CA1170725A - Microwave oven control system - Google Patents
Microwave oven control systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA1170725A CA1170725A CA000376973A CA376973A CA1170725A CA 1170725 A CA1170725 A CA 1170725A CA 000376973 A CA000376973 A CA 000376973A CA 376973 A CA376973 A CA 376973A CA 1170725 A CA1170725 A CA 1170725A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- oven
- reader
- program
- code
- printed
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
- H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
- H05B6/6435—Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
- G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
- G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
- G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers
- G05B19/12—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers using record carriers
- G05B19/124—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers using record carriers using tapes, cards or discs with optically sensed marks or codes
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
- Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Electric Ovens (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A control system in a microwave oven is disclosed for use with an article having printed thereon an information bearing code identifying a cooking cycle program for a food item. The control system includes a printed code reader and an oven controller connected to the reader for directing oven operation in accordance with the program identified by the printed code. The printed code preferably is in the form of a bar pattern and the reader is an easily manipulated light pen reader of the reflective sensor type which is modulated in accordance with the bar pattern as the code is scanned by the light pen reader. The control system further comprises a memory for storing at least one predetermined cooking cycle program and a decoder/translator connected to the reader and memory for selecting from the memory a program identified by the information contained in the code and for supplying the thusly selected program to the controller for execution in accordance therewith. There is further disclosed an information carrying article for use with the microwave oven control system, the article having printed thereon at least one recipe containing instructions for the preparation of a food item and a corresponding information bearing code identifying a desired cooking program for such food item.
A control system in a microwave oven is disclosed for use with an article having printed thereon an information bearing code identifying a cooking cycle program for a food item. The control system includes a printed code reader and an oven controller connected to the reader for directing oven operation in accordance with the program identified by the printed code. The printed code preferably is in the form of a bar pattern and the reader is an easily manipulated light pen reader of the reflective sensor type which is modulated in accordance with the bar pattern as the code is scanned by the light pen reader. The control system further comprises a memory for storing at least one predetermined cooking cycle program and a decoder/translator connected to the reader and memory for selecting from the memory a program identified by the information contained in the code and for supplying the thusly selected program to the controller for execution in accordance therewith. There is further disclosed an information carrying article for use with the microwave oven control system, the article having printed thereon at least one recipe containing instructions for the preparation of a food item and a corresponding information bearing code identifying a desired cooking program for such food item.
Description
\
` `- 117~12~
, Title: "Microwave Oven Control System"
This invention relates generally to microwave cooking ovens and more particulnrly to n control system for controlling the cooking cycle of a microwave oven in nccordance with an optimum cooking cycle program for 5the particulQr food item being cooked.
Heretofore, various systems have been utilized for determining and controlling the cooking cycle in microwave ovens. This was needed ns not all foods cook or heat in like manner when subjected to the high 10frequency energy generated in the oven. For example, high levels of such high frequency energy can be used to cook meats and reheat most foods while lower output levels are desired for cooking some foods such ns eggs and for defrosting frozen foods. Typicnlly, the oven has n number of controls consistin~ of one or more switches, diaLs or buttons in nn oven 15control pnnel1 the number nnd type dependin~ on the sophistication and fentures avnilable in the particular oven. By actuating the proper controls, the user could pattern the cooking cycle ta the particular food item being cooked. The cooking cycle could also be varied during tlle cooking operation in nccordnnce with sensed parameters such ns the temperature of the Eood 20which is obtained through a temperature probe employed in the oven cooking cnvity~ If the oven is of the more sophisticated nnd programmable type, the user could perform all the necessnry programming operations at one time, the oven thereafter "remembering" its programmed instructions nnd carrying out the cooking cycle in nccordance therewith.
25The oven user may develop his or her own cooking program for particular foods or more likely follow cooking programs made available to the user on recipe cards, in cookbooks, in instruction manuals, on containers for the food item or the like. To achieve optimum cooking of some food items, the program ihstructions may be particularly complex and require 30substantial time for manually programming the oven in accordance there~
with. For example, it may be that the optimum cooking program for a particulnr food item reguires first cooking the food item nt n low microwave -~ energy level for the first ~ten minutes followed by high microwave energy ~ .. .
