Apparatus and method for at least semi-autonomous meal storage and preparation - Patent Application 20070122997

Abstract

An improved apparatus and method for at least semi-autonomous food storage and preparation is provided. A method of using a storage and cooking device having multiple thermal containers includes placing a first food item in a first thermal container, a second food item in a second thermal container, and a third food item in a third thermal container. A volume of fluid is cooled and circulated through at least a portion of the device, such that thermal energy from at least one of the first, second, or third food items is transferred to the cooled fluid. The device transitions from a first operating mode to a second operating mode in response to a criterion being met. When in the second configuration, the volume of fluid is heated and circulated through at least a portion of the device, such that thermal energy is transferred from the volume of fluid to at least one of the first, second, or third food items. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS)

[1001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 599,060, entitled "Apparatus and Methods for At Least Semi-Autonomous Meal Storage and Cooking," filed September 15, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002]

[1002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 615,136, entitled "Apparatus and Methods for At Least Semi-Autonomous Meal Storage and Cooking," filed January 9, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003]

[1003] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The embodiments described herein relate to devices and methods for refrigerating and / or preparing meals, and more particularly to devices and methods for storing, refrigerating, and preparing meals in an at least semi-autonomous manner. [Background technology]

[0004]

[1004] Food storage and food preparation devices are known. However, some of the known devices do not provide means for storing and / or cooking food via different storage and / or cooking modalities, temperature profiles, time profiles, and / or the like. For example, in some instances, it may be desirable to store and / or cook food according to the type of food (e.g., protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and / or the like). Some devices that provide ways to store or cook food in various manners can be expensive and / or unintuitive. Furthermore, some of such devices are typically configured to either store food (e.g., refrigeration devices, etc.) or cook food (e.g., ovens, stoves, microwave ovens, etc.), but are not configured to provide both storage and cooking functions. Finally, some of the known devices can be large appliances that occupy a significant amount of space in a kitchen. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005]

[1005] Therefore, there is a need for improved devices and methods for at least semi-autonomous meal storage and preparation.

[0006]

[1006] Apparatuses and methods for at least semi-autonomous meal storage and preparation are described herein. In some embodiments, a method for using a storage and preparation device having multiple thermal containers includes placing at least one of a first food item in a first thermal container, a second food item in a second thermal container, and a third food item in a third thermal container. A first volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container is cooled, such that thermal energy from at least the first food item and the second food item is transferred to the cooled fluid. In response to a first criterion being met, a first volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container is heated, such that thermal energy from the heated fluid is transferred to the first food item and the second food item. In response to a second criterion being met, a second volume of fluid is conveyed to a portion of the third thermal container, such that thermal energy from the second volume of fluid is transferred to the third food item. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1]

[1007] A schematic diagram of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2]

[1008] A schematic diagram of a controller and electronic devices included in the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of Figure 1, each communicating with a network. [Figure 3]

[1009] A semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment is shown. [Figure 4]

[1009] A semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment is shown. [Figure 5]

[1010] An illustration of at least a portion of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device configured for use with or within a kitchen appliance, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6]

[1010] An illustration of at least a portion of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device configured for use with or within a kitchen appliance, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7]

[1010] An illustration of at least a portion of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device configured for use with or within a kitchen appliance, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8]

[1011] Various views of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 9]

[1011] Various views of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 10]

[1011] Various views of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 11]

[1011] Various views of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 12]

[1012] Each is a perspective view of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 13]

[1012] Each of the right side views of a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. [Figure 14]

[1013] FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of FIG. 12 shown with the lid in an open configuration. [Figure 15]

[1014] A perspective view of the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of Figure 12, each shown with the lid in an open configuration and one or more food containers disposed therein. [Figure 16]

[1014] A front view of the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of Figure 12 shown with the lid in an open configuration and one or more food containers placed therein, respectively. [Figure 17]

[1015] A front perspective view of a circulating pan included in the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of Figure 12. [Figure 18]

[1016] A cross-sectional view of the circulation pan shown in Figure 17. [Figure 19]

[1017] This is a rear perspective view of the circulation pan shown in FIG. [Figure 20]

[1018] FIG. 13 is a partially exploded view of a food container configured for use within the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of FIG. [Figure 21]

[1019] A cross-sectional view of the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device taken along line 21-21 in Figure 13. [Figure 22]

[1020] A diagram showing an example of a fluid circulation system included in the semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device of Figure 12. [Figure 23]

[1021] A flowchart illustrating a method of using a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008]

[1022] Apparatuses and methods for at least semi-autonomous meal preparation via fluid immersion are described herein. In some embodiments, a method for using a storage and cooking device having multiple thermal containers includes placing a first food product in a first thermal container, a second food product in a second thermal container, and a third food product in a third thermal container. A volume of fluid is cooled and circulated through at least a portion of the storage and cooking device, such that thermal energy from at least one of the first food product, the second food product, and the third food product is transferred to the cooled fluid. The storage and cooking device transitions from a first operating mode to a second operating mode in response to a criteria being met. When in the second configuration, the storage and cooking device heats a volume of fluid and circulates the volume of fluid through at least a portion of the storage and cooking device, such that thermal energy is transferred from the volume of fluid to at least one of the first food product, the second food product, and the third food product.

[0009]

[1023] In some embodiments, a method of using a storage and cooking device having multiple thermal containers includes placing at least one of a first food item in a first thermal container, a second food item in a second thermal container, and a third food item in a third thermal container. A first volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container is cooled so that thermal energy from at least the first food item and the second food item is transferred to the cooled fluid. In response to a first criterion being met, a first volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container is heated so that thermal energy from the heated fluid is transferred to the first food item and the second food item. In response to a second criterion being met, a second volume of fluid is conveyed to a portion of the third thermal container so that thermal energy from the second volume of fluid is transferred to the third food item.

[0010]

[1024] In some embodiments, a method of using a multi-zone storage and cooking device having at least a first zone including a first thermal container and a first heating element and a second zone including a second thermal container and a second heating element includes placing a first food item in the first thermal container and a second food item in the second thermal container. A volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container is cooled so that thermal energy from the first food item and thermal energy from the second food item are transferred to the cooled fluid. In response to a first criterion being met, a volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container is heated so that thermal energy from the heated fluid is transferred to the first food item and the second food item. In response to a second criterion being met, a flow of electrical power is provided operable to heat at least one of the first heating element or the second heating element to transfer thermal energy to at least one of the first food item or the second food item, respectively.

[0011]

[1025] In some embodiments, the multi-zone storage and cooking device includes a housing having at least a first zone, a second zone independent of the first zone, a third zone independent of the first and second zones, and a fluid circulation system disposed therein. The first zone includes a first thermal container configured to receive a first food item and a first heating element configured to transfer thermal energy to the first food item. The second zone includes a second thermal container configured to receive a second food item different from the first food item. The second zone includes a second heating element independent of the first heating element and configured to transfer thermal energy to the second food item. The third zone includes a third thermal container configured to receive a third food item different from the first and second foods. The fluid circulation system is configured to circulate a volume of cooled fluid through a portion of the first thermal container and a portion of the second thermal container when the device is in a first operating mode. The fluid circulation system is configured to (1) circulate a volume of heated fluid through a portion of the first thermal reservoir and a portion of the second thermal reservoir, and (2) transport a volume of heated fluid to a portion of the third thermal reservoir when the device is in the second operating mode.

[0012]

[1026] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless expressly indicated otherwise. Thus, for example, the term "a member" means a single member or a combination of members, and "a material" means one or more materials or combinations thereof.

[0013]

[1027] As used herein, the term "module" refers to any assembly and / or set of operatively linked electrical components, which may include, for example, memory, a processor, electrical traces, optical connectors, software (executing in hardware), and / or the like. For example, a module executed in a processor may be any combination of hardware-based modules (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs)) and / or software-based modules (e.g., modules of computer code stored in memory and / or executed by a processor) capable of performing one or more specific functions associated with the module.

[0014]

[1028] As used herein, the terms “feedback,” “feedback system,” and / or “feedback loop” refer to a system in which past or present characteristics influence current or future operation. For example, a fluid circulation system may be said to be a feedback system in which the state of the fluid circulation system (e.g., the measurable temperature of a desired medium) depends on current or past conditions that are fed back to the fluid circulation system. In some examples, the feedback system may be an electromechanical system including several relays, switches, and / or the like that can open or close an electrical circuit based on signals received from sensors, electrical flow or direction of electrical flow, and / or the like. In some examples, the feedback system may be controlled and / or implemented with a programmable logic controller (PLC), which can perform one or more actions using control logic based on inputs from system components, the state of an electrical circuit, and / or the flow of power. In some examples, the PLC may include a control scheme such as, for example, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. In this manner, the output of some feedback systems may be mathematically described by the sum of a proportional term, an integral term, and a derivative term. PID controllers are often implemented in one or more electronic devices. In such a controller, the proportional, integral, and / or derivative terms can be actively "tuned" to change the characteristics of the feedback system.

[0015]

[1029] Electronic devices often implement feedback systems to actively control electromechanical and / or fluid systems to achieve and / or maintain desired system states. For example, a feedback system may be implemented to control a fluid system (e.g., a volume of water in a closed system) by opening or closing one or more valves, operating one or more pumps, increasing or decreasing the temperature of the water, and / or the like. More specifically, the feedback system may determine the current and / or past states (e.g., temperature, flow rate, volume, etc.) of at least a portion of the volume of water and feed the past and / or current state values ​​back to, for example, a PID control scheme. In some examples, the electronic device (e.g., a controller) may implement any suitable numerical method or any combination thereof (e.g., Newton's method, Gaussian elimination, Euler's method, LU decomposition, etc.). Thus, a fluid system may be actively altered to achieve a desired system state based on the past and / or current states of at least a portion of the volume of water.

[0016]

[1030] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a storage and cooking device 100 according to one embodiment. Storage and cooking device 100 (also referred to herein as a “device”) can be any suitable cooking device, machine, and / or system. As described in further detail herein, for example, device 100 can be configured to accept one or more food items disposed in one or more sealed packages, receive or acquire information associated with the one or more food items, store the one or more food items at a first temperature (e.g., a storage temperature) prior to cooking, and cook the one or more food items according to the information associated with the food items. In some embodiments, at least a portion of device 100 can be substantially similar to or the same as the storage and / or cooking device described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0135383, entitled “Apparatus and Methods for At Least Semi-Autonomous Meal Storage and Cooking Via Fluid Immersion,” filed May 18, 2017 (referred to herein as “Publication '383”), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0017]

[1031] 1 , device 100 includes at least one thermal reservoir 120, a fluid circulation system 140, a controller 170, and a power supply 173. Although not shown in FIG. 1 , device 100 may include a housing configured to contain and / or at least partially enclose thermal reservoir 120, fluid circulation system 140, controller 170, and / or power supply 173. Further, the housing may include a lid, door, or other access device configured to allow access to at least some of the components disposed within the housing. As described in further detail herein, device 100 (e.g., housing) may also include one or more user interface portions, such as, for example, a display or touchscreen display, configured to present information associated with device 100.

[0018]

[1032] The thermal reservoir 120 may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. In some embodiments, the device 100 may include a single thermal reservoir 120. In other embodiments, the device 100 may include multiple thermal reservoirs 120 (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more thermal reservoirs 120). By way of example, in some embodiments, the device 100 may include three thermal reservoirs 120, each configured to receive a different type of food. Specifically, such a device may include a first thermal reservoir configured to receive, e.g., a protein, a second thermal reservoir configured to receive, e.g., a starch, and a third thermal reservoir configured to receive, e.g., a vegetable. In some embodiments, the device 100 may optionally include a fourth thermal reservoir 120 configured to receive, e.g., a sauce, dressing, condiment, seasoning, and / or the like.

[0019]

[1033] The thermal reservoirs 120 may be formed of and / or include any suitable material or combination thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal reservoirs 120 may be formed of and / or include a material configured to conduct and / or transfer thermal energy to or from a volume of water flowing through, for example, a fluid circulation system. In other embodiments, the thermal reservoirs 120 may be formed of and / or include a material configured to conduct and / or transfer thermal energy to or from a volume of water flowing through the fluid circulation system. In other embodiments, the thermal reservoirs 120 may be formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity (e.g., an insulating material). In other words, each thermal reservoir 120 may include and / or be at least partially surrounded by an insulating material. In some embodiments, the configuration of the device 100 may be such that thermal energy can be transferred between the thermal reservoirs 120 and a volume of fluid circulating through the fluid circulation system 140, while thermal energy transfer between the thermal reservoirs 120 and / or between the thermal reservoirs 120 and portions of the device 100 other than the fluid circulation system 140 is limited and / or reduced.

[0020]

[1034] In embodiments including multiple thermal receptacles 120, each thermal receptacle 120 can be thermally insulated to allow for independent temperature control of each thermal receptacle 120. For example, in some such embodiments, a thermal receptacle can be in a relatively low temperature configuration (e.g., a storage or refrigeration configuration) while an adjacent thermal receptacle can be in a relatively high temperature configuration (e.g., a cooking configuration). Thus, by insulating each thermal receptacle and / or at least a portion thereof, thermal energy associated with a thermal receptacle in a relatively high temperature configuration can be substantially isolated from a thermal receptacle in a relatively low temperature configuration. In other words, device 100 can have a multi-zone configuration in which, for example, food items placed in separate thermal receptacles 120 can be independently stored and / or cooked according to an instruction set associated with each food item.

