Recipe providing method, cooking appliance, recipe providing program, and recipe providing system

Abstract

To provide a recipe-providing system capable of improving users' convenience of cooking.SOLUTION: The recipe-providing system includes a server 101, a heating cooker 1, and an information terminal unit 103. Information for registering to be capable of cooking using accessories of the heating cooker 1 is transmitted from the server 101 to the information terminal unit 103. The information terminal unit 103 provides setting information concerning cooking recipes for cooking with the accessories after registration, etc. to the heating cooker 1. This enables transmission of setting information concerning cooking recipes of registered accessories to the heating cooker, etc. so that the convenience of cooking with the accessories of the heating cooker is increased.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to information providing technology, and particularly to a recipe providing method, a cooking appliance, a recipe providing program, and a recipe providing system for providing information (recipes) related to cooking.

Background Art

[0002] With the development of technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), home appliances that can obtain and provide various information through communication have been provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses posting information related to a cooking menu executed by a cooking appliance to a communication tool management unit of a server via a communication network.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The inventors of the present invention recognized the problem of further improving the convenience of cooking users by using communication technology and conceived the technology of the present disclosure.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of such a situation, and its object is to improve the convenience of cooking users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe providing method. This recipe providing method is a method for providing a recipe to a cooking appliance, and includes a step of registering for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, and a step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a cooking appliance. This cooking appliance is a cooking appliance capable of communicating with a server via the Internet, and includes a wireless communication module and a control device that stores a registration for enabling cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance. When the control device performs the registration for enabling cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance, a control sequence regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory becomes available.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe providing program. This recipe providing program is a program for providing a recipe to a cooking appliance, and executes a procedure for registering for enabling cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, and executes a procedure for providing the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe providing system. This recipe providing system is a recipe providing system including a server, a cooking appliance, and an information terminal device. Information for registering for enabling cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance is transmitted from the server to the information terminal device, and after the registration, the information terminal device provides the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory.

[0010] In addition, any combination of the above components, and those obtained by converting the expressions of the present disclosure among a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc., are also effective as aspects of the present disclosure.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the technology of the present disclosure, the convenience of the user of the cooking appliance can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] As an embodiment of the present disclosure, a technique for providing recipe information of dishes that can be cooked using a cooking appliance will be described. The technique of the present disclosure is applicable to heating cooking appliances such as a microwave oven, an oven, a toaster, a roaster, a gas stove, a stove, a rice cooker, a home bakery, a cooking heater, a hot plate, a pressure cooker, etc. that can execute at least a part of the procedure for cooking food to make a dish, and any cooking appliances such as a mixer, a juicer, a food processor, etc. Hereinafter, an example of providing recipe information of dishes that can be cooked using a heating cooking appliance such as a microwave oven will be mainly described.

[0014] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the appearance of the heating cooking appliance 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the heating cooking appliance 1 with the door 7 closed. FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the heating cooking appliance 1 with the door 7 open.

[0015] The heating cooking appliance 1 includes a housing 3, a heating chamber 5 disposed inside the housing 3, and a door 7 that openably covers an opening 3b formed in a front frame 3a that is the front surface of the housing 3. The heating chamber 5 is a space surrounded by an upper wall 5a disposed at the upper part, side walls 5b and 5c disposed on both sides, a rear wall (not shown) disposed at the rear part, and a bottom wall 5e disposed at the lower part.

[0016] The door 7 is pivotally supported by a horizontal rotation axis to the housing 3 so as to be openable and closable below the opening 3b. When the user pulls the handle 7a attached to the upper part of the outer frame 13 of the door 7, and the door 7 is rotated to be in a horizontal state, the heating chamber 5 is opened. Also, when the door 7 is rotated to be in a vertical state, the heating chamber 5 is closed.

[0017] A display unit 9b and an operation unit 9a are arranged on the right side in the front view of the door 7. The display unit 9b is, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel, and a menu screen or the like is displayed. Inside the door 7, a communication device for controlling communication with an external device is provided, and information such as a recipe obtained from an external device via the communication device is also displayed on the display unit 9b. The operation unit 9a is, for example, a push button such as a start button or a dial, and receives instructions from the user for the heating cooker 1. By closing the door 7, the heating chamber 5 is closed, and when the start button is pressed by the user's operation, heating inside the heating chamber 5 is started.

[0018] Below the bottom wall 5e of the heating chamber 5, a magnetron 10c is provided, and the microwave generated by the microwave oscillator is radiated into the heating chamber 5 through a waveguide (not shown) provided outside the heating chamber 5 and inside the heating cooker 1. The object to be heated (food) placed in the heating chamber 5 is heated by the radiated microwave.

[0019] Furthermore, for example, a radiant upper heater 10a is provided above the upper wall 5a of the heating chamber, and a radiant lower heater 10b is provided below the bottom wall 5e of the heating chamber. When an iron plate 20 as shown in Fig. 3(a) is placed in the heating chamber 5, by heating the upper heater 10a and the lower heater 10b, the object to be heated placed on the iron plate 20 can be oven-heated.

[0020] Furthermore, when the grill plate 11 is placed in the heating chamber 5 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(b), the upper heater 10a is heated, and the grill plate 11 and the food to be heated placed on the grill plate 11 can be subjected to grill heating or oven heating by the microwave radiated into the heating chamber 5 by the magnetron 10c.