~ 17072~
cooking for the next five minutes, and then cooking with the oven's radiant heating element, if 50 equipped, for the next five minutes with low microwave energy being intermittently applied during the radiant heating or browning portion of the cooking cycle. It can be appreciated that the optimum program instructions may be sufficiently complex and time consuming that the user may be resistant to using same thereby denying the user of optimum food preparation. Even for simple programmed cooking, it is often inconvenient for the user to program the oven manuaLly. Moreover, the user may make the mistake while programming the oven which could result in the food item being overcooked or undercooked, or at least not optimally cooked. It therefore would be advantageous to provide a microwave oven control system wherein the oven is easily and automatically programmed to perform an optimum cooXing program for the particular food item to be cooked, ~he user merely performing just one or a few simple and general operations.
Attempts have been made to provide for such automatic programming and operation of microwave ovens, the user only providing a few simple instructions to the oven control or conceivably none a~ all other than to start the oven. One oven is known to employ a card reader which reads the information stored on a card and controls the oven in accordance with such information. While the use of such ovens and cards may be helpful when the user does a lot of repetitive and complicated cooking, such an oven and card system is not practical for the typical household where the menu is more varied.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a microwave oven control system which provides for easy and selective automatic programming and control of the oven cooking cycle for optimum cooking of food items therein and which is economically practical for usage with many different types of food items.
The present invention provides a microwave oven control system for a microwave oven comprising an oven control means in the oven and manually~movable cooking cycle program identification code rea~der =eans external of the oven and ,~
1 ~072~
connected to the control means for directing oven operation in accordance with a program for cooking a food item.
The reader means may co-operate with an article having printed thereon an in~ormation bearing coae identifying a cooking cycle program ~or the food item to be cooked. The reader means may comprise a printed code reader and the oven control means may comprise an oven cont~oller connected to the reader for directing oven operations in accordance with the program identified by the p~inted code read by the reader. The printed code preferably is in the form of a bar pattern and, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reader is an easily manipulated light pen reader of the reflective sensor type which is modulated in a~tcordance with the information bearing bar pattern as the code i5 scanned by the light pen read~r. In the embodiment, the control means ~urther comprises a me~lory ~or storing at least one predetermined cooking cycle program and a decoder/translator connected to the reader means and the m~ory for selecting ~rom the memory a program indicated by the information contained in the code and supplying the thusly selected program to the controller for execution in accordance therewith.
The invention further provides a control system for microwave oven comprising an article having printed thereon at least one recipe containing instructions for the preparation of a food item and corresponding information bearing code identifying a desired cooking program for such food item, reader means positionable remotely of said oven for reading said printed information bearing code, said reader means being manually movable across said printed information bearing code, and oven control means connected to said reader means for directing oven operation in accordance with the cooking program identified by the printed code. The article may be in the form of a recipe card or collectively assembled such as in a recipe book or cook book.
The invention still urther provides a microwave oven control system compri~ing light pen reader means for generating a modulated signal in accordance with an information bearing code in the form of a machine readable bar pattern identifying a cooking cycle program for a food item when read thereby, memory 117072~
- 3a means for storing at least one cooking cycle program, means connected to the reader means and memory means for selecting from the memory means a program indicated by the modulated signal generated by the ~eader means, and oven control means connected to the means for selecting for directing oven operation in accordance with the thusly selected program.
The following description and the annexed drawing set forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the inventian, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. ~
In the annexed drawing;
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an oven embodying a control system according to the invention, and a printed information bearing article for use with the oven also according to the inveIltion; and Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the control system.
Reerring now more specifically to the drawing, a microwave oven is seen at 10 in Fig. 1 and comprises an oven housing 12 having therein an oven cavity, the open front end of which is closed by a door 14. To the right of the door is a control panel 16 which is provided with an oven start switch 18, a display panel 20, speaker 22 and a printed code reader device 24. As seen in Fig. 1, the printed code reader device 24 preferably is a light pen -.
. ~ .
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reader of the reflective sensor type, the output of which is intensitymodulated in accordance with a printed information bearing code being scanned thereby, such as the machine readable bar pattern seen printed at 26 on a page of a recipe or cook book 30 in conjunction with a recipe 32 5 containing instructions for the preparation of a food item to be cooked in the oven. Suitable flexible means or wires 34 connect the light pen 2~ to the control panel 16 so that the light pen can be manually and easily manipulated to scan the information bearing bar pattern 26, whether printed on a page of a recipe book or on some other article such as on a recipe card, the package 10 for the food item or the like. This arrangement is particularly advan-tageous, for example, over card reading devices that require special information cards or the like of a specific size and shape for use in a reading device employed in the oven.
