Mobile Menu Filtering and Translation for Dietary Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

Consumers face challenges in quickly identifying menu items that match their dietary preferences and language when dining out, especially in foreign countries, due to the time-consuming process of scanning menus and potential health risks from unknown ingredients.

Innovation Solution

A mobile device application that obtains a digital menu, filters items based on user-defined criteria such as dietary needs and pricing, and translates menu items using cloud or local services, ensuring safe food choices and facilitating communication in foreign languages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a consumer manually scans and evaluates each menu item against their dietary preferences, then they can identify suitable food options, but the process becomes extremely time-consuming and frustrating

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of identifying suitable menu itemsVSAvoidtime required to scan and evaluate menu items

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary filtering of menu items based on user-defined dietary criteria before presentation. The mobile application automatically compares menu items against stored food criteria (allergens, dietary restrictions, nutritional requirements) and pre-identifies suitable options, eliminating the need for manual evaluation of each item.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical process of scanning and evaluating each menu item is replaced by an automated computational system. The mobile application uses algorithmic processing to automatically filter, compare, and rank menu items based on dietary preferences, substituting human cognitive effort with automated information processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a consumer orders food without knowing the ingredients in foreign countries, then they can access local cuisine, but they risk consuming medically dangerous ingredients

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to access and order from foreign restaurantsVSAvoidhealth risks from unknown ingredients

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary layer between the consumer and the foreign menu. Translation services convert menu items and ingredient lists into the user's language, while dietary analysis tools act as intermediaries to screen ingredients against known allergens and dietary restrictions, providing a safety buffer before the consumer makes food choices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to consumers about the safety and suitability of menu items. By analyzing ingredient information and comparing it against the user's dietary profile, the application generates feedback indicating which items are safe, which contain allergens, and which meet specific dietary requirements, enabling informed decision-making in foreign dining situations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If a restaurant menu is presented in a foreign language, then local authenticity is maintained, but the consumer cannot understand or negotiate menu choices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelanguage translation capabilityVSAvoidability to understand and negotiate menu choices

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The manual translation process is replaced by automated translation services integrated into the mobile application. The system uses computational linguistics and translation algorithms to convert menu items, descriptions, and ingredient lists from the foreign language into the user's native language, eliminating the need for manual translation or language knowledge.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS8903708B2Analyzing restaurant menus in view of consumer preferences

Publication Date: 2014.12.02 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A system and method are described for analyzing a menu. In one embodiment, a mobile device can obtain a digital version of a restaurant menu. A list of food criteria can be stored on the mobile device and tailored to a particular user of the mobile device. The restaurant menu can then be filtered using the stored list of food criteria to display a reduced version of the restaurant menu with items that conflict with the food criteria removed. In another embodiment, the digital version of the menu can be translated. For example, a destination language can be based on a language setting in the mobile device. A source language can either be entered by the user, determined automatically by comparing words in the menu itself against dictionaries in different languages, or by using geographic location of the restaurant.