Patent Publication Number: US-10785363-B2

Title: Cloud system for controlling outdoor grill with mobile application

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/511,319, filed Mar. 15, 2017, which is a U.S. National Stage of PCT Application No. PCT/US2016/26736, filed on Apr. 8, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority to the U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/245,549, filed Oct. 23, 2015. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/193,235, filed Nov. 16, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/510,996, filed Mar. 13, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,218,833, issued Feb. 26, 2019, which is a U.S. National Stage of PCT Application No. PCT/US16/24737, filed on Mar. 29, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/245,535, filed on Oct. 23, 2015. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/114,744, filed Jul. 27, 2016, which is a U.S. National Stage of PCT Application No. PCT/US16/39271, filed on Jun. 24, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/245,530, filed on Oct. 23, 2015. The entire content of each of the aforementioned patent applications is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Outdoor appliances have long been used to prepare food and perform other tasks. For example, outdoor appliances such as grills and smokers are often used to prepare meats, vegetables, fruits, and other types of food. These grills and smokers are typically operated using manual controls that are integrated into the frame of the grill or smoker. For example, many such outdoor appliances have an ignition button that, when pressed, generates a spark near a gas outlet on a burner. The spark ignites the gas and the burner begins to create heat. The amount of heat is generally controlled using a dial or nob that allows more or less gas to be introduced at the burner. 
     In some cases, the outdoor appliances may have electronic controls. Thus, instead of having a manual dial to adjust the amount of gas being introduced at the burner, an electrical control is set or adjusted by the user. The electrical control then interacts with a solenoid or other electro-mechanical component to regulate the flow of gas to the burner. Still, however, as is the case with manual dials and nobs, the user of the outdoor appliance has to be present at the grill to make changes to settings on the grill. 
     To overcome this problem, some newly-manufactured outdoor appliances have been equipped with BLUETOOTH® radios. These BLUETOOTH® radios allow communication with nearby electronic devices including cell phones or tablets of the appliance&#39;s owner. Range limitations to the BLUETOOTH® radio, however, necessitate that the user of the appliance still be within a certain proximity of the appliance. Once outside this proximity, the user no longer has any communication with the appliance, and thus cannot control any functionality related to the appliance. Moreover, even when connected to a mobile device, the appliance has very limited options as to what can be controlled over BLUETOOTH®. Indeed, the appliance has no access to any information or control signals beyond the user&#39;s mobile device. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Embodiments described herein are directed to communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. In one embodiment, a provided computer system includes the following: a receiver that receives inputs from computing systems including a first input indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform. The computer system further includes a notification generator that generates notifications that are to be sent to software applications. The software applications are configured to control functions of the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     The computer system further includes a transmitter that sends generated notifications to the software applications. A generated notification may indicate that the cloud computing platform is communicably connected to the electronically-controlled appliance. The receiver receives a second input from the software application indicating that various functions are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance. In response, the transmitter sends instructions to the electronically-controlled appliance to perform the specified functions. These functions are then interpreted and carried out by a hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     In another embodiment, a computer system performs a method for controlling an electronically-controlled appliance including receiving a first input from a computing system indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with a cloud computing platform. The computer system generates a notification that is to be sent to a software application, where the software application is configured to control functions of the electronically-controlled appliance. The computer system transmits the generated notification to the software application, where the generated notification indicates that the cloud computing platform is communicably connected to the electronically-controlled appliance. The computer system then receives a second input from the software application indicating that specified functions are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance, and transmits instructions to the electronically-controlled appliance to perform the specified functions. These functions are then interpreted and carried out by a hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     In yet another embodiment, a cloud computing platform is provided for communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. The cloud computing platform includes the following: a receiver that receives inputs from other computing systems including a first input indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform. The receiver receives a second input indicating that specified functions are to be performed by the electronically-controlled appliance. Within the cloud computing platform, a control signal generator is provided which generates control signals that are to be sent to the electronically-controlled appliance. The control signals are configured to control functions of the electronically-controlled appliance according to the received second input. A transmitter is also provided within the cloud computing platform which transmits the generated control signals to the electronically-controlled appliance for performance of the specified functions. The functions are then interpreted and carried out by a hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the teachings herein. Features and advantages of embodiments described herein may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Features of the embodiments described herein will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To further clarify the above and other features of the embodiments described herein, a more particular description will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only examples of the embodiments described herein and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates a computer architecture in which embodiments described herein may operate including communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates a computer architecture in which embodiments described herein may operate including smoking food in an outdoor grill using a customized smoking routine. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment in which an electronically-controlled appliance is in communication with a cloud service and a mobile electronic device. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment in which an electronically-controlled appliance is in communication with a cloud service and a mobile electronic device, and is further in communication with analytics, social media or other third party systems. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of a software application functionality hierarchy. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a flowchart of an example method for communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of a display that is part of an electronically-controlled smoker appliance. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments described herein are directed to communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. In one embodiment, a provided computer system includes the following: a receiver that receives inputs from computing systems including a first input indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform. The computer system further includes a notification generator that generates notifications that are to be sent to software applications. The software applications are configured to control functions of the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     The computer system further includes a transmitter that sends generated notifications to the software applications. A generated notification may indicate that the cloud computing platform is communicably connected to the electronically-controlled appliance. The receiver receives a second input from the software application indicating that various functions are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance. In response, the transmitter sends instructions to the electronically-controlled appliance to perform the specified functions. These functions are then interpreted and carried out by a hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     In another embodiment, a computer system performs a method for controlling an electronically-controlled appliance including receiving a first input from a computing system indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with a cloud computing platform. The computer system generates a notification that is to be sent to a software application, where the software application is configured to control functions of the electronically-controlled appliance. The computer system transmits the generated notification to the software application, where the generated notification indicates that the cloud computing platform is communicably connected to the electronically-controlled appliance. The computer system then receives a second input from the software application indicating that specified functions are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance, and transmits instructions to the electronically-controlled appliance to perform the specified functions. These functions are then interpreted and carried out by a hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     In yet another embodiment, a cloud computing platform is provided for communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. The cloud computing platform includes the following: a receiver that receives inputs from other computing systems including a first input indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform. The receiver receives a second input indicating that specified functions are to be performed by the electronically-controlled appliance. Within the cloud computing platform, a control signal generator is provided which generates control signals that are to be sent to the electronically-controlled appliance. The control signals are configured to control functions of the electronically-controlled appliance according to the received second input. A transmitter is also provided within the cloud computing platform which transmits the generated control signals to the electronically-controlled appliance for performance of the specified functions. The functions are then interpreted and carried out by a hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance. 
