Abstract:
A system and method for preparing food products in a programmable appliance such as a microwave includes an appliance configured with a communication element for communicating with a device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The device is configured to scan a product identifier such as a barcode and match the scanned identifier with a list of known identifiers stored in a database. The database associates each of the product identifiers with a product and instructions for cooking the product in the appliance. In another aspect of the invention, a remote server may be provided and configured to receive information from the device such as demographic information relating to the user of the system and the products used thereby.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/794,337, filed on Mar. 15, 2013 and entitled Microwave Controller Application, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates in general to the field of appliances. More particularly the present invention relates to an application for controlling operation of an appliance such as a microwave. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Programmable appliances are well known in the art. For example, appliances like the microwave oven have long been used and comprise a number of settings and options for cooking, defrosting, or otherwise preparing food items placed therein. Microwaves typically employ a number of different cooking settings including time, power, mode, and food item specific settings for cooking a particular food item such as for example, microwavable popcorn and the like. 
         [0006]    One disadvantage of such appliances is that the complexity of the operating the appliances results in many of the cooking options not being utilized at all or improperly. Accordingly, producers of food products are apt to provide relatively simple cooking instructions, which may be less than optimal for preparation of the particular food product. In some instances, consumers may resort to trial and error to prepare items in the appliance. In either case, the result is food products being prepared in a less than ideal manner. Food products that are improperly prepared may be less pleasing to consume and therefore may result in consumers eschewing the products altogether. 
         [0007]    Therefore, what is needed is a method and system of better and more easily preparing food products using a programmable appliance such as for example, a microwave oven. 
       SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    According to a first aspect of the present invention, an appliance, such as a microwave is configured to communicate with a controller, which may be in the form of an application operated on a device such as a smartphone, tablet, or other suitable computerized device. The appliance may be configured to communicate via a wireless communication standard to exchange data over a relatively short distance using a short wavelength transmission standard such as, for example, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Near-Field Communication, or any other suitable short-range communication standard. The application is configured to use a digital photo or other such readable image of a readable element of an item to be cooked in the appliance. The readable element may be in the form of a barcode or any other suitable element capable of being read and identifying the product associated with the readable element. The product may be, for example, a frozen dinner configured for cooking in the appliance, e.g., a microwave oven. Once the application reads and processes the readable element and determines the product associated with the readable element, the application is configured to communicate with the appliance via the wireless communication standard. The appliance is configured to receive the communication and may include a controller or similar processor configured to program the appliance to cook the product according to the product&#39;s associated cooking instructions, which may be stored in a database and transmitted from the application to the appliance, or the appliance may store the database locally and be configured to match the product information transmitted from the application with the corresponding cooking information stored in the database at the appliance. 
         [0009]    According to another aspect of the present invention, the application may be configured to transmit product identification information to a remote server. The product identification information may be stored and matched with corresponding consumer information, which may be also collected by the application. In particular, the application may be configured to collect relevant consumer information from the user thereof prior to operation. The consumer information may be transmitted to the remote server and stored. Each time the consumer utilizes the application to identify a product; the relevant information may be transmitted to the remote server and correlated with the consumer information. The resulting information stored at the remote server may then be utilized for carrying out any number of relevant marketing activities to better enable producers of the products to communicate with consumers and understand consumer demographics associated with the various products. 
         [0010]    These and other aspects and objects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents, which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the words “connected”, “attached”, or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art. 
           [0012]    Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be further described by the following, non-limiting examples which will serve to illustrate various features of significance. The examples are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the present invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the present invention. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Note the various inventive elements are shown in several views. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a system for wirelessly operating and controlling an appliance via an application; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a product identification element usable with the application of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a marketing system according to one aspect of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Referring now to the Drawings and  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a system  20  according to the present invention includes an appliance  22 , which may be in the form of a microwave oven, oven, or other such cooking appliance. While the system  20  of the present invention is not necessarily limited to microwave ovens, for the sake of simplicity, the remainder of the detailed description shall describe the appliance  22  in terms of a conventional microwave oven; it is to be understood, however, that the appliance  22  may be any suitable cooking appliance or device capable of being configured in the manner described hereinafter for carrying out the system  20  of the present invention and is not limited to just microwave ovens. The appliance  22  may be configured to incorporate a receiver  24  configured to receive information from a device  26  configured according to the present invention as will be described in additional detail herein. The appliance  22  may further comprise a controller  28  configured to carry out cooking operations of the appliance  22  according to information received from the device  26  as will be described. 
         [0017]    The device  26  may be in the form of any type of computerized electronic device capable of carrying out the objectives of the present invention as will be described. In particular, the device  26  may comprise a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, personal computer, or any other suitable electronic device. The device  26  may include a transceiver  30  capable of transmitting information and receiving information. The transceiver  30  may be configured to operate over a wireless network such as RF, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Near-Field Communication, or any other suitable short-range communication standard. While the device  26  is described as communicating over a wireless network, it is understood that the device  26  may be over a suitable wired connection. The device  26  may further comprise a controller  32  or similar arrangement configured to process information received or inputted into the device  26 . The device  26  may additionally include memory  34  for storing information. The memory  34  may be that which is already provided by the device  26  or may be in the form of a removable storage medium. The memory  34  may be configured to store an application for carrying out the operations of the device  26  for the system  20  according to the present invention. 
