Patent Application
20140157994
The invention relates to cooking appliances and more particularly to intuitive controls for cooking appliances.
The invention has been developed primarily for use as a cooking appliance having intuitive cooking control and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
One example of the technology of the present invention applies to domestic, counter-top style multi-function ovens. Such an appliance is disclosed in the Applicant's co-pending PCT Application No. PCT/AU2009/000465 incorporated herein by reference. Such ovens are capable of multiple cooking functions including, but not limited to pre-heating, toasting, roasting, baking, broiling, defrosting and reheating. Each function is associated with a constant nominal temperature (or a temperature that varies overtime) and an ultimate function time. Further, such oven may have multiple heating elements that are used either alone or together, in various combinations, in the same or in different cooking functions.
At the nominal end of a particular cooking time, it is sometimes the case that the user will visually observe the food in the oven (either by looking through the glass oven door or opening it) and determine that additional time is required. Simple examples of supplemental cooking cycles are known from the applicant's USA patent applications, publication number 2008/0203085A1. However, the amount of additional time actually required (or ideally required) will be necessarily based on a number of different parameters. The amount of additional time required to satisfy the user's requirements (supplemental cycle time) will depend on parameters (for example) such as the quantity and type of food being prepared, the time it has already been heated for, and the actual temperature of the oven cavity at the time the decision is made. Thus, the user, being generally unaware of the complex problem before him is compelled to guess the additional increment of additional time that will be required.
The present invention seeks to provide simple or intuitive solutions to this situation.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
It is an object of the invention in a preferred form to provide a multi-function cooking apparatus that performs for different functions, different supplemental cooking times, each one instigated by a single user or input command.
It is another object of the invention in a preferred form to provide apparatus and methods for an intuitive cooking control that is applicable to a high powered kitchen appliance.
It is another object of the invention in a preferred form to provide intuitive, single button cooking control in a kitchen appliance whereupon an additional increment of heating time is based on one or more parameters, the value of which parameters are gathered from the appliance itself.
According to an aspect to the invention there is provided a user interface apparatus for a cooking appliance, the apparatus including:
According to an aspect to the invention there is provided a multi-function cooking apparatus, the apparatus including:
Preferably, the user interface element includes a function selector having a plurality of cooking function configurations. More preferably, the plurality of cooking function configurations include one or more of the set comprising:
Preferably, the user interface element includes a first input selector for enabling a user to select when a bit more additional cooking time is requested; the processor element adding a supplemental cooking time to a current cooking time.
Preferably, the user interface control element includes a first input selector for enabling a user to select when a bit more additional cooking time is requested; such that, even if the first input selector is selected after completion of a user selected cooking cycle, the processor element provides a further supplemental cooking time.
Preferably, the user interface control element includes input selectors for one or more of the following:
Preferably, the input command causes the processor to configure the apparatus for either a different operating function or a different supplemental cooking time.
Preferably, the user interface element receives a user input that causes the input command to be received by the processor element; wherein the input command causes the processor element to configure the apparatus for a different supplemental cooking time based on one or more configuration parameters. More preferably, the one or more configuration parameters are gathered from the appliance.
Preferably, the apparatus has a single user input associated with the input command that causes the processor element to configure an additional heating interval based on values of one or more current configuration parameters gathered from the apparatus.
Preferably, the processor element is adapted to interrogate a data table for obtaining a cooking time and a supplemental cooking time based on one or more configuration parameters.
Preferably, the processor is configured to automatically terminate cooking after a predetermined time limit.
Preferably, the user interface element comprises a graphic display element for presenting current configuration parameters.
Preferably, the processor is configured to produce an audible alert.
Preferably, the apparatus has an adjustable cooking rack. More preferably, the adjustable cooking rack is adjustable to one of at least 3 rack positions.
Preferably, the apparatus has a removable pull-out crumb tray.
Preferably, the apparatus is a high powered kitchen appliance. More preferably, the high powered kitchen appliance is a toaster oven has a capacity to cook either 4-slices of toast or an 11 inch pizza.
Preferably, the apparatus being a toaster oven having a cooking cavity, the apparatus comprising: at least one upper heating element within the cooking cavity; at least one lower heating element within the cooking cavity; a substantially horizontal cooking rack located intermediate the upper heating element and lower heating element; a door for substantially closing the cooking cavity; wherein a processor element is coupled to the user interface element and adapted to independently control each of the upper heating elements and lower heating elements. More preferably, the apparatus comprises: a plurality of upper heating elements; and a plurality of lower heating element. Most preferably, the processor element manages power consumption by enabling full power to be consumed by the heating element only during limited circumstances. The limited circumstances for full power to be consumed by the heating element are preferably: during an initial preheating portion of a cooking function; after the door has been opened; and where the total heating time in a given cooking cycle is less than a predetermined limit.
