[0001] The present invention relates to the field of food preparation and cooking, and in particular to methods, systems and apparatus for controlling food preparation and cooking appliances.

[0002] It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in the context of one or more home cooking appliances which may include a multi-function cooker, however it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to that application only.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] For people leading a busy modern lifestyle food preparation and cooking can present a challenging task. As a result, many people resort to fast-food restaurants or pre-prepared frozen or refrigerated meals from supermarkets. These solutions may not provide good dietary and health outcomes, and children brought up in such an environment may be further disinclined to cook or prepare food themselves later in life. This then creates a cycle in which cooking and food preparation from individual ingredients is viewed as difficult, and performed less and less. Many people do not have a clear understanding of the principles of cooking and food preparation and feel intimidated by conventional recipes and complex kitchen appliances.

[0004] For those people who do cook at home, kitchens are becoming more and more cluttered with single-function appliances. Multi-function appliances combining multiple food preparation and cooking features into a single unit can reduce the number of appliances required, but often at the expense of added complexity of operation. For example, it may require several hours of training or instruction in order to gain a rudimentary competence at operating a multi-function cooking appliance. Such a device may have dozens of controls and settings for operating its various features, and executing a recipe may require actuating many of these in a particular order with specific timing.

[0005] It is to be appreciated that any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related art problems by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of material such as documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly, any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0006] In accordance with the present invention there is provided a system including:

a portable computing device; and

at least one food preparation appliance adapted for wireless communication with the portable computing device;

wherein the portable computing device is programmed to execute a sequence of steps in which instructional information is presented to a user and control parameters are wirelessly communicated to the at least one appliance; and

wherein the at least one appliance includes control circuitry adapted to control the performance of food preparation operations in accordance with the control parameters received from the portable computing device, and communicate operating feedback information relating to the food preparation operations to the portable computing device.

[0007] The system may include a database having a plurality of stored recipe files, each recipe file containing said user instructional information and said control parameters for a respective food preparation. The user instructional information may include at least one of text, graphic images, video and/or audio relating to steps involved in the respective food preparation.

[0008] The control parameters may include at least one of a time duration, desired temperature, motor speed and/or ingredient weight.

[0009] The operating feedback information may include at least one of a time duration remaining, measured temperature and/or measured ingredient weight. [0010] The at least one appliance may include a multi-function appliance having a food containment vessel, a motor operatively coupled to drive a rotational element within the food containment vessel, and a heating means operatively coupled to heat the contents of the food containment vessel, said control circuitry being coupled to control said motor and said heating means.

[001 1] The control parameters may include one or more of an operating temperature and time duration for said heating means, and/or a rotating speed, direction and/or duty cycle for said motor.

[0012] The multi-function appliance may include a weight sensor arranged to measure a weight of ingredient added to the food containment vessel, in use.

[0013] The operating feedback information may include a measured ingredient weight as determined by the weight sensor.

[0014] The multi-function appliance may include a temperature sensor arranged to measure a temperature of the food containment vessel contents, in use.

[0015] The operating feedback information may include a current temperature as determined by the temperature sensor.

[0016] The multi-function appliance may have a base module containing the motor and a vessel module containing the food containment vessel, the vessel module being demountable from the base module. Preferably the weight sensor is located in the vessel module. The vessel module may include a visual display means arranged to display the measured ingredient weight as determined by the weight sensor, in use. The vessel module may also include a temperature sensor arranged to measure a temperature of the food containment vessel contents, the visual display means being arranged to display the measured temperature as determined by the temperature sensor, in use.

[0017] The portable computing device may comprise one or more of a tablet computer, a smart phone and/or a wearable computing device. [0018] In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a method for food preparation by use of a portable computing device and at least one food preparation appliance, the method including:

storing a recipe file in a memory of the portable computing device, the recipe file containing user instructional information and control parameters for the at least one food preparation appliance;

through use of the portable computing device, executing a sequence of steps in which instructional information is presented to a user and control parameters are wirelessly communicated to the at least one appliance;

performing automated control of the at least one appliance in accordance with said communicated control parameters; and

wirelessly communicating operating feedback information relating to performance of the at least one appliance to the portable computing device.

[0019] In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a multi-function food preparation appliance, comprising:

a food containment vessel having a rotational element therewithin;

a motor operatively coupled to drive said rotational element within the food containment vessel;

a heating means operatively coupled to heat the contents of the food containment vessel;

wireless communications circuitry for receiving control parameters from a portable computing device relating to a sequence of food preparation operations; and control circuitry coupled to control said motor and said heating means in accordance with control parameters received by way of said wireless communications circuitry.

[0020] In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a computer implemented method for use in food preparation, the method including:

storing in memory a recipe file, the recipe file containing user instructional information and control parameters for at least one food preparation appliance;

executing a sequence of steps in which visual and/or audio instructional information is presented to a user and control parameters are wirelessly communicated to said at least one appliance; performing automated control of the at least one appliance in accordance with said communicated control parameters; and

wirelessly communicating operating feedback information relating to performance of the at least one appliance for presentation to the user.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention there is also provided a food preparation appliance having a base including a motor and a food containment vessel demountable from the base, wherein the food containment vessel includes a weight sensor for determining an amount of food placed in the vessel, and a visual display indicator for displaying weight information derived from the weight sensor.

[0022] Other aspects and preferred forms are disclosed in the specification and/or defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the invention.

[0023] Embodiments of the invention aim to enable enhanced ease of use and user interaction with kitchen food preparation and cooking appliances whilst executing a recipe.

[0024] Throughout this specification, unless clearly stated otherwise, the term "appliance" and its conjugations will be taken to refer to a food preparation appliance, such as a multi-function cooker, food processor, blender, oven, steamer, electric frying pan or wok, deep fryer, ice-cream maker, microwave oven, grill, juicer, rice cooker, slow cooker, bread maker, toaster or sandwich press, for example. The term "food preparation", where used in the specification, should be construed in the broad sense to include the kind of actions performed by the appliances mentioned above and may include cooking, heating and cooling and combinations of actions.

