PREPARATION OF A FOOD ACCORDING TO PREDETERMINED RECIPE DATA WITH AN ELECTRICAL KITCHEN APPLIANCE

Abstract

The invention relates to the processing of a food according to predetermined recipe data with an electrical kitchen appliance. Provided for this purpose according to the invention is a system with at least one electrical kitchen appliance (1) for the processing of at least one food according to predetermined recipe data (5) by a user and a memory (3) connected with the electrical kitchen appliance (1), wherein the electrical kitchen appliance (1) exhibits a food parameter acquisition device (8) for acquiring at least one parameter of the food to be processed and/or an environmental parameter acquisition device (10) for acquiring a parameter of an environmental condition of the electrical kitchen appliance (1), and at least one additional data item (13) is stored in the memory (3) for the acquired parameter. This provides the type of system with which the success of a recipe can be guaranteed within broad limits using the electrical kitchen appliance.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12: A system with at least one electrical kitchen appliance for the preparation of at least one food according to predetermined recipe data by a user and a memory connected with the electrical kitchen appliance, wherein the electrical kitchen appliance exhibits a food parameter acquisition device for acquiring at least one parameter of the food to be processed and/or an environmental parameter acquisition device for acquiring a parameter of an environmental condition of the electrical kitchen appliance, and at least one additional data item is stored in the memory for the acquired parameter, wherein the electrical kitchen appliance exhibits a user acquisition device, with which the identity of the user of the electrical kitchen appliance can be acquired, and wherein the recipe to be implemented can be individually adjusted to the respective user.

13: The system according to claim 12, wherein the electrical kitchen appliance exhibits an output interface, with which the additional data item and/or a data item derived from the additional data item can be output to the user.

14: The system according to claim 12, wherein the memory is provided remote from the electrical kitchen appliance.

15: The system according to claim 12, wherein the memory is connected with a plurality of preferably identical electrical kitchen appliances, preferably via the internet.

16: A method for the operation of an electrical kitchen appliance for processing at least one food according to predetermined recipe data by a user, with the following steps: Acquiring at least one parameter of the food to be processed in the electrical kitchen appliance and/or a parameter of an environmental condition of the electrical kitchen appliance, Comparing the acquired parameter with parameter data stored in a memory connected with the electrical kitchen appliance, wherein at least one additional respective data item is stored for the parameter data stored in the memory, Transmitting the additional data item belonging to the stored parameter data item corresponding to the acquired parameter, and/or a data item derived therefrom from the memory to the electrical kitchen appliance, wherein a user acquisition device is used to acquire the identity of the user of the electrical kitchen appliance, and the recipe to be implemented is individually adjusted to the respective user.

17: The method according to claim 16, with the following additional steps: Outputting the transmitted additional data item, the transmitted derived data item or a data item derived in the electrical kitchen appliance from the transmitted additional data item on the electrical kitchen appliance to the user, Automatically considering the additional data item of the transmitted derived data item or a data item derived in the electrical kitchen appliance from the transmitted additional data item while processing the food according to the predetermined recipe data.

18: The method according to claim 16, with the following additional steps: Comparing a user data item corresponding to the user of the electrical kitchen appliance with a user data item stored for the additional data item, and Transmitting the additional data item belonging to the stored parameter data item corresponding to the acquired parameter, and/or a data item derived therefrom from the memory to the electrical kitchen appliance, only if the acquired user data corresponds to the user data item stored in the memory for the additional data item.

19: The method according to claim 16, with the following additional steps: Transmitting recipe data used by the user from the electrical kitchen appliance to the memory, preferably along with a user data item corresponding to the user of the electrical kitchen appliance, and Storing the recipe data, preferably along with the user data item, in the memory for later access by the electrical kitchen appliance to the memory.

20: The method according to claim 19, with the following additional step: Providing the stored recipe data, preferably along with the user data item, in the memory for access by a device other than the electrical kitchen device.

Description

[0033] The drawing shows:

[0034] FIG. 1 a schematic view of a system according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention,

[0035] FIG. 2 a schematic view of the memory with the data stored therein according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, and

[0036] FIG. 3 a schematic view of the system according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention with additional electrical kitchen appliances as well as a connected computer.

