the cooking appliance (e.g., temperature,
time, speed, humidity, pressure, fan speed). The one or more
generated projections may be provided to a user via a suitable
interface, such as a user interface of one or more computing
devices and/or a user interface of the cooking appliance.
[0161] For example, based on the system state, the FPG system may
determine how long it will take for a liquid bath of the cooking
appliance to reach a set-point temperature. As another example, the
FPG system may determine when the food product will be heated to a
particular temperature and, after heating to the particular
temperature, may hold the liquid bath at that temperature or may
reduce the temperature to a safe holding temperature.
[0162] The FPG system may also determine when the food product has
been heated to a particular fraction of the difference between the
temperature of the liquid bath and the initial temperature of the
food product. For example, the FPG system may determine when the
food product has been heated to 90% of the difference between the
temperature of the liquid bath and the initial temperature of the
food product. After heating the food product to this temperature,
the liquid bath may either be held at that temperature or reduced
to a safe holding temperature.
[0163] The processor-based device may display or cause to be
displayed the determined more accurate cooking process projection
on the display of one or more computing devices or the cooking
appliance, as discussed above. The user may then utilize the
provided projection for planning or other purposes.
[0164] At 420, the processor-based device ends the method 400. The
method 400 terminates at 420 until called again. Alternatively, the
method 400 may repeat, for example, with control returning to 404
or 410. Alternatively, the method 400 may run concurrently with
other methods or processes, for example, as one of multiple threads
on a multi-threaded processor system.
[0165] In some implementations, the FPG system may utilize feedback
to a priori adjust one or more parameters (e.g., food preparation
parameters, prompts, recommendations) for an individual user,
group, friends of one or more individual users, geographic locale,
or all users. For example, in some implementations, the FPG system
gathers ratings from users, and the ratings may be used to adjust
one or more parameters or recommendations for one or more users. As
another example, the FPG system may gather information manually or
automatically from users or from third party entities (e.g., social
networks, retail web sites, etc.) that may be used to adjust one or
more parameters, recommendations, or other features of the system
for one or more users.
[0166] As noted above, the cooking appliance, computing devices,
and/or the FPG system may utilize various inputs to generate
cooking programs, updates to cooking programs, and/or projections
about one or more cooking processes.
[0167] One such input is power delivered by the cooking appliance.
Power may be measured directly or indirectly, or may be derived
using one or more parameters. For example, actual power may be
measured using a sensor (see FIG. 2) that senses one or both of
voltage and current drawn by the cooking appliance or supplied by
the cooking appliance to a heating element.
[0168] Generally, power (P) may be calculated using any two of
voltage (V), current (I) and resistance (R). Specifically,
P=V.times.I=V.sup.2/R=I.sup.2.times.R. Instantaneous power may be
calculated using any pair of measurements taken at approximately
the same time. Average power may be calculated by averaging a
series of instantaneous power calculations. Average power may also
be obtained using the equation:
P.sub.AVG=V.sub.RMS.times.I.sub.RMS.times.cos(.theta.)
[0169] where V.sub.RMS and I.sub.RMS are the root-mean-square
voltage and current, respectively, and .theta. is the phase angle
between the voltage signal and the current signal.
[0170] Voltage and current may be measured using any suitable
voltage measurement device. For example, current may be measured
via a shunt resistor, current transformer, Hall effect sensor, etc.
Resistance may be directly measured relative to a known value
reference resistor, or indirectly via any other measurements
responsive to resistance.
[0171] As another example, power may be measured or determined
based on a power percentage or ratio from a controller, such as a
PID controller. For example, if a system's maximum power is known
to be 1,000 watts, and a PID controller is prescribing 50% of
maximum power, it can be determined that the current output power
is 50% of 1000 watts, or 500 watts. In some implementations, the
PID controller's output may be pre-scaled such that the output is
already in terms of watts, for example.
[0172] In some implementations, the power may be measured or
determined based on a measured difference in temperature between an
inlet ("cold side") and an outlet ("hot side") of a
heater/circulator pump (see FIG. 2) or other stirring system. Such
temperature difference may be proportional to the specific heat of
the transported working medium (e.g., water) and the transported
mass of the working medium. In some implementations, the cooking
appliance may be programmed to deliver a specified power (e.g., in
watts), which power may be known or obtained and used by the FPG
system (e.g., instead of or in addition to obtaining power
measurements) for updating cooking programs or generating
projections about cooking processes.
[0173] Another input that may be used by the FPG system is
temperature. For example, the cooking appliance may be equipped
with a temperature sensor positioned at an inlet of a circulator
pump or stirring system. The temperature sensor may be any suitable
sensor, such as a thermocouple, thermistor, platinum resistance
temperature detector (RTD), positive temperature coefficient (PTC)
heater/element, or blackbody/infrared emissions detector.
[0174] Another input that may be used by the FPG system is fluid
flow. Any suitable device may be used to measure fluid flow in a
cooking appliance including, but not limited to, a PTC
heater/element, an impeller, etc.
[0175] Other inputs that may be used by the FPG system include user
inputs. Such user inputs may include information about when a food
product has been inserted into the cooking appliance,
characteristics about the food product or information about the
cooking appliance. For example, characteristics of the food product
may include its mass or weight, volume, surface area, type,
temperature, etc. Information about the cooking appliance may
include the type of vessel in which a thermal immersion circulator
has been inserted, whether a vessel is covered, the size of a
vessel, the volume of liquid in a liquid bath, whether a vessel is
insulated, etc.
[0176] The FPG system may also make assumptions about a cooking
appliance which may circumvent the need to measure any one or more
of voltage, current or resistance to determine power delivery. As
an example, the FPG system may use the output from a PID controller
to approximate the power delivered by the heater. Further, the FPG
system may make assumptions about the efficiency of a liquid bath
for heating a food product, as measured by a surface heat transfer
coefficient of the liquid to the food product. The FPG system may
also make assumptions about a cooking appliance (e.g., vessel size)
based on characteristics of the cooking appliance identified during
previous use of the cooking appliance or previous use of similar
cooking appliances. The characterizations of the cooking appliance
may be based on a manufacturer's design or on empirical
measurements of the same or similar cooking appliances, or based on
physics calculations. As an example, assumptions may be made
relating to the electrical properties of a heater element of a
cooking appliance, such as the heater element's resistance versus
temperature behavior.
[0177] As another example, the ratio of on-time to off-time (i.e.,
duty cycle) of the heater element of a cooking appliance may be
used to scale an assumed or measured peak power to determine an
estimate of average power. The duty cycle measurement may come from
a variety of sources including, but not limited to, the output of a
PID controller that controls operation of the heating element.
[0178] The FPG system may also make assumptions related to the
voltage of the power source. For example, a 120 volt AC line in the
United States may be assumed to be 120 volt AC+/-N %, where N is a
number. Similarly, the FPG system may make assumptions related to
the power factor of the power source. For example, the power factor
of the power source may be assumed to be close to 1, such that
current is in phase with voltage.
[0179] FIG. 5A is a graph 500 showing temperatures for a liquid
bath 502 of a cooking appliance and temperatures for a core of a
food product 504 placed in the liquid bath during a normal cooking
process. In this illustration, the food product 504 is a roast that
is 52 millimeters thick and weighs 1.1 kilograms. The food product
504 is cooked to a core temperature of 60.degree. C., in this
example. At the start of the cooking process (i.e., zero minutes),
the heating element of the cooking appliance begins to heat the
liquid bath 502 from an initial temperature of about 22.degree. C.
to the set-point temperature of approximately 60.degree. C. After
about 40 minutes, the liquid bath 502 has reached the set-point
temperature of 60.degree. C. Shortly after the liquid bath 502 has
reached the set-point temperature, the food product 504 is inserted
into the liquid bath 502 of the cooking appliance. The temperature
of the core of the food product 504 rises slowly until it reaches
about 1.degree. C. less than 60.degree. C. (i.e., 59.degree. C.) at
about 145 minutes, as indicated by an arrow 506. The user may then
remove the food product 504 from the liquid bath.
[0180] FIG. 5B is a graph 510 showing temperatures for a liquid
bath 512 of a cooking appliance and temperatures for a core of a
food product 514 placed in the liquid bath during an accelerated
cooking process. The food product 514 is also a roast with the same
size and weight as the food product 504 of FIG. 5A. At zero
minutes, the heating element of the cooking appliance begins to
heat the liquid in the liquid bath 512 from an initial temperature
of about 22.degree. C. to an elevated temperature above the desired
set-point temperature of 60.degree. C. In the illustrated example,
the heating element heats the liquid bath 512 to an elevated
temperature of about 75.degree. C.
[0181] After about 40 minutes, the liquid has reached 60.degree. C.
Shortly after the liquid bath 512 has reached 60.degree. C., the
food product 514 is inserted into the liquid bath 512 of the
cooking appliance while the temperature of the liquid bath
continues to rise to about 75.degree. C., which is about 15.degree.
C. above the set-point temperature of 60.degree. C. Once the
temperature of the liquid bath reaches 75.degree. C., the
temperature control of the cooking appliance allows the temperature
of the liquid bath 512 to fall to the set point temperature of
60.degree. C. The temperature of the core of the food product 514
rises relatively rapidly (compared to the normal cooking process)
due to the liquid bath 512 being at the elevated temperature. After
a determined time, the cooking program controls the cooking
appliance to lower the temperature of the liquid bath 512 to the
set-point temperature of 60.degree. C. for the remainder of the
cooking process. In the illustrated example, the temperature of the
liquid bath 512 is lowered from 75.degree. C. to 60.degree. C.
after about 70 minutes from the beginning of the cooking process.
In some implementations, the time at which the liquid bath 512 is
maintained at an elevated temperature is at least partially
dependent on a determination or estimation of when the food product
514 will reach the set point temperature and/or an estimation of
how long it will take for the liquid bath 512 to cool from the
elevated temperature to the set point temperature. Generally, the
liquid bath 512 should be at or near the set-point temperature at
or before the time when the temperature of the food product 514
approaches the set-point point temperature.
[0182] In the illustrated example, the temperature of the liquid
bath 512 is reduced to the set-point temperature at about the same
time the temperature of the core of the food product 514 reaches
about 1.degree. C. less than 60.degree. C. (i.e., 59.degree. C.) at
104 minutes, as indicated by an arrow 516. Thus, using the
accelerated cooking process, the food product 514 is fully cooked
in 104 minutes instead of 145 minutes. It should be appreciated
that the various cooking parameters for an accelerated cooking
process may be varied dependent on various factors, such as type of
food, degree of acceleration desired, end preferences, etc. FIGS.
6-15 show various exemplary screen print screens or windows which
may be displayed as part of executing the method 400 for an FPG
system that controls the cooking of a food product in a temperature
controlled water bath (i.e., sous vide cooking process). Notably,
the approach described herein provides users with media-based
prompts (e.g., visual and/or audible prompts) depicting two or more
choices for ending preferences for a food product that allow the
user to easily select a desired ending preference for a cooked food
product. The systems and methods then precisely control a cooking
appliance to cook the selected the food product to achieve the
selected desired ending preferences or characteristics. Such ending
preferences or characteristics may relate to texture, consistency,
doneness, crispness, and the like.
[0183] For example, a user may initially open a specific
application or selection of an icon displayed on a display of a
user computing device, such as one or more of the user computing
devices 102 of FIG. 1. In response, the processor-based display may
cause a display or presentation of a home screen or introduction
screen, for instance, a home screen illustrated in a screen print
screen 600 of FIG. 6. The home screen includes a scrollable list of
icons for various food products, including a steak icon 602, a
salmon icon 604 and a chicken icon 606 which depict pieces of
steak, salmon and chicken, respectively. A multi-purpose icon 608
is also present in the bottom right-hand corner of the home screen
600 which may be used to display various data and which may be
selected by the user to perform various functions. For example, the
screen print screen 700 of the home screen of FIG. 7 depicts the
multi-purpose icon 608 as showing a current temperature reading in
.degree. C. for a liquid bath of a cooking appliance to which the
user computing device is communicatively coupled.
[0184] Each of the food product icons 602, 604 and 606 in the home
screen may also include a download indicator (e.g., indicator 610,
612) which notifies the user of whether the cooking program for a
particular food product has been previously downloaded onto the
user computing device. As shown, a "check mark" for the icons 610
and 612 may indicate that the respective cooking programs for the
steak and the salmon have already been downloaded to the user
computing device. As an example, the icons 610 and 612 may be shown
as an "X" or an arrow to indicate that a cooking program has not
yet been downloaded to the user computing device.
[0185] In some implementations, the food product icons may be
hierarchically arranged. For example, food groups may be shown at a
top level (e.g., beef, poultry), and then different cuts of each
food group may be shown at a lower level. As a non-limiting
example, the user may be allowed to sequentially select "beef,"
then "steak," then "ribeye."
[0186] FIG. 8 shows a screen print screen 800 for a steak cooking
setup screen which may be displayed on the user computing device
responsive to the user selecting the steak icon 602 displayed on
the home screen (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The steak cooking setup screen
may include an information section 804 which includes various
information such as a title, an estimated cooking/preparation time,
and a description. The steak cooking setup screen may also include
a background image or video 802 of a cooked steak. For example, the
steak cooking setup screen may include a background video of a user
cutting a steak with a knife. The video may loop continuously while
the steak cooking setup screen is displayed.
[0187] The multi-purpose icon 608 may display the text "NEXT" to
signal to the user that the icon may be selected to navigate to a
next steak cooking setup screen (FIG. 9). The steak cooking setup
screen may also include a home icon 810 to navigate to the home
screen, and a menu icon 812 which, when selected, opens a menu
which may include one or more user-selectable items (e.g., account
profiles, notification settings, user preferences).
[0188] The steak cooking setup screen may also include a tips icon
806 which, when selected, causes a number of cooking tips to be
provided to the user (see FIG. 15). The cooking tips may include
one or more of text, audio, images, and/or videos.
[0189] The steak cooking setup screen may also include a sides icon
808 which, when selected, causes one or more side dishes to be
presented to the user. The one or more side dishes may be dependent
on the particular food product selected by the user. In some
implementations, upon selection of the sides icon 808, recipes, or
links to recipes, for one or more side dishes may be presented to
the user so that the user may prepare one or more side dishes to
accompany the selected food product.
[0190] FIG. 9 shows a screen print screen 900 of a second steak
cooking setup screen which may be displayed on the user computing
device responsive to the user selecting the "NEXT" multi-purpose
icon 608 in the first steak cooking setup screen shown in the
screen print screen 800 of FIG. 8. The second steak cooking setup
screen of FIG. 9 includes a plurality of gradation icons 902, each
corresponding to a different temperature (e.g., 52.degree. C.,
56.degree. C., 60.degree. C., 65.degree. C.), cooking time, or
descriptors of doneness (e.g., medium-rare, medium, medium-well).
Upon selection of one of the icons 902, a background image or video
904 which depicts the food product when cooked at the selected
temperature is displayed on the user computing device. For example,
when the user selects the icon 902 labeled "56.degree. C.," the
background image or video 904 depicts a steak cooked to 56.degree.
C. The second steak cooking setup screen may also include a
backward navigation icon 906 which, when selected, navigates
backward to the steak cooking setup screen shown in FIG. 8.
[0191] In the illustrated implementation, the set of at least two
graphical prompts include a plurality of videos (or animated
images) each depicting a different texture or appearance of cooked
steak. For example, as the user scrolls from left to right
selecting the icons 902, videos depicting steaks cooked at various
temperatures from rare to well-done may be displayed on the display
of the computing device. Each video in the set of videos may be
accompanied with textual description and/or an audio description.
The audio description may be a narrative description and/or may
include a sound which is made when the food product is cut, sliced,
cracked, or placed on a dish or pan. In some implementations, each
video has a relatively short duration (e.g., 2 seconds, 5 seconds,
10 seconds, etc.), and shows the food product (e.g., a steak)
during an action, such as being placed onto a plate or being cut.
Users watching one of the videos may observe the movement of the
food product as it is placed on the plate or as the food product is
cut to help the user determine whether the doneness, texture or
consistency of the food product shown in a particular one of the
videos, pictures or images is preferred. In some implementations,
the videos, pictures or images allow the user to view both an
exterior and an interior of the food product.
[0192] In some implementations, the set of at least two graphical
prompts 406 includes a set of still images in addition to or
instead of a set of videos. In some implementations, each video or
image may also include audio which may allow the user to observe
additional information about a characteristic of the cooked food
product (e.g., crispness, crunch, etc.). In some implementations, a
set of audio clips without visual prompts is provided.
[0193] In some implementations, the user may be able to select a
gradation (e.g., temperature, time, doneness) other than the
default gradations provided in the steak cooking setup screen so
that the selection may be fine-tuned. For instance, in the
illustrated example the icons 902 include adjacent selectable icons
for 52.degree. C. and 56.degree. C. In some implementations, the
user may be able to select a temperature between 52.degree. C. and
56.degree. C. (e.g., 54.degree. C., 55.5.degree. C.). As an
example, the user may be able to select one of the icons 902 and
slowly swipe to the left or right to respectively decrease or
increase the temperature setting (or other gradation) relative to
the selected icon. Thus, although background images or videos 904
may not be available for every possible gradation, the user is
still able to select a particular desired gradation (e.g., between
medium-rare and medium) which may be between or outside of the
default gradations which include corresponding background images or
videos 904.
