This International Application claims priority from a complete patent application filed in India having Patent Application No. 201921016238, filed on April 24, 2019 and titled“AN INTERACTIVE APPARATUS TO PREPARE A BEVERAGE”. BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a food preparation apparatus, and more particularly to an interactive apparatus to prepare a beverage.

People like to consume freshly prepared food or beverages, however preparation of the food or beverage especially, while travelling or not having access to kitchen, becomes difficult and requires special devices or cooking utensils to do so. Further, for ease of cooking, one or more ready to eat food or drink items being sold in market which require less preparation time and simple functioning cooking apparatus to prepare the same. For this purpose, various cooking apparatus are available in market which could prepare or cook the one or more ready to eat food or drink items such as beverages, breakfast items and snacks items. Conventionally, the apparatus available in the market for preparation of the one or more ready to food items during the travelling includes only warming of one or more ingredients such as water or milk for preparation of the beverage. However, such apparatus is unable to boil the water or the milk for preparation of the beverage or any other ready to eat food items without proper cleaning of the apparatus filtering the one or more ingredients. Moreover, such apparatus also consumes time in preparation of the one or more ready to eat food items. Also, such apparatus is unable to display at least one parameter corresponding to the one or more ingredients and as a result makes a user of the apparatus unaware about the at least one parameter such as temperature, weight or capacity.

Hence, there is a need for an improved interactive apparatus to prepare the beverage in order to address the aforementioned issues. BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, an interactive apparatus to prepare a beverage is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least two modules. The at least two modules includes a first module. The first module includes a container and configured to receive and hold a liquid content to prepare the beverage. The at least two modules also includes a second module. The second module includes a sensing unit configured to sense one or more parameters representative of temperature and weight of the liquid content kept inside the first module. The second module also includes a temperature regulation unit operatively coupled to the sensing unit. The temperature regulation unit includes one or more heating and cooling elements configured to heat and cool the liquid content based one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature of the liquid content within a predefined temperature range. The second module also includes a purification unit which includes one or more ultraviolet irradiation subunit and configured to purify the liquid content inside the first module by radiating the ultraviolet light and destroying one or more microorganisms. The second module also includes an illumination unit which includes a plurality of light sources configured to illuminate the first module during preparation of the beverage. The apparatus also includes a notification unit communicatively coupled to the second module. The notification module is configured to notify a user corresponding to the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content through a communication network.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an interactive apparatus to prepare a beverage is disclosed. The method includes receiving and holding a liquid content to prepare the beverage in a container of a first module. The method also includes sensing, by a sensing unit, one or more parameters representative of temperature and weight of the liquid content kept inside the first module. The method also includes heating and cooling, by a temperature regulation unit, the liquid content based on one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature of the liquid content within a predefined temperature range. The method also includes purifying, by a purification unit, the liquid content inside the first module by radiating an ultraviolet light and destroying one or more microorganisms. The method also includes illuminating, by an illumination unit, the first module during preparation of the beverage. The method also includes sending, by a notification unit, an alert to a user corresponding to the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content through a communication network. To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will follow by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an interactive apparatus to prepare a beverage in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method for preparing a beverage in an interactive apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAIFED DESCRIPTION

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting.

In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms“a”,“an”, and“the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an interactive apparatus to prepare a beverage. The apparatus includes at least two modules. The at least two modules includes a first module. The first module includes a container and configured to receive and hold a liquid content to prepare the beverage. The at least two modules also includes a second module. The second module includes a sensing unit configured to sense one or more parameters representative of temperature and weight of the liquid content kept inside the first module. The second module also includes a temperature regulation unit operatively coupled to the sensing unit. The temperature regulation unit includes one or more heating and cooling elements configured to heat and cool the liquid content based one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature of the liquid content within a predefined temperature range. The second module also includes a purification unit which includes one or more ultraviolet irradiation subunit and configured to purify the liquid content inside the first module by radiating the ultraviolet light and destroying one or more microorganisms. The second module also includes an illumination unit which includes a plurality of light sources configured to illuminate the first module during preparation of the beverage. The apparatus also includes a notification unit communicatively coupled to the second module. The notification module is configured to notify a user corresponding to the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content through a communication network. FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an interactive apparatus (100) to prepare a beverage in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus (100) includes at least two modules. The at least two modules includes a first module (110). The first module (110) includes a container (120) and configured to receive and hold a liquid content (115) to prepare the beverage. In one embodiment the apparatus (100) may include at least one of a cup, a mug, a glass, a kettle, a vessel, a jug and a bottle. In such embodiment, the apparatus (100) may be fabricated from at least one of stainless- steel, aluminium, copper, fiberglass, melamine, opal, ceramic and plastic. In some embodiment, the beverage may include at least one of tea, coffee, milk, soup, energy drinks and juices. In another embodiment, the beverage may also include water to boil one or more eggs. In yet another embodiment, boiled water may be also used to prepare ready to eat noodles, soup or porridges.