     Embodiments described herein may implement various types of computing systems. These computing systems are now increasingly taking a wide variety of forms. Computing systems may, for example, be mobile phones, electronic appliances, laptop computers, tablet computers, wearable devices, desktop computers, mainframes, and the like. As used herein, the term “computing system” includes any device, system, or combination thereof that includes at least one processor, and a physical and tangible computer-readable memory capable of having thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the processor. A computing system may be distributed over a network environment and may include multiple constituent computing systems. 
     A computing system typically includes at least one processing unit and memory. The memory may be physical system memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination of the two. The term “memory” may also be used herein to refer to non-volatile mass storage such as physical storage media or physical storage devices. If the computing system is distributed, the processing, memory and/or storage capability may be distributed as well. 
     As used herein, the term “executable module” or “executable component” can refer to software objects, routines, methods, or similar computer-executable instructions that may be executed on the computing system. The different components, modules, engines, and services described herein may be implemented as objects or processes that execute on the computing system (e.g., as separate threads). 
     As described herein, a computing system may also contain communication channels that allow the computing system to communicate with other message processors over a wired or wireless network. Such communication channels may include hardware-based receivers, transmitters or transceivers, which are configured to receive data, transmit data or perform both. 
     Embodiments described herein also include physical computer-readable media for carrying or storing computer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Such computer-readable media can be any available physical media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computing system. 
     Computer storage media are physical hardware storage media that store computer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Physical hardware storage media include computer hardware, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, solid state drives (“SSDs”), flash memory, phase-change memory (“PCM”), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other hardware storage device(s) which can be used to store program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures, which can be accessed and executed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computing system to implement the disclosed functionality of the embodiments described herein. The data structures may include primitive types (e.g., character, double, floating-point), composite types (e.g., array, record, union, etc.), abstract data types (e.g., container, list, set, stack, tree, etc.), hashes, graphs or other any other types of data structures. 
     As used herein, computer-executable instructions comprise instructions and data which, when executed at one or more processors, cause a general-purpose computing system, special-purpose computing system, or special-purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or even source code. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the principles described herein may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computing system configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers, switches, and the like. The embodiments herein may also be practiced in distributed system environments where local and remote computing systems, which are linked (either by hardwired data links, wireless data links, or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links) through a network, both perform tasks. As such, in a distributed system environment, a computing system may include a plurality of constituent computing systems. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. 
     Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the embodiments herein may be practiced in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing environments may be distributed, although this is not required. When distributed, cloud computing environments may be distributed internationally within an organization and/or have components possessed across multiple organizations. In this description and the following claims, “cloud computing” is defined as a model for enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services). The definition of “cloud computing” is not limited to any of the other numerous advantages that can be obtained from such a model when properly deployed. 
     Still further, system architectures described herein can include a plurality of independent components that each contribute to the functionality of the system as a whole. This modularity allows for increased flexibility when approaching issues of platform scalability and, to this end, provides a variety of advantages. System complexity and growth can be managed more easily through the use of smaller-scale parts with limited functional scope. Platform fault tolerance is enhanced through the use of these loosely coupled modules. Individual components can be grown incrementally as business needs dictate. Modular development also translates to decreased time to market for new functionality. New functionality can be added or removed without impacting the core system. 
     Referring to the figures,  FIG. 1A  illustrates an environment  100  in which at least one embodiment described herein may be employed. The environment  100  includes a cloud computing platform  101 . The cloud computing platform  101  may include any number of local or distributed computer systems. The cloud computing platform  101  includes at least one hardware processor  102  and physical system memory  103 . The cloud computing platform  101  further includes modules for performing a variety of different functions. 