[0025] Further scope of applicability of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The invention and its embodiments may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant art by reference to the following detailed description of preferred and other embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the disclosure herein, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system in which one or more food preparation and/or cooking appliances may be controlled using an electronic recipe, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is front perspective view of a multi-function food processing and cooking appliance that may be employed in embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 3 is an upright central cross-sectional view through the vessel of the appliance from Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front perspective view of the multi-function food processing and cooking appliance of Figure 2 fitted with a steaming attachment;

Figure 5 is a shows a diagrammatic representation of an appliance illustrating major functional components;

Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of a mobile computing device such as a tablet computer;

Figure 7 is a generalized flowchart diagram of recipe coding, storage, distribution and execution, according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figures 8a & 8b show a flowchart diagram of a food preparation procedure utilising an encoded recipe employing a mobile computing device and at least one appliance, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 9 to 17 illustrate examples of mobile computing device screen displays involving a food preparation procedure according to an embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 18 illustrates an example of a screen display that may be employed for a recipe creation procedure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] A system 10 for food preparation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. The system includes food preparation appliances 20, shown here in the form of a multi-function appliance 30 and an oven appliance 40. The appliances 20 are equipped for wireless communications with a mobile computing device 50 such as a smart-phone or tablet computer, for example. The mobile computing device 50 is also enabled for internet protocol communications with a server 70 by way of the internet communications network 60. The server 70 is also in communication with a digital recipe database storage unit 80.

[0028] As described in greater detail hereinbelow, the system 10 provides appliances (20) that are controlled wirelessly by a single controller (50). Recipes can be downloaded from the database (80) by way of the server (70) through internet communications with the controller. The recipes are performed by a software application on the controller, prompting the user with step-by-step instructions on the user interface, and remotely executing appliance functions from parameters stored within the recipe.

[0029] An example of an appliance for use with the system is the multi-function appliance 30, seen in various views in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The appliance 30 includes a base module 100 and a vessel module 200 and is intended for use on a kitchen counter, table or bench-top. The appliance 30 provides a plurality of food preparation functions including both mechanical functions (such as cutting, chopping, blending, stirring, kneading) and temperature functions (such as warming, heating, simmering, boiling, cooking). The general structure and functionality of the appliance 30 is described hereinbelow.

[0030] The base module 100 is connected to mains electricity by way of a power cord, and includes a mounting recess for receiving the bottom of the vessel module. The base module includes an electric motor, power supply and control circuitry, and a user control in the form of one or more buttons. In the interests of simplification, a single user control button may be provided that controls both power (e.g. press and hold to turn appliance on/off) and proceeding to the next step of the recipe (described in greater detail below). The vessel 200 is adapted to mount to the base module in the mounting recess, which includes a locking mechanism to prevent separation of the vessel from the base whilst the appliance is in operation. For this purpose a flange (202) or the like may be provided on the bottom of the vessel 200 (Figure 3). In the interests of user safety the vessel must be locked onto the base during heating and chopping/stirring operations. The locking mechanism may be automatic, operated by solenoid, magnet or motor drive and controlled by the base control circuitry, for example, to switch to a locked state when either the motor or heater is in operation. Alternatively a manual form of locking mechanism may be employed, wherein the vessel locks onto the base upon mounting, requiring the user to release a mechanical lock to remove. In either case a mounting sensor may be provided, coupled to the control circuitry that activates when the vessel is mounted and locked, to ensure the vessel is present before operating the cooking or chopping/stirring functions.

[0031] The vessel module 200 includes a housing 302 within which is a food containment bowl 306 with removable lid 307. Positioned at the bottom of the bowl is a chopping/stirring blade (not illustrated in Figure 3 but with its position indicated at 308). The food containment bowl may be just a single-wall stainless-steel bowl or be designed with a double-thickness standard, which may also assist with noise-proofing or even including thick-film or thin-film heating and cooling film within the double-walls. When the vessel module is mounted to the base module a mechanical coupling connects the chopping/stirring blade to the electric motor, enabling the electric motor to rotatably drive the blade at a variety of speeds in either direction. The blade may be sharpened on one edge and blunt on the other so that one rotational direction can effect chopping of food in the bowl, whilst the other rotational direction provides a stirring action.

[0032] The vessel module may also be equipped with a food heater, for example in the form of a thick-film electric heater applied to the outside of the bowl. Electrical power for the thick-film heater is provided from the base module through an electrical connector. Alternatively, an induction heating coil may be provided in the base module to heat the bowl by electromagnetic induction. Preferably the vessel housing provides some heat insulation between the bowl and the outside of the housing, to reduce heat escape and ensure the external temperature of the vessel does not cause injury to a user. Control of the food heater and also the electric motor is handled by the power supply and control circuitry in the base module. When the heater and/or motor are in operation the locking mechanism is engaged to prevent the vessel being separated from the base. [0033] The vessel module is provided with a battery power supply and processor circuitry that includes communications circuitry for two-way wireless communications with the mobile computing device. The processor circuitry is coupled to a weight sensor, such as one or more strain gauges 322, disposed within the housing and calibrated for measuring the weight of food or other material placed in the bowl. The vessel can be used to weigh ingredients as they are added to the bowl, whether or not the vessel is mounted to the base module. The processor circuitry is also coupled to a temperature sensor, such as a thermocouple device, disposed within the housing for measuring the temperature of the bowl or foodstuff within the bowl. A visual display indicator 326 is provided at the top of the handle of the vessel module, coupled to the processor circuitry and adapted to display weight, temperature and timing information related to the food preparation. Such information is also conveyed to the mobile computing device by the processor circuitry during the food preparation procedure. The visual display indicator may also show the appliance status, for example in the form of coloured lighting to show the appliance is powered on, cooking and/or stirring. The vessel may also be provided with a thermochromic material that changes colour with heat in order to indicate a hot surface during use.

[0034] The chopping/stirring blade is removable from the vessel bowl, and can be replaced by other attachments to provide different functions, for example for whisking or dough mixing/kneading. Other modules may also be fitted to the appliance to provide additional functionality, such as a steamer module 395 as shown in Figure 4 fitted to the top of the vessel module on top of or in place of the lid. Other attachments, such as a whisk, may be simply placed on top of the chopping blades and removably attached thereto. There is no need to swap out different blades for each different cooking function.

[0035] When the vessel module is mounted to the base module the vessel processor circuitry is in communication with the base control circuitry by way of an electrical connector. This enables the vessel processor circuitry to communicate control signals and information to the base control circuitry during execution of a recipe procedure for controlling the heating temperature and the motor speed/direction for stirring/chopping. Overall step-by-step control of a recipe procedure is provided by control signals wirelessly communicated from the mobile computing device, whilst control of temperature and motor functions at any stage can be performed by the processor circuitry in the vessel by way of the base module control circuitry.

[0036] A diagrammatic representation of a multi-function appliance 30 is shown in Figure 5 in order to more fully illustrate the major functional components thereof. The appliance vessel module is indicated at 200, the base module at 100 and the mounting interface of the vessel to the base at 150.