Referring now to Fig. 2 wherein the control system for the 15 microwave oven is designated ganerally by reference numeral 36, it will be seen that the light pen 24 is coupled to an oven controller or control circuit 38 which directs operation of the oven 10 in accordance with the cooking cycle program identified by the information code read by the light pen reader. The control system 36 may take various forms, a preferred form 20 being seen further to include a decoder/translator circuit 40 that decodes and translates the signal received from the light pen reader 24 into control circuit usable data such as into digital data where the control circuit employs microprocessors or the like for effecting operation of the oven.
The decoder/translator circuit 40 thus converts the coded information into 25 usable instructions which are then supplied to the oven control circuit 38 for directing the oven operation in accordance with such instructions.
In decoding and translating the coded information received from the light pen reader 24, the decoder/translator circuit 40 may perform various functions depending on the informational content of the printed 30 code. The code according to the invention may identify a desired cooking cycle by containing, for example, a complete set of program instructions for the control circuit 38. In this case, the decoder/translator circuit need only convert the signals received from the light pen reader to instructional signals used by the control cireuit. The decoder/translator circuit may also 35 irterpret or rdrpt the informrtion recei~ed irom the printed code for best : ~ ~
-` I 1707~
results in the particulElr oven being used if the code contains general information usable with ovens of different types. For ex~mple, the information code may carry instructions for operating a radiant heating element with which feature the oven is not equipped. In this instance, the decoder/translator circuit mny disregard such instructions or modify the other program instructions to ad~pt or modify same to account for the lack of the radiant heating element or other oven feature. To achieve such adaptation, the decoderltranslator circuit may rely upon data stored in a memory ~ircuit 44 which in such case would contain modification informa-tion for tailoring the given cooking program to the particular oven being used.
The memory circuit 44 instead, and as depictedy can be used to store at least one and preferably a number of cooking programs, each program including recipe cooking instructions for effecting the desired or optimum operation of the oven through the oven control circuit 38 for cooking a corresponding food item. In this case, the printed code to identify the desired program need include only information indicnting the stored program such as the memory address therefor corresponding to the particular food item to be cooked.
It will be appreciated that an oven employing memory stored cooking programs can be utili~ed with the universal product code system presently in use by the pack~ged food industry, the optimum program being identified by the product code assigned to the food item to be cooked which code contains information identifying the food item as well as its weight.
For practical purposes, the memory might only include programs for those food items known to be more commonly cooked in microwave ovens without substantial additional preparation, an error signal or the like otherwise being generated if a stored program is unavailable for the item to be cooked.
A~s another modification, the memory circuit 44 may store a number of sub-programs such as one or more defrost su~programs, baking sub-programs, browning sub-programs, or the like. In this case, the printed code carries abbreviated program instructions identifying the desired sub-program or sub-programs and the sequence therefor for the corresponding food item to be cooked, the decoderltranslator circuit 40 formulating from such abbreviated instructions a complete set of cooking instructions for use by the control circuit 38.
:
1 17072$
The control circuit 38 having received program instructions by any one of the foregoing or other modes may optionally effect a visual review thereof on the oven display panel 20, a display circuit 46 being connected to the control circuit and display panel for this purpose. Tnis is particularly 5 advantageous where the cooking pro~ram instructions are not otherwise available to the oven user except in the printed information code which the user may not be able to interpret. There may additionally be provided an audio or voice output circuit 4~ connected to the control circuit 38 and to the speaker 22 in the oven control panel 16, such output circuit employing 10 for example voice chips and associated circuitry to generate a spoken program review~
Although the oven could operate solely through the automatic program inp~lt system consisting of the light pen reader 24, decoder/trans-lator circuit 40 and memory circuit 4~, the control circuit 38 desirably also 15 has connected thereto a manual program input device such as the touch system input device 50 shown for enabling the user to enter manunlly his or her own cooking progrnm instructions.
