Mobile-Device Beverage Machine Operation for Temporary Recipe Transfer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for operating a large number of drinks machines, such as fully automatic coffee machines, are inefficient in handling personalized drink recipes, as they require generating and storing numerous user profiles, making it impractical for use in settings like restaurant chains with multiple machines.

Innovation Solution

A method using a mobile device with a communication unit to establish a connection with each drinks machine, allowing for the transmission, temporary storage, and display of personalized recipes, enabling users or staff to select and prepare customized drinks, with data deletion after use, reducing data management burden and ensuring user privacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If user profiles are stored on each beverage vending machine to enable personalized recipes, then personalized beverage preparation is improved, but device complexity and data management burden increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepersonalized beverage preparationVSAvoiddata management burden
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A mobile device acts as an intermediary between the user and the beverage vending machine. The mobile device stores the personalized recipe data and transmits it temporarily to the machine for execution, then deletes the data. This eliminates the need for the machine to permanently store user profiles while still enabling personalized beverage preparation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses temporary data storage on the beverage vending machine's data storage unit. The personalized recipe data is stored only for the duration needed to prepare the beverage, then automatically deleted. This approach avoids the complexity of long-term data management while enabling personalized functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple user profiles are stored on each machine for restaurant chains, then service to multiple customers is improved, but memory requirements and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice to multiple customersVSAvoidmemory requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device serves as a portable storage medium that holds personalized recipe data for multiple users. Instead of each machine needing to store all user profiles, the data travels with the user's mobile device and is temporarily transferred to the machine only when needed, dramatically reducing memory requirements at each location.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile device functions as a universal storage and transmission unit that can serve multiple beverage vending machines across different locations. The same mobile device can provide personalized recipes at any machine in the restaurant chain, eliminating the need for each machine to have dedicated storage for all user profiles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If personalized recipes are transmitted to each machine via mobile device, then user privacy is improved, but data transmission and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser privacy protectionVSAvoiddata transmission time
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Personalized recipes are pre-configured and stored on the user's mobile device before approaching the beverage vending machine. When the user arrives, the data is already prepared and can be quickly transmitted to the machine for immediate beverage preparation, minimizing any transmission delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements automatic data deletion from the machine's memory immediately after the beverage is prepared. This rapid processing and deletion sequence minimizes the time personal data remains on the machine, quickly rushing through the data lifecycle to protect privacy while maintaining efficient operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

Data Source

PatentEP3278692B1Method for operating a beverage machine from a plurality of beverage machines
Publication Date: 2020.08.12 MELITTA PROFESSIONAL COFFEE SOLUTIONS GMBH & CO
  • EP3278692B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3278692B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3278692B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for operating a single drinks machine from a large number of drinks machines, in particular hot drinks machines, preferably fully automatic coffee machines (1), each with an operating display (4) and each with a communication unit (8) using a mobile device (2) with a communication unit (7) , wherein each of the drinks machines is designed to set up communication links with a plurality of mobile devices (2), characterized by the following method steps: a) providing one or more recipes (R) personalized for a user for a hot or cold drink, in particular for a hot drink, as a data record (3) on the respective mobile device (2); b) Independent establishment of a communication connection between one of the beverage machines (1) - when approaching this beverage machine (1) - and the respective mobile device (2); c) transmission of the data record (3) of the personalized recipe (R) or the plurality of personalized recipes for the hot or cold beverage to the drinks machine (1); d) temporarily storing the data record (3) on the data memory (5) of the drinks machine (1); e) Displaying the personalized recipe (R) or the personalized recipes as selection option(s) on the operating display (4) of the drinks machine (1); f) triggering a preparation process on the drinks machine (1) by selecting one personalized recipe (R) or one of the personalized recipes; and g) preparing and dispensing the personalized drink (6), h) deleting the data record (3) after the communication link has been disconnected.