[0037] The housing 302 of the vessel module includes a handle formation 304 for user manipulation. Within the housing is the bowl 306 for holding foodstuffs. Disposed at the bottom of the bowl is the chopping/stirring blade 308 which is connected to a rotatable shaft 309. A heating element is provided, in this case shown in the vessel module at 310, for heating the bowl and foodstuffs therein. As mentioned previously, the heating element may alternatively be located in the base module for heating the bowl by electromagnetic induction, if desired. A temperature sensor 324 is provided to measure the temperature of the bowl or the contents thereof. A weight sensor 322, such as a plurality of strain gauges, is provided within the vessel module housing to measure the amount of materials added to the bowl, in use.

[0038] The vessel module processor circuitry 320 is coupled to receive inputs from the temperature sensor 324 and weight sensor 322, and provides user output by way of the visual display indicator 326. The visual display indicator may, for example, display information about the temperature of products in the bowl, the weight of material within or being added to the bowl, and/or the time remaining before a particular recipe process step is finished. Such indications can be displayed whether or not the vessel module is mounted to the base. The processor circuitry also includes the means for communicating wirelessly with a mobile computing device such as a tablet or smartphone 50. At present the Bluetooth wireless communications standard is preferred because many mobile computing devices are equipped to communicate using Bluetooth, however other forms of wireless communication may alternatively or additionally be employed, such as Wi-Fi or Zigbee.

[0039] The major components of the base module 350 include a power supply 365, control circuitry 370, electric motor 375 and heater circuit 380, all contained within a base housing 355. When the vessel module is mounted to the base module a mechanical coupling 376 connects the drive shaft of the motor 375 to the shaft 309 of the vessel chopping/stirring blade. The heater circuit 380 has an electrical connection to the heater 310 in the vessel to in use provide electrical power to the vessel heater. The control circuitry 370 is coupled for communication with the vessel processor circuitry 320. During operation the control circuitry controls the heater circuit and electrical motor according to control signals provided from the processor circuitry. Since the functions of the appliance are controlled primarily through the mobile computing device, only minimal user operated controls are required on the appliance itself. For example, the base might have only a single user operated button switch 372. Alternatively, it may be desirable to provide some range of controls, such as a motor speed control on the appliance base, for certain circumstances. For example, a user may wish to be able to make a quick smoothie for breakfast in the morning, without using their tablet computer as a controller.

[0040] Figure 6 shows a functional block diagram of a mobile computing device 50, such as a tablet computer or smartphone that may be used in embodiments of the invention to execute software-based recipes and control one or more food preparation appliances. The mobile computing device as shown includes an application processor 500 that can execute software program instructions stored in the memory 504. A power supply 502 including batteries provides electrical power to the device. The mobile computing device includes inputs 510, outputs 520 and wireless communications 530. The inputs may include a touch-screen control 512, an audio microphone 514 and a digital camera 516. The outputs may include a display screen 522 and audio speakers 524. The device may communicate wirelessly with other computing devices and networks, as well as the food preparation appliances, by way of Bluetooth 532, Wi-Fi 534 and/or cellular data communications (e.g. 3G/4G) 536.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a mobile computing device (e.g. tablet) is provided with a software application ("cooking app") that executed by the tablet to control one or more food preparation appliances and at the same time guide the user through a food preparation procedure (e.g. recipe). In the context of this specification the term "recipe" may refer to the series of steps defining a particular food preparation procedure, but also to the digital files, data, and instruction code utilised by the mobile computing device to control the appliance(s) and provide interaction with the user in order to carry out that food preparation procedure. [0042] Figure 7 shows a block diagram/flowchart 600 that provides a generalised overview of the use of recipes according to an embodiment of the present invention. A recipe contains a set of step-by-step instructions, both for the user and for the appliance(s), for the preparation of a food or meal. A recipe comprises one or more digital files that contain instructional information for the user, and parameters for operation of the appliances, which may include:

• a list of ingredients, including the amount of each ingredient; and

• for each recipe step:

o instructions for the user on the preparation and/or addition of ingredients, which may include text, audio, images and/or video;

o parameters for the appliance(s), which may include temperature, motor direction, motor speed, time duration.

[0043] A recipe creation procedure 610 enables users to create recipes, and may be performed through the use of software executed on a mobile computing device or other computer. The user enters the recipe instructions and appliance parameters for each recipe step (612) which is encoded (614) into one or more recipe files for use by the cooking app. The recipe can then be uploaded (616) to an internet accessible recipe database 620.

[0044] A recipe execution procedure 630 enables users to prepare food using a recipe from the database, and is performed through the use of the cooking app software on a mobile computing device and utilising one or more appliances. The cooking app software on the mobile computing device communicates via the internet with the recipe database and provides the user with a selection of recipes to choose between (632). A recipe selected by the user is then downloaded from the database to the mobile computing device (634). The cooking app then utilises the information and parameters to execute the recipe (636) by providing step-by-step instructions to the user and corresponding control signals and parameters to the food preparation appliances (30, 40).

[0045] Figures 8a and 8b show a flowchart diagram 700 that exemplifies a recipe execution procedure involving a mobile computing device (tablet computer) programmed with cooking app software, and a multi-function food preparation appliance as described above. Beginning at step 702 the cooking app software on the tablet computer, in communication with the recipe database, presents the user with a variety of recipes to choose between. The recipe database may be accessible directly or may be accessed through an online transaction server (Figure 1 ). For example, an online recipe store may be provided that operates in a similar manner to the Apple iTunes™ store, enabling a recipe to be downloaded by the user following an online transaction which may be free to the user or involve a small cost. Recipes can be downloaded well in advance of their use, and stored on the tablet computer. The cooking app may automatically generate a shopping list based on the recipe, and provide a link to automatically fill an online supermarket shopping cart if desired. The shopping list may be edited by the user to include only those ingredients actually needed, for example if the user already has some of the ingredients at hand.

[0046] When the user wishes to execute the recipe, the cooking app first establishes wireless communications between the tablet and each appliance (step 704), which may be via Bluetooth for example. In this example only a single appliance will be used, requiring communication between the tablet and the appliance vessel module. However a different recipe (e.g. for baking a cake) may require the use of another appliance (e.g. an oven), and in that case wireless communications should be established between the tablet and each appliance so that the tablet software can control each appliance according to the requirements of the recipe. It is also useful at this stage to establish communications between the vessel module and the base module of the appliance (step 706). This can be done by mounting the vessel on the base as previously described. Alternatively, the base module may also be provided with Bluetooth communications capability.

[0047] Execution of the food preparation procedure begins at step 708 and follows with a series of steps. Broadly speaking, the cooking app on the tablet computer provides instructions to the user to add ingredients to the vessel bowl in accordance with the recipe, and then issues control signals to the appliance to perform one or more operations. Procedures relating to the addition of ingredients are shown at steps 712 to 726, whilst procedures relating to control of the appliance are shown at steps 728 to 748.

