Pressure Cooker GUI Guidance for Safer Multi-State Operation

Solution Overview

Problem

Domestic pressure cookers are complex and intimidating for users, leading to suboptimal usage and potential safety risks due to lack of ergonomics and clarity in operation, which can result in errors and accidents.

Innovation Solution

A domestic food cooking system with a pressure cooker equipped with a manual control member and a graphic interface on a computer terminal, such as a smartphone, featuring virtual pictograms and a wireless telecommunication device to assist users in intuitively controlling the pressure cooker's operating states, ensuring correct usage and safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a pressure cooker is equipped with multiple control members and identification markings to enable precise control of operating states, then the functionality and cooking performance are improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of operation increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking performanceVSAvoiduser operation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A mobile application serves as an intermediary between the user and the pressure cooker's control system. The application receives data from sensors in the pressure cooker, processes it, and provides intuitive visual feedback and guidance to the user, simplifying the interaction with multiple control members and identification markings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by displaying real-time operational status, cooking progress, and pressure/temperature information through a mobile application. This feedback loop guides users through the cooking process, reducing the cognitive load of managing multiple control states and identification markings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If a pressure cooker is equipped with multiple control members and identification markings to enable precise control of operating states, then the functionality and cooking performance are improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking performanceVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A mobile application serves as an intermediary between the user and the pressure cooker's control system. The application receives data from sensors in the pressure cooker, processes it, and provides intuitive visual feedback and guidance to the user, simplifying the interaction with multiple control members and identification markings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces parts of the mechanical interface (physical control members and identification markings) with an electronic/digital interface through a mobile application. This substitution reduces the perceived complexity by presenting information and controls in a more intuitive digital format while maintaining the underlying mechanical functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If users are provided with detailed identification markings and control members for precise operation, then the cooking precision is improved, but the risk of user error and accidents increases due to complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking precisionVSAvoidsafety

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by displaying real-time operational status, cooking progress, and pressure/temperature information through a mobile application. This feedback loop guides users through the cooking process, reducing the cognitive load of managing multiple control states and identification markings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile application provides preliminary guidance and warnings to users before critical operations occur. It can alert users to potential errors, guide them through correct procedures step-by-step, and provide safety warnings, preventing errors before they lead to accidents.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentEP2898799B1Cooking system with assisted use

Publication Date: 2017.03.08 SEB SA

AI summary

The invention provides a cooking system including a pressure pot (1) provided with a manual control member (4) which is installed movably between a plurality of positions corresponding to a plurality of operating states. The positions are associated with identification marks (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) located in a pre-arrangement. The cooking system is characterized in that the cooking system also includes a graphical user interface or ''GUI''(10) providing help for use of the pressure pot (1), the GUI is operated on a computer terminal (11) provided with a display screen, the GUI (10) is designed to firstly display a pictorial chart located in the arrangement corresponding to a pre-arrangment on the display screen, and secondly display a virtual mouse assigning one pictorial chart in the pictorial charts. The system also includes a radio communication device designed to control the position of the virtual mouse by the position of the manual control member (4).