[0037] FIG. 1 presents a schematic view of a system with an electrical kitchen appliance 1 and a memory 2 connected with the latter. The memory 2 is part of a server 3, which is connected with the electrical kitchen appliance 1 via the internet 4.

[0038] The electrical kitchen appliance 1 is provided for processing a food not further shown according to predetermined recipe data 5, which are stored in a recipe data memory 6 provided in the electrical kitchen appliance 1. The recipe data memory 6 can also be connected with the server 3 via the internet 4, so that the recipe data 5 can be updated by way of the server 3. The recipe data memory 6 can be detached from the electrical kitchen appliance 1, and to this end is in principle designed as a USB stick.

[0039] In order to process the food in the electrical kitchen appliance 1, the latter exhibits a processing chamber 7. According to the presently described preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, this processing chamber 7 is provided with a food parameter acquisition device 8. This food parameter acquisition device 8 is presently configured in such a way as to enable the acquisition of the parameters “Water content of the food to be processed” and “Salt content of the food to be processed”. In addition, the consistency, i.e., the firmness of the food to be processed, can be determined by means of an agitator and cutter 9 provided in the processing chamber 7, specifically based on the resistance that arises while processing the food with the agitator and cutter 9 in the processing chamber 7.

[0040] In addition to the food parameter acquisition device 8, the electrical kitchen appliance 1 according to the present preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention exhibits an environmental parameter acquisition device 10. It also holds true for this environmental parameter acquisition device 10 that it can acquire various environmental parameters, in the present case specifically the parameters “Temperature”, “Airiness”, “Air pressure” and also the parameter “Installation site of electrical kitchen device”. In order to acquire the installation site of the electrical kitchen device, the environmental parameter acquisition device 10 is provided with a GPS unit not shown in detail. In addition, the environmental parameter acquisition device 10 exhibits a GSM module (also not shown in detail), which makes it possible to access a mobile network, and thus localize the electrical kitchen appliance 1 via the corresponding mobile radio cell in which the logging takes place. In addition, the installation site of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention can also be acquired via the router (not further shown), through which the electrical kitchen appliance 1 gains access to the internet 4.

[0041] Furthermore, the electrical kitchen appliance 1 exhibits a user acquisition device 11. The latter is presently configured as an active unit, specifically as a fingerprint sensor, with which the identity of the user of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 can be precisely determined. The data determined by the user acquisition device 11 along with the parameter data determined by the food parameter acquisition device 8 or environmental parameter acquisition device 10 are fed to a central control device 12, which also is connected with the other devices of the electrical kitchen appliance 1, such as the agitator and cutter 9, as well as with the food parameter acquisition device 8 and environmental parameter acquisition device 10. In addition, the central control device 12 receives the recipe data 5 on the one hand from the recipe data memory 6 provided in the electrical kitchen appliance 1, and on the other hand the additional data 13 stored in the memory 2 in the server 3, specifically via the internet 4.

[0042] Messages of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 to the user can be output by way of an output interface 14 provided on the electrical kitchen appliance 1, in this case a color display. Inputs by the user can be made via an input interface 15, in this case a touchscreen.

[0043] The electrical kitchen appliance according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention shown on FIG. 1 now operates as follows:

[0044] When commissioning the electrical kitchen appliance 1, the user is prompted via the output interface 14 to place his or her finger on the user acquisition device 11 designed as a fingerprint sensor. As a result, the identity of the user of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 is acquired by transmitting the data about the fingerprint to the central control device 12 and there comparing it with stored user data 17. The electrical kitchen appliance 1 can then operate in a mode in which data about precisely this user of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 are individually used, or in another mode in which it is determined what kind of group of persons the current user belongs to, i.e., whether he or she is to be classified as “Beginner”, “Advanced” or “Expert”, for example.

[0045] After a recipe stored in the recipe data memory 6 has been selected by the user via the input interface 15, implementation of the corresponding recipe is begun by retrieving the recipe data 5 from the recipe data memory 6 into the central control device 12. While processing the corresponding recipe data 5, the user is prompted by the output interface 14 to introduce a predetermined quantity of a predetermined food into the processing chamber 7 for continued processing therein.