[0048] At step 710 the cooking app software executing on the tablet computer instructs the user to add an ingredient specified in the recipe. The instructions to the user can be by way of visual text, images, video, and/or audio, providing information about the ingredient and the amount to be added. Depending upon the particular ingredient it may be added whole (e.g. one onion), or a given measurement required (e.g. 100g of butter). In the event it is a whole ingredient, the user adds it to the appliance bowl (step 714) and presses a button on the tablet touch-screen (or on the appliance) to proceed to the next step. In the event that a measured amount of ingredient is required, the weight sensor in the appliance vessel is employed for measurement. The user progressively adds the ingredient (step 718) whilst the amount of weight added to the bowl is determined. The weight of ingredient added (or alternatively, the amount still required to be added), as determined by the sensor in the vessel, is displayed in real-time on the visual display indicator of the vessel itself (step 720), and also on the display screen of the tablet (step 722). The measured ingredient can be added to the vessel bowl whether or not the vessel is mounted on the appliance base, since the weight sensor is in the vessel module which is in communication with the tablet. When the cooking app has determined that sufficient amount of the ingredient has been added (step 724), the recipe procedure progresses to the next stage (step 726).

[0049] Other methods of recipe step progression are also possible, such as voice activation and touchless gesture control. The appliance may include circuitry provided for the purpose of detecting user input in order to progress from one recipe step to another. For example, a microphone coupled with a simple voice recognition system may allow the user to speak a certain word (e.g. "done" or "next") in order to progress. Similarly, a touchless gesture detection system could be used in order to detect hand or finger movements or gestures so that the user can wave a hand in front of the appliance in order to progress.

[0050] Once the ingredient(s) for a particular step of the recipe have been added to the bowl, the cooking app sends commands to the appliance to perform a cooking operation (step 728). In this example a cooking operation comprises use of the appliance motor to operate the chopping/stirring blade, and/or use of the appliance heater to raise the temperature of food in the bowl. At this point it is necessary for the vessel to be mounted on the appliance base. Steps 730 to 740 show the procedure for heating, wherein the tablet issues commands to the appliance, based on parameters contained in the recipe, to control the heating function (730). The tablet may communicate with the processor circuitry in the vessel module which then communicates with the control circuitry in the base module, or the tablet may communicate with the base module directly. The control parameters for the heating function include at least a heating temperature and time duration, but may include more complex functions of temperature over a period of time (732). The heater circuit is controlled using feedback from the temperature sensor in the vessel in order to achieve the desired temperature (736). During the heating operation the temperature, as determined by the temperature sensor, is displayed in real time on the tablet (738) and on the visual display indicator of the vessel itself (740).

[0051] Instead of heating, or at the same time as heating, the appliance motor may be controlled to operate the chopping/stirring blade (steps 742 to 748). The tablet issues commands to the appliance, based on parameters contained in the recipe, to control the motor function (742). The tablet may communicate with the processor circuitry in the vessel module which then communicates with the control circuitry in the base module, or the tablet may communicate with the base module directly. The control parameters for the motor function include at least a speed, direction and time duration, but may include more complex functions of blade rotations over a period of time (744). During the chopping/stirring operation an indication of the motor speed is displayed on the tablet (748).

[0052] During a heating and/or chopping/stirring function the time still to complete is displayed on the tablet (750) and on the vessel (752), and when the duration specified in the recipe has been completed the cooking app progresses to the next recipe step (754). When all steps of the recipe have been completed (756) then the food preparation process is finished (758). Otherwise, the recipe procedure continues with the cooking app prompting the user to add the next ingredient (710).

[0053] For a recipe that requires the use of more than one appliance, the cooking app can control multiple appliances at the same time. For example, in executing a recipe for a cake, whilst the cake batter preparation is undertaken using a first appliance, the tablet can issue commands to a second appliance such as an oven to ensure the parameters specified in the recipe (e.g. fan-forced, 170 degree temperature) are achieved by the time the cake is ready to be baked. Various types of single-use kitchen appliances may be provided with control circuitry capable of being controlled by the cooking app software, such as blenders, food processors, steamers, grills, etc. [0054] Further details of the cooking app software structure and functions are provided hereinbelow with reference to Figures 9 to 17 which illustrate examples of screen displays for various states of the program execution.

Cooking App Overview

[0055] The App will operate in two main navigation/layout modes. The primary mode is the Navigation Mode (Figures 9 and 10). The secondary mode is the Cooking Mode used for both consuming (executing a recipe) and producing (authoring a recipe). By default the App will start/resume in Navigation mode, unless a recipe was "in progress" when the app last exited (killed or put in the background).

On-boarding (User introduction)

[0056] First time use of the App will take the user through an onboarding process. The user will be invited to:

a) setup a user profile;

b) use an existing profile; or

c) skip this step (no profile in use).

[0057] Setting up of a profile requires a username, email address, password, profile picture (a gallery image can be used or picture chosen from the app library, or alternatively taken via the camera) and location (country and/or city). Users can optionally leverage 3 ^rd party social networks like Facebook and Twitter to register and/or log back in. The onboarding process may additionally ask the user some quick questions about food preferences (likes/dislikes, dietary requirements) to attach to their profile. This would be used in the app to help match recipes to the user's preferences.

Navigation Mode: Overview

[0058] The navigation mode allows for the user to interact with a library of recipes. The category sections (indicated at 901 in Figure 9) are located on the left hand side navigation panel organize the recipes into different categories. A recipe can exist in multiple categories. The search field (902) can be used to quickly filter the content in each section. Navigation sections show multiple recipe cards optionally grouped into horizontal slices. The user can scroll vertically down across all content and where a horizontal slice exists they can swipe left-right on that slide. The categories are stored locally but are also periodically synchronized from the server to introduce new categories as required.

Navigation Mode: Categories

[0059] "Favourites" acts like a special category containing only recipes that users have tagged as a favourite (either online or offline recipes). "Your recipes" acts like a special category containing only recipes that are offline recipes that have been purchased/downloaded from the store. "Settings" controls the user's overall customisation of the App. It may contain the On-boarding information and allow the user to sign-out/register/login as different profiles.

Navigation Mode: Online & Offline Recipes

[0060] Recipes can be accessed in either online or offline mode. Online mode Recipes are sourced from the online server and require the Tablet device to be in communication with the internet (e.g. via wireless or 3G). Offline mode Recipes are fully stored locally on the computing device and can be used even if there is no online connection. The App may cache local summaries of online store recipes to allow presentation when offline and to minimize network traffic. Summaries of recipes stored locally may include the key meta-data (images, description, rating, comments) but exclude the detailed cooking instructions. Locally stored recipes include along with the summary meta-data a Recipe Instruction Sheet.

