Patent Publication Number: US-2013236615-A1

Title: Method for providing cooking programs

Description:
The invention relates to a method for providing cooking programs. 
     In intelligent cooking appliances, such as the cooking appliance sold by the applicant under the trade name SelfCooking Center®, flexible cooking processes are used in order to be able to offer at any time reproducible cooking results, regardless of a charge quantity, type of product to be cooked, or similar. For this purpose, numerous decisions must be made by the operator, which for inexperienced users leads to problems. Thus, numerous simplifications for these cooking processes have been developed. For example, DE 10 2008 016 824 A1 by the applicant has as its subject the automation of cooking processes. More precisely, it is there recommended that different, manually conducted cooking progresses are stored which are representative of different charges, such as the progress on the one hand with a maximum load on a product to be cooked of a specific type of product to be cooked with a specific caliber and a specific initial state, and on the other hand, with a minimum load on the product to be cooked of the specific type of product to be cooked with the specific caliber and specific initial state, in order to conduct, on the basis of these two extreme cooking processes, an adjustment when conducting the same cooking progress at a later time to the respective load with the same type of product to be cooked, the same caliber and the same initial state. Therefore, the entire middle range between the two extremes can be automated, in particular via a linear adjustment of the values characteristic for the cooking progress, such as cooking duration, the temperature in the cooking chamber, and/or the humidity in the cooking chamber. This method thus provides a simplification of the operation of a cooking appliance. 
     The object of the present invention is to offer a method for providing cooking programs which simplifies the operation of a cooking appliance due to the fact that the number of inputs on the cooking appliance is as low as possible. In particular, an operator must only select one product to be cooked in order to achieve the same cooking result at all times, with all variants of the charge in the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance with this product to be cooked. This is of particular importance in particular for use in restaurant chains. 
     This object is attained by means of a method for providing cooking programs for at least one selectable product to be cooked which can be cooked in at least two different charges in a cooking chamber of a cooking appliance, wherein each charge has a respectively associated cooking program in which a cooking process is conducted as a function of at least one charge-dependent parameter at least once for each charge, a cooking process which leads to a specific cooking result is selected for each charge, and a cooking program is stored for each selected cooking process after the charge-dependent parameter is replaced by a fixed parameter. 
     Here, it is provided that a charge is determined by the quantity of products to be cooked in the cooking chamber, the caliber of the product to be cooked, and/or the initial state of the product to be cooked, such as frozen or fresh, and/or a cooking result that is determined by a cooking degree, in particular an internal and/or external cooking degree, preferably at least by the core temperature. 
     Here, it is preferred that a caliber-dependent parameter, in particular determined by the core temperature of the product to be cooked, is selected as the charge-dependent parameter, and/or the time duration is selected as the fixed parameter at which the product to be cooked must be cooked, preferably with a specific cooking chamber climate, in particular a specific cooking chamber temperature for achieving a specific cooking result, in particular a specific core temperature. 
     Furthermore, it is recommended that in order to conduct a cooking process and/or to store a cooking program, the cooking appliance must be activated following an access authorization check. 
     It can also be provided that the charge is entered via an input device or is recorded via a sensor device, and/or the product to be cooked is entered via an input device or is recorded via a sensor device. 
     According to the invention, it can be provided that, preferably without an access authorization check, a product to be cooked is first selected, and subsequently a provided cooking program runs automatically, either following entry of the charge or following recording of the charge, depending on the respective fixed parameter. 
     The invention also recommends that cooking programs be provided for at least two different products to be cooked, whereby a cooking process is conducted depending on at least one charge-dependent parameter at least once for each mixed charge in the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance with the two products to be cooked, a cooking process is selected for each mixed charge which leads to specific cooking results for both products to be cooked, and for each selected cooking process, a cooking program is stored after the charge-dependent parameter is replaced by a fixed parameter. 
     Embodiments of the invention can also be characterized in that a cooking process is conducted in a first cooking appliance, and a cooking program is run in a second cooking appliance, wherein preferably, the first cooking appliance is connectable to the second cooking appliance, at least for certain periods of time, in particular in a kitchen network. 
     Finally, it is also recommended that the cooking programs be stored in a storage device of a cooking appliance, in particular of the first and/or second cooking appliance, a portable storage device, or a storage device in a personal computer. 
     The invention is thus based on the surprising finding that processes which are conducted depending on charge-dependent parameters, in other words, in particular core temperature-dependent processes, can be replaced by programs which depend only on fixed parameters, in particular which are purely time-controlled. More precisely, the invention recommends that the cooking processes which are provided by an intelligent cooking appliance, which are respectively compiled from a process tree with respective decision criteria in the cooking process, can be used by a supervisor of a restaurant chain or a program developer and modified by entering cooking parameters such as the internal cooking degree and/or external cooking degree, until a desired cooking result is provided for a specific product to be cooked with a specific charge. For example, here the cooking processes are conducted in each case in dependence on core temperature measurements. As soon as a cooking process has been found to be in order, in other words, when it leads to a satisfactory cooking result, the cooking duration recorded for this cooking process is determined, for example, and is stored as the fixed parameter of a cooking program for the product to be cooked in question with the charge in question. If cooking programs have been stored for all charge variants, an operator or user can simply retrieve the respective cooking program, namely by selecting the product to be cooked, and if appropriate, entering insertion levels of a cooking chamber which have been charged with the product to be cooked. Alternatively, the charge can be recorded via a sensor device, however, namely for example on the basis of the progress of the cooking chamber temperature at the beginning of cooking. Thus, erroneous entry by the operator or user is now almost completely impossible, so that reproducible cooking results are achieved. Due to the provision of cooking programs according to the invention, a means is pre-selected by an experienced operator, such as a supervisor, for an inexperienced operator, in other words, a standard user, in the process tree of a cooking program which is in general provided. 
     Naturally, the cooking programs can be altered by the supervisor or developer at any time, in order to store alternative cooking programs. In order to make the work of the supervisor or developer easier, information can be displayed on a display device of a cooking appliance on the respective cooking process or cooking progress. A display of a plurality of cooking progresses can be given, for example in tabular form, in order to make it easier to select an optimum cooking process. 
     An access authorization check can be used to decide whether the person operating the appliance is a supervisor or operator or user. 
    