With the foregoing oven control system, it can now be appreciated that the oven can be easily automatically programmed and operated in 20 accordance with an optimum cooking cycle, the program being identified by an information bearing code which for example may be printed on the package for the food item to be cooked. This is particularly advantageous in the cooking of prepared frozen meals which commonly are initially heated with low and intermittently applied microwave energy and then at a 25 continuous higher level of energy to serving temperature. Also as mentioned above, the printed information codes may be employed in conjunction with recipes on cards or in cookbooks or the like. The user can then prepare the food item in accordance with the selected recipe and then simply scan the corresponding information code with the reader for effectin~ an optimum 30 cooking program in the oven. Since the code is simply printed on the recipe card, in the cookbook, or on the package for the article itself, it is relatively inexpensive and practical to provide cooking program information codes for a large number of products, particularly where the code contains the complete or essentially complete set of instructions whereby only a small 35 capacity memory is required if at all.
.
~ 17~7~
_7 _ Although the circuitry for the control system described above is not set forth herein, it should be understood that those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this disclosure will be able readily to develop the circuitry for such control system employing conventional and availnble S circuitry presently used in microwave ovens and in microprocessors.
~ Ithough the invention has been shown and clescribed with respect to a preferred embodiment, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present invention includes all such 10 equivalent alterations and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the claims.
` `- 117~12~
, Title: "Microwave Oven Control System"
This invention relates generally to microwave cooking ovens and more particulnrly to n control system for controlling the cooking cycle of a microwave oven in nccordance with an optimum cooking cycle program for 5the particulQr food item being cooked.
Heretofore, various systems have been utilized for determining and controlling the cooking cycle in microwave ovens. This was needed ns not all foods cook or heat in like manner when subjected to the high 10frequency energy generated in the oven. For example, high levels of such high frequency energy can be used to cook meats and reheat most foods while lower output levels are desired for cooking some foods such ns eggs and for defrosting frozen foods. Typicnlly, the oven has n number of controls consistin~ of one or more switches, diaLs or buttons in nn oven 15control pnnel1 the number nnd type dependin~ on the sophistication and fentures avnilable in the particular oven. By actuating the proper controls, the user could pattern the cooking cycle ta the particular food item being cooked. The cooking cycle could also be varied during tlle cooking operation in nccordnnce with sensed parameters such ns the temperature of the Eood 20which is obtained through a temperature probe employed in the oven cooking cnvity~ If the oven is of the more sophisticated nnd programmable type, the user could perform all the necessnry programming operations at one time, the oven thereafter "remembering" its programmed instructions nnd carrying out the cooking cycle in nccordance therewith.
25The oven user may develop his or her own cooking program for particular foods or more likely follow cooking programs made available to the user on recipe cards, in cookbooks, in instruction manuals, on containers for the food item or the like. To achieve optimum cooking of some food items, the program ihstructions may be particularly complex and require 30substantial time for manually programming the oven in accordance there~
with. For example, it may be that the optimum cooking program for a particulnr food item reguires first cooking the food item nt n low microwave -~ energy level for the first ~ten minutes followed by high microwave energy ~ .. .
~ 17072~
cooking for the next five minutes, and then cooking with the oven's radiant heating element, if 50 equipped, for the next five minutes with low microwave energy being intermittently applied during the radiant heating or browning portion of the cooking cycle. It can be appreciated that the optimum program instructions may be sufficiently complex and time consuming that the user may be resistant to using same thereby denying the user of optimum food preparation. Even for simple programmed cooking, it is often inconvenient for the user to program the oven manuaLly. Moreover, the user may make the mistake while programming the oven which could result in the food item being overcooked or undercooked, or at least not optimally cooked. It therefore would be advantageous to provide a microwave oven control system wherein the oven is easily and automatically programmed to perform an optimum cooXing program for the particular food item to be cooked, ~he user merely performing just one or a few simple and general operations.
Attempts have been made to provide for such automatic programming and operation of microwave ovens, the user only providing a few simple instructions to the oven control or conceivably none a~ all other than to start the oven. One oven is known to employ a card reader which reads the information stored on a card and controls the oven in accordance with such information. While the use of such ovens and cards may be helpful when the user does a lot of repetitive and complicated cooking, such an oven and card system is not practical for the typical household where the menu is more varied.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a microwave oven control system which provides for easy and selective automatic programming and control of the oven cooking cycle for optimum cooking of food items therein and which is economically practical for usage with many different types of food items.