Activity Section

[0061] The activity section (906) organizes recipes into "social categories". Social Categories are dynamic categories that organize recipes in the library based on various social based criteria. Examples:

• Trending Tonight (907) - may be defined by recipes that are being cooked currently across a critical mass of users;

• Popular recipe bundles (908) - may be defined by recipes that are being purchased at volume within a recent time window;

• Activity on your recipes (909) - may be defined as recipes the user has created, purchased, rated or commented on that have had other users rate or comment on recently. Recipe Store (Figure 10)

[0062] The Recipe Store shows exclusively recipes that have not yet been purchased by the user. Recipes are organized by a variety of means - featured / new / price / ingredients / nutritional restrictions / calories / etc. that the user can filter on. Users can purchase individual recipes and/or bundles of recipes. A Bundle represents multiple recipes and potentially other electronic artifacts like PDF / Video files. Once a recipe or bundle is purchased the user will own a license to use it in the App. Licenses are stored server side against the user's profile. If a user installs the App on a new device and authenticates themselves, all purchased recipes and bundles will be downloaded to the App. If a user has purchased a subset of recipes in a bundle the server will calculate a discounted price for the remainder of items in a bundle.

Recipe Meta-Data: Details

[0063] Any recipe in the app can be selected to view live meta-data about the recipe. The meta-data is organized into three groups - Details, Comments and Ingredients:

Details tab (Figure 1 1 )

• The title of the recipe

• The author of the recipe

• Description of the recipe

• How many people it serves

• Cooking time

• Dietary information such as calorie count and vegetarian/Gluten free indicators

• Price (if unpurchased) - users can select this to instantly purchase using an in-app purchase

Comments tab

• All recipes contain community comments which aggregate all user feedback on a recipe

• Comments are shown in chronological order (most recent)

• Comments are stored on the server and are instantly published (no approval is required) • The author of a recipe can flag inappropriate comments to the administrator of the system

• Administrators can elect to warn users of inappropriate comments, delete comments altogether and revoke permissions for users to make comments

Ingredients tab (Figure 12)

• A list of all ingredients required by the recipe is contained in this tab

• Users can elect to email themselves the ingredients for their own shopping/purchasing use

• Alternatively the app will support in-app ordering of ingredients through supported 3 ^rd party providers.

Order Ingredients (Figure 13)

[0064] The On-boarding and Settings sections of the app may present the user with available 3 ^rd party shopping providers, based on the user's location (Figure 13). Users would be required to provide some authenticating information for each 3 ^rd party provider they wanted to use that uniquely identifies themselves as a customer of that provider (the app itself would not do 3 ^rd party registration). Once a 3 ^rd party provider has been configured for the user's profile they would be able to purchase ingredients in app. The app would ask them to confirm the ingredients to be ordered, along with their quantity, the purchase amount and the delivery address. All this order information would be placed server side through an integration channel with the 3 ^rd party provider. The 3 ^rd party provider would be responsible for charging the user.

Execute Recipe: Start Screen

[0065] Once a recipe has been purchased, it is downloaded and stored locally by the App (i.e. an offline recipe). Offline recipes contain an Instruction Sheet that dynamically configures the App to step the user through the cooking process. The summary screen shown in Figure 14 is where the user is given an overview of the recipe to be cooked. Before they can proceed, the App will need to establish a wireless communications link with the cooking device (appliance). The App connects to the appliance over a Bluetooth BLE (Low Energy protocol) connection. If the App can connect to a nearby appliance it will attempt to handshake with it to ensure it is the correct device it should be talking to. If the App has never paired with the appliance, the screen will prompt the user to press a button on the device to confirm the pairing. Once confirmed, the pairing will be remembered for future. Once connected, the controls panel at the bottom of screen will light up and the user will be able to initiate the recipe.

Recipe Instruction Sheet

[0066] Recipe Instruction Sheets are stored locally on the mobile computing device. Recipe Instruction Sheets will be file encrypted to protect against the copying of recipes from one device to another user's. The encryption key will be based on the user's profile or device identifier (if no profile setup) to tie that recipe file to that particular user. The Application will contain embedded in it the decryption keys to decode and validate recipes. A recipe instruction sheet is used by the App in the Cooking process (consuming and authoring).

[0067] Instruction Sheet Data Structure:

^• One or more Step Records

^• A Step Record comprises:

• Step Number (Unsigned Integer 1 +) - required

• Image Reference (Unique identifier string) - optional

^• Type (User step, Machine step) - required

^• Notes (String) - optional

^• If a User Step, the following fields comprise the rest of the record:

• Required weight (Integer, measurement in grams) - optional

• Required duration (Integer, measurement in seconds) - optional

• Required ingredient (String) - optional

• Otherwise, if a Machine step, the following fields comprise the rest of the record:

^• A Machine Step comprises one or more "machine instruction sub- steps". A Machine instruction sub-step's fields are:

• Function (Short Button Press, Speed Setting, Stir, Zero

Timer, Measure Temp) - required • Function Variable (Integer 0-15) - required if Short Button

Press (Variable corresponds to button # 1-15) or Speed setting (variable corresponds to speed 0-10).

• Required duration - optional (Integer measurement in seconds) time to wait before proceeding to the next sub-step).

^• Required temperature - optional (Integer, degrees in Celsius) - temperature the measurement needs to get to before proceeding to the next sub-step

Step Screen

[0068] The Step screen shows the user feedback on either what the device is doing (Machine step) or what they need to do (User step). Step screens show the duration of the recipe - progressed and remaining. Step screens show the current state of the device on the bottom, including the blade speed, temperature, weight (if applicable) and the mix mode. Step screens can be configured (under Settings) to automatically proceed to the next step once the App has detected the Step conditions have been met (either the user has weighed enough material for a user step or enough time has elapsed for a machine step).

[0069] The App and the appliance will periodically ensure they are connected through a "ping" protocol over the Bluetooth link. If the App fails to get a response, it will assume the appliance is off and the user will be blocked from proceeding until the App detects the appliance again. The appliance will finish the current recipe step if communication fails (the information for each step is stored temporarily in the base module). The On/Off indicator on the bottom left will be switched to Off and an alert sound given to the user. The app will periodically (every few seconds) try and reconnect with the appliance.

User Step Screen (Figure 15)

[0070] User step screens require the user to perform one or more actions. An action can be to place a certain quantity of ingredient into the appliance, or alternatively to prepare an ingredient and add it to the appliance. If the step is a weight step, then the app will collect live weight data back from the appliance over the Bluetooth link. The weight will be translated to an onscreen measurement to give the user live visual feedback on the measurement process. Once the correct weight is achieved, the App will sound and visually indicate that the step is complete. If the step does not require appliance feedback, the user will be prompted to confirm they have completed the step and they are ready to proceed. Confirmation from the user may be in the form of voice activation, hand gesture detection, or finger clicking, for example.