     For instance, the communications module  104  may be configured to communicate with other computing systems (e.g., mobile computing device  113 ). The communications module  104  may include any wired or wireless communication means that can receive and/or transmit data to or from other computing systems such as wired or wireless network interface cards. The communications module  104  may be configured to interact with databases, mobile computing devices (such as mobile phones or tablets), electronically-controlled appliances (e.g.,  120 ), embedded computing systems or other types of computing systems. 
     In one embodiment, the cloud computing platform  101  may be configured to communicate with mobile computing device  113  (e.g., a smart phone, laptop, tablet or wearable device) and/or with electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The mobile computing device  113  may also be able to communicate with the electronically-controlled appliance  120 , either directly or through the cloud computing platform  101 . The electronically-controlled appliance  120  may be any type of appliance or device that is electronically-controlled. For example, any device that is controlled by an electronic hardware controller  121  would be an electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The electronic hardware controller  121  may include computer memory that has instructions stored thereon for controlling the appliance or device. 
     In one example embodiment, the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is a grill or smoking appliance, although the embodiments described herein are not limited to such. The grill/smoker may be operated by the electronic hardware controller  121 . The electronic hardware controller  121  may be configured to control temperature, control cooking cycles, control fuel burn rate, monitor ambient temperature, or perform other functions. In some cases, the electronic hardware controller  121  may include or be communicatively connected to a radio such as a BLUETOOTH® or WiFi radio that can wirelessly communicate with other computing systems (e.g.,  101  and  113 ). The electronic hardware controller  121  may control these communications, and may present a display  125   b  to a user. The display  125   b  may include a variety of information, including a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows interaction from an appliance user. 
     The cloud computing platform  101  may be configured to interact with the electronically-controlled appliance  120  through the communications module  104 . The cloud computing platform  101  further includes a receiver for receiving inputs from the mobile computing device  113 . A software application  114  running on the mobile computing device  113  may include a GUI for controlling the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The GUI may provide various notifications, alerts, buttons, fields, prompts or other elements that allow monitoring and control of the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . 
     In one embodiment, the cloud computing platform  101  is provided for communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances such as electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The cloud computing platform  101  has hardware elements including a hardware processor  102 , physical system memory  103 , a receiver  105 , a transmitter  107 , various communication radios in the communications module  104 , and other hardware elements. The receiver  105  may be configured to receive inputs from computing systems (including mobile computing device  113 ) such as first input  115  indicating that an electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform  101 . 
     The cloud computing platform  101  also includes a notification generator  106  configured to generate notifications (e.g.,  112 ) that are to be sent to software applications such as software application  114  running on mobile computing device  113 . The software application  114  may be configured to control specified functions  122  of the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . A transmitter  107  is also part of the cloud computing platform  101 . The transmitter  107  may be configured to send a generated notification  112  to software application  114 , where the notification indicates that the cloud computing platform  101  is communicably connected to the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . 
     The receiver  105  may then receive a second input  116  from the software application  114  indicating that certain functions are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . Upon receiving such an input, the transmitter sends control instructions  119  to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  to perform the specified functions. The functions are then interpreted and carried out by an electronic hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance  120  according to the control instructions  119 . 
     These control instructions  119  may include, for example, an indication that a certain amount of fuel pellets are to be added to a smoker&#39;s combustion area, or that a specified amount of fuel (such as propane) is to be burned by a grill, or that a specified internal temperature is to be reached and maintained. The software application  114  may send a notification of availability to the cloud computing platform  101  to indicate whether the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is available or not to receive such control instructions  119 . 
     If the notification of availability indicates that the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is currently available to receive instructions, the software application  114  may provide an access point  118  for a user to interact with. Through this user interface, the user can control the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The user interface may provide many different functions  122  that are controllable using the user interface. As mentioned above, these functions  122  may include substantially any function that the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is capable of (or is modified to be capable of) performing. For grill and smokers, this may include controlling burn rate, temperature, cooking cycle, fuel dispensing, controlling timers, accessing recipes, displaying probe temperatures or alerts, turning the device on or off, or other functions. 
     Other electronically-controlled appliances  120  such as ovens, refrigerators, blenders, toasters, dishwashers, coffee machines, mixers, bread makers, washers and dryers or other appliances may also be controlled using the software application  114  in a manner that is the same as or similar to that used to control a grill or smoker. The software application  114  may provide a notification of availability for the electronically-controlled appliance  120 , and the application may display a user interface for controlling functions of that appliance. As inputs are received from a user, an instruction generator in the software application  114  may generate instructions that are specific to the appliance, and that are interpretable and understandable by the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . These control instructions  119  are then sent to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  to control the functions  122  specified by the user. 
     In some cases, a user may control whether the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform  101  or with other computing systems such as mobile computing device  113 . The electronically-controlled appliance  120  may send an indication to the cloud computing platform  101 , indicating that it wishes to communicate with one or more mobile computing devices  113  (for example, to download a recipe). A user may provide input indicating whether the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is permitted to communicate with the mobile computing device  113  or not. If such communication is permitted by the user, the electronically-controlled appliance  120  may communicate with an access point  118  (such as a router) that permits flow of data between the electronically-controlled appliance  120  and the cloud computing platform  101  and/or between the electronically-controlled appliance  120  and the mobile computing device  113 . 