[0021]

[1035] As described above, each thermal receptacle 120 is configured to receive one or more food product packages. For example, in some embodiments, a first thermal receptacle 120 may be configured to receive a first type of food product (e.g., meats and / or other proteins), a second thermal receptacle may be configured to receive a second type of food product (e.g., vegetables), and a third thermal receptacle may be configured to receive a third type of food product (e.g., starches, carbohydrates, and / or the like). Additionally, in some embodiments, device 100 may optionally include a fourth thermal receptacle configured to receive a fourth type of food product (e.g., sauces, dressings, condiments, seasonings, and / or the like). In some examples, one or more food products may be pre-packaged (e.g., in a liquid-tight package or cartridge) and then inserted into one of the thermal receptacles 120. Although not illustrated herein, the food cartridge may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the food cartridge may be similar, at least in form and / or function, to the food cartridges described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0238750, filed April 14, 2017, and entitled "Modular Food Cartridges for Use in a Cooking Device" (herein referred to as "Publication '750"), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, and / or the food cartridges described in International Application No. PCT / US2018 / 041819, filed July 12, 2018, and entitled "Food Cartridges and Carriers for Use in a Cooking Device" (herein referred to as "Application '819"), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0022]

[1036] In some embodiments, the thermal reservoir 120 may be configured to receive thermal energy from and / or transfer thermal energy to a volume of fluid disposed within, flowing through, or passing through the thermal reservoir 120. For example, in some embodiments, a volume of fluid may be transferred to one or more thermal reservoirs 120 so that thermal energy may be transferred to and / or from food products disposed therein. In other embodiments, a volume of fluid may flow through a fluid flow path (defined by the fluid circulation system 140) that is external to the thermal reservoir 120. In such embodiments, at least a portion of the volume of fluid may contact an exterior surface of the thermal reservoir 120 so that thermal energy may be transferred therebetween. In some embodiments, the device 100 may include a thermal reservoir 120 having any suitable combination of configurations. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may include at least one thermal reservoir 120 configured to receive a volume of fluid and at least one thermal reservoir 120 having an outer surface configured to contact a flow of fluid flowing outside of thermal reservoir 120.

[0023]

[1037] In still other embodiments, the thermal container 120 may include a first portion or volume configured to receive one or more food products and a second portion or volume configured to receive a volume of fluid or a volume of a fluid stream. In such embodiments, the first portion or volume and the second portion or volume may be in fluid and thermal communication, or in thermal communication and fluidly isolated. In some embodiments, such a configuration can limit and / or substantially prevent contamination of the volume of fluid in the event of a leak, tear, rupture, and / or opening of a food package (e.g., a food package containing meat or protein).

[0024]

[1038] Fluid circulation system 140 of device 100 may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. Fluid circulation system 140 is configured to regulate the temperature of a working fluid, such as water, contained within or flowing through device 100. For example, fluid circulation system 140 may include any number of fluid conduits, tubes, pipes, valves, solenoids, pumps, fluid reservoirs, and / or the like, which may collectively define any suitable number of fluid flow paths within device 100. Additionally, fluid circulation system 140 may include any number of heat exchangers and / or heat exchanger assemblies, heat sinks, heating elements, steamers, heat spreaders, cooling elements, chillers, and / or the like. In some embodiments, fluid circulation system 140 and / or portions thereof may be similar in form and / or function to those described in the '383 publication. In this manner, the fluid circulation system 140 may receive signals and / or power from a controller 170 and / or a power source 173, respectively, which are operable to control, alter, maintain, and / or otherwise regulate the temperature of a volume of fluid contained within the device 100.

[0025]

[1039] By way of example, in some embodiments, fluid circulation system 140 may include a fluid reservoir configured to contain a volume of fluid, such as, for example, water, in selective fluid communication with at least one thermal reservoir 120 (e.g., either an interior volume of thermal reservoir 120 or an exterior surface of thermal reservoir 120) via any suitable number and / or configuration of fluid conduits, valves, pumps, solenoids, and / or the like. Similarly, fluid circulation system 140 may include any suitable number and / or configuration of fluid conduits, valves, pumps, solenoids, and / or the like configured to selectively transport a volume of fluid through one or more heat exchangers, coolers, and / or heat sources. For example, in response to input, such as user input (e.g., either local input or input over a network), input associated with a predetermined schedule and / or event, and / or the like, controller 170 may send signals to fluid circulation system 140 to adjust the flow and / or temperature of water within device 100. In this manner, as described in further detail herein, device 100 can transition between a first operating mode in which food placed in one or more thermal containers 120 is stored at or below a predetermined storage temperature, and a second operating mode in which food placed in one or more thermal containers 120 is cooked at or to a predetermined cooking temperature.

[0026]

[1040] Although not shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the fluid circulation system 140 may form any suitable number of fluid flow paths and / or circulation loops. For example, in some embodiments, the fluid circulation system 140 may include and / or form a single fluid flow path and / or circulation loop in which fluid flows into, through, and / or around each thermal reservoir 120. In other embodiments, the fluid circulation system 140 may include and / or form multiple fluid flow paths and / or circulation loops. For example, in some embodiments, the fluid circulation system 140 may include a fluid flow path and / or circulation loop for each thermal reservoir 120 included in the device 100. In such embodiments, the fluid flow path and / or circulation loop for each thermal reservoir 120 may be an independent fluid flow path and / or circulation loop. In other embodiments, the fluid flow path and / or circulation loop may include one or more similar and / or combined portions. In such embodiments, the flow of fluid through the fluid flow paths and / or circulation loops may be controlled by any suitable number of pumps, valves, solenoids, junctions, switches, etc.

[0027]

[1041] In some embodiments, the use of multiple fluid flow paths can enable independent cooling and / or heating of each thermal reservoir 120. For example, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to transfer a first amount of thermal energy to a first food item disposed in a first thermal reservoir 120 and a second amount of thermal energy (different from the first amount of thermal energy) to a second food item disposed in a second thermal reservoir 120. Furthermore, it may be desirable to have similar or substantially similar finish times for both the first and second food items. Thus, the multiple fluid flow paths enable the device 100 to cook the first and second food items according to instructions and / or data associated with each food item. In some examples, the controller 170 can control the flow of fluid through the multiple fluid flow paths and / or circulation loops to ensure that cooking and / or substantial cooking of each food item is completed substantially simultaneously.

[0028]

[1042] Controller 170 may be any suitable electronic and / or electromechanical device configured to at least semi-autonomously control at least a portion of device 100. For example, in some embodiments, controller 170 may include any suitable electronic and / or electromechanical device configured to control at least a portion of device 100. Controller 170 may perform any number of processes for preserving and cooking food placed within device 100 and / or may execute any suitable instructions or code associated with controlling a portion of device 100 (e.g., via a feedback control system, a PLC, a PID, etc.).

[0029]

[1043] More specifically, controller 170 may include, for example, at least a power supply 173, a memory, a processor, and an input / output (I / O) interface. The memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and / or the like. In some embodiments, as described above, the memory stores instructions for causing the processor to execute modules, processes, and / or functions associated with controlling one or more portions of device 100. The processor of controller 170 may be any suitable processing device, such as a general-purpose processor (GPP), a central processing unit (CPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or the like. The processor may be configured to run or execute an instruction set or code stored in memory and associated with the operation of one or more portions of device 100. The I / O interface may be, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface (FireWire), a Thunderbolt™ interface, a Serial ATA (SATA) interface or an external Serial ATA (eSATA) interface, a network interface card (including one or more Ethernet ports and / or a radio such as a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi®) radio, a Bluetooth® radio, a near field communication (NFC) radio, a ZigBee protocol radio, a Thread protocol radio, a radio frequency identification (RFID) radio, and / or the like). The I / O interface is configured to send signals to and / or receive signals from the processor.Similarly, the I / O interface may be configured to receive signals from and / or transmit signals (e.g., data, power, etc.) to any suitable electrical and / or electronic device included in the device, such as, for example, one or more sensors (e.g., fluid level sensors, flow sensors, thermometers, thermistors, etc.), thermoelectric coolers (e.g., Peltier coolers, etc.), compressors, liquid heat exchangers, heaters, boilers, steam generators, pumps, optical scanners, barcode scanners, quick response (QR) code scanners, RFID transmitters, Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), Universal Asynchronous Receive / Transmit (UART) devices, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) devices, and / or the like.

[0030]

[1044] As mentioned above, in some examples, the controller 170 may implement and / or execute one or more processes associated with maintaining food contained within the thermal receptacles 120 at a predetermined temperature (e.g., refrigeration) prior to cooking the food. In such examples, the controller 170 may send signals to and / or receive signals from, for example, any number of pumps, valves, solenoids, heat exchangers or heat exchanger assemblies, sensors, etc. associated with maintaining a volume of fluid disposed within or flowing through the fluid circulation system 140 substantially at a predetermined temperature. For example, the controller 170 may send one or more signals to the fluid circulation system 140 to cause the fluid to flow through a chiller, chiller assembly, heat exchanger, cooler, refrigeration unit, etc. The cooled fluid may then flow into one or more thermal receptacles 120 and / or around at least a portion of the exterior surface of the one or more thermal receptacles 120. In this manner, the fluid can maintain the volume defined by the thermal container 120 substantially at a predetermined storage temperature, thereby removing thermal energy from food placed therein and maintaining the food substantially at the predetermined temperature. In some examples, the predetermined temperature can be, for example, about 40° F. In other words, the controller 170 can be configured to implement one or more processes associated with refrigerating food within the thermal container 120 prior to cooking the food.

[0031]

[1045] In some embodiments, the fluid circulating through fluid circulation system 140 is water. In such embodiments, it may be desirable to use water as a cooling fluid because water can also be used as a heating fluid. Additionally, water can be drained from fluid circulation system 140 during one or more stages of a cooking operation. For example, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to drain a fluid (e.g., water) during the last phase or stage of cooking, when one or more heating elements may be used to transfer a relatively large amount of thermal energy to food. In such embodiments, draining the fluid (e.g., water) can limit and / or substantially prevent undesirable boiling of the fluid and / or the generation of high-pressure steam, and / or the like. If the cooling fluid is a refrigerant (e.g., R134a, etc.), it may also be undesirable to expose the fluid (e.g., refrigerant) to the relatively large amounts of thermal energy released by the heating elements. Accordingly, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to use water as the cooling and heating fluid configured to circulate through fluid circulation system 140.

[0032]

[1046] In some examples, the controller 170 can implement and / or execute one or more processes associated with cooking food disposed within the thermal receptacle 120. In such examples, the controller 170 can be configured to send signals to and / or receive signals from, for example, any number of pumps, valves, solenoids, heat exchangers or heat exchanger assemblies, heating elements, sensors (e.g., fluid level sensors, temperature sensors, and / or the like), etc., associated with maintaining a volume of fluid within the thermal receptacle 120 substantially at a predetermined temperature. As described above with respect to the cooling configuration, the heated fluid can then flow into one or more thermal receptacles 120 and / or around at least a portion of an exterior surface of one or more thermal receptacles 120. In this manner, the fluid can maintain the interior volume defined by the thermal receptacle 120 substantially at a predetermined cooking temperature, thereby transferring thermal energy to food disposed therein and cooking the food substantially at a predetermined temperature (e.g., any suitable cooking temperature, such as a temperature between 140°F and 212°F).

[0033]

[1047] As described above, the fluid used to transfer thermal energy to and / or receive thermal energy from food products can be water. In some instances, it may be desirable to use water as a heating fluid because a portion of the water flowing through one or more fluid flow paths can be used to cook one or more food products via different modalities. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may be configured for cooking such that the heated fluid flows through fluid circulation system 140 in a substantially closed loop. In such embodiments, a portion of fluid circulation system 140 and / or the fluid flow paths may pass through and / or around one or more thermal receptacles 120 and transfer thermal energy to the interior volume of the thermal receptacles 120. In this manner, food products disposed within the thermal receptacles 120 can be cooked. However, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to transfer a portion of the fluid into the interior volume of the thermal receptacle 120 and contact the food products (or packaging containing the food products) disposed therein. Thus, the fluid circulating through the fluid circulation system 140 may at least partially cook food by heating the interior volume of the thermal receptacle 120 (e.g., as with baking), while the fluid transferred to the thermal receptacle 120 may be configured to at least partially cook food via fluid immersion, sous-vide cooking, bain marie, boiling, and / or any other suitable cooking modality. Additionally, in some examples, a portion of the fluid may be heated to a relatively high temperature and injected or transferred to the thermal receptacle 120 in the form of steam (e.g., for steaming vegetables or any other suitable cooking process).

[0034]

[1048] In some embodiments, device 100 may be configured to store and / or cook food via different modalities. For example, in some embodiments, first thermal container 120 containing a first food item, such as meat or protein, may be configured to cook the first food item via a first cooking modality. As used herein, the term modality may refer to a method, manner, and / or process of performing an operation and / or may refer to one or more characteristics otherwise associated with a method, manner, and / or process of performing an operation.

[0035]

[1049] The first cooking modality may include, for example, transferring a volume of fluid to (or circulating a volume of fluid through) a first portion of the first thermal receptacle 120 that is in thermal communication with and fluidically isolated from a second portion of the first thermal receptacle 120 in which the first food item is disposed. In some such embodiments, the first food item (e.g., meat or protein) may be disposed in a cartridge or package that contains or can accommodate a volume of fluid. In this manner, the volume of fluid transferred to or circulated through the first portion of the thermal receptacle 120 may be heated to a predetermined and / or desired temperature. The thermal receptacle 120 may be configured to transfer thermal energy from the first portion of the thermal receptacle 120 to the second portion of the thermal receptacle 120. At least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to the second portion of the thermal container 120 is then transferred to the first food item and / or fluid within the cartridge or package containing the first food item, thereby cooking the first food item to a predetermined and / or desired temperature and / or degree.

[0036]

[1050] In some embodiments, the second thermal receptacle 120 of device 100, which contains a second food product, such as a starch or carbohydrate, may be configured to cook the second food product via a second cooking modality that is different from the first cooking modality. In such embodiments, device 100 may be configured to transfer a heated fluid to the second thermal receptacle 120 and / or a cartridge, package, and / or carrier containing the second food product to cook the second food product via fluid immersion, sous vide cooking, and / or scalding. For example, in some embodiments, the second food product may be disposed in a cartridge and / or carrier similar to those described in the '819 application. Furthermore, in such embodiments, device 100, second thermal receptacle 120, and / or a cartridge or carrier containing the second food product may include a siphon configuration as described in detail in the '819 application.

[0037]

[1051] In some embodiments, the third thermal receptacle 120 of device 100, which contains a third food item, such as a vegetable, may be configured to cook the third food item via a third cooking modality that is different from the first cooking modality and / or the second cooking modality. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may be configured to transport and / or circulate a heated fluid around an exterior surface of the third thermal receptacle 120, thereby transferring at least a portion of the thermal energy of the heated fluid to the third food item. In some embodiments, the thermal energy transferred to the third food item may be sufficient to cook the third food item to a desired temperature and / or to a desired degree. In some embodiments, device 100 may be configured to selectively inject a volume of fluid (e.g., in liquid form or vapor form) into the third thermal receptacle 120, which may increase humidity within the third thermal receptacle 120. In some examples, the increased humidity may enhance and / or facilitate cooking of the third food item.