[0021] The surface 11a of the grill plate 11 is made of a metal such as copper or aluminum with high thermal conductivity, and is coated with a material obtained by blending a silane compound in a fluorine-based or silicon-based heat-resistant paint, and further coated with a material blended with titanium dioxide or the like which is a photocatalyst raw material, so that it may have a function of exhibiting hydrophilicity.

[0022] Since a heating element which is a radio wave absorber mainly composed of ferrite is formed on the back surface 11b (bottom surface) of the grill plate 11, when the microwave irradiates the back surface 11b of the grill plate 11, the heating element generates heat to heat the back surface 11b of the grill plate 11, and further the heat of the back surface 11b is transmitted to the surface 11a, so that the object to be heated placed on the grill plate 11 can be heated.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the steamer 30 is placed on the bottom wall 5e of the heating chamber 5, the food in the steamer 30 can be steamed or grilled by the microwave radiated into the heating chamber 5 by the magnetron 10c.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the steamer 30 mainly includes a lid portion 30a, a placement portion 30b, and a water reservoir portion 30c made of stainless steel or the like. The user first puts water into the water reservoir portion 30c, places the placement portion 30b having a plurality of holes 31 on the edge portion 33 of the water reservoir portion 30c, further places the object to be heated on the placement portion 30b, and further covers the placement portion 30b with the lid portion 30a. Then, the steamer 30 is placed in the heating chamber 5. The user first puts water into the water reservoir portion 30c, places the placement portion 30b having a plurality of holes 31 on the edge portion 33 of the water reservoir portion 30c, further places the object to be heated on the placement portion 30b, and further covers the placement portion 30b with the lid portion 30a. Then, the steamer 30 is placed in the heating chamber 5.

[0025] Incidentally, after placing the water reservoir 30c in the heating chamber 5, water may be put into the water reservoir 30c using some container or the like. Then, the placement part 30b having a plurality of holes 31 may be placed on the edge part 33 of the water reservoir 30c. Further, an object to be heated may be placed on the placement part 30b, and further, the lid part 30a may be placed on the placement part 30b.

[0026] The surface 32 of the water reservoir 30c is made of a metal such as copper or aluminum with high thermal conductivity. For example, by coating with a material in which a silane compound is blended in a fluorine-based or silicon-based paint with high heat resistance, and further by coating with a material in which titanium dioxide, which is a photocatalyst raw material, etc. is blended, it may be provided with a function of showing hydrophilicity.

[0027] Since a heating element, which is a radio wave absorber mainly composed of ferrite, is formed on the back surface 34 (bottom surface) of the water reservoir 30c, when the microwave irradiates the back surface 34 of the water reservoir 30c, the heating element generates heat to heat the back surface 34 of the water reservoir 30c, and further, the heat of the back surface 34 is transmitted to the surface 32. Therefore, the water stored in the water reservoir 30c can be heated.

[0028] The water heated in the water reservoir 30c evaporates to become steam, and the high-temperature steam contacts the object to be heated through the plurality of holes 31 of the placement part 30b, so that steaming or baking of the object to be heated becomes possible.

[0029] Incidentally, a heating heater (convection heater), which is a heat source, and a circulation fan may be provided between the rear wall 5d of the heating chamber 5 and the back plate. Further, an intake hole and an exhaust hole may be formed in the rear wall 5d of the heating chamber 5. By rotationally driving the circulation fan, the air in the heating chamber 5 is sucked from the intake hole, heated by the convection heater, and returned to the heating chamber 5 again from the exhaust hole. With this configuration, the object to be heated is uniformly heated. An exhaust port for discharging the air in the heating chamber 5 to the outside may be provided at the front part below the bottom wall 5e.

[0030] Therefore, when the iron plate 20 is placed in the heating chamber 5, the upper heater 10a and the convection heater may be heated to bake the object to be heated placed on the iron plate 20 in an oven.

[0031] A tank for storing water for generating steam to be sent to the heating chamber 5 may be provided below the bottom wall 5e. The water stored in the tank is supplied to a steam generating section (not shown) to become steam. The generated steam may be configured to be supplied to the heating chamber 5 via a steam pipe connecting the steam generating section and the heating chamber 5.

[0032] The cooking heater 1 includes at least one heating section 10 such as a magnetron 10c, an upper heater 10a, a lower heater 10b, a steam heating section, and a convection heater, and can heat food by a plurality of heating methods such as heating using microwaves from the magnetron 10c, heater heating using a heater, and steam heating using a steam generating section. Also, in each heating method, heating conditions such as heating temperature, heating time, and output power can be variably set. By heating the food, which is the object to be heated, with an appropriate heating method and heating conditions according to the type of dish, cooking method, amount of food as the object to be heated, type of accessories (for example, an iron plate, a grill plate, a steamer, etc.), etc., the dish can be cooked to a better finish. For example, when it is necessary to heat the food thoroughly to the inside, heating using microwaves is suitable, when it is necessary to give an appropriate char to the surface of the food, heater heating is suitable, and when the food is to be cooked by steaming or steamed baking, heating using steam is suitable.

[0033] In order to enable fine switching of the heating method and heating conditions during cooking, the cooking heater 1 holds in advance setting information for automatically setting an appropriate heating method and heating conditions according to the type of dish. The setting information is information representing the setting contents of the heating method and heating conditions in time series. The cooking heater 1 can automatically execute cooking in a method suitable for the type of food by setting the heating method and heating conditions according to the setting information.