    
     
       Further features and advantages of the invention will be given in the description below, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained as examples with reference to the schematic drawings appended, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows cooking progresses as are conducted by a supervisor or developer; and 
         FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  show cooking progresses such as those initiated by an operator or user. 
     
    
    
     A supervisor of a restaurant chain can, for example, operate a cooking appliance sold by the applicant under the trade name SelfCooking Center® (not shown) in such a manner that they first select a product to be cooked, such as poultry parts (not shown). An intelligent cooking process in accordance with  FIG. 1  then begins with a pre-heating stage  1 , wherein a display is shown after a specific pre-heating temperature has been reached that now the poultry parts can be loaded into the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance. Following the corresponding loading stage  2 , a load detection stage  3  begins, wherein, for example, it is detected on the basis of the progression of the cooking chamber temperature whether there is a low, medium, or high load in the cooking chamber. A low load can, for example, be present when one or two oven racks are loaded in a cooking chamber into which six oven racks can be inserted, while a middle load is present when three or four oven racks are loaded, and a high load is present when five or six oven racks are loaded with the product to be cooked. 
     Depending on the detected load, a core temperature-controlled cooking process is then conducted for example, wherein for this purpose, the supervisor must have specified a desired core temperature or desired internal cooking degree. With a fixed specified cooking chamber temperature and a fixed specified humidity in the cooking chamber, as well as a fixed specified set value of the core temperature, the time duration t a , t b  or t c  will be different until the set value in question is reached for different charges, as is shown by stages  5   a ,  5   b  and  5   c . More precisely, t a &lt;t b &lt;t c , when t a  is a low load, t b  is a medium load, and t c  is a high load. 
     A supervisor can conduct several cooking processes in accordance with  FIG. 1  and after the respective cooking result has been appraised, they can assign a different rating to each cooking process. They can then select the cooking process with the best rating in order to store a cooking program which is based on this process, in which a cooking duration is stored for the product to be cooked, wherein the cooking duration depends on the charge, in other words, in the example shown in  FIG. 1 , it is either t a , t b , or t c . 
     The supervisor can conduct the cooking processes in accordance with  FIG. 1  solely on the basis of an access authorization check, so that cooking programs can only be stored which have been found to be in order by the supervisor. An operator is not granted access to this level, and they can only retrieve the stored cooking programs. For this purpose, they must select the product to be cooked, in other words, in this case the poultry parts, so that then the cooking program shown in  FIG. 2  runs automatically. 
     With the cooking program shown in  FIG. 2   a , a pre-heating stage  10  first takes place, following which a loading request is made with the loading stage  20  which is followed by a load detection stage. Following the load detection, the suitable cooking program is selected automatically, and the suitable cooking duration thus occurs in stage  40 . According to  FIG. 2 , a medium load is present, for example, such as when three oven racks of the cooking appliance have been loaded with the product to be cooked, so that the cooking duration t b  is selected in accordance with stage  50   b.    
     Instead of a load detection with an evaluation, e.g., of the progress of the cooking chamber temperature, the option can also be provided that the user enters the number of oven racks to be charged with the product to be cooked, as is shown in  FIG. 2   b.    
     With the alternative shown in  FIG. 2   b , a user must therefore first select the product to be cooked, here poultry parts, and can then enter the number of oven racks to be charged with the poultry parts, for example three oven racks, see stage  99 . A pre-heating stage  100  is then conducted and a loading request is made, see loading stage  200 . The cooking program is then purely time-controlled, and in such a manner that with three oven racks, the total time t b  is selected, see stage  500   b.    
     Therefore, for a restaurant chain, a selected person, namely the supervisor, can, for example, firmly specify how desired cooking results should look by conducting a plurality of cooking processes with different products to be cooked and different charges, and making relevant decisions respectively for these during the progress of the cooking processes, in order to then store simple cooking programs which require a minimum number of decisions, since they run in a purely time-controlled manner. The supervisor thus specifies a means from which a user cannot deviate, in order to ensure that the cooking quality remains constant. 
     The features disclosed in the above description, in the claims, and in the drawings can be essential both individually and in any combination required for the implementation of the invention in its different embodiments. 
     List of Reference Numerals 
     
         
           1  Pre-heating stage 
           2  Loading stage 
           3  Load detection stage 
           4  Stage in which a load-dependent cooking method is selected 
           5   a  Cooking stage of duration t a  for achieving a specific core temperature 
           5   b  Cooking stage of duration t b  for achieving a specific core temperature 
           5   c  Cooking stage of length t c  for achieving a specific core temperature 
           10  Pre-heating stage 
           20  Loading stage 
           30  Load detection stage 
           40  Stage in which a time-dependent cooking method is selected 
           50   b  Cooking stage of duration t b    
           99  Stage in which the insertion levels loaded with the product to be cooked are entered 
           100  Pre-heating stage 
           200  Loading stage 
           500   b  Cooking stage of duration t b