     The cloud computing platform  101  further includes an advertisement generating module  108 . The advertisement generating module  108  may generate advertisements  123  which are sent to the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The advertisements may be based on the user&#39;s use of the appliance, or may be based on a sale that might interest the user (such as a sale on brisket), or may be based on analytics. Indeed, the cloud computing platform  101  includes an analytics module  109  configured to perform analytics on usage data. The analytics module  109  may, for example, perform statistical analyses on usage data received from the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . Then, based on the statistical analysis, the advertisement generating module  108  can generate an advertisement that would be most likely to be relevant to the user, based on their appliance usage. 
     Other modules such as the remote diagnostics module  110  and control signal generator  111  may also be included in the cloud computing platform  101 . The remote diagnostics module  110  may analyze usage data and determine what problems are currently occurring on the appliance. The remote diagnostics module  110  may also analyze the appliance usage data and determine what problems are likely to occur based on the user&#39;s use of the appliance. A control signal generator  111  may be used by the cloud computing platform  101  to generate control instructions  119  that are sent to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  to perform specified functions  122 . The control instructions  119  are interpretable by the appliance&#39;s electronic hardware controller  121 . Once interpreted, the functions are carried out on the appliance according to the control instructions  119 . 
       FIG. 1B  illustrates an environment  100   b  in which at least one embodiment described herein may be employed. The environment  100   b  includes an outdoor grill  101   b . For example, the outdoor grill  101   b  may comprise an electronically-controlled appliance, as described above in regard to  FIG. 1A . As used herein, the term “outdoor grill” means outdoor cooking apparatus, including barbecue grills, wood-pellet grills, and/or barbecue smokers. Barbecue smokers, in turn, refers to outdoor cooking apparatus that are configured to cook food at least in part through generated smoke, such as smoke generated through wood combustion. Accordingly, the outdoor grill  101   b  illustrated or otherwise described herein may be any type of cooking appliance including a conventional barbecue grill, smoker or other device. 
     In general, the outdoor grill  101   b  includes hardware and other modules for performing a variety of different functions. For instance, the outdoor grill  101   b  includes an electronic controller  102   b . The electronic controller may be any type of microcontroller, microprocessor, or other processing means capable of processing software code. The software code may be stored on computer-readable media including memory  103   b  or other data storage  105   b . The data storage may be flash or other non-volatile memory. As such, the outdoor grill  101   b  may have sufficient processing power and memory to be considered a computing system, or at least as having an attached computing system. 
       FIG. 1B  further shows that the outdoor grill  101   b  can include a communications module  104   b . The communications module  104   b  may be configured to communicate with other computing systems such as mobile device  120   b  used by user  119   b , or remote computer systems  122   b . As understood herein, a “mobile device” ( 120   b ) means any computing system (including but not limited to a smart phone) that enables a user to provide remote inputs, selections, and other controls that are communicated with outdoor grill  101   b  from a remote location. The communication between mobile device and outdoor grill  101   b  can occur over a network comprising a combination of wireless and hardwired connections. For example, mobile device  120   b  may be wirelessly connected to a network, or may be connected to the network over a network cable, such as a cable employing an Ethernet, USB, or other appropriate connection interface. 
     Thus, mobile device  120   b  can comprise a mobile phone, a tablet device, or may comprise another form of a remote control display, such as a digital remote control, including a network-enabled tablet-style touch screen having a graphical user interface displayed thereon. In one implementation, for example, mobile device  120   b  comprises an LCD screen having one or more controls (e.g., touch screen controls or physical push-button controls) that are used primarily within an indoor environment, and in any event remote from the outdoor grill  101   b.    
     For example, the mobile device  120   b  may comprise a remote screen that is positioned or mounted on or about a kitchen countertop, but is nevertheless connected over a network (BLUETOOTH®, WiFi, or network cable) to outdoor grill  101   b  and/or remote computer systems  122   b  over a network. Specifically, the communications module  104   b  may include any wired or wireless communication means that can receive and/or transmit data to or from other computing systems. The communications module  104   b  may be configured to interact with databases, mobile computing devices (such as mobile phones or tablets), embedded or other types of computing systems. In some cases, the mobile device  120   b  and/or the remote computer systems  122   b  may be configured to provide inputs to the outdoor grill  101   b . For instance, the mobile device  120   b  may provide input  121   b  to the outdoor grill  101   b , such as by providing a “cooking profile” for a food item. This input may specify a recipe that is to be used, which in turn may specify a custom smoking pattern (or other temperature or flavor profile pattern involving operation of multiple components on outdoor grill  101   b ) that is to be used when preparing a certain portion of food. These recipes  106   b  and custom smoke generation patterns may be stored in data storage  105   b  and accessed by the electronic controller  102   b.    
     The remote computer systems  122   b  may also provide inputs  123   b  to the outdoor grill  101   b . These inputs may likewise be recipes or custom grilling or smoking pattern controls, including fan (on/off, speed or RPM) and/or hopper/auger adjustments, but may also be advertisements or other data pertinent to the grill owner. For example, as will be explained further below, the remote computer systems  122   b  may provide remote diagnostics or analytic information to the grill owner, displayable on an outdoor grill  101   b  display. 