[0038]

[1052] In some embodiments, device 100 may optionally include a fourth thermal receptacle 120 that may be configured to contain a fourth food item, such as a sauce, dressing, or the like, and to cook the fourth food item via a fourth cooking modality that is different from the first, second, and / or third cooking modalities. For example, in some embodiments, the fourth food item disposed in the fourth thermal receptacle may receive thermal energy, for example, from ambient airflow within device 100. In such embodiments, heated fluid flowing in and / or around first, second, and / or third thermal receptacles 120 may transfer a portion of its thermal energy to the ambient environment within the device, thereby heating and / or transferring thermal energy to the fourth food item. In other embodiments, fourth thermal receptacle 120 may be configured to transfer thermal energy to / from the fourth food item via any suitable modality, such as, for example, the first, second, and / or third cooking modalities.

[0039]

[1053] As described above, the first food, the second food, and the third food can each be cooked via a different cooking modality. In some embodiments, the multi-zone and / or multi-modality configuration of device 100 can, for example, enhance safety in the use of device 100. For example, in some instances, transferring thermal energy between a first food (e.g., meat and / or protein) and a volume of fluid disposed within and / or circulating through a portion of fluid circulation system 140 while fluidly separating and / or isolating the first food from the volume of fluid can limit and / or substantially prevent contamination of the volume of fluid if a package and / or cartridge containing the first food is opened, torn, ruptured, and / or otherwise unsealed. In this manner, device 100 can use at least a portion of the volume of fluid to transfer thermal energy between a second food and at least a portion of the volume of fluid and / or between a third food and at least a portion of the volume of fluid. The multi-zone and / or multi-modality configuration of device 100 may also enhance the cleanability of device 100 by limiting potential modes of contamination of a volume of fluid and / or by directly draining at least a portion of a volume of fluid after cooking one or more foods (e.g., after cooking a second food as described in application '819).

[0040]

[1054] In addition to being cooked via different modalities, in some examples, the first food, the second food, and / or the third food (and / or optionally, the fourth food) may each be cooked for a predetermined time and / or at or to a predetermined temperature. The cooking time and / or cooking temperature may be based, for example, on instructions and / or information associated with each food. In some examples, the cooking temperature and / or cooking time may vary for each individual food. In other examples, the cooking temperature and / or cooking time associated with two or more foods may be the same or substantially the same. In other embodiments, two and / or all foods may be cooked via the same cooking modality and / or may be cooked for the same cooking time or at the same cooking temperature. Furthermore, in some embodiments, device 100 may be configured to cook one or more foods in multiple stages. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may be configured to at least partially cook one or more foods via any of the modalities described above during a first stage of the cooking process. In such embodiments, device 100 may be configured to at least partially cook one or more food items via different modalities during a second stage of the cooking process for a predetermined time and / or according to a predetermined or predefined profile associated with one or more food items. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may include one or more heating elements, etc., that can be used during the second stage of the cooking process to heat, cook, bake, roast, grill, brown, toast, etc., one or more food items. The one or more heating elements may be located in any suitable location within device 100. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may include heating elements above or below one or more thermal containers, spaced a desired distance apart to enable grilling, toasting, and / or any other desired cooking mode.

[0041]

[1055] 2 , in some embodiments, controller 170 of device 100 may include an I / O interface (e.g., including at least one of an Ethernet port and a radio) such as a network interface card configured to enable controller 170 to communicate with network 171. Network 171 may be any suitable network, such as, for example, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a virtual local area network (VLAN), the Internet, a cellular data network such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), or the like. Network 171 may be implemented as a wired or wireless network. In this manner, a user may remotely send signals to controller 170 via network 171 and a remote electronic device 172, such as a handheld controller, a mobile device, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, a personal computer (PC), and / or the like. For example, remote electronic device 172 may include at least a processor, a memory, and a display and may be capable of running, for example, personal computer applications, mobile applications, web pages, and / or the like. In this manner, the user can operate the remote electronic device 172 such that data associated with the device 100 (e.g., via an application or "app") is graphically represented on the display of the remote electronic device 172. Thus, the user can interact with the app and send signals to and / or receive signals from the controller 170 of the device 100 via the network 171.In such an example, the user may use remote electronic device 172 to, for example, set a target time for food to be cooked and / or ready to eat, override pre-programmed processes, turn device 100 on or off (e.g., to a "powered on" or "powered off" state, respectively), and / or control any other suitable functions of controller 170 and / or device 100.

[0042]

[1056] As described above, controller 170 and / or device 100 may include any suitable sensors, encoders, scanners, and / or the like configured to collect data associated with the operation or lack of operation of portions of device 100 and transmit this data to controller 170. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may include a scanner, such as a barcode scanner, a QR code scanner, an NFC device or radio, an RFID device or radio, and / or the like, configured to scan, sense, and / or otherwise receive data associated with food placed within device 100. More specifically, in some embodiments, food items are placed within one or more packages, each of which may include at least one barcode, QR code, and / or RFID tag configured to identify the food item contained therein. Device 100 may include a barcode, QR code scanner, and / or RFID transceiver configured to scan a code on and / or otherwise receive a signal from the package when the food item is inserted into device 100 and, based on the data associated with the scanned code or signal, determine information associated with the food item contained within the package. Such information or data may be stored, for example, in the memory of controller 170 and / or in a database operatively coupled to the memory of controller 170. As described in further detail herein, the information and / or data may include, for example, storage and / or cooking instructions, times, temperatures, expiration dates, and / or any other suitable information.

[0043]

[1057] Although not shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, device 100 may be configured for use in and / or with one or more additional appliances (e.g., ovens, stoves, ranges, refrigerators, etc.) configured to store and / or cook food. By way of example, in some embodiments, device 100 may be an insertable or modular device configured to be inserted and / or “plugged” into an oven or the like. In such embodiments, portions of device 100 may be housed within and / or otherwise part of the oven. For example, at least portions of fluid circulation system 140 and / or controller 170 may be included in and / or otherwise integrated with the oven. In this manner, device 100 may utilize, for example, the heating elements of the oven to heat a volume of fluid disposed within or flowing through fluid circulation system 140. Additionally, device 100 may utilize the heating elements of the oven to heat and / or cook food via different cooking modalities (e.g., bake and grill). Additionally, in some embodiments, any suitable portion of the cooling assembly (e.g., heat exchanger, refrigeration unit, compressor, chiller, etc.) may be housed within and / or otherwise integrated with the oven or the like.

[0044]

[1058] In some such embodiments, device 100 may include any suitable interface, port, connector, etc. configured to connect or couple portions of device 100 to one or more portions of an oven. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may be inserted into an oven such that one or more ports of device 100 are physically and / or fluidly coupled to one or more ports of the oven. In such embodiments, device 100 may include one or more thermal reservoirs 120 and one or more flow paths (as described above), while the oven or other appliance may include other portions of device 100 (e.g., controller 170, a portion of fluid circulation system 140, one or more heating elements, one or more cooling assemblies, and / or the like). Thus, when device 100 is inserted into an oven, one or more flow paths defined by device 100 are placed in fluid communication with portions of fluid circulation system 140 located within or integrated with the oven or the like. Thus, such device 100 may be inserted and / or "plugged" into an oven or the like to store or cook food contained therein in a manner substantially similar to that described above.

[0045]

[1059] Although device 100 has been described above as being inserted or "plugged" into an oven, in other embodiments, device 100 may be configured to be disposed outside of one or more appliances while still utilizing portions of the one or more appliances. For example, in some embodiments, device 100 may be configured for use with an oven or the like and a refrigerator or the like. In such embodiments, device 100 may include one or more ports, connectors, couplers, etc. configured to establish selective fluid communication between one or more flow paths of device 100 and one or more portions of the oven and / or refrigerator. For example, device 100 may be configured to utilize a heating element of an oven to heat a volume of fluid and may be configured to utilize a cooling and / or refrigeration element of a refrigerator. Thus, device 100 may be included in and / or otherwise form part of a larger food storage and / or food preparation system, etc.

[0046]

[1060] 3 and 4 illustrate a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device 200 according to one embodiment. Storage and / or cooking device 200 (also referred to herein as a "device") may be any suitable cooking device, machine, and / or system. As described in further detail herein, for example, device 200 may be configured to accept one or more food items disposed in one or more sealed packages, receive or acquire information associated with the one or more food items, store the one or more food items at a first temperature (e.g., a storage temperature) prior to cooking, and cook the one or more food items according to the information associated with the food items. In some embodiments, at least portions of device 200 may be substantially similar or the same as storage and / or cooking device 100 described above with respect to FIG. 1. Accordingly, portions of device 200 will not be described in further detail herein.

[0047]

[1061] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , device 200 includes a housing 210, a set of thermal reservoirs 220, and a fluid circulation system 240. Although not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , device 200 may also include a controller and a power supply, which may be similar, at least in form and / or function, to controller 170 and power supply 173, respectively, described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 . As shown, housing 210 of device 200 is configured to house and / or at least partially enclose set of thermal reservoirs 220, fluid circulation system 240, and / or any other suitable portions of device 200. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , housing 210 is substantially rectangular and may be sized to be positioned, for example, on or within a kitchen countertop, cabinet, and / or the like. In some embodiments, housing 210 may be sized to be positioned within one or more other appliances, such as, for example, an oven. Housing 210 includes a lid, door, and / or access member (referred to herein as "lid 212") movably coupled to housing 210 and capable of transitioning from a closed configuration to an open configuration to allow a user access to components contained within housing 210. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, device 200 has a "front loading" configuration in which moving lid 212 from a closed configuration (FIG. 3) to an open configuration (FIG. 4) allows access to an interior portion of housing 210 through the front of device 200. In other embodiments, housing 210 and / or lid 212 may have any suitable configuration. For example, in some embodiments, device 200 may include a housing having a separate lid for each thermal reservoir included in device 200.

[0048]

[1062] As described above, at least a portion of the set of thermal reservoirs 220, at least a portion of the fluid circulation system 240, and at least a portion of the controller are configured to be disposed within the housing 210. The thermal reservoirs 220 may be formed of and / or include any suitable materials and / or combinations thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal reservoirs 220 may be formed of a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel, and / or the like. In such embodiments, the material of construction of the thermal reservoirs 220 may have a relatively high thermal conductivity (e.g., from about 10 Watts per meter Kelvin (W / mK) to about 250 W / mK, as described above). In other embodiments, the thermal reservoirs 220 are formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity (e.g., from about 0.1 W / mK to about 1.8 W / mK, as described above). As described above with respect to thermal reservoirs 120, the insulating material can thermally isolate each thermal reservoir 220 such that the temperature associated with each thermal reservoir 220 can be independently controlled, for example, without substantially transferring thermal energy to adjacent thermal reservoirs 220 or other portions of device 200. In other words, device 200 can have a multi-zone configuration, for example, where food items placed in separate thermal reservoirs 220 can be independently stored and / or cooked according to an instruction set associated with each food item.

[0049]

[1063] In this embodiment, device 200 includes three thermal receptacles 220. Each thermal receptacle 220 is configured to receive one or more food product packages. For example, in some embodiments, a first thermal receptacle 220 (e.g., the top right thermal receptacle shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ) may be configured to receive a first type of food product (e.g., meats and / or other proteins), a second thermal receptacle (e.g., the top left thermal receptacle shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ) may be configured to receive a second type of food product (e.g., vegetables), and a third thermal receptacle (e.g., the bottom thermal receptacle shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ) may be configured to receive a third type of food product (e.g., starches, carbohydrates, and / or the like). In some examples, one or more food products may be pre-packaged (e.g., in a liquid-tight package or cartridge) so that they are inserted into one of the thermal receptacles 220. In other embodiments, the food product need not be pre-packaged before being placed into the thermal receptacle 220. Although not illustrated herein, the food cartridge may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the food cartridge may be similar in at least form and / or function to the food cartridges described in the '750 publication and / or the '819 application.

[0050]

[1064] In some embodiments, thermal receptacle 220 may be configured to receive thermal energy from and / or transfer thermal energy to a volume of fluid disposed within, flowing through, or passing through thermal receptacle 220. For example, in some embodiments, a volume of fluid may be transferred to one or more thermal receptacles 220, allowing thermal energy to be transferred between food items disposed therein. In other embodiments, a volume of fluid may flow through a fluid flow path (defined by fluid circulation system 240) that is external to thermal receptacle 220. In such embodiments, at least a portion of the volume of fluid may contact an exterior surface of thermal receptacle 220, allowing thermal energy to be transferred therebetween. In some embodiments, device 200 may include thermal receptacle 220 having any suitable combination of configurations. For example, in some embodiments, device 200 may include at least one thermal reservoir 220 configured to receive a volume of fluid and at least one thermal reservoir 220 having an exterior surface configured to contact a fluid stream flowing outside of thermal reservoir 220. In still other embodiments, thermal reservoir 220 may include a first portion or volume configured to receive one or more food products and a second portion or volume configured to receive a volume of fluid or a volume of fluid stream. In this manner, thermal reservoir 220 may be substantially similar, at least in form and / or function, to thermal reservoir 120 described above with respect to FIG. 1 and, therefore, will not be described in further detail herein.

[0051]

[1065] Fluid circulation system 240 of device 200 can be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. Fluid circulation system 240 is configured to regulate the temperature of a working fluid, such as water, at least temporarily disposed within fluid reservoir 241. For example, fluid circulation system 240 can include any number of fluid conduits, tubes, pipes, valves, solenoids, pumps, and / or the like configured to fluidly connect fluid reservoir 241 with any suitable number of fluid flow paths within device 200. Additionally, although not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , fluid circulation system 240 can include any number of heat exchangers and / or heat exchanger assemblies, heat sinks, heating elements, steamers, heat spreaders, cooling elements, chillers, and / or the like. In some embodiments, fluid circulation system 240 and / or portions thereof can be similar in form and / or function to fluid circulation system 140, described in detail above with respect to FIG. 1 . Accordingly, fluid circulation system 240 will not be described in further detail herein.