[0034] As a preparation for causing such automatic cooking to be executed by the cooking appliance 1, the user needs to prepare the necessary ingredients, make preliminary preparations, etc., and then place the food to be heated in the heating chamber 5. In a conventional general cooking appliance, recipe information such as ingredients and preliminary preparation methods is published in a manual attached to the cooking appliance 1, so the user has to perform operations such as preliminary preparation while referring to the recipe information published in the manual. Although the cooking appliance 1 may hold recipe information and display the recipe information on the display unit 9b in response to an instruction from the user, if the cooking appliance 1 is not installed in a position that can be easily viewed from the position where the user performs operations such as preliminary preparation in the kitchen, the user cannot perform the operations while checking the recipe information displayed on the display unit 9b of the cooking appliance 1.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an overview of a cooking system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, in the cooking system according to the present embodiment, recipe information regarding the procedure for cooking using the cooking appliance 1 is provided to the information terminal device 103 used by the user. Thereby, the user can place the information terminal device 103 in a position where it is easy to view during operations such as preliminary preparation and perform the operations while referring to the recipe information. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the cooking system includes a cooking appliance 1, a server 101 that communicates with the cooking appliance 1 via the Internet 102, and an information terminal device 103 having a display unit 103a that communicates with the server 101 and the like. Note that the display unit 103a may be configured as a touch panel that also serves as an operation unit. The information terminal device 103 includes a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. A plurality of information terminal devices 103 may be provided. Further, the information terminal device 103 may communicate with the cooking appliance 1 via a short-range wireless communication module such as NFC (see the dashed arrow in FIG. 1).

[0037] Server 101 consists of a recipe server 101a that manages recipes and the like, and a device server 101b that manages device information of the heating cooker 1. Note that the recipe server 101a and the device server 101b may be realized by a single server. Server 101 is generally configured by cloud computing.

[0038] The heating cooker 1 includes a wireless communication module 105a that communicates with the server 101 via a wireless access point 104 composed of a wireless LAN router or the like and the Internet 102. The wireless communication module 105a communicates with the wireless access point 104 by wireless LAN. The wireless communication module 105a uses a wireless LAN standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and transmits information to the server 101 or receives information from the server 101 via the wireless access point 104.

[0039] Note that the heating cooker 1 may be any heating cooker such as a microwave oven, an oven, a toaster, a roaster, a gas stove, a stove, a rice cooker, a home bakery, a cooking heater, a hot plate, a pressure cooker, or any cooking device such as a mixer, a juicer, a food processor, and may be not only a household cooking device but also a commercial cooking device.

[0040] The information terminal device 103 has a communication function that enables it to browse information on various websites or download information from the server 101 via the Internet 102, and can connect to a telephone line or an Internet line through various communication standards to perform voice and image communication.

[0041] This information terminal device 103 incorporates a control command device composed of a microprocessor or the like and a memory device for storing various data. It has installed in advance application software for using various services, such as menu information and recipe information for cooking with the cooking appliance 1, and further downloading menu information, recipe information, IDs related thereto, etc. from the Internet 102 via the wireless access point 104 to the cooking appliance 1, or obtaining information from the cooking appliance 1 via the wireless access point 104 through the Internet 102.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a simplified configuration of the recipe server 101a, the device server 101b in the server 101, and the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1, and data stored in their respective storage units.

[0043] The recipe server 101a, the device server 101b, and the control device 105b each consist of a storage unit a, a storage unit b, and a storage unit c for storing data. Further, since they have a communication function, they have a communication unit a, a communication unit b, and a wireless communication module 105a.

[0044] The storage unit c of the control device 105b stores in advance device menu IDs, model codes (model names), sequence names, recipe titles, etc. In the case of a cooking menu newly downloaded from the server 101, in addition to these, it also stores a download menu ID (DL menu ID). The DL menu ID, model code, device menu ID, recipe title, and sequence name are stored in a tabular form.

[0045] The storage unit b of the device server 101b stores the DL menu ID, model code, device menu ID, and recipe title in a tabular form. Further, the storage unit a of the recipe server 101a stores the recipe ID, DL menu ID, device menu ID, and recipe title in a tabular form.

[0046] By associating each ID, various recipes can be associated with the cooking sequence of the cooking appliance 1, enabling the various recipes to be properly cooked in the cooking appliance 1. Also, a new recipe can be prepared on the server 101 side, and the cooking sequence based on the new recipe can be downloaded to the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1, or the cooking sequence based on the new recipe can be selected from the cooking sequences already stored in the cooking appliance 1.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows a control block diagram of the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1 includes a storage unit c composed of a memory or the like, a control unit composed of a microcomputer, an input / output circuit, etc., and a heating unit 10 composed of at least one of a wireless communication module 105a, an operation unit 9a, a magnetron 10c, an upper heater 10a, a lower heater 10b, etc., and a display unit 9b are connected by wire or wirelessly. Further, the control device 105b controls the wireless communication module 105a, the operation unit 9a, the heating unit 10, the display unit 9b, etc. based on signals from the operation unit 9a, a temperature sensor (not shown), etc.

[0048] Note that although mechanical buttons or the like are common for the operation unit 9a, it may be configured with a touch panel or the like and also serve as part of the display unit 9b.