       FIG. 1B  further shows that the outdoor grill  101   b  includes a smoke generator  108   b . In at least one embodiment, the smoke generator  108   b  includes hardware including a hopper  110   b  for loading combustible pellets  109   b  into the combustion area  111   b . In some embodiments, the outdoor grill  101   b  may be a smoker that is fueled by combustible pellets  109   b  (such as wood pellets, or other appropriate combustion precursor). The hopper  110   b  may supply the fuel to the combustion area  111   b  at a specified rate so as to maintain a specific internal temperature  113   b . The internal temperature may be measured by an internal thermometer  112   b  that is inside outdoor grill  101   b . The determining module  116   b  of the smoke generator  108   b  may, for example, determine that the current internal temperature  113   b  is too low, and may cause the hopper  110   b  to load more combustible pellets/fuel  109   b  into the combustion area  111   b , and/or to adjust a fan or other components to help increase temperature. Conversely, if the internal temperature is too high, the loading of pellets/fuel into the combustion area  111   b  may be halted for a time until the temperature has cooled, and similarly to adjust a fan up/down or on/off to assist in cooling. 
     At least in some embodiments, the outdoor grill  101   b  may be controlled by user  119   b  via the mobile device  120   b . The mobile device  120   b  may be configured to run an application that allows the user  119   b  to control functionality of the outdoor grill  101   b . Using the software application, for example, the user  119   b  may cause the outdoor grill  101   b  to ignite and begin a specified “cooking profile” assigned to the food item, such as a recipe employing a particular smoking pattern geared toward a particular end result in the food item. For instance, the user  119   b  may direct use of a particular cooking profile for a food item by selecting one of the stored recipes  106   b  or smoke generation patterns  107   b  stored on the grill&#39;s data storage  105   b , wherein the selected recipes  106   b  comprise one or more flavor, smoke, temperature or other cooking profile features for a particular food item. 
     Thus, the “cooking profile” in at least one embodiment comprises a set of values contained in one or more files associated with a food item, such as files contained in a downloadable recipe (from remote computer systems  122   b ), which are intended to produce a particular end result in the food item. For example, a cooking profile for a particular type of beef may include specifications that the final product be “medium rare,” or reddish pink in terms of internal color, and/or may specify an internal temperature for the food item, such as 135° F. (57° C.). The cooking profile may alternatively indicate that the meat needs to be tender enough to shred, or contain a certain amount of smoke flavor in the meat. 
     Each of these end results may be driven in part by a downloaded recipe, or by manual inputs by a user at outdoor grill  101   b  or via mobile device  120   b . The recipe may include such values as cooking time, amount of smoke applied and when, internal grill temperature, and so on. The cooking profile, in at least one implementation, may be used to adjust certain recipe steps in accordance with other variables that occur during a cooking cycle to ensure the overall end result. In general, therefore, a cooking profile can be understood as overall characteristics of a food item based on an intended end result for the particular food item, whereas a “recipe” refers to the generally modifiable steps used to achieve the end result. 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide a grill system that enables the user to automatically control various aspects of a cooking process for different performance levels. In particular, embodiments of the present invention enable a user to automatically or manually monitor and adjust a grill temperature, to change or start a timer, to adjust a smoking pattern, to set the grill to a “keep warm,” or to adjust other state, or to perform other controls specifically geared toward a particular flavor or other desired end result. 
     Embodiments of the present invention allow the user to be as involved or uninvolved as desired, and to handle grilling procedures from a remote location. In particular, embodiments of the present invention enable a user to have part or full control over cooking a food item, and thus operation of multiple components of the outdoor grill in general accordance with multiple user preferences to whatever extent the user desires to be involved in controlling the operation or outcome, and regardless whether the user is away on travel, or at home in a living room. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment in which a smoker/grill  202  is controlled via a smart phone  203  (or rather via a software application running on the smart phone). The smart phone  203  may communicate with a cloud service  201  which, in turn, communicates with the smoker/grill  202 . The cloud service  201  may provide data storage along with other features. The data storage may store, for example, recipes used by the smoker/grill  202  to smoke meats, vegetables, fruits or other food items. Using the cloud service  201 , a customer or user may use their smart phone  203 , tablet, laptop, desktop or other computer system to control the functions of the smoker/grill  202 . 
     The functionality may include smoker/grill monitoring including monitoring of the internal temperature, external ambient air temperature, probe temperature (e.g., from probes that communicate wirelessly), and alerts that may be raised by the grill or smoker. Other controls may include adjusting the temperature by adding more fuel, or allowing the existing fuel (such as pellets) to burn down so as to reduce the temperature, turning the device on or off or turning certain components on or off, controlling the timer or custom cooking cycles, or monitoring probe temperature alerts. Many more controls may be provided on the smart phone  203 , and the amount and type of controls may be updated over time to add new functionality. 