[0052]

[1066] As shown in FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, device 200 and / or one or more thermal containers 220 may include a heating element or the like configured to transfer thermal energy to food contained therein. For example, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to modify the appearance of a food product by roasting, baking, grilling, browning, toasting, and / or otherwise cooking the food product via a heating element rather than via a heated fluid. In some such embodiments, the cooking procedure may be divided into, for example, two operations. In a first operation, the food product may be cooked via the methods described above. In a second operation, the food product may be cooked via a heating element and / or the like. In some examples, a user may remove the food product after the first operation, reconstitute the packaging, and / or remove the food product from the packaging before initiating the second operation. In other examples, such transitions and / or reconstitutions may be performed automatically by device 200. In some examples, the first operation may be performed at a relatively low temperature, which may allow, for example, a user to step away from device 200 during the first operation. In some examples, the second operation may be performed at a relatively high temperature, and the user may find it desirable to be present during the second operation. In other examples, the method of performing the first and second operations may allow the user to be away from device 200 during the first and second operations.

[0053]

[1067] In some examples, the use of a heating element may result in relatively high temperatures (e.g., greater than 300°F, greater than 400°F, greater than 500°F, or even higher) within at least a portion of device 200. In some examples, heating to such temperatures may result in the fracture or melting of commonly used insulating materials that may be used to insulate thermal container 220 (e.g., insulating materials configured to facilitate refrigeration or storage of food placed within thermal container 220). Thus, as described above, using a fluid to both cool and heat food may enable cooking over a relatively wide temperature range and via multiple modalities.

[0054]

[1068] As described in detail above with respect to device 100, device 200 can implement and / or execute one or more processes associated with maintaining food contained within thermal receptacles 220 at a predetermined temperature (e.g., refrigeration) prior to cooking the food. In such examples, the controller can send one or more signals to fluid circulation system 240 to allow a cooled fluid to flow into one or more thermal receptacles 220 and / or around at least a portion of the exterior surface of one or more thermal receptacles 220. In this manner, the fluid can maintain the interior volume defined by the thermal receptacles 220 at substantially a predetermined storage temperature, thereby removing thermal energy from the food placed within the thermal receptacles 220 and maintaining the food substantially at the predetermined temperature. In some examples, the predetermined temperature can be, for example, approximately 40°F. Additionally, device 200 can implement and / or execute one or more processes associated with cooking the food placed within the thermal receptacles 220. In such an example, the controller can send a signal to the fluid circulation system 240 to allow heated fluid to flow into one or more thermal receptacles 220 and / or around at least a portion of the exterior surface of one or more thermal receptacles 220. In this manner, the fluid can maintain the interior volume defined by the thermal receptacles 220 at substantially a predetermined cooking temperature, thereby transferring thermal energy to food placed therein and cooking the food at substantially the predetermined temperature (e.g., any suitable cooking temperature, such as a temperature between 140°F and 212°F).

[0055]

[1069] Although not described in detail herein, device 200 may be configured to store and / or cook food placed in thermal receptacle 220 via any suitable modality. Similarly, device 200 may be configured to store and / or cook food placed in thermal receptacle 220 at or to any suitable temperature and / or for any suitable time. For example, in some embodiments, device 200 may store and / or cook food placed in thermal receptacle 220 in a manner substantially similar to that described above with respect to device 100. Accordingly, the operation of device 200 will not be described in further detail herein.

[0056]

[1070] In some embodiments, any of the devices described herein can be used in conjunction with and / or disposed within any suitable appliance, such as a refrigerator or oven. In such embodiments, the device can utilize any suitable aspects of the appliance, such as those described above with respect to device 100. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5-7 , in some embodiments, device 300 can be substantially similar to devices 100 and / or 200 and can be configured for use within an oven, for example. As shown in FIGS. 5-7 , device 300 can include connector 301 that can be configured to couple to a corresponding connector on an oven. In some embodiments, such coupling can include connecting any suitable number of fluid flow paths, any suitable number of mechanical and / or electrical connections, and / or the like. Furthermore, while device 200 includes and / or is disposed within housing 210, in embodiments (such as device 300) configured to be inserted into an oven or other appliance, device 300 need not be disposed within an outer housing. In some embodiments, components 302 (e.g., electrical and / or electronic components such as a controller) of device 300 can be located, for example, in an oven drawer and / or the like (FIG. 7). In still other embodiments, any of devices 100, 200, and / or 300 can be incorporated (e.g., permanently) into an appliance, thereby forming a composite appliance having any suitable number of functions.

[0057]

[1071] 8-11 illustrate a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device 400 according to one embodiment. The storage and / or cooking device 400 (also referred to herein as a "device") may be any suitable cooking device, machine, and / or system. As described in further detail herein, for example, the device 400 may be configured to accept one or more food items disposed in one or more sealed packages, receive or acquire information associated with the one or more food items, store the one or more food items at a first temperature (e.g., a storage temperature) prior to cooking, and cook the one or more food items according to the information associated with the food items. In some embodiments, at least portions of the device 400 may be substantially similar or the same as the storage and / or cooking devices 100 and 200 described above with respect to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. Accordingly, portions of the device 400 will not be described in further detail herein.

[0058]

[1072] As shown in Figures 8-11, device 400 includes a housing 410, a set of thermal receptacles 420, and a fluid circulation system 440. Although not shown in Figures 8-11, device 400 may also include a controller and a power source, which may be similar, at least in form and / or function, to controller 170 and power source 173, respectively, described above with respect to Figures 1 and 2. As shown, housing 410 of device 400 is configured to house and / or at least partially enclose set of thermal receptacles 420, fluid circulation system 440, and / or any other suitable portions of device 400. Additionally, device 400 and / or housing 410 of device 400 may be configured to receive and / or at least temporarily store one or more food packages 435 selectively disposed within device 400 and / or housing 410 of device 400.

[0059]

[1073] Housing 410 may be of any suitable shape and may be sized, for example, to be suitable for placement on or within a kitchen countertop, cabinet, and / or the like. Housing 410 includes a lid, door, and / or access member (referred to herein as "lid 412") movably coupled to housing 410 and capable of transitioning from a closed configuration to an open configuration to allow a user to access components contained within housing 410. As described above with respect to housing 210, device 400 has a "front-loading" configuration that allows access to an interior portion of housing 410 through the front of device 400 by moving lid 412 from a closed configuration (FIG. 8) to an open configuration (FIG. 9).

[0060]

[1074] As described above, at least a portion of the set of thermal receptacles 420, at least a portion of the fluid circulation system 440, and at least a portion of the controller are configured to be disposed within the housing 410. The thermal receptacles 420 may be formed of and / or include any suitable materials and / or combinations thereof, as described above with respect to the thermal receptacles 120 and / or 220. As described above, the configuration of the thermal receptacles 420 may enable, for example, independent control of the temperature associated with each thermal receptacle 420 without substantially transferring thermal energy to adjacent thermal receptacles 420 or other portions of the device 400. In other words, the device 400 may have a multi-zone configuration in which, for example, food items disposed in separate thermal receptacles 420 may be independently stored and / or cooked according to an instruction set associated with each food item.

[0061]

[1075] In this embodiment, device 400 includes two thermal receptacles 420 (also referred to as "circulating pans"). Each thermal receptacle 420 or circulating pan is configured to receive one or more food packages 435 (e.g., food cartridges, food containers, food packs, food pans, and / or any other suitable elements configured to contain and / or hold one or more food items). For example, in some embodiments, a first circulating pan 420 (e.g., the top right circulating pan 420 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) may be configured to receive a first food package 435 containing a first type of food item (e.g., meats and / or other proteins), and a second circulating pan 420 (e.g., the top left circulating pan 420 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) may be configured to receive a second food package containing a second type of food item (e.g., vegetables). In some examples, one or more food products can be pre-packaged (e.g., in a liquid-tight package or cartridge) and inserted into one of the circulating pans 420 (see, e.g., FIGS. 10 and 11 ). The food packages and / or cartridges can be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the food cartridges can be similar, at least in form and / or function, to the food cartridges described in the '750 publication and / or the '819 application. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the device 400 can also accept a third food package 435 (e.g., the bottom right food package 435 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 ) configured to contain a third type of food product (e.g., starches, carbohydrates, and / or the like), and a fourth food package 435 (e.g., the bottom left food package 435 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 ) configured to receive a fourth type of food product (e.g., sauces, dressings, etc.).

[0062]

[1076] In some embodiments, food packages 435 disposed within the circulating pan 420 may be configured to receive thermal energy from and / or transfer thermal energy to a volume of fluid disposed within the food packages 435 and / or a portion of the circulating pan 420, or a volume of fluid flowing through or past the circulating pan 420. For example, in some embodiments, a volume of fluid may be transferred to at least a portion of one or more food packages 435 via one or more inlets 445 so that thermal energy may be transferred to and / or from food products disposed therein. In other embodiments, a volume of fluid may be transferred to and / or flow through a fluid flow path external to the food packages 435 (defined by the fluid circulation system 440). For example, a volume of fluid may be transferred from one or more inlets 450 to one or more circulating pans 420 and discharged through one or more outlets 455. In some embodiments, fluid can flow from one or more outlets 455 to one or more discharge reservoirs 442 or any other portion of the fluid circulation system 440 (e.g., back to the fluid reservoir 441, to a different circulation pan, a different food package 435, and / or the like). In some embodiments, at least a portion of the volume of fluid disposed within the circulation pan 420 can contact the exterior surfaces of the food packages 435 disposed therein, allowing thermal energy to be transferred therebetween. In some embodiments, one or more circulation pans 420 and / or one or more food packages 435 can include a siphon configuration 430 (e.g., the bottom right food package 435 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11). The siphon configuration 430 can be similar to or substantially the same as the siphon configuration described in detail in the '819 application.

[0063]

[1077] In some embodiments, device 400 can include a circulating pan 420 having any suitable combination of configurations. For example, in some embodiments, device 400 can include at least one circulating pan 420 configured to receive a volume of fluid via inlet 450, where the volume of the circulating pan 420 contains a food package 435. Additionally, fluid circulation system 440 can be configured to transfer another volume of fluid via a different inlet 445 to a volume defined by at least a portion of the food package 435, where the fluid contacts the food contained in the food package 435 and the exterior surface of the food package 435 (e.g., a "double boil" or "double cooking" configuration, as described in detail in the '819 application). In this manner, food package 435 and / or circulating pan 420 can be substantially similar, at least in form and / or function, to the food cartridges or packages and / or thermal containers 120 and / or 220 described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and / or 3 and 4. Therefore, food package 435 and circulating pan 420 will not be described in further detail herein.

[0064]

[1078] 8-11 as defining a volume for receiving a flow of fluid such that the fluid contacts the exterior surfaces of food packages 435 disposed therein, in some embodiments, the one or more circulating pans 420 may have any suitable configuration while providing similar or substantially the same functionality. For example, in some embodiments, the device 400 may include a series of coils or the like that contact the exterior surfaces of the one or more food packages 435 and through which a fluid circulation system can provide a flow of cooled or heated fluid (e.g., water).

[0065]

[1079] Fluid circulation system 440 of device 400 may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. Fluid circulation system 440 is configured to regulate the temperature of a working fluid, such as water, that is at least temporarily disposed within fluid reservoir 441. For example, fluid circulation system 440 may include any number of fluid conduits, tubes, pipes, valves, solenoids, pumps, and / or the like configured to fluidly connect fluid reservoir 441 with any suitable number of fluid flow paths within device 400. Fluid circulation system 440 may also include discharge reservoir 442 configured to receive a volume of fluid (e.g., from one or more outlets 455 or one or more fluid flow paths) used to cool and / or heat one or more food products. Additionally, device 400 and / or fluid circulation system 440 may include any number of heat exchangers and / or heat exchanger assemblies, heat sinks, heating elements, steamers, heat diffusers, cooling elements, chillers, and / or the like. 11 , device 400 and / or fluid circulation system 440 may include cooling members 475 (e.g., chambers, channels, volumes, elements, and / or the like) disposed about circulating pan 420. In other embodiments, device 400 and / or fluid circulation system 440 may include any number of heating and / or cooling members (e.g., one or more heating elements 460 or cooling members 475 shown in FIG. 11 ) disposed in any suitable location and / or in any other suitable configuration. In some embodiments, a series of cooling members 475 (e.g., chambers, channels, volumes, elements, etc.) may be disposed within device 400 to surround or substantially surround an interior volume of device 400 configured to receive food packages 435.

[0066]

[1080] In some embodiments, fluid circulation system 440 and / or portions thereof may be similar in form and / or function to fluid circulation systems 140 and / or 240 described in detail above with respect to Figures 1 and / or 3 and 4. In some embodiments, fluid circulation system 440 may be similar in form and / or function to the fluid circulation systems described in detail in the '383 publication, the '750 publication, and / or the '819 application, all of which are incorporated by reference above. Accordingly, fluid circulation system 440 will not be described in further detail herein.

[0067]

[1081] As shown in FIG. 11 , in some embodiments, device 400 and / or one or more circulating pans 420 may include heating elements 460 or the like configured to transfer thermal energy to food contained therein. For example, in some embodiments, device 400 may receive instructions (e.g., from a controller, etc.) to heat heating elements 460 to a desired temperature to roast, bake, grill, brown, toast, and / or otherwise cook food via heating elements 460 in addition to or instead of a heated fluid. In some such embodiments, the cooking procedure may be divided into, for example, two operations, as described above. Furthermore, although heating elements 460 are specifically shown in FIG. 11 , in some embodiments, device 400 may include any suitable number of heating elements positioned in any desired location within device 400. For example, in some embodiments, device 400 may include heating elements in spaces and / or portions positioned above or below one or more circulating pans 420 and / or food packages 435. As a particular example, device 400 may include a heating element in space 465 beneath the bottom right food package 435 (eg, a food package containing starch) shown in FIG.

[0068]

[1082] 12-21 illustrate a semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device 500 according to one embodiment. The storage and / or cooking device 500 (also referred to herein as a "device") may be any suitable cooking device, machine, and / or system. As described in further detail herein, for example, the device 500 may be configured to accept one or more food items (e.g., food items disposed in one or more sealed packages, loose food items, and / or the like), receive or obtain information associated with the one or more food items, store the one or more food items at a desired temperature (e.g., a first temperature such as a cold or cold storage temperature) prior to cooking, and cook and / or warm the one or more food items according to the information associated with each food item.