According to an aspect to the invention there is provided a method of intuitive cooking control for a cooking appliance, the method comprising the steps of:
Preferably, determining a cooking time uses stored values from a look-up data table.
Preferably, the method further comprising the steps of:
Preferably, calculating the supplemental increment cooking time uses a different algorithm according to the user selected cooking function. More preferably, calculating the supplemental increment cooking time uses stored values from a look-up data table.
Preferably, the apparatus comprises at least one upper heating element and at least one lower heating element; and activating at least one heating element comprises operating the heating elements intermittently and simultaneously until the cycle is completed for maintaining a temperature within the cooking cavity about a target temperature.
Preferably, the apparatus comprises at least one upper heating element and at least one lower heating element; and activating at least one heating element comprises operating the heating elements intermittently and independently until the cycle is completed for maintaining a temperature within the cooking cavity about a target temperature.
According to an aspect to the invention there is provided a micro-processor based cooking appliance having a single user input associated with a microprocessor command that establishes an additional heating interval that is based on the values of one or more parameters that are gathered from the appliance itself.
In order that the invention be better understood, reference is now made to the following drawing figures in which:
As shown in
In one example, the teaching of the present invention are applied to a counter-top oven 100 of the type depicted in
As shown in
In the particular example of
In other embodiments, different numbers of elements providing different wattages may be similarly employed. In some selected embodiments of the invention, the oven has three upper elements and three lower elements of 400 W each providing a total wattage of 2400 W.
In the example of
In order that the oven not overload a house on an electrical circuit, its power consumption is carefully controlled. In certain countries with a 120V 15 A power supply, full power (1800 W) is only consumed during limited circumstances. For example, the full 1800 watt consumption is available during a bread toasting function cooking cycle, but only for a relatively short period of time. The default cooking time for a toast or bagel toasting cycle does not exceed 7 minutes, this being for the darkest toast setting. For these toast and bagel function cooking cycles, all of the heating elements may be on continuously and simultaneously for the full cooking cycle.
The various cooking functions available to the user are selected using the knob 222 and the name of the function is printed on the panel 220 or displayed on the graphic interface 224. Each function represents a different way of using the heating elements to achieve a particular cooking outcome. The following examples provide an insight into exemplary or representative functions and how these are advantageous to the user.
Toast Function
In the toast function, all of the heating elements are potentially on continuously for the full duration of a cycle so the power draw is continuously 1800 W. However, the cycle time is limited to no more than about 10 minutes. A typical default cycle time might be 7 minutes. The availability of maximum heat in the top and bottom elements ensures that the toast is cooked as evenly and quickly as possible. During the toasting function, both the top and bottom elements are on continuously until the oven reaches an approximate, actual or inferred limit temperature of about 250 C. If, because of prior oven use or other factors, the safe limit temperature is reached, the elements are operated intermittently but simultaneously until the cycle is completed. The object of the limit temperature is to prevent damage to the non-stick lining of the oven.
Bagel Function
During the bagel function cooking cycle, all of the elements are on for an initial 2 minutes and twenty seconds. Thereafter, the bottom elements are switched off for the remainder of the cooking time so the cut face is toasted, but the outer face is more soft. There is no preheating during the toast or bagel functions.
Bake Function
The bake function is associated with a maximum preheating of 3 minutes with all elements delivering the maximum output of 1800 W. Thereafter, the bake function cooks using a power interval of 27 seconds. The interval comprises 17 seconds when either a top or bottom element (or pair) on and a minimum of 10 seconds when that element (or pair) is off. This interval is repeated in a pattern that alternates the operation of the top and bottom elements. More “off” time may be added between the 27 seconds cycle as a means to limit the temperature that was selected by the user. In one example, the pattern is defined by the power interval being repeated consecutively, twice with the bottom elements, then once with the top elements. This ensures the top of a cake is not over cooked. The three power intervals taken together constitute said pattern and it is repeated until the cooking cycle is finished. The interval and pattern limit the total “on” time that the combined elements experience during a cooking cycle. In this example, the maximum apparent cooking time for the bake function is 1.5 hours, resulting in a total “on” time of 59.7 minutes when the interval and pattern are taken into account. During the bake function, 1800 W is only consumed during the preheating or if the oven door has been opened, the maximum wattage being delivered only enough time to restore the nominal cooking temperature.
Roast Function
The roast function is similar to the bake function except that the pattern comprises over a maximum cycle time of 1.5 hours, simultaneous operation of the top and bottom elements over an interval comprising 17 seconds “on” and a minimum of 10 seconds “off”. This provides more top heat to crisp the roast.
