Abstract:
The system and method for providing dynamic and static information on a label relating to a sealed package for cooking. The dynamic information can include data about the contents of the package which can include spoiling events or thawing which can impact the further processing of the contents, wherein the contents of the label can be used by itself and or with a user selected ready time to control the cooking of the sealed package.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional patent application No. 61/962,047, filed on Oct. 30, 2013. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to residential or commercial cooking appliances, in specific sous vide cooking (cooking in a relatively low-temperature water bath) and/or more conventional yet under-technologized cooking methods such as microwave cooking. More specifically, the present invention relates to an automated, controlled cooking process with a sealed container including static and dynamic information for the scanning and cooking of the contents therein. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The technique of cooking meat, fish or vegetables in an evacuated, sealed pouch with herbs, seasonings, oils and/or other flavorants placed in a bath of relatively low-temperature circulating water at a precise temperature; a process identified as “Sous Vide” has been growing in popularity owing to the nutritional and gastronomic benefits since its inception in the 1970&#39;s. Such processes would entail, for example, cooking a steak at its “Rare” temperature (e.g., 134° F.), but no higher. While it would take substantially longer than quickly grilling it, the process would result in no “gray areas” and the steak would be uniformly rare and succulent from outside to the core, even if cooked substantially longer than food safety would dictate. More importantly, this technique affords tenderness with even the toughest cuts of meat, given that prolonged low-temperature cooking breaks-down tough connective tissue in often flavorful but chewy cuts. Such a steak could be “finished” by high heat searing simply to add grill marks, etc. This process compares favorably with traditional high-heat methods which are notorious for inadvertent overcooking with unpleasant results such as “rubber chickens”. 
         [0004]    One of the benefits of cooking slowly in an evacuated pouch (without oxidation) is that even very tough cuts of meat are slowly broken-down leaving rich flavor and little of the unpleasant toughness that is associated with fast, high-temperature cooking. The other desirable aspect of Sous Vide cooking is that flavors are enhanced, concentrated and complexity is developed over time, not degraded by oxidation. Indeed, many who have eaten at a high-end restaurant have likely have enjoyed Sous Vide cooking without even knowing it. 
         [0005]    Unfortunately, the adoption of this low temperature technique has been limited to professional chefs and food aficionados because of the technical challenges required for the technique to reliably eliminate food-borne pathogens. Presently, users of this equipment must understand (or at least appreciate and over compensate for) the intricacies of obtaining the required logarithmic reduction in pathogens that any cooking process, especially low temperature cooking processes such as Sous Vide are governed by. Food aficionados and professional chefs can obtain reasonable results by making some mathematical calculations (e.g., regarding cross-section of food and core temperature targets for a given protein) and more often than not cooking longer than required to make sure. However, the general consumer population cannot be expected to do so and indeed, danger to the persons attempting to employ Sous Vide techniques would certainly ensue. 
         [0006]    Thus, the present state of the art reflects a need for a system and method which provides a flexible tool supporting sous vide and other cooking processes which could benefit from the modulation of cooking energy. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0007]    Those of skill in the art are aware a variety of tools for assisting the sous vide cooking process. For instance, WIPO Patent Application WO2104019018 A1 entitled “Sous Vide Device” relates to domestic cooking appliances, and more particularly to a domestic sous vide device. This device discloses the use of an RFID tag or the like extending from a corner of the sous vide bag for identification. This disclosure further teaches the use of a special device including a controller which may be used with such bags, wherein the device displays a suggested cooking time and temperature. This reference, however, teaches the use of a probe or the like to obtain temperature information of the contents of a package, including a reusable probe that extends through the packaging into the contents. A seal around such a probe is an unworkable arrangement due to the differential coefficients of thermal expansion of a probe and a pouch. Moreover, nothing in this reference teaches or suggesting controlling the cooking process with information specific to the package, operating in a variety of cooking devices, or providing information about the package subsequent to being sealed (e.g., spoiling information) but prior to being cooked (i.e.: the food safety history from packer to kitchen). 
         [0008]    In sum, none of the known prior art approaches permit a package to control the cooking based upon the specific contents of the package while providing information to prevent the accidental cooking of food that may already be spoiled. 