         [0018]    The device  26  may include a reader  36  such as a digital camera or the like. The reader  36  may be integrally provided with the device  26 , provided remotely therefrom and configured to communicate via a network with the device  26 , or connected to the device  26  directly via a wired or wireless connection. The reader  36  is configured to capture an image of a product identification element  38 , which is shown in the form of a standard barcode. Understandably, the product identification element  38  may be in the form of any digitally readable configuration and the system  20  is not limited to barcodes but includes any similar types of readable elements known in the art. 
         [0019]    Once the product identification element  38  has been captured by the reader  36 , the application run in the memory  34  processes the product identification element  38  and compares it to a number of known product identification elements stored in a product database  40 , which is shown remote from the device  26  but which may be stored within the memory  34 . Once the scanned product identification element  38  has been matched with a known product information element, the product cooking instructions associated with the product identification element  38  may be communicated from the product database  40  to the device  26 . The product cooking information received from the product database  40  may then be transmitted from, the device  26  to the reader  24  of the appliance  22 . The controller  28  may be configured to process the cooking information received by the reader  24  and program the appliance  22  according to the cooking instructions provided by the product database  40 . For example, if the instructions for the product associated with the product identification element  38  require a cooking time of two minutes and thirty seconds, the product database  40  will associate that cooking time with the product associated with the product identification element  38 . Once the product identification element  38  is matched with the appropriate product stored in the product database  40 , the cooking time information is communicated to the device  26 , which then transmits a signal to the appliance  22  to set the appliance  22  cook time to two minutes and thirty seconds. Understandably, any number of alternative arrangements is envisioned in carrying out the current invention. For instance, the product database  40  may be stored within memory (not shown) provided on the appliance  22 , and therefore the present invention is not limited to that which is described herein but also covers other methods of carrying out the objectives of the invention known in the art. 
         [0020]    In an alternative arrangement of the system  20 , the device  26  may be omitted. In the present embodiment, the appliance  22  may include the reader  36 , e.g., a barcode scanner, configured to read the product identification element  38  of the product. The product database  40  may then also be incorporated into the appliance  22  such that when the product identification element  36  is scanned, the collected information is sent to the product database  40  stored within memory of the appliance  22  and matched. The controller  28  of the appliance  22  may then be configured to program the appliance  22  to a cook time associated with the product of the product identification element  38 . In the alternative, the appliance  22  could include a Wi-Fi or similar type of connection whereby the appliance  22  can automatically download the cooking instructions associated with the identified product rather than storing the information locally. In the case where the cooking instructions are stored locally, the system  20  may be configured to periodically update the instructions in a predetermined manner or may be instructed to update its stored information by the user. 
         [0021]    Understandably, the appliance  22  may be programmed in a variety of alternative ways in this and the previous embodiment. For instance, the cooking instructions associated with the product may call for a particular power setting of the appliance  22  to be used. Such cooking instructions may also be incorporated into the system  20  of the present invention. 
         [0022]    The system  20  may further comprise a server  42  or other remote electronic storage device known in the art. The server may be configured to communicate wirelessly or via a standard wired connection with the application stored in the memory  34  of the device  26 . In particular, the application of the present invention may automatically transmit information to the server, which may be used by producers of the appliance  22 , the device  26 , the product associated with the product identification element  38 , marketing research films, and the like. For instance, the application carried by the memory  34  may require the user of the system  20  to enter certain demographic information including age, sex, income, and the like prior to utilizing the application for the first time or at any point subsequent thereto. The information collected by the application and transmitted to the server  42  may be stored at the server for a number of uses including targeted marketing or the like. The application of system  20  may also be configured to transmit product information collected by the application to the server  42 . For instance, after each time a user scans a product identification element  38  and the associated product information is matched from the product database  40 ; such product information may be transmitted to the server  42  and linked with the stored user information for subsequent use as may be desired. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , according to another aspect of the present invention, the system  20  of the present invention may be used by a provider of the system  20  for marketing to users of the system  20 . In a first step  44 , the user of the system registers by providing his or her demographic information that the device  26 . This may include information such as the user&#39;s age, sex, marital status, household information, or the like. This information may be stored within the memory  34  of the device  26  in a second step  46 . In addition, this information may then be transmitted to the server  42  and saved for subsequent usage. Next, in a third step  48 , the user subsequently scans the product information as previously described herein. Such product information may include a product barcode  38  or similar such identifier. The scanned product information is transmitted to the server  42  and associated with the user information collected in the second step  46  in a fourth step  50 . Finally, using the collected user information and product information the system  20  may provide targeted advertising on any device  26  in a fifth step  52 . The targeted advertising may be configured to provide advertisements to the user of the system  20  corresponding with goods and services typically associated with persons having similar demographic information and which use similar products to the collected product information. 
         [0024]    It is intended that the appended claims cover all such additions, modifications, and rearrangements. Expedient embodiments of the present invention are differentiated by the appended claims.