[0049] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure from recipe display and recipe selection to completion of preparation for cooking start or download completion in the cooking appliance 1.

[0050] The recipe server 101a provides information on recipes, menus, and other cooking-related information. The recipe server 101a stores the setting information that can be used by the cooking appliance 1 for each type of dish. Since the heating methods that the cooking appliance 1 can execute and the heating conditions that can be set may vary depending on the type of the cooking appliance 1, the recipe server 101a stores different setting information for each type of the cooking appliance 1 as the setting information corresponding to the same type of dish, and provides the setting information corresponding to the type of the cooking appliance 1 to the cooking appliance 1. Since the ingredients, preparations, etc. necessary for automatically cooking a dish by the cooking appliance 1 may also vary depending on the type of the cooking appliance 1, the recipe server 101a stores different recipe information for each type of the cooking appliance 1 as the recipe information corresponding to the same type of dish, and provides the menu information and recipe information corresponding to the type of the cooking appliance 1 to the information terminal device 103 owned by the user for display.

[0051] The information terminal device 103 has installed in advance application software (application) for using various services, such as downloading the menu information, recipe information, setting information such as IDs related thereto, and the control software of the cooking appliance 1 (the ID and the control software of the cooking appliance 1 are hereinafter referred to as "setting information, etc.") from the Internet 102 via the wireless access point 104 to the cooking appliance 1, or obtaining the information from the cooking appliance 1 via the Internet 102 from the wireless access point 104.

[0052] In addition, an icon for starting the application software is displayed on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103, and the application software is configured to start when this icon is touched. Further, it has a plurality of icons, and has a function that recipe selection and various registrations can be performed by touching (or pressing) the icons.

[0053] The application can register information such as the model of the cooking appliance 1 used by the user with the recipe server 101a and set the connection between the information terminal device 103, the device server 101b, and the cooking appliance 1. The application requests the recipe server 101a to display a download menu listing the types of dishes for which it is possible to download setting information, etc. from the recipe server 101a to the cooking appliance 1 in response to an instruction from the user.

[0054] The recipe server 101a extracts the types of dishes for which setting information that can be used by the cooking appliance 1 is prepared according to the type of the cooking appliance 1, generates a download menu listing the extracted types of dishes, and transmits it to the information terminal device 103. The information terminal device 103 displays the download menu received from the recipe server 101a on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103.

[0055] When the user selects a dish to be cooked from the download menu, the information terminal device 103 accepts a request to display the recipe information of the selected dish on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103. The information terminal device 103 transmits a recipe information display request including a download menu ID indicating the type of dish selected by the user to the recipe server 101a. The recipe server 101a transmits the recipe information identified by the download menu ID received from the information terminal device 103 to the information terminal device 103. The information terminal device 103 displays the recipe information 80 (here, the recipe information of "salted mackerel" is illustrated as an example) received from the recipe server 101a (illustrated in FIG. 9).

[0056] In FIG. 9, the recipe information 80 includes setting information, etc. to be downloaded to the cooking appliance 1 A download button is provided. When the user touches the download button, the information terminal device 103 accepts a request to download the setting information of the selected dish, etc. to the cooking appliance 1. When accepting a download request for setting information, etc., the information terminal device 103 transmits a download request including the download menu ID of the selected dish to the recipe server 101a. While transmitting the download request to the recipe server 101a, the information terminal device 103 displays a transmission screen 81 on the display unit 103a. When the transmission of the download request is completed, the information terminal device 103 displays a download completion screen 82 on the display unit 103a to notify the download completion.

[0057] In FIG. 8, when the user selects a recipe, the recipe server 101a finally transmits the setting information, etc. identified by the download menu ID received from the information terminal device 103 and the corresponding device menu ID to the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1 via the device server 101b. When starting to receive the setting information, etc. from the recipe server 101a, the cooking appliance 1 switches the top screen 90 displayed on the display unit 9b to a reception screen 91. When the reception of the setting information, etc. is completed, the cooking appliance 1 displays a reception completion screen 92 on the display unit 9b, and then displays a cooking start preparation completion screen 93 for starting automatic cooking of the dish using the received setting information, etc. on the display unit 9b.

[0058] In the above process, the device server 101b associates the setting information, etc. identified by the download menu ID, the corresponding device menu ID, and further the corresponding model code, and transmits the device menu ID and the model code to the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1.

[0059] The control device 105b recognizes the sequence name corresponding to the model code of the cooking device 1 and the device menu ID, and notifies the information terminal device 103 via the device server 101b and the recipe server 101a that cooking information and the like have been downloaded. Also, preparations for starting the cooking of the cooking device 1 are completed with control software corresponding to the corresponding sequence name. Note that the setting information and the like transmitted to the control device 105b do not necessarily have to correspond to the sequence name, and may be new setting information and the like not held on the control device 105b side.

[0060] The cooking device 1 notifies the device server 101b that the reception of setting information and the like has been completed, and the device server 101b finally push-notifies the information terminal device 103 that the setting information and the like have been downloaded to the cooking device 1. Furthermore, the information terminal device 103 may be push-notified that the preparation for starting cooking on the cooking device 1 side has been completed. The information terminal device 103 displays the push notification 83 received from the device server 101b on the display unit 103a.