         [0009]    What is needed is a non-invasive method for providing a mechanism for controlling the process, cooking as well as dynamic information specific to the package. 
       DEFINITION OF TERMS 
       [0010]    The following terms are used in the claims of the patent as filed and are intended to have their broadest plain and ordinary meaning consistent with the requirements of the law. 
         [0011]    The following terms are used in the claims of the patent as filed and are intended to have their broadest plain and ordinary meaning consistent with the requirements of the law. 
         [0012]    An “automated, controlled cooking process” means a cooking device that includes, interfaces with, or is connected with an automated reader (e.g., a bar code scanner, rfid pinger or the like) which operates with information on a food package being read to provide controls (e.g., cooking time and/or temperature) for cooking the food package being read. 
         [0013]    A “thermally conductive layer” is a layer forming at least part of the food package through which heat from inside the container may permeate therethrough so as to provide reasonably accurate thermal information to the dynamic region of the label. 
         [0014]    A “static region” refers to data about the content inside the sealed container which does not change after the food is sealed inside of the container (e.g., the type or size of the food sealed inside the container, the cross-sectional dimensions, thickness or its protein type and even permissible cooking time/temperature ranges for that specific protein). 
         [0015]    A “dynamic region” refers to data about the content inside the sealed container which can change after the food is sealed inside of the container (e.g., the current temperature of the contents of the package, or the occurrence of spoilage temperatures inside the container). 
         [0016]    “Thermal information” refers to temperature related parameters or events which may influence the cooking process or the suitability of the sealed container for use in the cooking process. 
         [0017]    Where alternative meanings are possible, the broadest meaning is intended. All words used in the claims set forth below are intended to be used in the normal, customary usage of grammar and the English language. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    The present invention proposes a solution to the depressed (or sluggish) adoption rate for this Sous Vide cooking technique and also to benefit other cooking techniques as well (such as microwave cooking), to the mutual benefit of the consumer and protein packing interests as well. Indeed, low-temperature cooking via Sous Vide techniques (circulating, temperature-controlled water bath) is not the only way to achieve slow-cooking. Equipment such as Crock-pots and Microwave Ovens could benefit from modulating their application of energy according to the present invention. 
         [0019]    The system of the present invention includes a number principle components. First, the system involves a machine-readable label (1D or 2D barcode, QR code or even a passive RFID Tag) on the food-bearing pouch. This label includes the “food metadata” (food type, cross section dimensions, “done” time and temperature choices, etc.) of the contents of the package bearing the label. For example, one type of data label represented by the above type of commonly used QR Code can contain up to 4,296 Alphanumeric or 2,953 binary bytes of information (more than sufficient quantities of information to sustain a machine-driven cooking profile, even if food information, heating ramp-up and cooling ramp-down profiles are explicitly included in the coded portion of the label). The label, however, is an improvement upon prior approaches in that it includes regions of Active Data in addition to the Passive Data. For example such a mixed Passive/Active Data Label could include a defined region that contains one or more temperature-indicating fields, via say liquid-crystal printing inks. These defined regions could therefore each be responsive to a certain range of temperatures, changing visual state and indicative of the thermal status of the food-bearing pouch. 
         [0020]    These non-static, thermally-responsive regions fall into two broad categories: continuously-responsive regions that always represent current thermal conditions and “peak-hold” regions that “trip” when a certain, predefined thermal limit has been exceeded. 
         [0021]    A system employing the active data/passive data pouch of the present invention could use such a pouch with a Sous Vide or other Cooking Apparatus containing a microprocessor that includes as internal or external components: 1) an Arithmetic operations unit capable of making time-based calculations based-upon the present time, the desired serving time and the time required for a determined log reduction in food pathogens (cooking time), 2) a pouch label querying means such as an adapted 1D, 2D or QR code reader or an RFID pinger; and 3) a communications unit that includes logical, media connection means and protocol stacks sufficient to receive instructions from an authorized Internet-connected or cellular-connected mobile device, as well as a device address that can be engaged remotely e.g., in order to permit a consumer to remotely program a desired start time. 
