Patent Publication Number: US-2009222612-A1

Title: Programmable Food Service Systems

Description:
The invention relates to data keys for use with programmable food service devices, and to food service systems and methods of operating food service systems. 
     The applicant&#39;s earlier international patent applications published under numbers WO 02/23952 and WO 2004/068269 describe programmable cooking systems and programmable food service systems which make use of data keys. These two earlier specifications are incorporated by reference in the present specification in their entirety. 
     The first four figures of WO 02/23952 are reproduced in the present specification as  FIGS. 1 to 4 , and these are described below. 
       FIG. 1  shows a data key (for example Serial Memory Token LCK 16000 manufactured by Datakey, Inc. of 407 West Travellers Trail, Burnsville, Minn. 55337, USA) and a data key reader  2 . The reader  2  is provided with a key aperture  2   a  adapted to receive the key  1  in order to allow data to be passed to and from the key  1 . The key  1  is provided with E 2 PROM (electrically erasable programmable ROM) for storing data, and with a number of electrical contacts  1   a  for communicating with the reader  2 . 
       FIG. 2  shows the key reader  2  mounted in the front panel of a microwave combination oven  5  (for example model EV2451 made and sold by Merrychef Ltd). The oven  5  is provided with a manual control panel  4 , door  6 , and twenty pre-program keys  3  which allow twenty pre-programmed cooking sequences to be called up at the touch of a button. 
       FIG. 3  shows the electronic components of the oven  5 , including the key reader  2 , pre-program keys  3 , manual control panel  4 , together with a display  7 , CPU (central processing unit)  8 , switching unit  9 , alarm/beeper  10 , E 2 PROM  11 , fan  12 , heater  13 , and magnetron  14 . The E 2 PROM  11  exchanges data with the data key  1  via the CPU  8  in known manner. 
     The data key  1  is provided with program data corresponding to different cooking sequences at a data site, and is then sent to the cooking site for use with the oven  5 , and with other programmable cooking devices (not shown), each of which is provided with a key reader  2 . Although only the oven  5  is described here, the data key  1  operates with each other programmable cooking device in a similar fashion. 
       FIG. 4  shows a typical arrangement of the memory of the data key  1 . The memory is divided into  5  blocks, B 1  to B 5 , each of which contains data corresponding to the cooking sequences of a different type of cooking device. Thus, in the example the blocks B 1  to B 5  correspond to a microwave combination oven, a microwave oven, a conventional convection oven, a steam combination oven, and a hob respectively. 
     In the example of  FIG. 4 , each block contains three programs, P 1  to P 3 , each containing the data for a different cooking sequence comprising a number of stages S 1 , S 2 , S 3  etc. Each stage contains data specifying the time, power and temperature (or other controllable features) for that stage of the cooking sequence. 
     The data key  1  can be inserted into any or all of the available cooking devices in order to update the program data for that cooking device. In the example of  FIG. 4  the key  1  works with any cooking device of the type corresponding to a given block of the key memory. However, further embodiments are possible in which different blocks are provided for different cooking devices of the same type. For example, a given cooking site may have a number of microwave ovens of the same type which require different program data. 
     WO 02/23952 then goes on to describe the sequence of operations which are carried out, by reference to the flow-charts shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 of WO 02/23952. 
     As described in WO 2004/068269, the system is not limited to cooking devices, but can also be used with food service displays, ice makers, ventilation systems and other devices which are involved in the serving of food. Each of these devices may be programmable, and may include a key aperture adapted to receive a data key of the type described above. 
     In the practical operation of systems of the type described above it is necessary to program the data keys using additional components which will be described below. This can result in the system being cumbersome, complex and expensive to use in the field. 
     The invention provides a data key, food service system, and method of operating a food service system, as set out in the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a known data key and key aperture, as described above; 
         FIG. 2  shows a known microwave combination oven provided with such a key aperture; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of the microwave combination oven, as described above; 
         FIG. 4  shows the arrangement of blocks of memory on the data key described above; 
         FIG. 5  shows components which are used in the programming of a data key in the known systems described above; and 
         FIG. 6  shows examples of two data keys in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
       FIG. 5  shows components which are used in the programming of a data key  20  in the known systems of WO 02/23952 and WO 2004/068269 described above. In order to program the data key  20 , a programmer  22  must be connected to a computer, such as laptop  24 , by means of a dedicated lead  26 . The lead  26  must be plugged into the programmer  22  at one end, and plugged into the laptop  24  at the other end. In addition, the programmer  22  requires a power supply  28  which must be plugged into a mains power outlet, and also plugged into the programmer  22 . 
     Once the data key  20  has been programmed in the programmer  22 , it is then removed from the programmer and can be inserted into the key aperture  2   a  (see  FIG. 1 ) of a programmable food service device, such as the programmable microwave combination oven  5  shown in  FIG. 2 . In addition, the process can be reversed, with programs developed on the microwave combination oven  5  (or other food service device) using the control panel  4  being transferred from the data key  20  to the laptop  24  whilst the data key  20  is in the programmer  22 . 
     However, it has been found that when this system is used in the field the need to repeatedly connect the components  22 ,  26  and  28  is cumbersome, time-consuming, complex, and results in a system which is expensive to produce and maintain. 
       FIG. 6  shows two data keys  30  and  32  in accordance with the invention. The first data key is provided with an insertion portion  34  at one end, and with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector  36  at the other end. The insertion portion  34  is designed to be inserted into a key aperture provided in a programmable food service device, such as the key aperture  2   a  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The USB connector  36  is designed to be plugged directly into a USB port on the laptop  24 , or other computing device, thus avoiding the need for the programmer  22 , lead  26  and power supply  28  described above. 
     When the USB connector  36  is plugged into a PC or laptop, the data key  30  appears to the computer as a removable drive. Data can then be transferred between the computer and the data key  30 . 
       FIG. 6  also shows a second data key  32 , which has a different type of insertion portion  38  at one end, and a USB connector  40  at the other end. The data key  32  functions in the same manner as the data key  30 . 
     As an alternative to the USB connectors  36  and  40 , the data keys  30  and  32  may be provided with IEEE 1394 (or FireWire) connectors, or any other connectors suitable for connecting directly with a data port on a laptop, PC or other computer.