[0069]

[1083] Device 500 includes a housing 510, one or more thermal receptacles 520 (also referred to herein as circulating pans), a fluid circulation system 540, and a controller 570. In some embodiments, at least a portion of device 500 may be similar to or substantially the same as storage and / or cooking devices 100, 200, and / or 400 described above. In some embodiments, at least a portion of device 500 may be similar to or substantially the same as the storage and / or cooking devices described in, for example, the '383 publication, incorporated by reference above. Accordingly, similar portions of device 500 may not be described in further detail herein.

[0070]

[1084] 1 and 2. As described above with respect to controller 170, controller 570 may include any suitable electronic and / or electromechanical devices configured to at least semi-autonomously control at least a portion of device 500. Specifically, controller 570 may include at least a processor, memory, and input / output (I / O) interface, each of which may be similar and / or substantially the same as those described above with respect to controller 170. Accordingly, the processor may be configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code stored in memory associated with the operation of one or more portions of device 500, and the I / O interface may be configured to send signals to and / or receive signals from the processor and / or any other suitable electrical and / or electronic devices or components included in device 500 (e.g., one or more sensors, heat exchangers, heating elements, chillers, compressors, boilers, grills, steam generators, pumps, valves, solenoids, scanners, etc.).

[0071]

[1085] In some examples, when device 500 is in a first mode of operation, controller 570 can implement and / or execute one or more processes associated with maintaining one or more food items contained in device 500 at or below a predetermined temperature (e.g., refrigeration and / or storage mode). In response to input (e.g., user input, an automatic schedule, and / or satisfaction of one or more criteria), device 500 can transition to a second mode of operation in which controller 570 can implement and / or execute one or more processes associated with cooking one or more food items contained in device 500. As described in further detail herein, in both the first and second modes of operation, controller 570 can send signals to and / or receive signals from any number of devices and / or components to transfer thermal energy from one or more food items (e.g., cooling or first mode of operation) and / or to transfer thermal energy to one or more food items (e.g., cooking or second mode of operation).

[0072]

[1086] As another example, in some embodiments, fluid circulation system 540 and / or portions thereof may be similar in form and / or function to fluid circulation systems 140, 240, and / or 440 described in detail above, and / or similar to the fluid circulation systems described in detail in the '383 publication, the '750 publication, and / or the '819 application, all of which are incorporated by reference above.

[0073]

[1087] As described above with respect to fluid circulation systems 140, 240, and / or 440, fluid circulation system 540 is configured to regulate the temperature of a working fluid, such as, for example, water, that is at least temporarily disposed within fluid reservoir 541. Fluid circulation system 540 may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration and may include any suitable component or combination of components. For example, fluid circulation system 540 may include any number of fluid conduits, tubing, pipes, valves, solenoids, pumps, and / or the like configured to fluidly connect fluid reservoir 541 with any suitable number of fluid flow paths within device 500. Additionally, device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 may include any number of heat exchangers and / or heat exchanger assemblies, heat sinks, heating elements, boilers, steamers, heat spreaders, cooling elements, chillers, compressors, evaporators, condensers, and / or the like. Fluid circulation system 540 may also include a discharge reservoir 542 configured to receive (e.g., from one or more outlets or one or more fluid flow paths) a volume of fluid used to cool and / or heat one or more food products, as described in further detail herein.

[0074]

[1088] 12-16, the housing 510 of the device 500 is configured to house and / or at least partially enclose one or more thermal reservoirs 520, the fluid circulation system 540, and / or any other suitable portions of the device 500. Additionally, the device 500 and / or the housing 510 of the device 500 may be configured to receive and / or at least temporarily house one or more food containers selectively disposed within the device 500 and / or within the housing 510 of the device 500, as described in further detail herein.

[0075]

[1089] The housing 510 may be of any suitable shape and may be sized, for example, to be suitable for placement on or within a kitchen countertop, cabinet, and / or the like. As shown in FIGS. 12-14 , the housing 510 includes a lid, door, and / or access member (referred to herein as “lid 512”) movably coupled to the housing 510 and capable of transitioning from a closed configuration to an open configuration to allow a user to access the components contained within the housing 510. More specifically, the lid 512 may have and / or be coupled to a handle 513 that may be engaged by a user to transition the lid 512 between the open and closed configurations. As described above with respect to housings 210 and 410, the device 500 has a “front-loading” configuration that allows access to an interior portion of the housing 510 through the front of the device 500 by moving the lid 512 from a closed configuration ( FIGS. 12 and 13 ) to an open configuration ( FIG. 14 ).

[0076]

[1090] Device 500 and / or housing 510 may include and / or define multiple zones that may be independently controlled to store and / or cook one or more food items based on information and / or instructions associated with the food items. As shown in Figure 14, device 500 and / or housing 510 may include and / or define a first zone 515, a second zone 516, a third zone 517, and a fourth zone 518. In some embodiments, each zone may be configured to accept a given and / or predetermined type of food item. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the first zone 515 may be configured to accept a first food type (e.g., protein such as meat protein) disposed in a first food container 535A, the second zone 516 may be configured to accept a second food type (e.g., vegetables) disposed in a second food container 535B, the third zone 517 may be configured to accept a third food type (e.g., starch such as pasta, rice, etc.) disposed in a third food container 536, and the fourth zone 518 may be configured to accept a fourth food type (e.g., sauce, condiment, seasoning, etc.) disposed in a fourth food container 537.

[0077]

[1091] While device 500 is shown and described as having zones 515, 516, 517, and / or 518 arranged in a particular manner and / or configuration, it should be understood that such configuration is presented by way of example only and not limitation. Although zones 515, 516, 517, and 518 are described as configured to receive food containers having and / or receiving particular types of food, in other embodiments, each zone 515, 516, 517, and / or 518 may include any suitable features and / or components that enable that zone to store and / or prepare any suitable food and / or type of food.

[0078]

[1092] Each zone 515, 516, 517, and / or 518 may include one or more elements and / or features configured to preserve and / or cook the particular type of food it accepts via one or more modalities. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, first zone 515 may include inlet 545 configured to convey a volume of heated fluid (e.g., water) to food container 535A and heating element 560A configured to transfer thermal energy (e.g., via conduction) to food disposed within food container 535A. Second zone 516 may similarly include heating element 560B configured to transfer thermal energy (e.g., via conduction) to food disposed within food container 535B. The third zone 517 may include an inlet 546 configured to convey a volume of heated fluid (e.g., boiling or near-boiling water) to the food container 536, and a heating element 561 (see, e.g., FIG. 14 ) configured to transfer thermal energy to the food and / or fluid disposed within the food container 536 (e.g., via conduction). In some embodiments, the fourth zone 518 does not include elements and / or features that preserve and / or cook a fourth food item disposed within the fourth food container 537. In such embodiments, the device 500 may be configured to heat, warm, and / or otherwise transfer thermal energy to the fourth food item disposed within the fourth zone 518 by the ambient temperature within at least a portion of the housing 510. For example, in some instances, the fourth food container 537 may be configured to receive a sauce or the like intended to be warmed. Thus, the ambient heat within the housing 510 may be used as a source of thermal energy to warm, for example, a sauce disposed within the fourth food container 537. In other embodiments, fourth zone 518 may include any suitable elements and / or features, such as those described herein.

[0079]

[1093] As described above with respect to devices 100, 200, and / or 400, device 500 includes one or more thermal receptacles 520 configured to receive one or more food containers. More specifically, in the embodiments shown in Figures 12-21, device 500 includes one thermal receptacle 520 (also referred to herein as a circulating pan 520) having a first portion 520A configured to receive a first food container 535A and a second portion 520B configured to receive a second food container 535B. In some embodiments, first portion 520A of circulating pan 520 and first food container 535A may collectively be and / or collectively form a first thermal receptacle configured to store and / or cook a first food item, for example. Similarly, in some embodiments, the second portion 520B of the circulating pan 520 and the second food container 535B may collectively be and / or collectively form a second thermal container, for example, configured to store and / or cook a second food product.

[0080]

[1094] Circulating pan 520 may be formed of and / or include any suitable materials and / or combinations thereof, as described above with respect to thermal vessels (or circulating pans) 120, 220, and / or 420. As described above, the configuration of circulating pan 520 may allow for independent control of the temperature associated with each section 520A and 520B without substantially transferring thermal energy. In other words, device 500 may have a multi-zone configuration that allows food items placed in separate sections 520A and 520B to be stored and / or cooked independently according to an instruction set associated with each food item, for example.

[0081]

[1095] 17 and 18 , the circulating pan 520 includes a first member 521 (e.g., a bottom member) and a second member 522 (e.g., a top member). In some embodiments, the first member 521 and the second member 522 may be coupled to one another and / or positioned adjacent to one another such that a first portion 521A of the first member 521 and a first portion 522A of the top member 522 collectively define and / or form an opening, container, cavity, pan, and / or the like (referred to herein as a cavity 523A). Similarly, a second portion 521B of the first member 521 and a second portion 522B of the second member 522 collectively define and / or form an opening, container, cavity, pan, and / or the like (referred to herein as a food cavity 523B). As described in further detail herein, food cavity 523A is configured to receive a first food container 535A, and food cavity 523B is configured to receive a second food container 535B (see, e.g., FIG. 17).

[0082]

[1096] 18 , first portion 521A of first member 521 defines first circulation volume 526A, and first portion 522A of second member 520 defines first circulation volume 527A. Circulation volumes 526A and 527A of first portion 520A of circulating pan 520 surround food cavity 523A and are configured to receive a volume of fluid that circulates through a portion of fluid circulation system 540. More specifically, first portion 521A of first member 521 includes inlet 550A and outlet 555A, each of which may be coupled to any suitable piping or conduits of fluid circulation system 540. The piping and / or conduits may then be coupled to any suitable solenoids, valves, pumps, etc., thereby enabling fluid circulation system 540 to circulate a volume of fluid through circulation volume 526A. Similarly, first portion 522A of second member 522 includes an inlet 525A and an outlet 526A that may be connected to any suitable piping or conduit of fluid circulation system 540, thereby enabling fluid circulation system 540 to circulate a volume of fluid through circulation volume 527A.

[0083]

[1097] As shown in FIG. 19 , first portion 522A of second member 522 is coupled to inlet 545 and heating element 560. Although not shown, inlet 545 may be coupled to any suitable piping or conduit of fluid circulation system 540. Further, inlet 545 is configured to extend through second member 522 and be at least partially disposed within food cavity 523A (see, e.g., FIGS. 16 and 21 ). Thus, inlet 545 may be configured to deliver a volume of fluid to food container 535A disposed within food cavity 523A. Heating element 560A may be physically and / or electrically coupled to controller 570 (and / or its power source). Similar to inlet 545, heating element 560A is configured to extend through second member 522 and be at least partially disposed within food cavity 523A (see, e.g., FIGS. 16 , 18 , and 21 ). Thus, in response to the flow of electrical power, heating element 560A may heat up, thereby transferring thermal energy to food placed within food container 535A. In some embodiments, heating element 560A may be configured to at least partially bake or grill food placed within food container 535A.

[0084]

[1098] Second portion 520B of circulating pan 520 can be substantially similar to first portion 520A of circulating pan 520. Accordingly, second portion 521B of first member 521 defines second circulation volume 526B similar to but separate from first circulation volume 526A, and second portion 522B of second member 522 defines second circulation volume 527B similar to but separate from second circulation volume 527A. Circulation volumes 526B and 527B of second portion 520B surround food cavity 523B and are configured to receive a volume of fluid that circulates through a portion of fluid circulation system 540. As shown, second portion 521B of first member 521 includes inlet 550B and outlet 555B, and second portion 522B of second member 522 includes inlet 525B and outlet 526B, which are operable to fluidly connect circulation volumes 526B and 527B, respectively, with the fluid circulation system, as described above with respect to first portion 520A. Additionally, temperature sensor 524A (e.g., a thermometer) may be disposed within food cavity 523A, and temperature sensor 524B (e.g., a thermometer) may be disposed within food cavity 523B, which are configured to sense, detect, and / or monitor temperatures within food cavities 523A and 523B, respectively.

[0085]

[1099] As described above with respect to first portion 520A, second portion 522B of second member 522 is coupled to and / or otherwise includes a heating element 560B disposed at least partially within food cavity 523B (see, e.g., FIGS. 16, 18, and 21). Thus, in response to the flow of electrical power, heating element 560B may be heated, thereby transferring thermal energy to food disposed within food container 535B, as described above with respect to first portion 520A. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 12 through 21, second portion 522B of second member 522 is not coupled to or otherwise includes an inlet, such as inlet 545 described above with respect to first portion 522A. For example, in some embodiments, second zone 516 may be configured to store and / or cook food disposed within food container 535B via one or more modalities that do not include conveying a volume of fluid to food container 535B. However, in other embodiments, the second portion 522B may include and / or be coupled to an inlet configured to convey a volume of fluid to a food container 535B disposed within the food cavity 523B.

[0086]

[1100] While circulating pan 520 is described above as including bottom member 521 having portions 521A and 521B and top member 522 having portions 522A and 522B, in other embodiments, device 500 may include multiple circulating pans. For example, in such embodiments, first portion 520A and second portion 520B of circulating pan 520 would be independently formed. In some such embodiments, multiple circulating pans may be coupled to one another within housing 510 or independently assembled. In this manner, a device having multiple circulating pans may be functionally similar or identical to circulating pan 520.

[0087]

[1101] As described above, food cavities 523A and 523B are configured to receive food containers 535A and 535B, respectively. Food containers 535A and / or 535B may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. In some embodiments, food containers 535A and 535B may be substantially similar, while in other embodiments, food container 535A may have a different size, shape, and / or configuration than food container 535B. Furthermore, the configuration of food containers 535A and / or 535B may be such that when food containers 535A and / or 535B are inserted into food cavities 523A and / or 523B, one or more surfaces of food containers 535A and / or 535B may contact or be in relatively close proximity to one or more surfaces of circulating pan 520. In some embodiments, such a configuration may facilitate the transfer of thermal energy to or from one or more food items disposed within food containers 535A and / or 535B.