         [0022]    The microprocessor and program would therefore obtain cooking (time-temperature profiles) instructions from the food-bearing pouch, desired serving time instructions from the consumer (which could include remote communications) and the present time. It would operate on these variables in a manner that would result in fully-cooked meal at the requested time. 
         [0023]    The immediate application of a present invention will be seen in the field of Sous Vide cooking, though those of skill will see that the present invention could be applied to other cooking appliances (e.g., crockpots and microwave ovens) for which a controlled, reliable method of cooking can be obtained based upon information in the cooking package. 
         [0024]    Thus can be seen that one object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for using active and passive data in providing information which controls a sous vide or similar slow cooking process. 
         [0025]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a method enabling a home user to begin a sous vide or similar slow cooking process from a remote location for a desired completion time without having knowledge of the required cooking instructions to be used. 
         [0026]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system to enable a sous vide or similar slow cooking process in which the cooking process is modifying by dynamic information processed and transmitted by the package label. 
         [0027]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sous vide system which can be operated by a person lacking cooking experience. 
         [0028]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for providing for the quick and easy set up for the sous vide or other slow cooking process. 
         [0029]    It should be noted that not every embodiment of the claimed invention will accomplish each of the objects of the invention set forth above. In addition, further objects of the invention will become apparent based on the summary of the invention, the detailed description of preferred embodiments, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Such objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of a best mode embodiment thereof, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  shows static/dynamic multi-region label in accord with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0031]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  shows static/dynamic multi-region label in accord with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic of a system using a static/dynamic multi-region label in accord with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 4  shows a time versus temperature chart for a hypothetical application of the process of the present invention as compared to the capabilities of prior art processes. 
           [0034]      FIG. 5  shows a graphical user interface according to a preferred embodiment for a user of the process and system of the present invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a conductive particle bearing meltable link cell structure in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 7  shows a exposed cross section view of a conductive particle bearing meltable link cell structure in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  show ink layer and adsorbent layer top views of a RFID temperature indicator in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 9  shows an exposed cross section view of a conductive particle bearing link cell with a melted ink layer in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0039]      FIGS. 10   a  and  b  shows a plurality of latching cells, each containing a different melt-point latching cell in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0040]      FIG. 11  shows a passive RFID process-monitoring probe with a plurality of different melt-point latching cells in accord with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0041]    Set forth below is a description of what is currently believed to be the preferred embodiment or best examples of the invention claimed. Future and present alternatives and modifications to this preferred embodiment are contemplated. Any alternatives or modifications which make insubstantial changes in function, in purpose, in structure or in result are intended to be covered by the claims in this patent. 
         [0042]      FIG. 1  shows a first preferred embodiment of the multicomponent label  100  of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the label  100  includes a first passive (static) information region  110  which can include (among other things), the identity of the contents of a package containing the label, the weight of the contents of the package containing the label, one or more of the protein types corresponding to the contents of the package containing the label, a predetermined cooking time, or other parameters determined before or during the process of sealing and labelling the contents of the package. In this particular preferred embodiment, the label for the passive (static) information region  110  comprises a QR code, which can contain up to 4,296 alphanumeric or 2953 binary bytes of information. Such a field should be enable more than sufficient quantities of information to sustain a machine-driven cooking profile, even if food information, heating ramp-up and cooling ramp down profiles are included. A second active (dynamic) region  120  can be used in conjunction with the passive data to significant improve upon the cooking process for the user when used in combination with the passive data. For example, the active (dynamic) information region  120  in this embodiment comprises a series of temperature-indicating fields  122 , which in this particular embodiment comprise liquid crystal printing inks. These defined fields  122  would each be responsive to a different temperature within a certain range of temperatures, and would change visual state (to be the “active bit” when corresponding to the current package temperature) in order to modify and enhance the cooking instructions so as to reflect the current status of the package. 