[0061] Thereby, the user can download and use setting information and the like not previously held in the cooking device 1 from the recipe server 101a to the cooking device 1. Also, the user can request the download of setting information and the like from the information terminal device 103.

[0062] Furthermore, the screen of the display unit 103a may be returned from the screen of the push notification 83 to the screen of the recipe information 80. Thereby, while referring to the recipe information 80 displayed on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103 at hand, the user makes preparations and pre-arrangements for automatically cooking the food in the cooking device 1, and by putting food into the cooking device 1 at an arbitrary timing of the user and operating the start button or the like of the operation unit 9a, automatic cooking can be started.

[0063] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing procedures from accessory information display and accessory registration to completion of cooking start preparation or download completion in the cooking appliance 1 for accessories such as the steamer 30 (also referred to as a "steam pot") and the grill plate 11 of the cooking appliance 1 (also referred to as an "attachment").

[0064] When the cooking appliance 1 is sold on the market, there are accessories included with the cooking appliance 1 and accessories that need to be purchased separately without being included with the cooking appliance. In the present embodiment, the accessory included with the cooking appliance 1 is the iron plate 20, and the accessories that need to be purchased separately without being included with the cooking appliance are the steamer 30 and the grill plate 11. However, at least one of the iron plate 20, the steamer 30, and the grill plate 11 may be included with the cooking appliance 1, or all of them may be accessories that need to be purchased separately without being included with the cooking appliance 1.

[0065] Here, for the recipes cooked using the iron plate 20, the sequence name and control software corresponding to the cooking appliance 1 have been downloaded in advance. The iron plate 20 is an accessory suitable for oven cooking by the upper heater 10a and the lower heater 10b of the cooking appliance 1.

[0066] As described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, when the user selects a recipe to be cooked using the iron plate 20 on the information terminal device 103, setting information and the like regarding the recipe selected by the user are downloaded to the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1 via the recipe server 101a and the device server 101b. When the transmission of the download request is completed, the information terminal device 103 displays a download completion screen 82 on the display unit 103a to notify the download completion. In addition, when the reception of the setting information and the like is completed, the cooking appliance 1 displays a reception completion screen 92 on the display unit 9b, and then displays a cooking start preparation completion screen 93 for starting automatic cooking of the received setting information and the like on the display unit 9b.

[0067] In FIG. 10, when the user wants to select a recipe to cook with a separately purchased steamer 30 or grill pan 11 using the information terminal device 103, it is first necessary to register accessories.

[0068] In addition to being able to register information such as the model of the cooking appliance 1 used by the user with the recipe server 101a and set the connection between the information terminal device 103, the equipment server 101b, and the cooking appliance 1, the application can newly register information on the accessories of the cooking appliance 1 used by the user with the recipe server 101a. By doing so, the information terminal device 103 can send setting information and the like regarding the recipe of the registered accessories to the cooking appliance 1, and cooking using the registered accessories becomes possible with the cooking appliance 1.

[0069] First, the procedure for registering accessories will be explained. In response to an instruction from the user, the application requests the recipe server 101a to display a download menu that shows information that can be downloaded from the recipe server 101a to the cooking appliance 1, including information on the accessories and the models corresponding to the accessories.

[0070] The recipe server 101a extracts information on the accessories that can be used with the cooking appliance 1 according to the model of the cooking appliance 1, generates a download menu that lists the types of the extracted accessories, and sends it to the information terminal device 103. The information terminal device 103 displays the download menu received from the recipe server 101a on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103. When the user selects the accessory to be used from the download menu, the recipe server 101a registers the information indicating the type of the accessory received from the information terminal device 103.

[0071] In FIG. 11, on the initial screen of the application displayed on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103, when the user presses the "Kitchen Appliance" icon, a screen 50 showing a list of kitchen appliance models is displayed. For example, when the "Attachment Registration Status" icon in "NE-UBS5A-W", which is an example of a model, is pressed, the screen transitions to a screen 51 for registering attachments (accessories).

[0072] Next, on screen 51, when the "Register" icon is pressed to register an attachment, a list screen 52 of available attachments (accessories) is displayed. When the "Register" icon of the attachment to be registered (here, "Steam Pot" is selected as an accessory and registered) is pressed, the screen then transitions to a screen 53 for confirming the part number of the accessory (here, NE-US1, which is the part number of the steam pot).

[0073] After confirming that the part number is that of the accessory the user wants to register, the "Register" icon is pressed on screen 53. Then, the screen transitions to screen 81 and the registration information of the accessory is sent to the cooking appliance 1, and the screen transitions to the "Transmitting" screen when the registration information of the accessory is being sent. When the control device 105b in the cooking appliance 1 finishes confirming the information regarding the accessory and stores it in the storage unit c, assuming that the download of the registration information of the accessory is completed, the screen transitions to a "Transmission Completed" screen 82 notifying the completion of the download.

[0074] Explaining these screen transitions in the flow shown in FIG. 10, the registration information of the accessory selected by the user flows to the information terminal device 103, the recipe server 101a, the device server 101b, and the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1. When the control device 105b confirms the information regarding the accessory, the control device 105b also confirms that the accessory has been registered, and data is updated so that control software for cooking using the accessory is released, for example, by releasing the control sequence name for the registered accessory, and cooking can be performed using the accessory registered in the cooking appliance 1.

