Patent Application
20180353003
Monitoring of food temperature during cooking for taste as well as to check if it is safe for consumption is well known, especially in professional kitchens. Recently wireless thermometers have been coming to the consumer market for grilling outdoors and also sometimes in the kitchens for use in ovens. With smartphones and tablets, use of wireless thermometers that use bluetooth or WiFi are now available commercially. These thermometers use the interact cloud when needed and have apps that provide a lot of information to make cooking easier and fun. The present invention and the various embodiments thereof, relate to a novel temperature monitoring system.
U.S. Publication No., 8931400 B1, entitled “Remote cooking systems and methods”, discloses, a food thermometer that uses bluetooth and works with smartphones. The use of bluetooth wireless coupled with the smartphone does eliminate the need for wireless receivers. A limitation of a bluetooth thermometer is the requirement of pairing the transmitter and receiver. With so many brands of smartphone in the market the pairing for some smartphones can many times not work at all or work poorly, making: the user experience poor, thereby discouraging use of such a thermometer.
Another limitation of existing temperature monitors, that use microelectronics used in the consumer market, is that they are not waterproofed; so cleaning them with water is a problem, especially after atypical mess created during the cooking process. Waterproof thermometers are available in commercial markets but they are not affordable for home users.
Another limitation of wireless thermometers used during cooking is the presence of wire or cable between the temperature probe and the electronics, that allows the electronics to be placed outside the hot environment. Though the wire or cable can withstand high temperatures it still is a major point of failure. In addition, the dangling wire is very inconvenient. U.S. Publication No.,6339842B1 describes a rotisserie system that includes a rotatable skewer that requires a complex solution to accommodate the presence of cable. Other examples of the cable connecting to the thermometer are well known.
As the popularity of grilling and BBQing grows, there is a need for simpler temperature monitoring solution that is affordable, monitors continuously using the myriad of smart phones and tablets and is suited for the cooking environment.
The summary is provided to describe in a simplified form the concepts of the current invention. It is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter or to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the claimed subject matter, and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
As the popularity of grilling and BBQing grows, there is a need for simpler temperature monitoring solution that is affordable, monitors continuously using the myriad of smart phones and tablets and is suited for the cooking environment. An embodiment of the present invention provides a method and system for measuring temperature of food during cooking that uses a temperature sensor inside the tip of a metal probe with the electronics controlling the measurement inside the same probe; transmitting the sensor measurement directly to a smartphone or tablet using low power bluetooth. The low cost, ease of setup and other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention.
The present invention represents a substantial advance over prior systems used for measuring food temperature. Because the present invention uses a thermoelectric cell to power the electronics thereby eliminating the need for batteries that can be hazardous in a high temperature environment. In an embodiment, the thermoelectric cell has a small form factor to fit on a temperature probe and does not use solder that allows it to withstand temperatures above 250 C. while keeping the cost affordable.
In another embodiment, the probe design is unique as it uses a wireless transmitter and protects the electronics from heat, therefore removing the need for cables and wires that are typically used to separate the temperature sensor from the electronics. Also, the unique probe design shields the thermoelectric cell from the high temperature inside the oven or on a grill. In addition the probe includes a second temperature sensor embedded m the probe to measure the air temperature inside the oven or on a grill. The probe therefore, measures both the air temperature and the food temperature at the same time.
In a further embodiment, the system uses the FastConnect method for bluetooth connectivity that eliminates the pairing problems experienced with bluetooth devices. In addition, system includes an API that allows users to write their own app to view the sensor reading on their smartphone or tablets.
It is noted that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. For the present invention to be clearly understood and readily practiced, the present Invention will be described in conjunction with the following figures; wherein:
While the present invention will be described more fully it is to be understood at the outset of the description which follows that persons of skill in the appropriate arts may modify the invention herein described while still achieving the favorable results of this invention. Accordingly, the description which follows is to be understood as being a broad, teaching disclosure directed to persons of skill m the appropriate arts, and not as limiting upon the present invention.
First briefly in overview, the present invention according to one or more embodiments is a unique device; called T-Bolt, with sensors, bluetooth communication system, thermoelectric cell, software programs, and related methods for temperature monitoring that works with smartphones and tablets. The system is for consumer use to measure the food temperature during cooking; grilling or barbecuing.
In the current invention the sensor probe is powered through a rechargeable battery or a thermoelectric module. When using a rechargeable battery, the sensor electronics and the bluetooth communications system has to be tethered from the sensing element as they cannot withstand the heat of the grill during cooking. In an embodiment the rechargeable battery, the sensor electronics and the bluetooth module can be embedded inside the probe and they would be protected from the heat as the probe is inserted inside the food which is at a much lower temperature.
In a preferred embodiment the current invention uses a thermoelectric module that generates electricity to power the sensor electronics and the bluetooth communications system; the thermoelectric module is connected to a hot side which is the air temperature and a cool side which is the food temperature and the temperature difference between the two, is used to generate power. Unlike a rechargeable battery the thermoelectric module does not require a recharging station.
In another embodiment the thermoelectric module is connected to a heat exchanger and a heat sink so as to get as much heat flux as possible.
In the current invention the bluetooth communications uses the FastConnect technology that uses the bluetooth beacon wherein the sensor does not require pairing with a smartphone; thereby eliminating known pairing problems as well as improving the user experience by reducing the response time to view the sensor data. In addition, the FastConnect technology allows one sensor to communicate to as many smartphones or tablets as necessary.
In another embodiment when using rechargeable batteries the time between charges is extended to at most once a month, preferably once a quarter; an accelerometer coupled with a rules based engine defines when to put the electronics in a low power mode or to put it to sleep thereby reducing the power consumption. An accelerometer wakes up the electronics and stays on for a predetermined amount of time, measuring temperature and transmitting the reading via bluetooth to a smartphone. A mules based software engine is implemented on the sensor probe to extend the wake up time; for example if the air temperature is above 100 C. the sensor probe should continue to keep measuring and transmitting.
In the current invention the app used to display temperature readings is integrated with a digital assistant that uses a voice interface to alert as well as search for recipes or share the cooking experience with others. The digital assistant uses an intelligent engine to learn the cooks preferences and provide relevant information while cooking.