         [0043]    A further variant or alternative embodiment label  200  is shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b . This alternative, similarly, includes a first passive (static) information region  210  and a second active (dynamic) region  220 , but also further includes a visually indicated critical temperature region  230 . In this region, one could use bistable liquid crystal inks that would, once activated, “trip” when they reach certain defined critical temperature levels (e.g., temperature events corresponding to freezer burn, spoiling or the like). This region would be indicative not of the current thermal status of the food bearing pouch, but of post packaging &amp; labelling events reflecting the highest temperature that the package experienced on its way from producer to home. Of course, those of skill would understand that this region critical temperature region  230  need not be physically distinct from the other regions of the label, nor do the passive  210  or active  220  regions need to be distinct, though the use of a separate, information dense passive region  210  such as a QR code provides for a greater conveyance of information, such as might be necessary for certain cooking profiles. Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 2   b , the functionality of this component could be enhanced via the addition of  232  a temporary means for constraining the critical temperature region  230 , even when the label is stored above the Transition Temperature, as may be the case when labels are received by the packing firm, prior to application to the food-bearing pouches and prior to process freezing for safe storage. 
         [0044]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the multicomponent label  100  is used on the body of the sealed package  140  to enable effective temperature measurement for dynamic temperature information via conduction through the sealed package. The sealed package can comprise one or multiple layers and is made of a composition (e.g., a plastic) of a type known to those of skill in the art. The system of the present invention enables one or more of the sealed packages  140  to be placed in a sous vide or other cooking apparatus  150 . The cooking apparatus preferably includes a reader  160  which is either integrally part of the sous vide device or otherwise has a connection  152  (e.g., a wireless connection) which allows the cooking apparatus  150  to communicate directly or indirectly with a reader (e.g., a QR code reader on a smartphone, not shown). Internal to the cooking device  150  would preferably be an arithmetic operations unit  170 , a communications unit  180 , and a microprocessor  190 . The arithmetic operations unit  170  is capable of making time-based calculations based-upon the present time, the desired serving time and the time required for a determined log reduction in food pathogens (cooking time). The communications unit  180  preferably includes logical, media connection means and Protocol stacks sufficient to receive instructions from an authorized Internet-connected or Cellular-connected remote device (e.g., a smartphone or desktop computer). The arithmetic operations unit  170 , a communications unit  180 , and the microprocessor  190  would therefore obtain cooking (time-temperature profiles) instructions from the food-bearing pouch  140 , desired serving time instructions from the connected remote device and present time, either from the connected remote device or an internal clock (not shown). The arithmetic operations unit  170  and microprocessor  190  would operate on these inputs in a manner that would result in fully-cooked meal at the requested time. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the process  400  of a preferred embodiment of the invention involves the ability to monitor and control transition from a frozen condition 410 to a refrigerated condition to a cooking step  430 . This process includes a first step of passing machine-readable cooking parameters (in effect, food metadata) from the pre-packaged, uncooked foodstuff (e.g., chicken breasts) to the cooking device (e.g., the Sous Vide machine) directly or indirectly. These cooking parameters could be step-oriented and exact, such as “cook at 134° F. for 2 hours and shut-off′ or “cook at 134° F. and turn-off heater and introduce cold water or ice cubes into the vessel to hold for serving” or the cooking parameters could be solved by the machine, given food parameters identified in the metadata such as: “Chicken breast, 1.2” maximum thickness, permissible core temperature between 134° F. and 140° F.,” permitting the user to select, within limits their “done-ness” preferences. Since all Sous-Vide and certain other types of cooking equipment presently contains both heaters as well as bath temperature sensor it is conceivable that the present invention could include the further step of processing the dynamic temperature data contained on the active regions of the food-bearing pouch, or the negative delta T of the bath when the food pouch is introduced to the bath to further refine the calculations based on the initial temperature of the food pouch, advantageously to confidently produce safe food. Further, this process would preferably involve a further step of receiving input from a remote location via a smartphone or similar device for setting a desired completion time. As shown by example in  FIG. 5 , the provision for receiving “Dinner (or other mealtime) Reservations” from the consumer&#39;s mobile device completes the automation of food preparation and the result is a perfectly repeatable meal experience despite the vagaries of food-type, food dimensions, initial temperature conditions of food pouch, schedule or changes in schedule of the consumer associated with this device. 