[0075] Furthermore, when the download of the registration information of the accessory is completed, the recipe server 101a releases the accessory recipe for cooking using the accessory, and the accessory recipe for cooking using the accessory is displayed on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103, and the user can select the accessory recipe.

[0076] If the registration of the accessory of the cooking appliance 1 is not completed, the cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory may not be provided to the user.

[0077] For cooking with the accessory after the accessory is registered in the cooking appliance 1, the accessory recipe for cooking with the accessory may be displayed on the display unit 9b of the cooking appliance 1 and selected by the operation unit 9a for cooking, or as described in FIGS. 8 and 9 above, the user may select the accessory recipe for cooking with the accessory, download the setting information related to the accessory recipe to the control device 105b, and start cooking.

[0078] In FIG. 12, an example of the screen transition for downloading the setting information related to a certain accessory recipe to the control device 105b and starting cooking will be described.

[0079] In Fig. 12, when the user enters "steam pot" in the text search bar on the screen 50 of Fig. 11 and conducts a search, a cooking menu list screen 61 for the steam pot, which is an accessory, is displayed. Here, for example, if the "chawanmushi" menu is selected, a picture suggesting four chawanmushi, the model name NE-UBS5A of the heating cooker 1, and the set time of 24 minutes for heating (since "steam pot" is equivalent to "steamer", heating is by microwave using the magnetron 10c) are displayed as an accessory recipe (screen 62). When the "Send to Bistro" icon is pressed, setting information and the like regarding the accessory recipe for cooking chawanmushi with the steam pot, which is an accessory of the heating cooker 1, are transmitted. Information allowing the selection of the number of chawanmushi can be displayed on the display unit 9b of the heating cooker 1, and it is shown that when the steam pot is placed in the heating chamber 5 of the heating cooker 1 and the start button on the operation unit 9a is pressed, heating starts. When the user presses the start button, cooking based on the setting information and the like starts.

[0080] The process in which the user uses these information terminal devices 103 to transmit setting information and the like, and cooking starts based on the setting information and the like transmitted to the heating cooker 1 is the same as the content described in Figs. 8 and 9 above.

[0081] Next, a series of processes from attachment registration to cooking start for a "grill plate", which is a different accessory from the above-mentioned steam pot, will be described.

[0082] In Fig. 13, on the initial screen of the application displayed on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103, when the user presses the "kitchen appliance" icon, a screen 50 of the model list of kitchen appliances is displayed. For example, when the "attachment registration status" icon in a model example "NE-UBS5A-W" is pressed, the screen transitions to a screen 51 for registering an attachment (accessory).

[0083] Next, on screen 51, when the "Register" icon is pressed to register an attachment, a list screen 72 of attachments (accessories) that can be registered is displayed. When the "Register" icon of the attachment to be registered (here, select and register "grill plate" as an accessory) is pressed, the screen then transitions to a screen on 53 to confirm the part number of the accessory (here, the part number of the grill plate is NE-UG1).

[0084] After confirming that it is the part number of the accessory that the user wants to register, the "Register" icon is pressed on screen 73. Then, the screen transitions to 81 and the registration information of the accessory is sent to the cooking appliance 1, and the screen transitions to the "Transmitting" screen when the registration information of the accessory is being sent. When the control device 105b in the cooking appliance 1 finishes confirming the information regarding the accessory and stores it in the storage unit c, assuming that the download of the registration information of the accessory is completed, the screen transitions to the "Transmission Complete" screen 82 that notifies the completion of the download.

[0085] Explaining these screen transitions with the flow in FIG. 10, the registration information of the accessory selected by the user flows to the information terminal device 103, the recipe server 101a, the device server 101b, and the control device 105b of the cooking appliance 1. When the control device 105b confirms the information regarding the accessory, the control device 105b also confirms that the accessory has been registered on its side, and the control sequence name regarding the registered accessory is released, etc., and the data is updated so that control software for cooking using the accessory is released, and cooking can be performed using the accessory registered in the cooking appliance 1.

[0086] Furthermore, when the download of the registration information of the accessory is completed, the recipe server 101a releases the accessory recipe for cooking using the accessory, and on the display unit 103a of the information terminal device 103, the accessory recipe for cooking using the accessory is displayed, and the user can select that accessory recipe.

[0087] If the registration of the accessory of the cooking appliance 1 is not completed, it may be possible not to provide the cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory to the user.

[0088] After the accessory is registered, cooking on the cooking appliance 1 may be performed by displaying an accessory recipe for cooking using the accessory on the display unit 9b of the cooking appliance 1 and selecting it with the operation unit 9a, or as described in FIGS. 8 and 9 above, the user may select an accessory recipe for cooking using the accessory, download setting information and the like related to the accessory recipe to the control device 105b, and start cooking.

[0089] In FIG. 14, an example of screen transition for downloading setting information and the like related to another accessory recipe to the control device 105b and starting cooking will be described. ーd and starting cooking.

