Connected food preparation system and method of use

Abstract

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A cooking system comprising:
 a cooking body defining a cooking cavity, a top, and a bottom, wherein the cooking body is associated with a device identifier;   an optical sensor mounted proximal the top, wherein the optical sensor is directed toward the cooking cavity;   an identification module in communication with the optical sensor, the identification module configured to automatically determine a foodstuff identifier for foodstuff within the cooking cavity based on an image recorded by the optical sensor;   a heating element in thermal contact with the cooking cavity; and   a processing system, in communication with the identification module, that is configured to:
 select cooking instructions based on the foodstuff identifier and the device identifier; and 
 control operation of the heating element according to the set of cooking instructions. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of cooking instructions are automatically retrieved based on the cooking body. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking system of  claim 2 , wherein the cooking body is part of an oven, wherein the processing system is configured to select the cooking instructions based on the foodstuff identifier and the oven. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking system of  claim 3 , wherein the oven sends an oven identifier to the processing system. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a remote database, comprising:
 a plurality of stored foodstuff identifiers; 
 a plurality of device identifiers; and 
 a plurality cooking instructions, each associated with a different combination of device identifiers and foodstuff identifiers; and 
   a wireless communication module mounted to the cooking body and configured to receive the cooking instructions from the remote database.   
     
     
         6 . The cooking system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a second cooking body associated with a second device identifier different from the first device identifier;   a second wireless communication module mounted to the second cooking body and configured to receive secondary cooking instructions, different from the cooking instructions, from the remote database, wherein the secondary cooking instructions are associated with the foodstuff identifier and the second device identifier; and   a second heating element in thermal contact with the second cooking body.   
     
     
         7 . The cooking system of  claim 6 , wherein the first and second cooking bodies comprise different appliance types. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking system of  claim 7 , wherein the cooking instructions comprise a target visual parameter. 
     
     
         9 . The cooking system of  claim 1 , further comprising a local control system, mounted to the cooking body, that is configured to retrieve the cooking instructions from the processing system in response to foodstuff identifier determination.