Broil Function
The broil function has a maximum cooking time of about 20 minutes. In the broil function both the top and bottom elements are all on at full power, continuously and simultaneously. However, when the MCU registers a thermistor reading corresponding to an inferred centre temperature above about 140 C the bottom elements are cycled on and off while the top elements remain on. When the MCU detects a thermistor reading above the limits for the internal non-stick coating, both the top and bottom elements are turned off.
Pizza or Cookies Function
In the pizza or cookies function, the oven preheats for 3 minutes at maximum power consumption of 1800 W, this being with all of the top and bottom elements on. The maximum cooking cycle time is limited to 55 minutes at full power consumption thus providing no more than 58 minutes at 1800 W. When the MCU detects (or infers) that the oven temperature has reached the default or user selected temperature, the top and bottom elements cycle on and off together, utilising an interval of 30 seconds on and a minimum 30 seconds off. This type of cycling reduces the intensity of the cooking and minimises the chances of burning.
Reheat
During the food reheat function, there is preferably a preheating interval of maximum 3 minutes at 900 W. This is done by running the bottom element only. During the remainder of the reheat function cycle time, the maximum cycle is limited to 2 hours at 900 W, this being with the bottom elements or top elements only. At no time in the cycle is the full power or 1800 W used.
Supplemental Increment
The present invention provides a separate and distinct “request supplemental increment” user input 114, 228 in the form of a button, switch, lever or dial, the activation of which is interpreted by the micro-processor 111 as a command to provide one increment of additional heating or cooking time. In some embodiments, each separate activation of the input 114 by a user results in the provision of an extra but identical increment. Thus, pressing an activation button once might result in an additional 30 seconds of heating, while pressing the activation button twice would result in 60 seconds. The sum total of consecutive, uninterrupted supplemental increments make up a user requested supplemental cycle.
The present invention provides new forms of control over the heating element when a user actuates the additional increment input 114. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the first and subsequent additional increments in a supplemental cycle 115 that is determined by the MCU 111 using any one of a number of different algorithms 116. In some examples, the additional time increment 115 can be determined, for all cooking functions that a machine performs, by a single algorithm 116. In other examples, a different algorithm is used according to the user selected cooking function.
In some embodiments, the supplemental cycle associated with a single cooking function may be associated with two or more algorithms depending on an additional factor such as toast colour, food quantity, oven cavity temperature, cavity humidity etc. Providing additional algorithms for the supplemental cycle of a single cooking function allows the additional increment to be calculated with ever greater attention to actual conditions and therefore greater usefulness. For the purpose of the present specification and its claims, the term “algorithm” will be deemed to include the obtaining of a supplemental cooking time based at least in part, or totally on an input value from a table of stored values or “look up” table that is within or accessed by the MCU 111.
In the example of
In one example, the algorithm 116 determines the supplemental cycle time (or its increments) by utilising a stored value from a look-up table based solely on an input value 117 that is representative of a specific cooking function regardless of cooking cycle time. In this example, the only data capture device 129 that is required is the function selection device that is incorporated into the control panel of the oven. Thus, different functions are associated with different input values 117 and the algorithm uses each distinct input value to obtain a unique supplemental time increment. As an example, if the data captured device indicates that the user selected function is BAKE and the MCU 111 determines that the request increment user input 114 has been selected, the MCU 111 will add an additional increment of 5 minutes to either the default or the user selected cooking time. However, if the input value 117 is indicative of the TOAST function the algorithm will determine from the table of stored values that the additional time increment is 30 seconds. In some embodiments, each activation of the request increment input 114 will result in the addition of an identical increment to the established cooking time.
In a variation of the above method and apparatus, two data sources 129, and 130 are required by the algorithm in order to determine an additional increment of time. The first data source is the user select function, as outlined above. The second data source represents a particular state that the oven is in. This state can be represented as, for example, door open or door closed. A second example of an oven's state can be cooking cycle completed or cooking cycle not completed. Because a state is defined as a variable with only a few possible values, a logical algorithm is a table of stored values or look-up table as previously described. As would be expected, the stored value and thus the additional time increment 115 would be greater when a cooking cycle has been completed than if that cooking cycle had not been completed when the user input 114 was selected. The same logic is true when the oven door is open.
A further variation of this method operates in accordance with the above teachings but the additional increment of cooking time is a percentage of the default or user selected cooking time from the previous cycle, rather than being an additional increment that is fixed in duration. Thus, individual cooking functions can be assigned unique additional increment percentages. The incremental percentage can also be varied according to the oven's state. In one example, if the user has selected a BAKE function and the input 114 is selected, the additional time increment 115 might be, say, 10% of the default or user selected cooking time. However, if the BAKE cycle has actually finished as indicated by the state determining device 130, then 14% of the default or user selected cooking time would be added as the additional time increment 115.