     As control inputs are received at the smart phone  203  (or other electronic device), they are passed to the cloud service  201  via a wired or wireless data transmission. The control inputs are then passed to the smoker/grill  202  directly or via an access point such as a WiFi router. In this manner, a user may be able to control their smoker/grill from substantially any location that has internet access. In some cases, the user may even be able to ignite the smoker/grill  202  remotely, while in other cases, such functionality may be disabled unless the user is within a specified distance of the grill, as determined by a GPS or BLUETOOTH® geofence. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an environment similar to that of  FIG. 2  in which a cloud service  301  links various devices including a smoker/grill  302  and a smart phone  303  or other electronic computing device  304 . The cloud service  301  is also connected to various other services and systems including, but not limited to, data analytics, third party advertising, remote diagnostic services, eCommerce services, social media, customer service assistance and others. For example, usage data for the smoker/grill  302  may be uploaded to the cloud service  301  and stored in the global data storage. 
     This usage data (such as when the smoker was turned on, how long was it turned on, what temperature did it reach, what was the average internal temperature, what was the average external temperature, what cooking/smoking recipe was used, what controls were used and when or other operational usage data) may be analyzed by an analytics engine in combination with data from other users. As such, usage data from many different users may be logged and analyzed to identify broad patterns of use. These analytics may then be used to refine and improve future smokers or grills, or may be used for other purposes such as providing advertising. 
     In one example, the cloud service may track users&#39; usage of the smoker/grill, and may determine which products or recipes may be of interest to a given user based on similarities between their usage of the grill and other&#39;s usage. The usage data may also be used to perform remote diagnostics of the smoker/grill  302 . For instance, the usage data may indicate that a user&#39;s grill temperature exceeded a normal operating temperature (e.g., due to a grease fire). As such, certain parts may have failed or may be likely to fail due to the extreme heat. Other usage data may indicate different problems that may be likely to occur as a result of how the user is using their grill. Usage data may also be sent to social media announcing successful implementation of a recipe, or announcing to party guests that a specified meat is smoking and will be ready at a certain time. Many other social media implementations may also be used as provided by the cloud service  301 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an application workflow  400  for a software application such as software application  114  of  FIG. 1A . The application may run on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet or wearable device, or may be run on a desktop computing system or may be run through a web browser. It will be understood that the application workflow  400  is one example of an application workflow, and other embodiments and implementations are possible. 
     The application workflow  400  includes a home menu  401  that, on launch, shows the status of the grill (or other electronically-controlled appliance), the status of any probes in use, the status of any timers in use and any alerts. A first time setup may walk a user through connecting the grill to an access point (such as a WiFi access point), and linking the mobile device to the grill. The first time setup may also take the user through a tutorial on how to use the grill, or at least certain components of the grill. The home menu  401  may show any or all of the following: grill temperature, probe temperature, timer (if running), active alerts (e.g., a low pellet alert or an empty hopper alert), current cook cycle, current cook time-to-completion, startup delay time, or other information. 
     The application may have many different tabs and menus, including one or more of the following: a control menu  402  that allows users to control the grill&#39;s target temperature, control the grill&#39;s target probe temperatures, set or restart timers, set startup delays, remotely start or turn grill off, set alerts or perform other functionality. A cook cycles menu  403  may be provided which allows users to select from different cooking cycles (i.e., pre-programmed cooking routines that control temperature for a specified amount of time to cook or smoke the food item in a certain manner), save cooking cycles, upload cooking cycles to a cloud service (e.g.,  301  of  FIG. 3 ), provide the user a play-by-play indicator of what is occurring during a cooking cycle, implement a certain cook cycle for a given food, browse and download recipes and/or cook cycles, provide access to a food warming cycle that keeps the food at a certain temperature for a specified time, or perform other functions. 
     The cook cycles menu  403  may have one or more submenus including a cook cycle creation menu  409 . The cook cycle creation menu  409  may allow a user to create his or her own custom cooking cycle. The custom cooking cycle can specify a given time to begin and end, a certain temperature to hold or change to throughout the cycle, various customizable triggers or conditions that may cause changes to the cooking cycle such as shortening or lengthening the cooking time, or increasing or decreasing internal grill temperature for a given length of time. The cook cycle creation menu  409  may allow a user to push the customized cooking cycle to the grill and have the grill begin implementation of the cycle. This customized cooking cycle may also be saved directly on the grill or in the cloud service  301 . 
     Other menus provided on the application workflow may include a settings menu  404 . The settings menu may allow a user to set up WiFi, BLUETOOTH® or communication means on the grill. The settings menu  404  may also allow configuration settings to be accessed and changed. The settings menu  404  may further provide tutorial as well as other appliance- or application-specific settings that may be changed using the settings menu. A map menu or tab  405  may be provided which gives access to local retailers including pellet sellers or distributors, local butchers or farms for meat or vegetables, local events including barbeques or tailgate parties, or locations of nearby grill distributors. The map menu  405  may also provide other information that is specific to the appliance, such as a repair shop that specializes in repairs for that appliance. 
     A social media menu  406  may be provided which allows users to upload photos, recipes, videos or other media which may be of interest to other users. The social media tab may allow the user to post images or status updates to social media websites, including location pins, updates from the grill itself or other information. As such, the social media menu  406  allows users to share their grilling/smoking experience with others. 
     A recipes menu  407  allows users to browse recipes available online or through the cloud service  301 . When browsing these recipes, the user may select to download the recipes to their phone or other device. These recipes can be collected in a library and shared via social media. Users can sort the recipes, add their own recipes, add pictures to others&#39; recipes or otherwise interact with the recipe database. A store menu  408  allows a user to purchase pellets, propane or other fuel, purchase sauces, rubs, grill accessories, grill parts or full grills/smokers. The store may be expanded to allow the purchase of food items or other items that may be used in conjunction with the grill. The concepts described above will be explained further below with regard to method  500  of  FIG. 5 . 