Machine Step Screen (Figure 16)

[0071] A machine step requires no user involvement. A machine step requires the appliance to perform one or more actions in sequence for a period of time and/or until a specific heating temperature is achieved. The App will be provided with live feedback from the appliance as to which action is being performed (i.e. blade speed) and/or what target temperature is achieved. Once the App has seen the appliance achieve the configured outcomes (i.e. time and/or temperature), the App will automatically proceed to the next step.

Conclusion Screen (Figure 17)

[0072] At the end of the cooking steps, the user is presented with the Conclusion Screen. The conclusion screen prompts the user to share and/or rate the recipe. The user can optionally take a photo of the recipe they have cooked for use in their sharing and/or reviews of the recipe. Also, once a recipe has been completed the cooking app may recommend other recipes from the database, such as recipes that are complimentary to that just completed. For example, if a chocolate cake recipe has been completed the software may recommend other cake recipes, icing recipes, or other recipes for other deserts. This functions in a similar way that online book retailers may recommend books based on previous purchases, and provides a continual sales tool to keep selling more smart-recipes.

Share Screen

[0073] The share screen will prompt the user with multiple configured social channels to share their recipe. The App will support a variety of different social channels that have open APIs for posting user content. The user will need to configure/authorize the App to post to their account via the Settings section. In addition to popular channels the App will support sharing over the recipe servers which allows the user's review to show up in the Library of other users. Authoring (Recipe Creation)

[0074] Users are able to author their own recipe at any stage (Figure 18). The authoring process matches the cooking process except the user is able to select at each stage what they want to be doing. Users can add any number of User and Machine steps. When adding a machine step, the user will be able to execute the step, so they are required to cook the recipe as they create it. At each stage the user can take a photo using the inbuilt device camera, or alternatively pick one from the recipe server library. Once authored a user can review and edit the cooking process - removing steps & editing steps. Users who have setup an online profile can submit their own recipe to the server for use by others, whether generally or only amongst friends, family or online contacts. Users can elect to have recipes made freely available or set a price for recipe sale.

[0075] To make recipe creation easier, the App may include a number of preconfigured routines, representing one or more common recipe steps, which a recipe author can select instead of entering a series of instructions manually. For example, the App may include a preconfigured routine to saute an onion including the various steps required for user instructions (e.g. "peel one onion and place in bowl" together with a photograph of an onion) and machine commands (e.g. operate cutting blade for 10 seconds, increase temperature to 180-degrees, stir for 10 minutes). Entire recipes can then be partially or wholly created from these common routines rather than, or in addition to, user specifications of ingredient, weight, time, speed, temperature, etc.

[0076] Whilst the preferred embodiments of the invention as described above utilize a portable computing device that executes program instructions according to a recipe and wirelessly communicates control signals directly to one or more appliances, other processing arrangements are also possible. For example, it is not necessarily the case that the recipe steps are executed by the portable computing device processor. In fact the recipe steps can be executed by any processor, whether located in the portable computing device, the appliance, on an intermediate network or cloud-based. For example, the recipe steps may be executed on a remote, cloud-based processor that is in communication with both the portable computing device and the one or more appliances. In this case, the remote processor may provide recipe-related instructional information to the user of the portable computing device through a communications network, issue control commands and parameters to the one or more appliances by way of the same or a different communications network, and relay commands and operational feedback information between the portable computing device and appliance(s). This enables the portable computing device to be of relatively low computing power yet still effect control of the one or more appliances during a food preparation procedure. Furthermore, the or each appliance may include a touchscreen interface to enable it to be operated independently of a portable computing device, whether for manual control or so as to execute a user created or downloaded recipe file. Thus, the various appliances may communicate with one another in order to coordinate the execution of a sequence of recipe steps.

[0077] Bearing in mind the above, whilst the preceding description of the preferred embodiments has been based on the use of a tablet computer or the like, various other user operated computing devices may also or alternatively be used in the performance of the invention. For example, various wearable computing devices may be applicable, such as watches and other processor enabled wearable devices. The user operated computing device may provide visual information and be touch operated as described, or may incorporate voice recognition/activation and/or provide audio feedback information to the user.

[0078] While this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification(s). This application is intended to cover any variations uses or adaptations of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth.

The following sections I - VII provide a guide to interpreting the present specification. I. Terms

[0079] The term "product" means any machine, manufacture and/or composition of matter, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0080] The term "process" means any process, algorithm, method or the like, unless expressly specified otherwise. [0081] Each process (whether called a method, algorithm or otherwise) inherently includes one or more steps, and therefore all references to a "step" or "steps" of a process have an inherent antecedent basis in the mere recitation of the term 'process' or a like term. Accordingly, any reference in a claim to a 'step' or 'steps' of a process has sufficient antecedent basis.

[0082] The term "invention" and the like mean "the one or more inventions disclosed in this specification", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0083] The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", "certain embodiments", "one embodiment", "another embodiment" and the like mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the disclosed invention(s)", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0084] The term "variation" of an invention means an embodiment of the invention, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0085] A reference to "another embodiment" in describing an embodiment does not imply that the referenced embodiment is mutually exclusive with another embodiment (e.g., an embodiment described before the referenced embodiment), unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0086] The terms "including", "comprising" and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0087] The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0088] The term "plurality" means "two or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0089] The term "herein" means "in the present specification, including anything which may be incorporated by reference", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0090] The phrase "at least one of", when such phrase modifies a plurality of things (such as an enumerated list of things), means any combination of one or more of those things, unless expressly specified otherwise. For example, the phrase "at least one of a widget, a car and a wheel" means either (i) a widget, (ii) a car, (iii) a wheel, (iv) a widget and a car, (v) a widget and a wheel, (vi) a car and a wheel, or (vii) a widget, a car and a wheel. The phrase "at least one of, when such phrase modifies a plurality of things, does not mean "one of each of" the plurality of things.

[0091] Numerical terms such as "one", "two", etc. when used as cardinal numbers to indicate quantity of something (e.g., one widget, two widgets), mean the quantity indicated by that numerical term, but do not mean at least the quantity indicated by that numerical term. For example, the phrase "one widget" does not mean "at least one widget", and therefore the phrase "one widget" does not cover, e.g., two widgets.

[0092] The phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on", unless expressly specified otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" describes both "based only on" and "based at least on". The phrase "based at least on" is equivalent to the phrase "based at least in part on".

[0093] The term "represent" and like terms are not exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. For example, the term "represents" do not mean "represents only", unless expressly specified otherwise. In other words, the phrase "the data represents a credit card number" describes both "the data represents only a credit card number" and "the data represents a credit card number and the data also represents something else".