[0088]

[1102] In some embodiments, food containers 535A and / or 535B may be pre-packaged (e.g., in a liquid-tight package or cartridge) so that they are inserted into one of food cavities 523A and / or 523B, respectively. For example, in some embodiments, food containers 535A and / or 535B may be similar, at least in form and / or function, to the food cartridges described in Publication '750 and / or Application '819. In some embodiments, food containers 535A and 535B may be disposable pans, trays, packages, and / or the like. In some examples, such food containers may be sealed prior to use via removable covers, lids, seals, cellophane, and / or any other suitable packaging, which may be removed when the food containers are placed in device 500. In other embodiments, food containers 535A and 535B may be reusable pans, trays, and / or the like into which a user may place one or more food items. In other words, food containers 535A and / or 535B may contain pre-packaged food products or may accept one or more loose and / or otherwise non-pre-packaged food products.

[0089]

[1103] In some embodiments, food container 535A may be configured to receive and / or contain a first type of food, such as, for example, a protein, and food container 535B may be configured to receive and / or contain a second type of food, such as, for example, a vegetable. In some examples, the food in food container 535A and / or 535B may be packaged according to one or more cooking modalities used to cook that type of food. For example, in some embodiments, the food (e.g., protein) contained in food container 535A may be placed in a sealed pouch and placed within food container 535A, and device 500 may be configured to at least partially cook the food via fluid immersion cooking (e.g., sous vide cooking). In other embodiments, the food need not be contained in a sealed pouch, and device 500 may be configured to at least partially cook the food via one or more other modalities. In some embodiments, the food (e.g., vegetables) placed in food container 535B may be loose (e.g., not placed in further packaging such as a pouch), and device 500 may be configured to cook the food (e.g., vegetables) via steaming, roasting, grilling, and / or the like. Additionally, the food placed or contained in food containers 535A and / or 535B may be pre-packaged or user-supplied (e.g., a user places food purchased from a grocery store into food containers 535A and / or 535B) via a meal preparation and / or delivery service.

[0090]

[1104] As described above, the third zone 517 includes an inlet 546 and a heating element 561 (see, e.g., FIG. 14 ) and is configured to receive a third food container 536 (see, e.g., FIGS. 15 , 16 , 20 , and 21 ). In some embodiments, the third food container 536 may be and / or form a third thermal container 520 configured to house and / or receive a third type of food (e.g., starches, carbohydrates, and / or the like), for example. In some examples, the food may be pre-packaged and provided via a meal preparation and / or meal delivery service, or may be provided by a user. In some examples, the food may be removed from any packaging, etc., and poured and / or placed into the food container 536. That is, the food container 536 may be configured to receive “loose” or unpackaged food.

[0091]

[1105] Food container 536 disposed within third zone 517 may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, food container 536 may be substantially similar to food container 535A and / or food container 535B. In other embodiments, food container 536 may be similar and / or substantially the same as the food containers described in detail in, for example, the '819 application. As shown in FIG. 26 , food container 536 includes a container portion 536A configured to receive one or more food products and a siphon portion 530 configured to selectively expel a volume of fluid from container portion 536A. While not shown, in some embodiments, container portion 536A may include an interior screen, mesh, and / or at least a semipermeable member configured to allow fluid to pass through the screen, mesh, and / or semipermeable member while retaining food within a volume defined by the screen, mesh, and / or semipermeable member.

[0092]

[1106] In some embodiments, third zone 517 can be configured to cook food disposed within food container 536 by boiling and / or fluid immersion in a volume of hot or near-boiling water. As described above, third zone 517 includes inlet 546 (see, e.g., FIGS. 16 and 21 ) that can be connected to any suitable piping and / or conduits of fluid circulation system 540, which in turn can be connected to any suitable solenoid, valve, pump, etc. In this manner, device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 can be configured to convey a volume of hot fluid (e.g., boiling or near-boiling water) to food container 536 in which a third type of food product (e.g., a starch such as pasta, rice, etc.) is disposed, thereby cooking the food. Additionally, third zone 517 includes heating element 561 configured to transfer thermal energy to the food and / or fluid disposed within food container 536. In some embodiments, heating element 561 may be, for example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater and / or any other suitable heater. In some embodiments, food container 536 may be positioned within third zone 517 such that a surface of food container 536 is in contact with and / or proximity to heating element 561. Thus, in some examples, fluid circulation system 540 may be configured to deliver a volume of fluid at a first temperature (e.g., below the boiling point of the fluid) to food container 536, as described in further detail herein, and heating element 561 may be configured to transfer additional thermal energy to the volume of fluid to raise the temperature of the volume of fluid (e.g., near, at, or above the boiling point of the fluid).

[0093]

[1107] As shown in FIG. 20 , siphon 530 is coupled to and / or integrally formed with container portion 536A. In some embodiments, siphon 530 includes siphon tube 532 and cover 531 configured to cover and / or protect siphon tube 532. Siphon tube 532 is in fluid communication with container portion 536A via an outlet (not shown) located at or near the bottom thereof. As described in detail in the '819 application, siphon 530 may be configured to expel at least a portion of fluid disposed within container portion 536A in response to a volume of fluid exceeding a predetermined volume and / or threshold volume. For example, in some embodiments, a predetermined and / or desired volume of fluid may be delivered to container portion 536A (e.g., via inlet 546). The predetermined volume of fluid may be sufficient to submerge food product disposed within container portion 536A, but insufficient to initiate siphoning (e.g., expulsion) of the predetermined volume. Thus, a predetermined volume of fluid may be configured to cook food (e.g., pasta, etc.). After the desired amount of food is cooked, an additional volume of fluid may be conveyed to container portion 536A (e.g., via inlet 546), thereby increasing the volume of fluid within container portion 536A to above a threshold volume of fluid sufficient to activate and / or initiate siphon 530. Thus, siphon 530 may be configured to expel fluid from container portion 536A, for example, to expel reservoir 542 (see, e.g., FIGS. 14 and 21), in response to the increased volume of fluid disposed therein.

[0094]

[1108] As described above, fourth zone 518 and / or housing 510 of device 500 are configured to receive fourth food container 537. Food container 537 may be of any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. In some embodiments, food container 537 may be similar and / or substantially the same as any of food containers 535A, 535B, and / or 536 described herein. More specifically, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 12 through 21, food container 537 may be a pan, tray, bin, receptacle, and / or any other suitable container. In some embodiments, food container 537 may be disposable, while in other embodiments, food container 537 may be washable and reusable. In some embodiments, food container 537 is configured to receive one or more packaged food products (e.g., food in separate or additional pouches, bags, containers, cups, etc.). For example, as described above, food container 537 may be configured to receive a fourth type of food, such as a sauce, dressing, seasoning, topping, condiment, and / or the like, which may be placed in a disposable package, such as a pouch.

[0095]

[1109] Device 500 may be configured to transfer thermal energy to or from food disposed within food container 537 via any suitable modality. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12-21 , fourth zone 518 may be configured to transfer thermal energy between food disposed within food container 537 and the ambient environment within at least a portion of housing 510. More specifically, when device 500 is in a first or storage mode of operation, a cool or chilled fluid may be circulated through a portion of circulating pan 520, thereby lowering the ambient temperature within housing 510. Thus, when device 500 is in the first mode of operation, a relatively cool ambient temperature may cool food disposed within food container 537. Conversely, when device 500 is in a second or cooking mode of operation, a hot or heated fluid may be circulated through a portion of circulating pan 520, thereby raising the ambient temperature within housing 510. Thus, when device 500 is in the second mode of operation, a relatively warm ambient temperature may warm food disposed within food container 537. Although fourth zone 518 has been described as transferring thermal energy between food disposed within food container 537 and the surrounding environment within at least a portion of housing 510, in other embodiments, fourth zone 518 may include any of the components and / or features described above with respect to zones 515, 516, and / or 517.

[0096]

[1110] Described below is an example of device 500 in operation. In some embodiments, a user can provide information associated with one or more food items to be stored and / or prepared to device 500. In some examples, for example, the one or more food items may be pre-packaged food items provided by a meal preparation and / or delivery service. In such embodiments, the package and / or food container may include a communication tag or device that can communicate with controller 570 when placed within a predetermined proximity of a scanner or reader of controller 570. For example, in some embodiments, the package and / or food container may include an RFID tag, a QR code, a bar code, an NFC tag or device, and / or the like (e.g., as described above and / or in the '383 publication, the '750 publication, and / or the '819 application incorporated by reference above). In other embodiments, the food item need not be pre-packaged and / or otherwise placed in a package or container with a communication tag or device. In such embodiments, a user can provide input to controller 570, for example, to identify the food item. For example, a user may select a food item from a list of food items by operating a user interface of controller 570. In other examples, a user may use an application, program, web browser, and / or the like to operate a remote control device, such as a mobile device, smartphone, tablet, computer, smart home digital assistant, and / or the like.

[0097]

[1111] Once controller 570 has identified the food item, the food item can be placed into the food container and / or the food container can be inserted into device 500. For example, as described above, one or more proteins can be placed into food container 535A and then inserted into food cavity 523A (e.g., in first zone 515), one or more vegetables can be placed into food container 535B and then inserted into food cavity 523B (e.g., in second zone 516), one or more starches or carbohydrates (e.g., pasta) can be placed into food container 536 and inserted into third zone 517, and one or more sauces, dressings, toppings, etc. can be placed into food container 537 and inserted into fourth zone 518.

[0098]

[1112] In some examples, a user can provide input to controller 570 (e.g., directly via a user interface of controller 570 or via a remote device, such as a mobile device, smartphone, tablet, computer, smart home digital assistant, etc.) that can initiate device 500. In some examples, a user can select to have device 500 immediately cook food. In response to the user input, controller 570 can place device 500 in a second operational mode (e.g., a cooking operational mode) in which device 500 cooks food according to instructions associated with the identified food, as described in further detail herein.

[0099]

[1113] In other examples, a user can input a desired time at which they want to eat the food. In such examples, controller 570 can determine a time at which one or more cooking operations should be performed so that the food is cooked and ready to eat at the desired time. In some examples, before cooking the food, controller 570 can be configured to place device 500 in a first operating mode (e.g., a storage operating mode) in which device 500 stores the food for a desired period of time. For example, in some examples, device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 can cool a volume of fluid (e.g., at least a portion of the fluid in fluid reservoir 541) and circulate the volume of cooled fluid through fluid circulation system 540, e.g., circulation volumes 526A and 527A of first zone 515 and circulation volumes 526B and 527B of second zone 516. Thus, thermal energy can be transferred from relatively warm food disposed in food container 535A to the relatively cooler volumes of fluid circulating through circulation volumes 526A and 527A, and from relatively warm food disposed in food container 535B to the relatively cooler volumes of fluid circulating through circulation volumes 526B and 527B. In some examples, food disposed in food containers 535A and / or 535B can be cooled to a desired refrigeration temperature, such as, for example, about 40°F.

[0100]

[1114] As described above, cooling fluid circulating through circulating pan 520 (e.g., through first zone 515 and second zone 516) can reduce the ambient temperature within at least a portion of housing 510. The relatively cool ambient temperature within housing 510 may thereby be operable to cool food items disposed within food containers 536 and / or 537. More specifically, in some embodiments, food items disposed within third zone 517 may be, for example, dried pasta or other dried starches, which are not typically refrigerated foods. Similarly, food items disposed within fourth zone 518 may be, for example, sauces, etc., which may be pre-packaged in sealed pouches or containers, thereby reducing and / or eliminating the need to refrigerate the food items. In this manner, cooling of food items disposed within third zone 517 and / or fourth zone 518 via the relatively cool ambient environment within housing 510 may be sufficient for a given food type and / or item.

[0101]

[1115] In some examples, controller 570 may be configured to transition device 500 from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation. For example, in some examples, controller 570 may transition device 500 in response to one or more criteria being met. Such criteria may be, for example, a predetermined time to begin cooking, user-provided input (directly or via a remote device such as a smartphone, tablet, computer, smart home digital assistant, and / or the like), and / or any other suitable criteria. Accordingly, controller 570 may execute one or more processes associated with placing device 500 in the second mode of operation.

[0102]

[1116] In some examples, device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 can heat a volume of fluid (e.g., a portion of the cooled fluid or another volume of fluid from fluid reservoir 541) and circulate the volume of heated fluid through fluid circulation system 540 and, for example, at least circulation volumes 526A and 527A of first zone 515. Thus, thermal energy can be transferred from relatively cool food disposed in food container 535A to the relatively warm volume of fluid circulating through circulation volumes 526A and 527A (see, e.g., FIG. 21). In some examples, device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 can also convey a volume of heated fluid to inlet 545 (see, e.g., FIG. 21) into food container 535A disposed in first zone 515 such that the food (e.g., protein) is at least partially submerged or immersed in the volume of fluid in food container 535A. In this manner, the volume of fluid disposed within food container 535A may transfer thermal energy to food disposed therein. Additionally, the volume of fluid circulating through circulation volumes 526A and 527A may transfer thermal energy to the food and volume of fluid disposed within food container 535A. In some examples, the thermal energy transferred from the fluid circulating through circulation volumes 526A and 527A may consistently maintain the volume of fluid within food container 535A at a predetermined and / or desired temperature that would otherwise be lost due to heat transfer to the food and / or the surrounding environment. Thus, in this example, device 500 may be configured to cook food disposed within first zone 515 via fluid immersion or sous vide cooking.

[0103]

[1117] Device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 can also heat a volume of fluid (e.g., a portion of the heated fluid circulating through first zone 515 or another volume of fluid from fluid reservoir 541) and circulate the volume of heated fluid through first circulation system 540 and, for example, at least circulation volumes 526B and 527B of second zone 516 (see, e.g., FIG. 21 ). Thus, thermal energy can be transferred from relatively cool food disposed in food container 535B to the relatively warm volume of fluid circulating through circulation volumes 526B and 527B. In this manner, second zone 516 can be configured to bake or roast food disposed in food container 535B. Although not shown herein, in some embodiments, second zone 516 can include a steam outlet or the like configured to convey a volume of steam into food container 535B to steam food disposed therein. Such a vapor outlet may be fluidly coupled to the fluid circulation system 540 and may receive a flow of vapor from one or more portions of the fluid circulation system 540 (eg, a steam generator, etc.).