         [0046]    Still a further alternative embodiment for data cells for recording and transmitting dynamic region information in accordance with the presence information is shown in  FIGS. 6-9 . Such an alternative mechanism would include a passive RFID cell  600  as another way to guide the cooking device. Such an RFID cell  600  would be placed on a substrate layer  610  of the label placed on a circuit trace  620 . The cell  600  is formed by a dam  630  which surrounds a conductive particle-bearing meltable link  640  working in conjunction with pads  650  and an adsorbant  660 . When a critical temperature has been crossed conductive particle-bearing meltable link  640  is melted and is adsorbed by the adsorbant layer  660 , removing or transducably diminishing the conduction path from the circuit trace  620  between the two pads  650  (as shown in  FIG. 9 ). Thereby, upon querying by a microcontroller (not shown), the cell  600  will be indicative of having crossed this temperature boundary. Such an alternative cell would not be interrogated not optically (e.g., via a scanner or camera) but rather via ports on a low-power microcontroller such as that suitable for ultra-low power energy-harvesting operation as may be appropriate for powering via impingement of RF energy. This alternative embodiment would be particularly applicable to cells for irreversible temperature indication, such as to identify when foodstuffs have thawed or their temperature has risen above a critical threshold is thought to be valuable in the pursuit of food safety. 
         [0047]    The cell  600  contents consist of thermo-morphologically bi-stable conductive material such as what is generally known as a phase-change material with a defined transition temperature that is at temperatures of interest to the materials contained in the pouch. 
         [0048]    In the case of foodstuffs, several Transition Temperatures could be important: 0° C. and 4° C. (32° F. and 38° F. respectively) the Freezing Temperature of Water and the High Limit of the range of Safe Food Storage Temperatures. There are other temperatures as well, depending on what is contained in the pouch. 
         [0049]    In the case of an optically queried label in the practice of the present invention: this phase changing material can be thought of as the morphological definition of the optical “bit” representing the Transition Temperature, with the actual indication being provided by pigment particles dispersed within the phase change material. When the transition temperature has been exceeded, the matrix (formed by the phase change material and dispersed pigments) loses its morphological definition by transiting from solid to liquid and the now principally fluid matrix is adsorbed by the materials surrounding the cell, making the optical character of the cell change accordingly, e.g., from black to white. 
         [0050]    In the case of an RFID or other electronically queried embodiment of the present invention this phase change material can be thought of as the morphological definition of the conduction path between the pads, with the actual conduction provided by conductive particles dispersed within the phase change material. This embodiment&#39;s matrix, therefore, consists of one substance that defines the morphological integrity and another substance, dispersed within the first that defines the conduction integrity. 
         [0051]    When the transition temperature has been exceeded: the matrix, formed by the phase change material and dispersed conductive particles, loses its morphological definition by transiting from solid to liquid and the now principally fluid matrix is adsorbed by the materials surrounding the cell  600 , greatly reducing the conduction between the circuit pads. 
         [0052]    It is important to note that in the case of the electronically queried embodiment of the present invention that the circuit connected to the cell is not required to be operational continuously, but only when queried, as with passive RFID “tags”. Because of the nature of the thermo-morphologically bi-stable conductive material, this link&#39;s status with regard to the defined Transition Temperature(s) can be read out once the circuit is queried. 
         [0053]    Given that there are a plurality of temperatures of interest with regard to food and likely more than one temperature of interest to non-food, thermally-processed materials: a complete solution of one embodiment of the present invention might include a plurality of latching cells  600 , each containing a different melt-point matrix, as shown in  FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b . Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 10   b , the functionality of the latching cells could be enhanced via the addition of  670  a temporary means for constraining the activation of the cells, even when the label is stored above the Transition Temperature, again as the aid the situation when labels are received by the packing firm, prior to application to the food-bearing pouches and prior to process freezing for safe storage. Ultimately, such latching cells  600  can be arranged in a complete passive RFID process-monitoring probe  700 , wherein the elements might be arranged logically as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0054]    The above description is not intended to limit the meaning of the words used in the following claims that define the invention. Rather, it is contemplated that future modifications in structure, function or result will exist that are not substantial changes and that all such insubstantial changes in what is claimed are intended to be covered by the claims. For instance, the application of the dynamic/static label information of the present invention could be used with other cooking appliances (e.g., microwave ovens). Likewise, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, additions, omissions, and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the following claims.