     In view of the systems and architectures described above, methodologies that may be implemented in accordance with the disclosed subject matter will be better appreciated with reference to the flow chart of  FIG. 5 . For purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks. However, it should be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methodologies described hereinafter. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a flowchart of a method  500  for communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances. The method  500  will now be described with frequent reference to the components and data of environment  100 . 
     Method  500  includes receiving a first input from one or more computing systems indicating that at least a first electronically-controlled appliance is permitted to communicate with a cloud computing platform ( 510 ). For example, cloud computing platform  101  may receive first input  115  from mobile computing device  113  indicating that electronically-controlled appliance  120  is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform. The cloud computing platform  101  may thus be apprised that the electronically-controlled appliance  120  will be sending data requests to the platform or will otherwise be attempting to communicate with the platform. In some cases, the communication may include requesting to download a recipe or custom cooking cycle. 
     Method  500  further includes generating a notification that is to be sent to a software application, the software application being configured to control one or more functions of the electronically-controlled appliance ( 520 ). The notification generator  106  of the cloud computing platform  101  may generate notification  112  which is sent to be sent to the software application  114  of the mobile computing device  113 . The notification  112  indicates that the cloud computing platform is communicably connected to the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . After this notification  112  is generated, the transmitter  107  of the cloud computing platform  101  transmits the generated notification to the software application  114  ( 530 ). 
     Method  500  also includes receiving a second input from the software application indicating that one or more specified functions are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance ( 540 ). For instance, the receiver  105  of the cloud computing platform  101  may receive second input  116  from the mobile computing device  113 . The second input specifies functions  122  that are to be performed on the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The functions may include adjusting the temperature by increasing or decreasing burn rate, monitoring internal or external temperatures, monitoring wireless probes, adjusting or setting timers, or performing other functions applicable to the appliance. The transmitter  107  then transmits control instructions  119  to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  to perform the specified functions  122  ( 550 ). The functions  122  are interpreted and carried out by an electronic hardware controller on the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . 
     The receiver  105  of the cloud computing platform  101  may further receive portions of data including ambient temperature data for the environment in which the electronically-controlled appliance  120  resides. For example, a grill or smoker may record the ambient air temperature using a temperature sensor on the outside of the appliance. The ambient air temperature may be monitored throughout the cooking cycle, and may lead to a change in operation. For example, the control instructions  119  may be altered by the cloud computing platform  101 , prior to transmission to the electronically-controlled appliance  120 , to compensate for the ambient air temperature. For instance, on a hotter day, the cooking cycles may be adjusted to avoid overheating the meat or other food, while on a colder day, the cooking cycles may be adjusted upwards to burn hotter so as to maintain the desired temperature. Other adjustments may also be made based on the ambient air temperature. 
     The electronic hardware controller  121  of the electronically-controlled appliance  120  may be configured to receive food temperature data from a digital thermometer. The digital thermometer may be communicably connected to the electronic hardware controller  121  of the grill and/or to the cloud computing platform  101 . The digital probes may be configured to interact with the cloud computing platform regardless of which grill or other appliance it is used with. In some cases, prior to transmitting the control instructions  119 , the cloud computing platform adjusts the control instructions to further include an alert based on the food temperature data. 
     For instance, the electronic hardware controller  121  may communicate with the digital thermometer, and set alerts based on probe temperature. When the alerts are triggered, the electronic hardware controller  121  communicates with the cloud computing platform  101  and/or the mobile computing device  113 . Moreover, a user can use the software application  114  on the mobile computing device  113  to monitor probe temperatures, internal temperatures, and/or ambient temperatures using the software application  114  on the mobile computing device  113 . 
     At least in some embodiments, the cloud computing platform  101  may be configured to communicate directly with the electronically-controlled appliance via an access point  118  within range of the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . A user of the mobile computing device  113  may use the software application  114  to grant permission for the electronically-controlled appliance  120  to communicate directly with the cloud computing platform  101 . As such, the electronically-controlled appliance  120  may send and receive data from the cloud computing platform  101  through a wired or wireless access point  118 . In other cases, the cloud computing platform  101  may communicate with the electronically-controlled appliance  120  through the software application  114  provided on the mobile computing device  113 . The software application  114  relays communications (i.e., indirect communication  117 ) between the cloud computing platform  101  and the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . 
     In addition to facilitating communication between the mobile computing device  113  and the electronically-controlled appliance  120 , the cloud computing platform  101  may also provide services such as advertising services. The cloud computing platform  101  includes an advertisement generating module  108  configured to generate advertisements  123  for transmission to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  or to the software application  114  running on the mobile computing device  113 . The advertisement generating module may, for example, access information from local retailers including grocery stores. Based on grill or smoker usage data, the cloud computing platform  101  may determine which ads would be most interesting to a user, and may send those advertisements  123  to the software application  114  or to the grill directly. The advertisements  123  may be tailored for users of the electronically-controlled appliance  120  based on usage information for the user and potentially based on nearby user&#39;s appliance usage. 