[0046] After the user has responded to this prompt and acknowledged the conclusion of the filling step by a corresponding input via the input interface 15, the electrical kitchen appliance 1 automatically acquires various parameters with the food parameter acquisition device 9 on the one hand and the environmental parameter acquisition device 10 on the other. In the presently described example for operating the electrical kitchen appliance 1, the food parameter acquisition device 8 is used to acquire the salt content of the food, while the environmental parameter acquisition device 10 is used to determine the atmospheric pressure. These acquired parameters are compared within the central control device with data that are automatically retrieved by the electrical kitchen appliance 1 from the memory 2 of the server 3 via the internet 4.

[0047] As evident on FIG. 2, the data stored in the memory 2 are structured in such a way that those types of parameter data 16 corresponding to predetermined ranges of the parameters acquired by the food parameter acquisition device 8 or environmental parameter acquisition device 10 are allocated to additional data 13 and user data 17. Predetermined correction data regarding the cooking time are allocated to various atmospheric pressure ranges as additional data 13. The lower the atmospheric pressure, the lower the boiling point as well, which requires that a meal be cooked for a correspondingly longer time for this meal to correspondingly succeed. This is taken into account by the corresponding correction data as additional data 13.

[0048] Also stored as parameter data 16 are data for the consistency of the food to be processed, i.e., for the resistance with which the food counters the agitator and cutter 9 while being processed. Provided here as correction data 13 are correction times for the duration of processing with the agitator and cutter 9, in which more solid foods with a more solid consistency require a longer processing time than softer ones. Additionally provided as parameter data 16 are data for the salt content of the food to be processed, so that correction quantities of the salt to be added are stored as correction data 13.

[0049] Finally, information data about specific, acquired parameters are also stored as additional data 13, specifically for the respective user. By previously also logging the implementation of a predetermined recipe and storing the corresponding information in the memory 2 of the server 3, the user can be made aware of the fact that he or she has deviated from the recipe data 5 stored in the recipe data memory 6 during the previous recipe implementation. In this way, an output via the output interface 14 can make the user aware of the fact that he or she added less water when last implementing the corresponding recipe, for example.

[0050] Just as when implementing the recipe in the past, just which actual recipe data in the central control device 12 of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 according to the presently described preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention were actually processed is again transmitted to the memory 2 of the server 3 here as well. This results in an individualized data collection in the memory 2 of the server 3, which can also be made available to other users of corresponding electrical kitchen appliances 101, 201, 301 and 401, as schematically evident from FIG. 3.

[0051] Therefore, users of these other kitchen appliances 101-401 can be given information about how other users, in this case specifically the user of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, actually implemented a specific recipe. In addition, these data can also be retrieved by means of a computer 18, allowing the supplier of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention and corresponding recipe data 5 to update these recipe data 5, which then can be transmitted to the recipe data memory 6 in the electrical kitchen appliance 1 via the server 3.

[0052] Furthermore, data from the recipe data 5 stored in the recipe data memory 6 can also be compared with the data stored in the memory 2 of the remote server 3, so that locations where corresponding foods in the environment of the installation site of the electrical kitchen appliance 1 are especially inexpensive or available in an especially good quality can be stored as additional data 13 for specific foods required by the recipe to be implemented, for example.

[0053] As a result, the invention thus enables an improved adjustment of the actual recipe data 5 to be used to the specific boundary conditions under which the electrical kitchen appliance 1 is operated. Also logging and storing the actually processed recipe data also leads to an ever more exact interaction between the specifications of the recipe data 5 stored in the recipe data memory 6 and the preferences of the user. Therefore, the electrical kitchen appliance 1 no longer needs to implement just one rigid recipe program, but can adjust to the behavior of the user and his or her preferences. This adjustment becomes better and better over the course of several implementations of the same recipe.

REFERENCE LIST

[0054] 1 Electrical kitchen appliance [0055] 2 Memory [0056] 3 Server [0057] 4 Internet [0058] 5 Recipe data [0059] 6 Recipe data memory [0060] 7 Processing chamber [0061] 8 Food parameter acquisition device [0062] 9 Agitator and cutter [0063] 10 Environmental parameter acquisition device [0064] 11 User acquisition device [0065] 12 Central control device [0066] 13 Additional data [0067] 14 Output interface [0068] 15 Input interface [0069] 16 Parameter data [0070] 17 User data item [0071] 18 Computer [0072] 101 Other kitchen appliance [0073] 201 Other kitchen appliance [0074] 301 Other kitchen appliance [0075] 401 Other kitchen appliance