The present invention provides a microwave oven control system for a microwave oven comprising an oven control means in the oven and manually~movable cooking cycle program identification code rea~der =eans external of the oven and ,~
1 ~072~
connected to the control means for directing oven operation in accordance with a program for cooking a food item.
The reader means may co-operate with an article having printed thereon an in~ormation bearing coae identifying a cooking cycle program ~or the food item to be cooked. The reader means may comprise a printed code reader and the oven control means may comprise an oven cont~oller connected to the reader for directing oven operations in accordance with the program identified by the p~inted code read by the reader. The printed code preferably is in the form of a bar pattern and, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reader is an easily manipulated light pen reader of the reflective sensor type which is modulated in a~tcordance with the information bearing bar pattern as the code i5 scanned by the light pen read~r. In the embodiment, the control means ~urther comprises a me~lory ~or storing at least one predetermined cooking cycle program and a decoder/translator connected to the reader means and the m~ory for selecting ~rom the memory a program indicated by the information contained in the code and supplying the thusly selected program to the controller for execution in accordance therewith.
The invention further provides a control system for microwave oven comprising an article having printed thereon at least one recipe containing instructions for the preparation of a food item and corresponding information bearing code identifying a desired cooking program for such food item, reader means positionable remotely of said oven for reading said printed information bearing code, said reader means being manually movable across said printed information bearing code, and oven control means connected to said reader means for directing oven operation in accordance with the cooking program identified by the printed code. The article may be in the form of a recipe card or collectively assembled such as in a recipe book or cook book.
The invention still urther provides a microwave oven control system compri~ing light pen reader means for generating a modulated signal in accordance with an information bearing code in the form of a machine readable bar pattern identifying a cooking cycle program for a food item when read thereby, memory 117072~
- 3a means for storing at least one cooking cycle program, means connected to the reader means and memory means for selecting from the memory means a program indicated by the modulated signal generated by the ~eader means, and oven control means connected to the means for selecting for directing oven operation in accordance with the thusly selected program.
The following description and the annexed drawing set forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the inventian, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. ~
In the annexed drawing;
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an oven embodying a control system according to the invention, and a printed information bearing article for use with the oven also according to the inveIltion; and Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the control system.
Reerring now more specifically to the drawing, a microwave oven is seen at 10 in Fig. 1 and comprises an oven housing 12 having therein an oven cavity, the open front end of which is closed by a door 14. To the right of the door is a control panel 16 which is provided with an oven start switch 18, a display panel 20, speaker 22 and a printed code reader device 24. As seen in Fig. 1, the printed code reader device 24 preferably is a light pen -.
. ~ .
' 7072~
reader of the reflective sensor type, the output of which is intensitymodulated in accordance with a printed information bearing code being scanned thereby, such as the machine readable bar pattern seen printed at 26 on a page of a recipe or cook book 30 in conjunction with a recipe 32 5 containing instructions for the preparation of a food item to be cooked in the oven. Suitable flexible means or wires 34 connect the light pen 2~ to the control panel 16 so that the light pen can be manually and easily manipulated to scan the information bearing bar pattern 26, whether printed on a page of a recipe book or on some other article such as on a recipe card, the package 10 for the food item or the like. This arrangement is particularly advan-tageous, for example, over card reading devices that require special information cards or the like of a specific size and shape for use in a reading device employed in the oven.
Referring now to Fig. 2 wherein the control system for the 15 microwave oven is designated ganerally by reference numeral 36, it will be seen that the light pen 24 is coupled to an oven controller or control circuit 38 which directs operation of the oven 10 in accordance with the cooking cycle program identified by the information code read by the light pen reader. The control system 36 may take various forms, a preferred form 20 being seen further to include a decoder/translator circuit 40 that decodes and translates the signal received from the light pen reader 24 into control circuit usable data such as into digital data where the control circuit employs microprocessors or the like for effecting operation of the oven.
The decoder/translator circuit 40 thus converts the coded information into 25 usable instructions which are then supplied to the oven control circuit 38 for directing the oven operation in accordance with such instructions.