The at least two modules also includes a second module (130). The second module (130) includes a sensing unit (140) configured to sense one or more parameters representative of temperature and weight of the liquid content (115) kept inside the first module (110). In one embodiment, the sensing unit (130) may include at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor and a weight sensor. In such embodiment, the temperature sensor may sense the temperature of the liquid content (115) kept inside the first module (110). In another embodiment, the pressure sensor may sense pressure of the liquid content (115) kept inside the first module (110). In yet another embodiment, the weight sensor may detect capacity of the liquid content (115) kept inside the first module (110).

The second module (130) also includes a temperature regulation unit (150) operatively coupled to the sensing unit (140). The temperature regulation unit (150) comprises one or more heating and cooling elements configured to heat and cool the liquid content (115) based one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature of the liquid content (115) within a predefined temperature range. In one embodiment, the one or more heating elements may include one or more Peltier plates. The temperature regulation unit (150) is configured to generate a temperature difference based on voltage difference created between electrodes coupled with a semiconductor material (155) of the apparatus (100) by a Peltier effect. The temperature difference is created by transferring heat between electrical junctions. The voltage is applied across the electrodes to create an electric current and when the electric current flows through the junctions of the two conductors, heat is removed at one of the junction and cooling occurs. In one embodiment, the voltage is received by a power supply unit (160) from a battery of an automobile for an operation of the apparatus (100). In one embodiment, the temperature regulation unit (150) acts as a Peltier heat pump and a thermoelectric cooler for heating or cooling to a predefined temperature level within a predefined time. In such embodiment, the predefined temperature range may range from 100 degree Celsius to zero degree Celsius of the liquid content.

The second module (130) also includes a purification unit (not shown in FIG. 1) comprising one or more ultraviolet irradiation subunit and configured to purify the liquid content inside the first module by radiating the ultraviolet light and destroying one or more microorganisms. In one embodiment, the one or more ultraviolet irradiation subunit emits the ultraviolet light of a predefined wavelength and destroys deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the one or more microorganisms. In such embodiment, destruction of the DNA of the one or more microorganisms damages functionality and an ability to reproduce which helps in destruction of the one or more microorganisms.

The second module (130) also includes an illumination unit (not shown in FIG. l) comprising a plurality of light sources configured to illuminate the first module (110) during preparation of the beverage. In one embodiment, the plurality of light sources may include a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) bulbs.

The apparatus (100) also includes a notification unit communicatively coupled to the second module (130). The notification module is configured to send an alert to a user corresponding to the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content through a communication network. In one embodiment, the notification unit may include a wireless network communication module (170) to send the alert to the user. In some embodiment, the wireless communication network may include at least one of 2G, 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, and low power wide area network (LPWAN).

In one embodiment, the alert may include at least one of a text message, a multimedia message, an email or a push notification specific to an application. In such embodiment, the alert may be sent in an electronic device associated with the user. In such embodiment, the electronic device associated with the user may include, but not limited to, a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, tablet or a mobile phone. In one embodiment, the communication network may be a wireless communication network.

In a specific embodiment, the apparatus (100) further includes a power supply unit (160) operatively coupled to the second module. The power supply unit (160) is configured to receive power supply from a battery of an automobile for an operation of the apparatus (100). In one embodiment, voltage of the battery of the automobile may range from 12V to 24V. In some embodiment, current produced from the battery of the automobile may range from 10 ampere (A) to 15 ampere (A). In one embodiment, a thermoelectric power generator (180) may be used to generate power based on heat produced by running of the automobile.

In a further embodiment, the apparatus (100) also includes a transceiver (not shown in FIG.l) configured to receive one or more inputs from a user. In such embodiment, the one or more inputs includes increasing temperature, decreasing temperature, activating the purification unit, deactivating the purification unit, turning on the illumination unit and turning off the illumination unit. In one embodiment, the apparatus (100) further includes an input processing unit operatively coupled to the transceiver. In some embodiment, the input processing unit is configured to activate an action corresponding to the received one or more inputs, thereby enabling remote operation of the apparatus (100).