[0104]

[1118] Device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 can also heat a volume of fluid (e.g., a portion of the heated fluid circulating through first zone 515 and / or second zone 516 or another volume of fluid from fluid reservoir 541) and convey the volume of heated fluid to inlet 546, for example, located in third zone 517 (see, e.g., FIG. 21 ). Thus, a desired volume of heated fluid sufficient to substantially submerge food placed in food container 536 can be transferred into food container 536 without activating and / or starting siphon 530. As described in detail above, in some examples, the heated fluid can have a temperature at or near the boiling point, thereby boiling food placed in food container 536. In other embodiments, the heated fluid may have a temperature below the boiling point, and the heating element 561 may be configured to transfer thermal energy to the volume of fluid within the food container 536 to raise the temperature of the volume of fluid to a temperature near, at, or above the boiling point of the fluid (e.g., approximately 212°F for water). Thus, the third zone 517 may be configured to boil or substantially boil food placed within the food container 536.

[0105]

[1119] In some examples, device 500 and / or fluid circulation system 540 may be configured to convey an additional volume of fluid into food container 536 after the food in food container 536 has been cooked for a desired time and / or a desired amount. As described above, an increase in the volume of fluid may be sufficient to activate and / or initiate siphon 530 such that a volume of fluid is discharged from food container 536 into discharge reservoir 542 (via siphon tube 532) (see, e.g., FIG. 21 ).

[0106]

[1120] Device 500 is further configured to transfer thermal energy to food disposed within fourth zone 518. As described above, in some embodiments, fourth zone 518 is configured to transfer thermal energy between food disposed therein and at least a portion of the ambient environment within housing 510. Thus, by device 500 transporting and / or circulating a volume of heated fluid to or through at least one of first zone 515, second zone 516, and / or third zone 517, at least a portion of the thermal energy associated with the circulating fluid is transferred to the ambient environment within housing 510, thereby increasing the ambient temperature. As described above, in some examples, the relatively warm ambient temperature may be operable to thereby warm food disposed within food container 537 disposed within fourth zone 518.

[0107]

[1121] In some examples, device 500 can circulate heated fluid substantially simultaneously through first zone 515, second zone 516, and / or third zone 517. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the fluid circulating through first zone 515, second zone 516, and / or third zone 517 can flow through one or more similar flow paths and / or can be at least partially shared between zones 515, 516, and / or 517. In other embodiments, fluid circulation system 540 can independently control and / or circulate separate volumes of fluid flowing through each of zones 515, 516, and / or 517. In other words, device 500 can transport, circulate, and / or maintain a volume of fluid in first zone 515 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in accordance with cooking instructions associated with food placed in first zone 515, device 500 can transport, circulate, and / or maintain another volume of fluid in second zone 516 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in accordance with cooking instructions associated with food placed in second zone 516, and device 500 can transport, circulate, and / or maintain another volume of fluid in third zone 517 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in accordance with cooking instructions associated with food placed in third zone 517.

[0108]

[1122] In some examples, device 500 may be configured to transfer thermal energy to and / or otherwise at least partially cook food disposed in first zone 515 and second zone 516 via heating elements 560A and 560B, respectively. For example, in some examples, device 500 may be configured to drain a volume of fluid from food container 535 after cooking a desired amount of food disposed in first zone 515 via a first modality (e.g., sous vide cooking). In other examples, device 500 may be configured to provide a notification to the user indicating that device 500 has completed cooking a desired amount via the first modality. In response, the user may remove food container 535A (e.g., device 500 may automatically pause one or more operations to allow the user to remove food container 535A) and may drain fluid from food container 535A (e.g., by pouring the fluid into drain reservoir 542 and / or a sink or bowl external to device 500). Device 500 may be configured to provide a flow of electrical power to heating element 560A operable to activate or heat heating element 560 once the evacuation and replacement in food cavity 523A has occurred. In some examples, device 500 may be configured to heat heating element 560A to a desired temperature and for a desired time sufficient to finish cooking the food placed in food container 535A. In some examples, use of heating element 560A may result in a desired color of the food, crispiness of one or more portions, and / or the like.

[0109]

[1123] In some examples, device 500 may be configured to transfer thermal energy to and / or otherwise at least partially cook food disposed in second zone 516 in a manner substantially similar to that described above with respect to first zone 515. In some examples, the cooking modality used to at least partially cook food disposed in second zone 516 does not involve submerging the food in a volume of fluid (e.g., is not a sous vide cooking modality). Thus, in some examples, device 500 does not need to drain a volume of fluid from food container 535B, and in this manner, device 500 may be configured to supply a flow of electrical power to heating element 560B (as described above with respect to first zone 515) to finish cooking the food disposed in food container 535B.

[0110]

[1124] In some examples, device 500 may be configured to cook food disposed within at least first zone 515 and second zone 516 in at least partially parallel processes such that cooking of a desired amount of food is completed substantially simultaneously. In such examples, device 500 may be configured to provide a notification, or the like, indicating that device 500 has completed cooking the desired amount. As described above, in response to the notification, device 500 or a user can drain a volume of fluid from food container 535A, and once drained (and replaced in food cavity 523A), device 500 can provide a flow of electrical power to heating elements 560A and 560B, thereby transferring thermal energy to food disposed within first zone 515 and second zone 516 substantially simultaneously.

[0111]

[1125] In some examples, device 500 may be configured to cook food items disposed within at least two or more of first zone 515, second zone 516, third zone 517, and / or fourth zone 518 via the same or different modalities based on cooking instructions associated with the food items. In some examples, the predetermined temperatures and / or predetermined times may be similar or different based on cooking instructions associated with the food items and may be implemented substantially simultaneously, at least partially in parallel, or sequentially. Furthermore, in some examples, device 500 may be configured to finish cooking (or finish cooking steps) food items disposed within first zone 515, second zone 516, third zone 517, and / or fourth zone 518 substantially simultaneously. Thus, a user may remove the food items from device 500 and eat the freshly cooked food while it is still warm.

[0112]

[1126] In this manner, controller 570 can control one or more portions of device 500 to cook and / or heat one or more food items at or to a desired temperature for a desired time. Additionally, in some examples, controller 570 can be configured to maintain one or more food items at a predetermined warming temperature (e.g., a temperature below the cooking temperature) after cooking the food items until a user removes the food items from device 500.

[0113]

[1127] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating, for example, the configuration of a fluid circulation system 540. As described above and shown in FIG. 22, the fluid circulation system 540 includes a fluid reservoir 541, a cooling element 548, a fluid heater 549, a flow meter 551 (labeled "FLW" 551 in FIG. 22), a temperature sensor 552 (labeled "NTC" 552 in FIG. 22), a series or set of solenoids S1-S7, and a series or set of pumps P1-P2. The cooling element 548 can be any suitable cooling element, such as those described herein. In some embodiments, for example, the cooling element 548 can be and / or can include a plate heat exchanger (PHE), or the like. The fluid heater 549 can be any suitable heating element, such as those described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the fluid heater 549 can be a flow-through tube heater, or the like, rather than a boiler (which may not be included in the fluid circulation system 540 or may be a separate component). Flow meter 551 may be any suitable fluid flow sensor configured to detect fluid flow. In some examples, flow meter 551 may be configured to sense, for example, fluid flow or a lack thereof (e.g., when there is excess air in the system) and / or a freezing condition in which frozen fluid impedes fluid flow. Temperature sensor 552 may be any suitable temperature sensor, thermometer, thermistor, and / or the like. For example, in some embodiments, temperature sensor 552 may be a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor, or the like. As shown in FIG. 22 , fluid circulation system 540 may also include plug 553 (labeled “back plug” 553). Plug 553 may be a manual plug or the like that a user and / or technician can use to manually drain fluid from fluid circulation system 540.

[0114]

[1128] Fluid reservoir 541 may be, for example, a removable tank configured to receive a volume of fluid used during one or more storage and / or cooking processes, such as those described in detail herein. As shown in FIG. 22 , fluid reservoir 541 may include an outlet and an inlet. The outlet is configured to provide a flow of fluid that is circulated through fluid circulation system 540. The inlet is configured to allow a return flow of fluid to the fluid reservoir. Additionally, including an inlet (or recirculation port or portion) may allow a volume of air to be introduced into fluid circulation system 540, which, in some embodiments, may facilitate draining and / or any other suitable operation of fluid circulation system 540.

[0115]

[1129] In some embodiments, pump P1 can be configured to pump and / or direct fluid flow in a normal or default circulation loop. In this manner, pump P1 can be primed directly by fluid reservoir 541 and can direct fluid flow in a clockwise direction as viewed in the figure. Pump P2 can be used to pump and / or direct fluid flow from first zone 515 and / or second zone 516 to third zone 517 (e.g., to inlet 546 configured to convey fluid to food container 536, as described above with respect to FIG. 21).

[0116]

[1130] In some embodiments, solenoid S1 may be configured to control and / or direct fluid flow to at least one of first zone 515 or second zone 516. More specifically, solenoid S1 may control fluid flow to first circulation volume 526A and second circulation volume 527A of first zone 515 and / or first circulation volume 526B and second circulation volume 527B of second zone 516. In some embodiments, the default mode may be to send fluid flow to circulation volumes 526B and 527B of second zone 516. However, in some examples, solenoid S1 may be activated to send fluid flow to first zone 515 or to first zone 515 and second zone 516.

[0117]

[1131] In some embodiments, solenoid S2 can be used to control and / or direct fluid flow from either the first zone 515 and / or the second zone 516 back to the fluid reservoir 541 or through one or more other portions of the fluid circulation system 540. In some examples, the use of solenoid S2 can limit and / or substantially prevent mixing of a volume of fluid flowing through the first zone 515 with a volume of fluid flowing through the second zone 516 (e.g., which may occur through the use of a Y-connector or the like). In this manner, the first zone 515 and the second zone 516 can be kept substantially thermally and fluidly isolated. In some embodiments, the default mode can be to direct the flow of fluid received from the circulation volumes 526B and 527B of the second zone 516. However, in some examples, solenoid S2 can be activated to direct fluid flow from the first zone 515 and / or the second zone 516.

[0118]

[1132] In some embodiments, solenoid S3 is configured to control and / or direct fluid flow to and / or from cooling element 548 and fluid heater 549. For example, when solenoid S3 is in a default mode, solenoid S3 can enable and / or direct fluid flow through a normal circulation path from pump P1, through cooling element 548, fluid heater 549, or both, into at least one circulation volume of first zone 515 and / or second zone 516, and back to pump P1. In some examples, solenoid S3 can be activated to control and / or direct fluid flow from first zone 515 and / or second zone 516 to pump P2, which delivers fluid to inlet 546 of third zone 517. In another example, solenoid S3 can be operated in conjunction with solenoid S5 (described below) to shut off a volume of fluid in fluid heater 549, thereby allowing vapor to be produced.

[0119]

[1133] In some embodiments, solenoid S4 is configured to control and / or direct the flow of fluid to the inlet of fluid reservoir 541 or back to pump P1. In a default mode, solenoid S4 may be configured to direct the flow to the inlet of fluid reservoir 541. In some examples, circulating the flow of fluid through fluid reservoir 541 can facilitate purging air from fluid circulation system 540. When solenoid S4 is activated, it can direct the flow of fluid to the pump, which in some examples can result in more efficient heating and / or cooling than if the fluid were routed through fluid reservoir 541.

[0120]

[1134] In some embodiments, solenoid S5 can be configured to control and / or direct fluid flow to or from fluid heater 549. For example, in a default mode, solenoid S4 allows fluid to flow from pump P1 to fluid heater 549 (e.g., as part of normal circulation). However, as described above, when solenoid S5 is activated in conjunction with solenoid S3, a volume of fluid within fluid heater 549 can be blocked, thereby allowing steam to be generated. Additionally, solenoid S5 can be activated to direct steam toward steam outlet 528. As described above, although not shown in FIGS. 12-21 , in some embodiments, second zone 516 can include steam outlet 528 that can be used to convey a volume of steam into food container 535B (e.g., containing one or more vegetables).

[0121]

[1135] In some embodiments, solenoid S6, in conjunction with solenoids S1 and / or S2, may be configured to control and / or direct fluid flow to and / or from at least one of first zone 515 and / or second zone 516. In some embodiments, a default mode may return fluid flow exiting circulation volumes 526B and / or 527B of second zone 516 to solenoid S1 and thus back to circulation volumes 526B and / or 527B. As noted above, solenoid S6 may be actuated in conjunction with solenoids S1 and S2 to direct fluid flow to or from first zone 515 and / or second zone 516, which may enable, for example, independent heating or cooling of first zone 515 and / or second zone 516.

[0122]

[1136] In some embodiments, solenoid S7 can be configured to control and / or direct fluid flow to fluid heater 549. In a default mode, solenoid S7 can cooperate with solenoids S5 and S3 to direct fluid flow from pump P1 through fluid heater 549, for example, during normal circulation. In some examples, solenoid S7 can be actuated to control and / or direct fluid flow from pump P1 such that the flow bypasses fluid heater 549 (e.g., fluid flows from solenoid S7 to solenoid S3 without passing through fluid heater 549).

[0123]

[1137] In some examples, the diagram shown in Figure 22 can illustrate an example of how fluid may be routed through a fluid circulation system to enable the device to function in a manner similar to that described above with respect to device 500. Thus, the fluid circulation system 540 shown in the diagram of Figure 22 can enable device 500, described above with respect to Figures 12-21, to store and / or cook one or more food items at least semi-autonomously.

[0124]

[1138] 23, a flowchart illustrating a method 10 of using an at least semi-autonomous storage and / or cooking device according to one embodiment is shown. The storage and / or cooking device (also referred to herein as a "device") may be substantially similar in form and / or function to any of those described herein. Furthermore, the device may be substantially similar to and / or include one or more parts that are substantially similar to the devices described in the '383 publication, the '750 publication, and / or the '819 application, all of which are incorporated by reference above. Accordingly, the device will not be described in further detail herein.

[0125]

[1139] The method 10 includes, at 11, placing at least one of a first food product in a first thermal container, a second food product in a second thermal container, and a third food product in a third thermal container. In some embodiments, the foods may be any suitable pre-packaged or loose food product. More specifically, in some examples, the first food product may be meat or protein, the second food product may be one or more vegetables, and the third food product may be a starch or carbohydrate, such as pasta.