In decoding and translating the coded information received from the light pen reader 24, the decoder/translator circuit 40 may perform various functions depending on the informational content of the printed 30 code. The code according to the invention may identify a desired cooking cycle by containing, for example, a complete set of program instructions for the control circuit 38. In this case, the decoder/translator circuit need only convert the signals received from the light pen reader to instructional signals used by the control cireuit. The decoder/translator circuit may also 35 irterpret or rdrpt the informrtion recei~ed irom the printed code for best : ~ ~
-` I 1707~
results in the particulElr oven being used if the code contains general information usable with ovens of different types. For ex~mple, the information code may carry instructions for operating a radiant heating element with which feature the oven is not equipped. In this instance, the decoder/translator circuit mny disregard such instructions or modify the other program instructions to ad~pt or modify same to account for the lack of the radiant heating element or other oven feature. To achieve such adaptation, the decoderltranslator circuit may rely upon data stored in a memory ~ircuit 44 which in such case would contain modification informa-tion for tailoring the given cooking program to the particular oven being used.
The memory circuit 44 instead, and as depictedy can be used to store at least one and preferably a number of cooking programs, each program including recipe cooking instructions for effecting the desired or optimum operation of the oven through the oven control circuit 38 for cooking a corresponding food item. In this case, the printed code to identify the desired program need include only information indicnting the stored program such as the memory address therefor corresponding to the particular food item to be cooked.
It will be appreciated that an oven employing memory stored cooking programs can be utili~ed with the universal product code system presently in use by the pack~ged food industry, the optimum program being identified by the product code assigned to the food item to be cooked which code contains information identifying the food item as well as its weight.
For practical purposes, the memory might only include programs for those food items known to be more commonly cooked in microwave ovens without substantial additional preparation, an error signal or the like otherwise being generated if a stored program is unavailable for the item to be cooked.
A~s another modification, the memory circuit 44 may store a number of sub-programs such as one or more defrost su~programs, baking sub-programs, browning sub-programs, or the like. In this case, the printed code carries abbreviated program instructions identifying the desired sub-program or sub-programs and the sequence therefor for the corresponding food item to be cooked, the decoderltranslator circuit 40 formulating from such abbreviated instructions a complete set of cooking instructions for use by the control circuit 38.
:
1 17072$
The control circuit 38 having received program instructions by any one of the foregoing or other modes may optionally effect a visual review thereof on the oven display panel 20, a display circuit 46 being connected to the control circuit and display panel for this purpose. Tnis is particularly 5 advantageous where the cooking pro~ram instructions are not otherwise available to the oven user except in the printed information code which the user may not be able to interpret. There may additionally be provided an audio or voice output circuit 4~ connected to the control circuit 38 and to the speaker 22 in the oven control panel 16, such output circuit employing 10 for example voice chips and associated circuitry to generate a spoken program review~
Although the oven could operate solely through the automatic program inp~lt system consisting of the light pen reader 24, decoder/trans-lator circuit 40 and memory circuit 4~, the control circuit 38 desirably also 15 has connected thereto a manual program input device such as the touch system input device 50 shown for enabling the user to enter manunlly his or her own cooking progrnm instructions.
With the foregoing oven control system, it can now be appreciated that the oven can be easily automatically programmed and operated in 20 accordance with an optimum cooking cycle, the program being identified by an information bearing code which for example may be printed on the package for the food item to be cooked. This is particularly advantageous in the cooking of prepared frozen meals which commonly are initially heated with low and intermittently applied microwave energy and then at a 25 continuous higher level of energy to serving temperature. Also as mentioned above, the printed information codes may be employed in conjunction with recipes on cards or in cookbooks or the like. The user can then prepare the food item in accordance with the selected recipe and then simply scan the corresponding information code with the reader for effectin~ an optimum 30 cooking program in the oven. Since the code is simply printed on the recipe card, in the cookbook, or on the package for the article itself, it is relatively inexpensive and practical to provide cooking program information codes for a large number of products, particularly where the code contains the complete or essentially complete set of instructions whereby only a small 35 capacity memory is required if at all.
.
~ 17~7~
_7 _ Although the circuitry for the control system described above is not set forth herein, it should be understood that those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this disclosure will be able readily to develop the circuitry for such control system employing conventional and availnble S circuitry presently used in microwave ovens and in microprocessors.