[0090] In FIG. 14, when the user inputs "grill pan" in the text search bar on the screen 50 of FIG. 13 and searches, a cooking menu list screen 81 for the grill pan, which is an accessory, is displayed. Here, for example, if the "Colorful Grill of Salmon" menu is selected, the model name of the cooking appliance 1, NE-UBS5A, the set time for heating (heating with microwaves using the magnetron 10c and the upper heater 10a, i.e., the "grill pan"), and accessory recipes such as the preparation of the "Colorful Grill of Salmon" are displayed (screen 82). When the "Send to Bistro" icon is pressed, setting information and the like related to the accessory recipe for cooking the Colorful Grill of Salmon with the grill pan, which is an accessory of the cooking appliance 1, are transmitted. Information allowing the user to select the number of people for the Colorful Grill of Salmon is displayed on the display unit 9b of the cooking appliance 1, and it is displayed that when the grill pan is placed in the upper stage in the heating chamber 5 of the cooking appliance 1 and the start button on the operation unit 9a is pressed, heating starts. When the user presses the start button, cooking based on the setting information and the like starts.

[0091] The process in which the user uses these information terminal devices 103 to transmit setting information and the like and cooking starts based on the setting information and the like transmitted to the cooking appliance 1 is the same as the content described in FIGS. 8 and 9 above.

[0092] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a list of the names of accessories of the cooking appliance 1, the explanatory text regarding the accessories displayed in the application, and the recipe names (menu names) of the accessories.

[0093] There are accessories included with the cooking appliance 1 and accessories that are not included with the cooking appliance and need to be purchased separately. In the present embodiment, the accessory included with the cooking appliance 1 is an iron plate 20 (commonly called: square plate), and the accessories that are not included with the cooking appliance and need to be purchased separately are a steamer 30 and a grill plate 11.

[0094] Here, for the recipes cooked with the iron plate 20, the sequence name and control software corresponding to the cooking appliance 1 have been downloaded in advance. The iron plate 20 is an accessory suitable for oven cooking by the upper heater 10a and the lower heater 10b of the cooking appliance 1.

[0095] Regarding the steamer 30 (steam pot) and the grill plate 11, which are accessories that are not included with the cooking appliance and need to be purchased separately, the application can transmit setting information and the like regarding the recipes of the accessories registered from the information terminal device 103 to the cooking appliance 1 by the user newly registering the information of the accessories of the cooking appliance 1 used by the user in the recipe server 101a, and cooking using the registered accessories becomes possible with the cooking appliance 1.

[0096] An example of the control sequence of the recipe names for each accessory will be described.

[0097] For example, for "Cookie" cooked by oven using the iron plate 20, the control device 105b controls the upper heater 10a and the lower heater 10b. Using a temperature sensor or the like for detecting the temperature of the object to be heated, the control sequence is to repeatedly turn on and off the upper heater and the lower heater to preheat at about 180° C. and heat for a total of about 20 minutes.

[0098] Also, for example, for "Hamburger (for 4 people)" grilled on the grill plate 11, the output of the magnetron 10c is heated at 800 W for about 6 minutes and heated with the upper heater 10a for about 10 minutes.

[0099] Also, for example, for "Boiled Eggs" cooked by steaming in a steamer 30 (steam pot) filled with water, the output of the magnetron 10c is heated at 600 W for about 15 minutes.

[0100] In the present embodiment, each parameter such as the heating unit, output, and heating time to be used is held in the recipe server 101a as setting information or the like for each recipe name, and by registering accessories by the user and transmitting the setting information or the like of the recipe to the control device 105b by selecting the recipe, various cookings in the heating cooker 1 are made possible.

[0101] Note that the setting information or the like of the recipe may be held in the heating cooker 1, and after matching with the setting information or the like transmitted from the server 101 by the user's recipe selection, cooking based on the setting information or the like may be started in the heating cooker 1, or the setting information or the like of the recipe may not be held in the heating cooker 1, and the setting information or the like transmitted from the server 101 by the user's recipe selection may be newly memorized, and cooking based on the new setting information or the like may be started.

[0102] As another embodiment, if a two-dimensional code in which information such as the part number, manufacturing number, and manufacturing date of the accessory is embedded is attached to the accessory, the handling instruction manual of the accessory, or the packaging material, and it can be read by a camera or the like mounted on the information terminal device 103, the labor of registering the accessory by the user's operation can be saved.

[0103] Furthermore, by associating the model information of the heating cooker 1 held in the server 101 by model registration and the information such as the part number, manufacturing number, and manufacturing date of the accessory with the user and holding them in the server 101, the usage frequency of the accessory recipe and the like can also be held on the server side, so that the product life of the accessory and the heating cooker 1 can be grasped and notified to the user, and new accessory recommended recipes and the like can also be provided.

[0104] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe providing method. This recipe providing method is a method for providing a recipe to a cooking appliance, and includes a step of registering for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, and a step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory. According to this aspect, when a user registers for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, setting information and the like regarding the cooking recipe of the registered accessory can be transmitted to the cooking appliance. Therefore, for a user who has an accessory that requires registration, the convenience of cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is enhanced.

[0105] A second aspect of the present disclosure is, in the first aspect, for accessories that require registration for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, it is possible to transition to the step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory after registration, and for accessories that do not require registration for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, it is possible to transition to the step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory without registration. According to this aspect, for accessories that do not require registration for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory can be transmitted to the cooking appliance without registration. Therefore, for a user who has an accessory that does not require registration, the convenience of cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is also enhanced.

[0106] A third aspect of the present disclosure is, in the first or second aspect, when the registration for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance is completed, a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory is provided to the user. According to this aspect, since the user can freely view and arbitrarily select the cooking recipe of the registered accessory, for a user who has an accessory that requires registration, the convenience of cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is enhanced.