In a specific embodiment, the apparatus (100) further includes an in-built battery unit (190) operatively coupled to the second module (130). In such embodiment, the in-built battery unit (190) may include a rechargeable battery configured to supply power for the operation of the apparatus (100). In one embodiment, the rechargeable battery may provide a power for a predefined duration. In such embodiment, the predefined period may be approximately two hours. In one embodiment, the rechargeable battery may configured to be charged from a portable solar panel. In one such embodiment, the solar panel may be operatively coupled on a ceiling position of the automobile to receive sunlight. In an alternative embodiment, the rechargeable battery may also be charged from a power supply having a 12(V) volt, 15 ampere (A) using a power supply adapter.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method (200) of operation of an interactive apparatus to prepare a beverage in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure. The method (200) includes receiving and holding, a liquid content to prepare the beverage in a container of a first module of the apparatus in step 210. In one embodiment, receiving and holding the liquid content to prepare the beverage may include receiving and holding the liquid content by a container of the first module of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus may include, but not limited to, a cup, a mug, a glass, a kettle, a vessel, a jug and a bottle. In some embodiment, the apparatus may be fabricated from at least one of stainless- steel, aluminium, copper, fiberglass, melamine, opal, ceramic and plastic. The method (200) also includes sensing, by a sensing unit, one or more parameters representative of temperature and weight of the liquid content kept inside the first module in step 220. In one embodiment, sensing the one or more parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content kept inside the first module may include sensing the one or more parameters by the sensing unit of a second module, wherein the sensing unit may include at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor and a weight sensor.

The method (200) also includes heating and cooling, by a temperature regulation unit, the liquid content based on one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature of the liquid content within a predefined temperature range in step 230. In one embodiment, heating and cooling the liquid content based on the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature of the temperature of the liquid content may include heating and cooling the liquid content with the predefined temperature range by generating a temperature difference based on voltage difference created between electrodes coupled with a semiconductor material of the apparatus by a Peltier effect. In some embodiment, the predefined temperature range may range from 100 degree Celsius to zero degree Celsius of the liquid content.

The method (200) also includes purifying, by a purification unit, the liquid content inside the first module by radiating an ultraviolet light and destroying one or more microorganisms in step 240. In one embodiment, purifying the liquid content inside the first module by radiating the ultraviolet light may include purifying the liquid content by radiating the ultraviolet light of a predefined wavelength by one or more ultraviolet irradiation unit and destroying deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the one or more microorganisms.

The method (200) also includes illuminating, by an illumination unit, the first module during preparation of the beverage in step 250. In one embodiment, illuminating the first module may include illuminating the first module by a plurality of light sources during preparation of the beverage. In such embodiment, the plurality of light sources may include a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. In some embodiment, the illumination unit enhances visibility of the liquid content kept inside the first module.

The method (200) also includes sending an alert, by a notification unit, to a user corresponding to the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content through a communication network in step 260. In one embodiment, sensing the alert to the user corresponding to the one or more sensed parameters representative of the temperature and weight of the liquid content may include sending the alert to the user through the communication network, wherein the alert may include at least one of a text message, a multimedia message, an email or a push notification specific to an application. In some embodiment, the alert may be sent in an electronic device associated with the user. In one embodiment, the wireless communication network may include at least one of 2G, 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, and low power wide area network (LPWAN).

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus to prepare the beverage easily during travelling, the apparatus may be connected to a vehicle or any battery-based power source to receive power. This provides a great deal of flexibility to users to cook or prepare any desired beverage at any place.

Moreover, the present disclosed apparatus purifies the liquid content which may be used for preparation of the beverage or any food without using any harmful chemical components and by using a cost-efficient method for purification. This also solves the problem of not having access to pure or clean water all the time, while travelling or away from home.

The illumination unit of the apparatus helps the user to cook or prepare any food or beverage in dark even when not operated via a smart computing device. Therefore, it enables the user to cook or prepare any beverage even in dark places, such as during camping or picnic etc.

Furthermore, the present disclosed apparatus is user-friendly as well as portable and consumes less power.

In addition to, the present disclosed apparatus for heating and cooling function utilises Peltier technology which transfers heat from one side of the apparatus to another against a temperature gradient easily and therefore is much less likely to fail and requires less maintenance cost.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, the order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.