[0194] The user may select one of the icons 902 indicative of an
ending preference for the food product, which selection is detected
by the at least one processor of the user computing device.
[0195] Responsive to the user selecting one of the icons 902, the
user computing device may display a first cooking screen as shown
by the screen print screen 1000 of FIG. 10. The first cooking
screen includes an information section 1002 which displays a set
point temperature (e.g., 56.degree. C.) and a time when the cooking
process is estimated to begin (e.g., "starting in 2 seconds"). The
first cooking screen also includes the text "CANCEL" 1004
positioned above the multi-purpose icon 608 which, when selected,
may cancel the cooking process.
[0196] FIG. 11 shows a screen print screen 1100 for a second
cooking screen which includes temperature display icon 1102 which
provides a set point temperature setting in a relatively large font
and a current temperature of the cooking appliance in a relatively
small font below the desired temperature setting. Other user
interface elements may be employed, including those commonly
associated with touchscreen interfaces allowing multi-finger input,
tapping, and swiping.
[0197] The second cooking screen shown in FIG. 11 also includes a
notification section 1104 which instructs the user when to add the
selected food product into a cooking chamber of the cooking
appliance. In the illustrated example, the notification section
1104 instructs the user to "add food in 1 minute." The second
cooking screen shown in FIG. 11 also includes a view tips icon 1106
which, when selected, may present one or more cooking tips to the
user. Such cooking tips may include one or more of text, audio,
images, or video.
[0198] FIG. 12 shows a screen print screen 1200 of a third cooking
screen which instructs the user to "add food now" in the
notification section 1104. The notification may be a visual
notification and/or an audible notification.
[0199] FIG. 13 shows a screen print screen 1300 of a fourth cooking
screen which provides the user with an estimated time until the
food product is cooked in the notification section 1104. In this
example, the notification section 1104 displays the message "ready
in 10 minutes." Such estimated time may be generated by the FPG
system, as discussed above.
[0200] FIG. 14 shows a screen print screen 1400 of a fifth cooking
screen which provides the user with an indication that the food
product is ready in the notification section 1104. In this example,
the notification section 1104 displays the message "your food is
ready."
[0201] FIG. 15 shows a screen print screen 1500 of a tips screen
which may be display responsive to the user selecting a tips icon,
such as the tips icons 806 and 1104 of FIGS. 8 and 11,
respectively. In this illustrative example, the tips screen
includes a background image or video 1502 and a text section 1504
positioned below the background image or video. The tips screen
also includes one more navigation icons 1506 which allow the user
to navigate to multiple available cooking tips. In some
implementations, the text section 1504 may provide an instruction
or tip for an action (e.g., trimming a steak) and a corresponding
background image or video 1502 may depict the action.
[0202] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various
implementations of the devices and/or processes via the use of
block diagrams, schematics, and examples. Insofar as such block
diagrams, schematics, and examples contain one or more functions
and/or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams,
flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or
collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or
virtually any combination thereof. In one implementation, the
present subject matter may be implemented via Application Specific
Integrated Circuits (ASICs). However, those skilled in the art will
recognize that the implementations disclosed herein, in whole or in
part, can be equivalently implemented in standard integrated
circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more
computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more
computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more
controllers (e.g., microcontrollers) as one or more programs
running on one or more processors (e.g., microprocessors), as
firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that
designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software
and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of ordinary
skill in the art in light of this disclosure.
[0203] Those of skill in the art will recognize that many of the
methods or algorithms set out herein may employ additional acts,
may omit some acts, and/or may execute acts in a different order
than specified.
[0204] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
the mechanisms taught herein are capable of being distributed as a
program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative
implementation applies equally regardless of the particular type of
nontransitory signal bearing media used to actually carry out the
distribution. Examples of nontransitory signal bearing media
include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable type
media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CD ROMs, digital
tape, and computer memory.
[0205] The various implementations described above can be combined
to provide further implementations. U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 62/021,530, filed Jul. 7, 2014, U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/095,669, filed Dec. 22,
2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/110,228,
filed Jan. 30, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.
No. 62/195,199, filed Jul. 21, 2015 are incorporated herein by
reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the implementations can be
modified, if necessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of
the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet
further implementations.
[0206] These and other changes can be made to the implementations
in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the
following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit
the claims to the specific implementations disclosed in the
specification and the claims, but should be construed to include
all possible implementations along with the full scope of
equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the
claims are not limited by the disclosure.
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