[0094] The term "whereby" is used herein only to precede a clause or other set of words that express only the intended result, objective or consequence of something that is previously and explicitly recited. Thus, when the term "whereby" is used in a claim, the clause or other words that the term "whereby" modifies do not establish specific further limitations of the claim or otherwise restricts the meaning or scope of the claim.

[0095] The term "e.g." and like terms mean "for example", and thus does not limit the term or phrase it explains. For example, in the sentence "the computer sends data (e.g., instructions, a data structure) over the Internet", the term "e.g." explains that "instructions" are an example of "data" that the computer may send over the Internet, and also explains that "a data structure" is an example of "data" that the computer may send over the Internet. However, both "instructions" and "a data structure" are merely examples of "data", and other things besides "instructions" and "a data structure" can be "data". [0096] The term "i.e." and like terms mean "that is", and thus limits the term or phrase it explains. For example, in the sentence "the computer sends data (i.e., instructions) over the Internet", the term "i.e." explains that "instructions" are the "data" that the computer sends over the Internet.

[0097] Any given numerical range shall include whole and fractions of numbers within the range. For example, the range "1 to 10" shall be interpreted to specifically include whole numbers between 1 and 10 (e.g., 2, 3, 4, . . . 9) and non-whole numbers (e.g., 1.1 ,

I .2, . . . 1.9).

II. Determining

[0098] The term "determining" and grammatical variants thereof (e.g., to determine a price, determining a value, determine an object which meets a certain criterion) is used in an extremely broad sense. The term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions and therefore "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also, "determining" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also, "determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0099] The term "determining" does not imply certainty or absolute precision, and therefore "determining" can include estimating, extrapolating, predicting, guessing and the like.

[00100] The term "determining" does not imply that mathematical processing must be performed, and does not imply that numerical methods must be used, and does not imply that an algorithm or process is used.

[00101] The term "determining" does not imply that any particular device must be used. For example, a computer need not necessarily perform the determining.

III. Indication

[00102] The term "indication" is used in an extremely broad sense. The term "indication" may, among other things, encompass a sign, symptom, or token of something else. [00103] The term "indication" may be used to refer to any indicia and/or other information indicative of or associated with a subject, item, entity, and/or other object and/or idea.

[00104] As used herein, the phrases "information indicative of and "indicia" may be used to refer to any information that represents, describes, and/or is otherwise associated with a related entity, subject, or object.

[00105] Indicia of information may include, for example, a code, a reference, a link, a signal, an identifier, and/or any combination thereof and/or any other informative representation associated with the information.

[00106] In some embodiments, indicia of information (or indicative of the information) may be or include the information itself and/or any portion or component of the information. In some embodiments, an indication may include a request, a solicitation, a broadcast, and/or any other form of information gathering and/or dissemination.

IV. Forms of Sentences

[00107] Where a limitation of a first claim would cover one of a feature as well as more than one of a feature (e.g., a limitation such as "at least one widget" covers one widget as well as more than one widget), and where in a second claim that depends on the first claim, the second claim uses a definite article "the" to refer to the limitation (e.g., "the widget"), this does not imply that the first claim covers only one of the feature, and this does not imply that the second claim covers only one of the feature (e.g., "the widget" can cover both one widget and more than one widget).

[00108] When an ordinal number (such as "first", "second", "third" and so on) is used as an adjective before a term, that ordinal number is used (unless expressly specified otherwise) merely to indicate a particular feature, such as to distinguish that particular feature from another feature that is described by the same term or by a similar term. For example, a "first widget" may be so named merely to distinguish it from, e.g., a "second widget". Thus, the mere usage of the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" before the term "widget" does not indicate any other relationship between the two widgets, and likewise does not indicate any other characteristics of either or both widgets. For example, the mere usage of the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" before the term "widget" (1 ) does not indicate that either widget comes before or after any other in order or location; (2) does not indicate that either widget occurs or acts before or after any other in time; and (3) does not indicate that either widget ranks above or below any other, as in importance or quality. In addition, the mere usage of ordinal numbers does not define a numerical limit to the features identified with the ordinal numbers. For example, the mere usage of the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" before the term "widget" does not indicate that there must be no more than two widgets.

[00109] When a single device or article is described herein, more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may alternatively be used in place of the single device/article that is described. Accordingly, the functionality that is described as being possessed by a device may alternatively be possessed by more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate).

[001 10] Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), a single device/article may alternatively be used in place of the more than one device or article that is described. For example, a plurality of computer- based devices may be substituted with a single computer-based device. Accordingly, the various functionality that is described as being possessed by more than one device or article may alternatively be possessed by a single device/article.

[001 1 1] The functionality and/or the features of a single device that is described may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are described but are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments need not include the described device itself, but rather can include the one or more other devices which would, in those other embodiments, have such functionality/features.

V. Disclosed Examples and Terminology Are Not Limiting

[001 12] Neither the Title nor the Abstract in this specification is intended to be taken as limiting in any way as the scope of the disclosed invention(s). The title and headings of sections provided in the specification are for convenience only, and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.

[001 13] Numerous embodiments are described in the present application, and are presented for illustrative purposes only. The described embodiments are not, and are not intended to be, limiting in any sense. The presently disclosed invention(s) are widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as is readily apparent from the disclosure. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the disclosed invention(s) may be practiced with various modifications and alterations, such as structural, logical, software, and electrical modifications. Although particular features of the disclosed invention(s) may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments and/or drawings, it should be understood that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or drawings with reference to which they are described, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[001 14] The present disclosure is not a literal description of all embodiments of the invention(s). Also, the present disclosure is not a listing of features of the invention(s) which must be present in all embodiments.

[001 15] Devices that are described as in communication with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. On the contrary, such devices need only transmit to each other as necessary or desirable, and may actually refrain from exchanging data most of the time. For example, a machine in communication with another machine via the Internet may not transmit data to the other machine for long period of time (e.g. weeks at a time). In addition, devices that are in communication with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.

[001 16] A description of an embodiment with several components or features does not imply that all or even any of such components/features are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present invention(s). Unless otherwise specified explicitly, no component/feature is essential or required.

[001 17] Although process steps, algorithms or the like may be described in a particular sequential order, such processes may be configured to work in different orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be explicitly described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of processes described herein may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously despite being described or implied as occurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step is described after the other step). Moreover, the illustration of a process by its depiction in a drawing does not imply that the illustrated process is exclusive of other variations and modifications thereto, does not imply that the illustrated process or any of its steps are necessary to the invention(s), and does not imply that the illustrated process is preferred.

[001 18] Although a process may be described as including a plurality of steps, that does not imply that all or any of the steps are preferred, essential or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other processes that omit some or all of the described steps. Unless otherwise specified explicitly, no step is essential or required.

