Patent ID: 9000335
Filing Date: 2015-04-07
Classification: H05B

Abstract:
1. A system that uses induction heating to heat food stored in a container, the system comprising: a housing having a door, wherein a cylindrical cavity configured to receive a cylindrical container is formed in the door of the housing and the door is configured to pivot around an axis between an open position in which the cavity is accessible to a user of the system and a closed position in which the cavity is not accessible to the user; a cylindrical induction heating coil housed in the door of the housing and configured to provide energy to a container placed in the cavity, wherein the cylindrical induction heating coil is coaxial with the cylindrical cavity and the cylindrical induction heating coil is wrapped around the cylindrical cavity; a power generator housed in the housing and coupled to the induction heating coil; a controller configured to control the operation of the power generator; and a weight measuring device coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to (i) determine whether the weight of a container disposed in the cavity fails to meet a predetermined weight threshold and (ii) as a result of determining that the weight of the container fails to meet the predetermined weight threshold, (a) indicate to the user that the user may not use the system to heat the container and (b) in response to a request from the user to heat the container, ignore the request from the user, the system further comprises a bar code reader configured to provide to the controller data corresponding to a container disposed in the cavity, and the controller is further configured such that, prior to initiating a heating cycle for heating the container, the controller (a) uses the data from the bar code reader to determine whether the container is adapted to be heated by the appliance, (b) sets a power level of the power generator based on a power level identifier included in said data from the bar code reader, and (c) sets a heating duration based on a heating duration identifier included in said data from the bar code.