[0107] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure notifies the user when registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance is completed in any of the first to third aspects. In this aspect According to this, since the user is notified that registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance has been completed, after being notified, the user can freely view and arbitrarily select cooking recipes for the registered accessories. Therefore, for users who possess accessories that require registration, the convenience of cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance is enhanced.

[0108] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure does not provide the user with a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory unless registration for enabling cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is completed in any of the first to fourth aspects. According to this aspect, since a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory is provided only to users who possess accessories that require registration, it is possible to prevent users who possess only accessories that do not require registration or users who do not possess any accessories from mistakenly using a cooking recipe for cooking with an accessory that requires registration.

[0109] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a cooking appliance. This cooking appliance is a cooking appliance capable of communicating with a server via the Internet, and has a wireless communication module and a control device that stores registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance. When the control device performs registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance, a control sequence regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory becomes available. According to this aspect, when the user performs registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance, the control sequence on the cooking appliance side regarding the cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory becomes available. Therefore, for users who possess accessories that require registration, the convenience of cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance is enhanced.

[0110] A seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe providing program. This recipe providing program is a recipe providing program for a cooking appliance, and executes a procedure for registering for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance, and executes a procedure for providing the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory. According to this aspect, when an application program executes a procedure for registering for cooking with an accessory of a cooking appliance, the application program can execute a procedure for transmitting setting information and the like regarding the cooking recipe of the registered accessory to the cooking appliance. Therefore, for a user who has an accessory that requires registration, the convenience of cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is enhanced.

[0111] An eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a recipe providing system. This recipe providing system is a recipe providing system having a server, a cooking appliance, and an information terminal device, and transmits information for registering for cooking with an accessory of the cooking appliance from the server to the information terminal device. After the registration, the information terminal device provides the cooking appliance with setting information and the like regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory. According to this aspect, when a user executes a registration for cooking with an accessory of a cooking appliance on the information terminal device, setting information and the like regarding the cooking recipe of the registered accessory can be transmitted from the information terminal device to the cooking appliance via the server. Therefore, for a user who has an accessory that requires registration, the convenience of cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is enhanced.

Industrial Applicability

[0112] As described above, the recipe providing method according to the present invention can transmit setting information and the like regarding the cooking recipe of the registered accessory to the cooking appliance, so that the convenience of cooking with the accessory of the cooking appliance is enhanced. Therefore, the recipe providing method in the present disclosure is applicable not only to the recipe providing method for cooking appliances such as various cooking systems, microwave ovens, induction cookers, rice cookers, etc., but also to the recipe providing method for other household appliances such as refrigerators, and further to these systems, information terminal devices, and computer programs installed in household appliances.

Explanation of Signs

[0113] 1 Cooking appliance 5 Heating chamber 9a Operation unit 9b Display unit 10 Heating unit 10a Upper heater 10b Lower heater 10c Magnetron 11 Grill plate 20 Iron plate 30 Steamer (steam pot) 101 Server 101a Recipe server 101b Equipment server 103 Information terminal device 103a Display unit 105b Control device

Claims

A method for providing a recipe to a cooking appliance capable of communicating with an information terminal device, comprising: a step of registering by the information terminal device for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance; a step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories; and having for accessories that require registration, being able to shift to a step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories that require registration after the registering step; A recipe providing method, wherein for accessories that do not require registration, it is possible to shift to a step of providing the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories that do not require registration without performing the registering step.

2. The recipe providing method according to claim 1, wherein when registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance is completed, a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories is provided to the user.

3. The recipe providing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance is completed, the user is notified.

4. The recipe providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories is not provided to the user unless registration for enabling cooking with the accessories of the cooking appliance is completed.

5. A cooking appliance capable of communicating with a server via the Internet, comprising: a wireless communication module; a control device that stores registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance; and having when cooking is performed with an accessory that requires registration, when the control device receives registration information for enabling cooking with the accessory that requires registration via the wireless communication module, a control sequence regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory that requires registration becomes available; when cooking is performed with an accessory that does not require registration, the control device has a control sequence regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessory that does not require registration available. A cooking appliance.

6. A recipe providing program for a cooking appliance, wherein when cooking is performed with an accessory that requires registration for enabling cooking with accessories of the cooking appliance, ​ Execute a procedure to transmit registration information for enabling cooking with the accessories that require registration from the information terminal device to the cooking appliance. After the registration, execute a procedure to provide the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories. When cooking with accessories that do not require registration for enabling cooking with the accessories of the cooking appliance, Do not execute a procedure to transmit information for enabling cooking with the accessories that do not require registration from the information terminal device to the cooking appliance. A recipe providing program that executes a procedure to provide the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories that do not require registration.

7. A recipe providing system having a server, a cooking appliance, and an information terminal device, For accessories that require registration for enabling cooking with the accessories of the cooking appliance, Transmit registration information for enabling cooking with the accessories that require registration from the server to the information terminal device, The information terminal device provides the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories that require registration after the registration, For accessories that do not require registration for enabling cooking with the accessories of the cooking appliance, A recipe providing system that provides the cooking appliance with setting information regarding a cooking recipe for cooking with the accessories that do not require registration without performing the registration.

Images