For a further example of the above apparatus and methodology uses a third data capture device 131. In this example, the third data capture device 131 is a thermocouple, thermistor or other temperature probe that provides a data signal 127 that can be interpreted 123 to produce an input value 119 which is actually used by the algorithm 116. In a simplified example of this way of determining an additional time increment 115, the oven cavity temperature is measured by the device 131 or a cavity temperature is inferred from the output of the device. According to which cooking function has been entered by the user 129, the algorithm 116 determines an increment 115 that is based both on the function and the cavity temperature. The temperature input value 119 can be used in two different ways. In a first way, the table of stored values can be organised so that discreet ranges of cavity temperature provide a single fix value. A narrower range of values in the stored value table, the more accurate the input value to the algorithm will be. In a second example of a temperature dependant method, the actual or inferred oven cavity temperature determined by the data capture device 131 can be compared to the default or user determined temperature, whereby the difference between the two is essentially the input to the table of stored values.
Particular methods are required for certain specific cooking functions. When a user selects the “TOAST” or “BAGEL” functions of a multi-function toaster or oven, they do not also select a cooking cycle time or duration. Instead, in the TOAST or BAGEL modes, the user selects the duration indirectly by choosing a toast colour or darkness. Toast colour or darkness is expressed on the graphic interface of the oven either as a number range 1-7, or a continuous or discreet range of images intended to depict or symbolise toasted bread at different cooking stages. In this mode, activation of the user input 114 will cause the algorithm to add, to the existing cooking time, and an additional increment of time being enough to darken the toast or bagel by a fixed amount of darkening, say one half or one shade. Thus, if one slice toast was being cooked at a user selected darkness setting equivalent to 2 and then the user input 114 was activated, the algorithm would add an additional increment of time to make the toast equivalent to a level 3 darkness regardless of the oven temperature. As shown in
As further shown in
Referring to
A user selection of the supplemental increment input 228 in association with either of the toast or bagel functions as illustrated in
In preferred embodiments, the supplemental increment of time for the toast and bagel functions is 30 seconds. For the BAKE, PIZZA and REHEAT functions an exemplary supplemental increment is 5 minutes. For the ROAST function, an example of a supplemental increment is 10 minutes. For the COOKIES or BROIL functions, a supplemental incremental may be two minutes.
By way of example only,
In this example, a preheat cycle 520 can cause the top and bottom heating element to be on 1800 W, having a maximum preheat time of 180 seconds. In this example, the door is opened to place food in the over 522 (for example, open for 30 seconds), and baking function having a normal repeat cycle 524 (for example, having a normal repeat cycle of a 2:1 ratio in which this interval is repeated in a pattern of two intervals for the bottom elements and one interval for the top element), and an event period 526 (for example, in which the door is quickly opened and closed).
It will be appreciated that, during the period 522, the thermistor/MCU can detect a drop in temperature and when the temperature reached 80% of the target temperature switches the top and bottom heating elements on full (1800 W) for a first maximum term (for example, 7 seconds) and then only the bottom heating elements on full (700 W) for a second maximum term (for example, 10 seconds)—then disable the heating element for a third minimum term (for example, 10 seconds).
It will be further appreciated that, a total/maximum cooking time 528 can be enforced (for example, 1.5 hours), wherein the total BAKE, ROAST or REHEAT time must be kept less than this maximum cycle time—including if either the time arrows or “A BIT MORE BUTTON” are selected.
In this BAKE function the heating interval for any heating element is a maximum of 17 seconds and a minimum of 10 seconds off time. This interval is repeated in a pattern of two intervals for the bottom elements and one interval for the top element. However, with reference to
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to particular details of construction, these should be understood as having been provided by way of example and not as limitations to the scope or spirit of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.
In the claims below and the description herein, any one of the terms comprising, comprised of or which comprises is an open term that means including at least the elements/features that follow, but not excluding others. Thus, the term comprising, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to the means or elements or steps listed thereafter. For example, the scope of the expression a device comprising A and B should not be limited to devices consisting only of elements A and B. Any one of the terms including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.
Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term coupled, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to direct connections only. The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A coupled to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader, or with reference to the orientation of the structure during nominal use, as appropriate. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.
Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.
Furthermore, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of elements of a method that can be implemented by a processor of a computer system or by other means of carrying out the function. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for carrying out such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying out the method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element described herein of an apparatus embodiment is an example of a means for carrying out the function performed by the element for the purpose of carrying out the invention.
In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.
Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention.
It will be appreciated that an embodiment of the invention can consist essentially of features disclosed herein. Alternatively, an embodiment of the invention can consist of features disclosed herein. The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011903120 | Aug 2011 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2012/000909 | 8/2/2012 | WO | 00 | 2/3/2014 |