[0126]

[1140] The thermal receptacle may be similar to any of those described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal receptacle may be similar to that described above with respect to device 500. In some embodiments, for example, the thermal receptacle may be collectively formed by and / or otherwise include a food container and a portion of a circulation pan, etc. In other embodiments, the thermal receptacle may be formed by and / or otherwise include only a food container. In still other embodiments, the thermal receptacle may define a volume configured to receive a food package or cartridge and a volume of fluid, for example, as described in the '383 publication. In other embodiments, the thermal receptacle may have any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration.

[0127]

[1141] In FIG. 12, a first volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal reservoir and a portion of the second thermal reservoir is cooled such that thermal energy from at least the first food item and the second food item is transferred to the cooled fluid. For example, in some embodiments, the device may be in a first operating mode (e.g., a storage mode) in which the device maintains the temperature of the food items below a threshold temperature. In some embodiments, the device includes a fluid circulation system that may be configured to circulate the first volume of fluid. Further, in some embodiments, the thermal reservoir may define one or more circulation volumes configured to receive the circulating cooled fluid. In some embodiments, the fluid may be in physical contact with an exterior surface of a food container or the like. In other embodiments, the walls or structure of a circulation pan defining the circulation volume may be in physical and / or at least thermal contact with the food container and / or food. As described above with respect to FIG. 22, in some embodiments, the controller of the device may be configured to control one or more solenoids, pumps, cooling elements, fluid heaters, and / or the like to circulate the cooled fluid through the fluid circulation system and through the portions of the first and second thermal reservoirs.

[0128]

[1142] At 13, in response to a first criterion being met, a first volume of fluid circulating through a portion of the first thermal reservoir and a portion of the second thermal reservoir is heated such that thermal energy from the heated fluid is transferred to the first food item and the second food item. For example, in some embodiments, the controller of the device may be configured to execute one or more processes, and / or the like, that can transition the device from a first operating mode to a second operating mode (e.g., a cooking mode) in which the device cooks the food item at or to a desired temperature for a desired time. As described above, in some embodiments, the criterion can be based, for example, on a planned cooking time and / or a planned time the user wishes to eat the cooked food item. In other embodiments, the criterion can be, for example, an input provided by a user (e.g., direct input via a user interface of the controller and / or indirect input via a remote device such as a mobile device, smartphone, tablet, computer, smart home digital assistant, etc.).

[0129]

[1143] As described in detail above, the device may be configured to circulate heated fluid through one or more portions of the device to cook food within the device when the device is placed in the second operating mode. In some embodiments, the fluid circulation system and / or controller may be configured to shift and / or activate one or more solenoids and / or pumps to route, convey, and / or circulate heated fluid through a portion of the thermal reservoir (e.g., one or more circulation volumes as described above with respect to device 500 shown in FIGS. 12-21 and the flow diagram shown in FIG. 22). As described above with respect to devices 100, 200, 400, and / or 500, the heated fluid circulating through a portion of the thermal reservoir may have a predetermined and / or desired temperature based at least in part on the food placed within the thermal reservoir. Thus, the device may be configured to cook a first food item and a second food item at or to a desired temperature for a desired time. Additionally, as described above with respect to device 500, the device may be configured to cook the first food and the second food via different modalities or the same modality based at least in part on information associated with the first food and the second food.

[0130]

[1144] At 14, in response to the second criterion being met, the second volume of fluid is conveyed to a portion of the third thermal container such that thermal energy from the second volume of fluid is transferred to the third food item. For example, in some embodiments, the second criterion can be based on a predetermined cooking time for at least one of the first food item, the second food item, and / or the third food item. In other examples, the second criterion can be associated with a desired time for the third food item to be fully cooked. In yet other embodiments, the second criterion can be associated with a user input, as described above with respect to the first criterion.

[0131]

[1145] As described in detail above with respect to device 500, the device may be configured to deliver a volume of heated fluid to at least a portion of a third thermal container (which may be similar to food container 536 in this example). In some embodiments, the volume of fluid may be sufficient to substantially submerge a third food item disposed therein, as described above with respect to food container 536, but may be insufficient to activate and / or initiate a siphon contained in and / or coupled to the third thermal container (food container). In some embodiments, the heated fluid may have a temperature at or near the boiling point of the fluid (e.g., approximately 212°F for water). In other embodiments, the heated fluid may have a temperature below the boiling point of the fluid. In such embodiments, the device may include a heating element (e.g., similar to heating element 561) configured to transfer thermal energy to a second volume of fluid disposed within a portion of the third thermal container. In some examples, such a heating element may be configured to heat the second volume of fluid to a temperature near, at, or above the boiling point of the fluid.

[0132]

[1146] In some examples, once the third food item has been cooked to a desired amount, the device may be configured to convey an additional volume of fluid into the third thermal reservoir. In some examples, the additional volume may be such that the total volume of fluid in the third thermal reservoir exceeds a threshold volume of fluid. In such examples, exceeding the threshold volume of fluid may initiate and / or activate siphoning of the third thermal reservoir, as described in detail above with respect to food reservoir 536. Thus, the device may be configured to cook a desired amount of the third food item and may also be configured to initiate and / or activate siphoning of the third thermal reservoir such that a volume of fluid is expelled from a portion of the third thermal reservoir.

[0133]

[1147] As described above, in some examples, the device may be configured to cook a first food item, a second food item, and / or a third food item according to instructions associated with those foods. In some embodiments, the device may be configured so that cooking of the foods finishes substantially simultaneously. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the device may include one or more additional elements, components, and / or features configured to transfer thermal energy to at least one of the first food item, the second food item, and / or the third food item. For example, in some embodiments, the first thermal reservoir and the second thermal reservoir may include and / or be coupled to one or more heating elements that may be configured to transfer thermal energy to the first and second food items, respectively, as described in detail above with respect to heating element 560.

[0134]

[1148] In some embodiments, a user can sign up for a meal delivery service, for example, where the user selects the food they want to eat (e.g., via a PC application, a mobile application, a web browser, and the Internet, a telephone service, etc.) and receives the food via delivery. In such embodiments, the food and / or meals can be pre-packaged before delivery. In this manner, the user can receive the food and have it placed in device 100 and / or device 200 without the need to, for example, freeze the food. Such a subscription delivery service can be based, for example, on the number of desired meals per week and / or any other suitable criteria. In other examples, a user can purchase one or more meals “on demand.” For example, the user can order via the Internet and a web browser, a PC or mobile application, etc.

[0135]

[1149] Some embodiments described herein relate to computer storage products comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium (which may also be referred to as a non-transitory processor-readable medium) having instructions or computer code for performing various computer-implemented operations. The computer-readable medium (or processor-readable medium) is non-transitory in the sense that it does not include a transitory propagating signal (e.g., a propagating electromagnetic wave carrying information in a transmission medium such as space or a cable). The medium and computer code (also referred to as code herein) may be designed and configured for one or more specific purposes. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage media such as hard disks, optical storage media such as compact discs / digital video discs (CDs / DVDs) and compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), magneto-optical storage media such as optical discs, carrier wave signal processing modules, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program code, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), read-only memories (ROMs), and random access memory (RAM) devices. Other embodiments described herein relate to computer program products that may include, for example, instructions and / or computer code described herein.

[0136]

[1150] Examples of computer code include, but are not limited to, microcode or microinstructions, e.g., produced by a compiler, machine instructions, code used to create web services, and files containing higher-level instructions that are executed by a computer using an interpreter. For example, embodiments may be implemented using an imperative programming language (e.g., C, FORTRAN, etc.), a functional programming language (Haskell, Erlang, etc.), a logic programming language (e.g., Prolog), an object-oriented programming language (e.g., Java, C++, etc.), or other programming languages ​​and / or other development tools. Further examples of computer code include, but are not limited to, control signals, encryption code, and compression code.

[0137]

[1151] Although some of the electronics systems are described herein as receiving signals from any suitable sensors and / or the like and, based on execution of a set of instructions by a processor, causing a portion of a device to perform a subsequent action, in other examples, a signal from a sensor may be operable to cause a portion of a device to perform a subsequent action. For example, in some examples, a signal transmitted from a sensor may be operable to transition a switch, fuse, breaker, and / or any other suitable logic device from a first state in which the portion of the device accepts the flow of electrical power to a second state in which the portion of the device substantially does not accept the flow of electrical power, or vice versa. For example, a sensor may transmit a signal based on the temperature of a volume of fluid contained within a thermal enclosure exceeding a predetermined threshold, which signal may be operable to open or close another valve configured to control the flow of fluid into and / or out of the thermal enclosure and to keep the temperature of the volume of fluid within a predetermined threshold. Similarly, a fill sensor or the like may transmit a signal based on the fill level of a volume of fluid contained within the thermal vessel exceeding a predetermined fill limit, and the signal may be operable to open one or more valves to provide fluid communication between the volume defined by the thermal vessel and a drain reservoir. In this manner, at least a portion of the fluid may be drained from the thermal vessel until the volume of fluid is within the predetermined fill limit.

[0138]

[1152] While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. While the above-described figures and / or embodiments show particular components arranged in particular orientations, positions, and / or configurations, the arrangement of components may vary. While embodiments have been particularly shown and described, it will be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made. Similarly, while various embodiments have been described as having particular features and / or combinations of components, other embodiments are possible having any feature and / or combination of components of any of the above-described embodiments.

[0139]

[1153] For example, while one or more circulating pans 420 are described herein with respect to Figures 8 through 11 as defining a volume for receiving a fluid flow such that the fluid contacts the exterior surfaces of food packages 435 disposed therein, in some embodiments, one or more circulating pans 420 may have any suitable configuration while providing similar or substantially the same functionality. For example, in some embodiments, device 400 may include a series of coils or the like that contact the exterior surfaces of one or more food packages 435 and through which a fluid circulation system can provide a flow of cooled or heated fluid (e.g., water). In other embodiments, device 400 may include one or more circulating pans similar to circulating pan 520 described with respect to device 500. In such embodiments, for example, a volume of fluid may be used to cool or heat one or more surfaces of the circulating pan, which may in turn contact the exterior surfaces of the food packages or containers. In still other embodiments, a volume of fluid circulating in and / or through the circulating pan may cool and / or heat cavities, etc., in which food packages and / or containers are disposed.

[0140]

[1154] Although some of the containers, packages, and / or cartridges containing food products are not specifically shown and / or described herein, it should be understood that such packages and / or cartridges may have any suitable arrangement and / or configuration. In some embodiments, for example, a package may contain meat and / or other protein products in a first fluidly sealed portion and vegetables, starches, carbohydrates, etc. in one or more sealed or unsealed portions. In some embodiments, the package and / or cartridge may include an absorbent material, etc., configured to absorb excess fluid resulting from cooking the food product. In some embodiments, the package and / or cartridge may be substantially similar to any of those described in the '750 publication and / or the '819 application. In other embodiments, the food product may be disposed within a device (e.g., devices 100, 200, 300, and / or 400) without being disposed within a package, cartridge, and / or the like. For example, in some embodiments, one or more loose food products may be disposed in a thermal container and / or a circulating pan. In other embodiments, one or more loose food items may be at least temporarily placed in or on a tray, carrier, pan, and / or any other suitable holding device configured for use in devices 100, 200, 300, and / or 400. Accordingly, while specific examples of food packaging have been presented herein, it should be understood that such food packaging is presented by way of example only and not limitation. Devices 100, 200, 300, and / or 400 described herein may be configured to store and / or cook food items placed in any suitable package, etc., or may be configured to store and / or cook unpackaged or loose food items.

[0141]

[1155] Although the methods and / or figures described above depict certain events and / or flow patterns occurring in a particular order, the order of certain events and / or flow patterns may be changed. Additionally, certain events may be performed sequentially as well as simultaneously in parallel processes, where possible. For example, as described above with respect to device 500, devices such as those described herein may be configured to cook one or more food items in at least partially parallel processes, such that cooking of each food item begins at different times but finishes at substantially the same time. It should be understood that the methods of operation and / or use described herein are provided by way of example and not by way of limitation. Furthermore, while specific examples of cooling and / or heating (cooking) food items are described herein, it should be understood that the operation of the device (e.g., storing and / or cooking food items) is not limited thereto.

Claims

1. 1. A method of using a storage and cooking device with a thermal container and a circulation system, comprising: placing a food item within an interior volume of the thermal container; cooling a volume of fluid circulating through a first flow path of the circulation system and a circulation volume partially surrounding and fluidly isolated from the interior volume of the thermal vessel, such that thermal energy from the food product is transferred to the cooled fluid; responsive to a first criterion being met, heating the volume of fluid circulating through a second flow path of the circulation system and the circulation volume such that thermal energy from the heated fluid is transferred to the food product; responsive to a second criterion being met and while the volume of fluid circulates through the second flow path of the circulation system and the circulation volume, transferring thermal energy from a heating element disposed in the interior volume of the thermal container to the food product; circulating the volume of fluid through the circulation volume, a third flow path of the circulation system, and a reservoir of the storage and cooking device during the transfer of thermal energy from the heating element; purging air from the circulation system through the reservoir to limit the generation of high pressure in the circulation volume and the volume of fluid circulating in the third flow path of the circulation system as a result of the portion of the thermal energy from the heating element heating the volume of fluid in the circulation volume; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criteria is associated with a predetermined schedule.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criterion is associated with a signal indicative of a command to heat the volume of fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second criterion is associated with a predetermined cooking time for the food product.

5. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of thermal energy transfer from the heating element to the food product is greater than the rate of thermal energy transfer from the heated volume of fluid through the circulation volume to the food product.

6. the heating element is a first heating element; The method of claim 1 , wherein the circulation system includes a second heating element configured to heat the volume of fluid circulating through the second flow path of the circulation system.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, comprising purging air from the circulation system through the reservoir in response to the transfer of a portion of the thermal energy from the heating element to the volume of fluid circulating through the circulation volume, the purging being configured to limit the creation of the high pressure in the volume of fluid in the second flow path of the circulation system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first flow path of the circulation system is in communication with the circulation flow path and isolated from the reservoir.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second flow path and the circulation flow path of the circulation system communicate with the circulation flow path and the reservoir, respectively.

10. heating the volume of fluid circulating through the second flow path and the circulation flow path of the circulation system includes heating the volume of fluid in communication with the circulation flow path and isolated from the reservoir; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the circulation of the volume of fluid from the circulation flow path through the second flow path and the reservoir of the circulation system includes circulation of the volume of fluid in communication with each of the circulation flow path and the reservoir.

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