     Indeed, the cloud computing platform  101  may receive usage data from many different electronically-controlled devices including electronically-controlled appliance  120 . This usage data may be used for a variety of purposes, including generating targeted advertising. The usage data may also be used by the analytics module  109 . The analytics module  109  may be configured to analyze the usage data associated with the electronically-controlled appliances and generate appliance-related analytics for the electronically-controlled appliance(s). The usage data may include wattage drawn by a hot rod, time turned on, temperature (internal and external), indications of how the user cooks, when they cook, what recipes they use, etc. The analytics data may generally show, for a specific user or for a grouping of users, how the users are using their grills or other appliances. 
     In one example, the analytics data is used to verify or void a warranty claim. For instance, if a user had a grease fire in the grill causing the internal temperature to exceeded 800 degrees Fahrenheit, the cloud computing platform  101  would know what had occurred, and would know that the warranty was voided due to the excessive temperature. Contrariwise, if a user makes a warranty claim and their usage has been within normal parameters, the warranty claim may be verified and fulfilled. 
     The cloud computing platform  101  may further include a remote diagnostics module  110  that is configured to perform remote diagnostics on the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The remote diagnostics module  110  may access the user&#39;s usage data to predict failures for certain components of the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . If the appliance has been mistreated or heavily used in a certain manner, the remote diagnostics module  110  may be able to determine that a component failure is likely and may prompt the user (via a display on the grill such as that shown in  FIG. 6  or via the software application  114 ) to replace the component or at least indicate that a failure may be imminent. The remote diagnostics module  110  may also be able to determine why a given part isn&#39;t working based on the appliance&#39;s usage information. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of a smoker  601  which is an electronically-controlled device. The smoker  601  has one or more manual controls  603  such as buttons or knobs, as well as a display  602 . The display may be a touchscreen display that allows a user to provide input. The display  602  may include electronic controls such as buttons or sliders or input fields that allow users to adjust settings on the smoker  601 . One input field may be a “Custom Smoking Options” field  605  that allows users to input their own customized smoking cycles or modify existing smoking cycles. These smoking cycles may apply to certain meats or to certain recipes and may be used to achieve a certain result. The display  602  may include other controls including a “Download Recipes” button  606  that allows users to download recipes directly to the smoker  601  through the access point  118  or through the software application  114 . The display  602  may also include a place to display advertisements  607 , a timer  608 , or other items which may be useful to an appliance user. 
     Additionally or alternatively, an embodiment of a cloud computing platform is provided (e.g.,  101  of  FIG. 1A ) for communicating with and controlling operation of electronically-controlled appliances (e.g.,  120 ). The cloud computing platform  101  has a hardware processor  102 , a receiver  105  configured to receive inputs from other computing systems including a first input  115  indicating that the electronically-controlled appliance  120  is permitted to communicate with the cloud computing platform. The receiver  105  also receives a second input  116  indicating that various specified functions  122  are to be performed by the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . 
     The cloud computing platform  101  also includes a control signal generator  111  configured to generate control instructions  119  that are to be sent to the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The control instructions  119  are configured to control functions  122  of the electronically-controlled appliance  120  according to the second input  116 . The cloud computing platform  101  also includes a transmitter  107  that transmits the generated control instructions  119  to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  for performance of the specified functions  122 . These functions are then interpreted and carried out by an electronic hardware controller  121  on the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . 
     In some cases, the cloud computing platform  101  may further include or be communicatively connected to a data store in which recipes, custom smoking patterns, and user appliance usage data are stored. The cloud computing platform  101  may be configured to access selected recipes from the data store and generate control signals for the electronically-controlled appliance according to the recipe. Indeed, the control signal generator  111  may generate control instructions  119  based on a recipe, such that the food is smoked by the electronically-controlled appliance  120  according to a smoke pattern specified in the recipe. 
     In this manner, a user can simply load a recipe on his or her mobile computing device  113  and provide that recipe to the cloud computing platform  101  where the control signal generator  111  will automatically access the recipe, generate control instructions  119  and send them to the electronically-controlled appliance  120 . The appliance&#39;s hardware controller will then receive the control instructions, interpret them and carry them out. Accordingly, as a result of the control instructions, the grill/smoker may ignite and begin a smoking cycle, a timer may be set, alerts may be established and other fuel may begin to be fed into the combustion area. As such, multiple physical and computer-related results may occur based on the user&#39;s input at the mobile computing device  113 . At least in some cases, these control instructions  119  may be overridden by the manual controls ( 603  of  FIG. 6 ) or by the electronic controls  604 . 
     In some embodiments, the cloud computing platform  101  may be configured to access user appliance usage data from a data store. The cloud computing platform  101  may then use this usage data to generate advertisements  123  for the appliance user based on the appliance usage data, and further transmit the generated advertisements to the electronically-controlled appliance  120  or to a software application  114  running on the user&#39;s mobile computing device  113 . The advertisements may be tailored to the user, or may be general announcements that may be of interest to owners of that appliance. 
     Accordingly, methods, systems and computer program products are provided which communicate with and control operation of electronically-controlled appliances. The concepts and features described herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from their spirit or descriptive characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.