[001 19] Although a process may be described singly or without reference to other products or methods, in an embodiment the process may interact with other products or methods. For example, such interaction may include linking one business model to another business model. Such interaction may be provided to enhance the flexibility or desirability of the process.

[00120] Although a product may be described as including a plurality of components, aspects, qualities, characteristics and/or features, that does not indicate that any or all of the plurality are preferred, essential or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other products that omit some or all of the described plurality.

[00121] An enumerated list of items (which may or may not be numbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. Likewise, an enumerated list of items (which may or may not be numbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are comprehensive of any category, unless expressly specified otherwise. For example, the enumerated list "a computer, a laptop, a PDA" does not imply that any or all of the three items of that list are mutually exclusive and does not imply that any or all of the three items of that list are comprehensive of any category.

[00122] An enumerated list of items (which may or may not be numbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are equivalent to each other or readily substituted for each other.

[00123] All embodiments are illustrative, and do not imply that the invention or any embodiments were made or performed, as the case may be. VI. Computing

[00124] It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various processes described herein may be implemented by, e.g., appropriately programmed general purpose computers, special purpose computers and computing devices. Typically a processor (e.g., one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more digital signal processors) will receive instructions (e.g., from a memory or like device), and execute those instructions, thereby performing one or more processes defined by those instructions.

[00125] A "processor" means one or more microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), computing devices, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or like devices or any combination thereof.

[00126] Thus a description of a process is likewise a description of an apparatus for performing the process. The apparatus that performs the process can include, e.g., a processor and those input devices and output devices that are appropriate to perform the process.

[00127] Further, programs that implement such methods (as well as other types of data) may be stored and transmitted using a variety of media (e.g., computer readable media) in a number of manners. In some embodiments, hard-wired circuitry or custom hardware may be used in place of, or in combination with, some or all of the software instructions that can implement the processes of various embodiments. Thus, various combinations of hardware and software may be used instead of software only.

[00128] The term "computer-readable medium" refers to any medium, a plurality of the same, or a combination of different media, that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions, data structures) which may be read by a computer, a processor or a like device. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes the main memory. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled to the processor. Transmission media may include or convey acoustic waves, light waves and electromagnetic emissions, such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

[00129] Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying data (e.g. sequences of instructions) to a processor. For example, data may be (i) delivered from RAM to a processor; (ii) carried over a wireless transmission medium; (iii) formatted and/or transmitted according to numerous formats, standards or protocols, such as Ethernet (or IEEE 802.3), SAP, ATP, Bluetooth™, and TCP/IP, TDMA, CDMA, and 3G; and/or (iv) encrypted to ensure privacy or prevent fraud in any of a variety of ways well known in the art.

[00130] Thus a description of a process is likewise a description of a computer- readable medium storing a program for performing the process. The computer-readable medium can store (in any appropriate format) those program elements which are appropriate to perform the method.

[00131] Just as the description of various steps in a process does not indicate that all the described steps are required, embodiments of an apparatus include a computer/computing device operable to perform some (but not necessarily all) of the described process.

[00132] Likewise, just as the description of various steps in a process does not indicate that all the described steps are required, embodiments of a computer-readable medium storing a program or data structure include a computer-readable medium storing a program that, when executed, can cause a processor to perform some (but not necessarily all) of the described process.

[00133] Where databases are described, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that (i) alternative database structures to those described may be readily employed, and (ii) other memory structures besides databases may be readily employed. Any illustrations or descriptions of any sample databases presented herein are illustrative arrangements for stored representations of information. Any number of other arrangements may be employed besides those suggested by, e.g., tables illustrated in drawings or elsewhere. Similarly, any illustrated entries of the databases represent exemplary information only; one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the number and content of the entries can be different from those described herein. Further, despite any depiction of the databases as tables, other formats (including relational databases, object-based models and/or distributed databases) could be used to store and manipulate the data types described herein. Likewise, object methods or behaviors of a database can be used to implement various processes, such as the described herein. In addition, the databases may, in a known manner, be stored locally or remotely from a device which accesses data in such a database.

[00134] Various embodiments can be configured to work in a network environment including a computer that is in communication (e.g., via a communications network) with one or more devices. The computer may communicate with the devices directly or indirectly, via any wired or wireless medium (e.g. the Internet, LAN, WAN or Ethernet, Token Ring, a telephone line, a cable line, a radio channel, an optical communications line, commercial on-line service providers, bulletin board systems, a satellite communications link, a combination of any of the above). Each of the devices may themselves comprise computers or other computing devices that are adapted to communicate with the computer. Any number and type of devices may be in communication with the computer.

[00135] In an embodiment, a server computer or centralized authority may not be necessary or desirable. For example, the present invention may, in an embodiment, be practiced on one or more devices without a central authority. In such an embodiment, any functions described herein as performed by the server computer or data described as stored on the server computer may instead be performed by or stored on one or more such devices.

[00136] Where a process is described, in an embodiment the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

VII. 35 U.S.C. §112, Paragraph 6 [00137] In a claim, a limitation of the claim which includes the phrase "means for" or the phrase "step for" means that 35 U.S.C. §1 12, paragraph 6, applies to that limitation.

[00138] In a claim, a limitation of the claim which does not include the phrase "means for" or the phrase "step for" means that 35 U.S.C. §1 12, paragraph 6 does not apply to that limitation, regardless of whether that limitation recites a function without recitation of structure, material or acts for performing that function. For example, in a claim, the mere use of the phrase "step of" or the phrase "steps of in referring to one or more steps of the claim or of another claim does not mean that 35 U.S.C. §1 12, paragraph 6, applies to that step(s).

[00139] With respect to a means or a step for performing a specified function in accordance with 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6, the corresponding structure, material or acts described in the specification, and equivalents thereof, may perform additional functions as well as the specified function.

[00140] Computers, processors, computing devices and like products are structures that can perform a wide variety of functions. Such products can be operable to perform a specified function by executing one or more programs, such as a program stored in a memory device of that product or in a memory device which that product accesses. Unless expressly specified otherwise, such a program need not be based on any particular algorithm, such as any particular algorithm that might be disclosed in the present application. It is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art that a specified function may be implemented via different algorithms, and any of a number of different algorithms would be a mere design choice for carrying out the specified function.

[00141] Therefore, with respect to a means or a step for performing a specified function in accordance with 35 U.S.C. §1 12, paragraph 6, structure corresponding to a specified function includes any product programmed to perform the specified function. Such structure includes programmed products which perform the function, regardless of whether such product is programmed with (i) a disclosed algorithm for performing the function, (ii) an algorithm that is similar to a disclosed algorithm, or (iii) a different algorithm for performing the function.