Cooking Program Visualization With Virtual Bons and Touchscreen Scheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for visualizing cooking programs in restaurants, such as the traditional 'bon system,' face challenges with readability, loss of slips, and inefficient communication between guests and kitchen staff, leading to operational complexities in managing cooking schedules and sequences.

Innovation Solution

A method utilizing a touchscreen display to present cooking programs as virtual receipts on a token board, with color and geometric coding to represent different cooking modes, parameters, and steps, allowing intuitive selection and arrangement of cooking tasks, thereby simplifying the creation and management of cooking schedules and reducing transmission errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the traditional bon system is used to visualize cooking programs, then staff can write down dish names or numbers on paper slips, but readability is poor and slips are easily lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveloss of slipsVSAvoidoperability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces physical paper slips with virtual receipts displayed on a touchscreen. Each cooking program is represented by a virtual receipt containing a code word and graphic representation, which can be selected and arranged digitally. This eliminates the loss of physical slips while maintaining the simple receipt-based interface that kitchen staff are familiar with.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the mechanical paper-based bon system with an electronic touchscreen display system. The physical act of writing on paper slips is replaced by digital selection and arrangement of virtual receipts, eliminating handwriting readability issues and physical slip loss while improving overall operability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Quantity of substance

If a large number of cooking programs are displayed in a list format, then all programs are visible, but the interface becomes complex and difficult to navigate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of programsVSAvoidinterface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the display into two functional areas: a virtual receipt bar that shows all available cooking programs as selectable virtual receipts, and a virtual receipt board where selected programs are arranged in the desired sequence. This segmentation allows the interface to handle large numbers of programs without becoming complex, as programs can be selected from the bar and organized on the board in a intuitive visual manner.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a one-dimensional list format to a two-dimensional virtual receipt board layout. Programs are displayed as rectangular receipts that can be arranged in spatial configurations, allowing operators to visualize the cooking sequence and timing relationships in a second dimension (space), making navigation and management of large program quantities much more intuitive.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Illumination intensity

If virtual receipts use color and geometric coding to represent cooking modes, then visual recognition is improved, but the display requires more space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual recognitionVSAvoiddisplay space
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses color coding in the virtual receipts to represent different cooking modes and parameters. Each virtual receipt incorporates color elements that provide immediate visual recognition of the cooking program type, allowing operators to quickly identify and select the appropriate program without reading detailed text descriptions, thus improving visual recognition efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies color and geometric coding selectively to specific parts of the virtual receipt interface, particularly in the virtual receipt bar where programs are selected. This localized application of visual coding provides enhanced recognition where most needed, while the virtual receipt board can use a more compact layout since the coding has already established program identification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2211116B1Method for visualising programs and cooking device for same
Publication Date: 2015.10.07 RATIONAL AG
  • EP2211116B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2211116B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2211116B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The method involves selecting a program from a group of cooking programs defined by cooking operating processes, cooking processes, cooking parameters and/or cooking goods, cleaning programs, cleaning processes, cleaning parameters and/or cleaning agents, aid programme and/or diagnostic programs. The selected program is represented on an indication device in the form of a program representative, where the program representative comprises virtual bons (104R, 105GR,106RG) provided with a code name. An independent claim is also included for a cooking device comprising an indication device.