~ Ithough the invention has been shown and clescribed with respect to a preferred embodiment, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present invention includes all such 10 equivalent alterations and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the claims.
Claims (13)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A microwave oven control system for a microwave oven comprising an oven control means in said oven and manually movable cooking cycle program identification code reader means external of said oven and connected to said control means for directing oven operation in accordance with a program for cooking a food item.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said reader means consists of a light pen reader which generates a modulated signal in accordance with a bar pattern when read thereby.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said reader means is coupled to said control means by flexible coupling means such that said reader means may scan information codes printed on different types and shapes of articles.
4. The system of claim 1 further comprising memory means for storing at least one predetermined cooking cycle program, and means connected to said reader means and memory means for selecting from said memory means a program indicated by the information contained in the code and for supplying the thusly selected program to said control means for execution in accordance therewith.
5. The system of claim 1 further comprising manual input means connected to said control means for manually supplying a cooking cycle program to said control means.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising visual display means connected to said control means for providing a visual review of the program identified by the printed code.
7. The system of claim 1 further comprising audio output means for providing an audible review of the program identified by the printed code.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein said control system further comprises means connected to said reader means and control means for interpreting the information read by said reader means for best results in the oven and instructing said control means to operate the oven accordingly.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein said reader means comprise optical sensing means.
10. A control system for a microwave oven comprising an article having printed thereon at least one recipe containing instructions for the preparation of a food item and a corresponding information bearing code identifying a desired cooking program for such food item, reader means positionable remotely of said oven for reading said printed information bearing code, said reader means being manually movable across said printed information bearing code, and oven control means connected to said reader means for directing oven operation in accordance with the cooking program identified by the printed code.
11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of said articles in the form of pages assembled collectively in a book.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein the code is in the form of a machine readable bar pattern.
13. A microwave oven control system comprising light pen reader means for generating a modulated signal in accordance with an information bearing code in the form of a machine readable bar pattern identifying a cooking cycle program for a food item when read thereby, memory means for storing at least one cooking cycle program, means connected to said reader means and memory means for selecting from said memory means a program indicated by the modulated signal generated by said reader means, and oven control means connected to said means for selecting for directing oven operation in accordance with the thusly selected program.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US17075680A | 1980-07-21 | 1980-07-21 | |
| US170,756 | 1980-07-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1170725A true CA1170725A (en) | 1984-07-10 |
Family
ID=22621127
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000376973A Expired CA1170725A (en) | 1980-07-21 | 1981-05-06 | Microwave oven control system |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1170725A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3127235A1 (en) |
| SE (1) | SE445415B (en) |
Families Citing this family (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT8334012V0 (en) * | 1983-03-14 | 1983-03-14 | Zanussi A Spa Industrie | PROGRAMMER FOR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES WITH OPTICAL SETTING SYSTEM |
| FR2572326B1 (en) * | 1984-10-31 | 1987-03-20 | Gaz De France | METHOD AND MACHINE FOR PRODUCING AUTOMATIC WELDING OF PLASTIC PARTS WITH INTEGRATED WINDING. |
| DE4142463A1 (en) * | 1991-12-20 | 1993-06-24 | Bosch Siemens Hausgeraete | HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE AND TREATMENT |
| US5831852A (en) * | 1992-12-14 | 1998-11-03 | Carrier Corporation | Method and apparatus for loading a control program into a refrigeration system |
| DE4317624C1 (en) * | 1993-05-27 | 1994-06-01 | Christian Ihmels | Automatic preparation of packaged foodstuffs - with cooking programme encoded on packaging or stored in cooker control unit |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1180958A (en) * | 1966-12-15 | 1970-02-11 | Pierre Tanguy | Devices for Heating Food Contained in Coded Packages. |
| JPS558562A (en) * | 1978-07-04 | 1980-01-22 | Sharp Corp | Electric oven |
-
1981
- 1981-05-06 CA CA000376973A patent/CA1170725A/en not_active Expired
- 1981-07-10 DE DE19813127235 patent/DE3127235A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1981-07-17 SE SE8104440A patent/SE445415B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| SE8104440L (en) | 1982-01-22 |
| SE445415B (en) | 1986-06-16 |
| DE3127235A1 (en) | 1982-08-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |