FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to food preparation systems and methods and more particularly to a cooking system and a cooking apparatus for preparing a food item in large quantities automatically or semi-automatically.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food items such as, cereals & pulses being the staple food in many Asian countries, is consumed the largest. For example: rice is one of the most commonly consumed food in India. Cooking such food items in commercial places like restaurants, catering institutions, canteens, etc. is a very tiresome process. This is majorly due to the manual laborious work involved. Another problem is the preparation of a uniform final product, especially when it is prepared continuously and in large quantities. However, the amount of water required and the time to cook differs for different varieties of cereals and has an impact on its taste and texture. Also, it is not possible to attain the same quality and taste every time. Thus, an automated system to monitor the quantity of water, time to cook and temperature in the cooking process may be beneficial.

Typically, before cooking or boiling, cereals such as rice have to be rinsed thoroughly in water and soaked for a few minutes to remove dust, other waste particles, etc. This cleaning process is laborious for large quantities of such food items and thus being ignored in many places. Thus, an automated system to rinse and wash such food ingredients in raw form before boiling may be beneficial.

Presently, with awareness of healthy carbohydrate choices, people have become conscious especially about the glycemic intake in their daily diet. As we know, the cereals, especially rice, is considered to have high starch, therefore the rice have high glycemic content. To reduce this, it is a common practice to boil the rice in water and then strained out with the help of sieve. This method of boiling the rice reduces the glycemic content in it and is healthier. But, this traditional method of cooking is not employed in commercial places as it is difficult to do the same for large quantities of rice. Thus, an automated system that can cook the food items in large quantities using traditional boiling method may be beneficial.

Conventional food preparation systems are not internet enabled or remotely operable as they are typically not connected to a network. So, they cannot be monitored and operated remotely. In addition, once the user has initiated cooking and an automated process has begun to prepare the food product, it is not possible to change from the pre-selected options. In addition, most of the existing systems and apparatuses do not allow the user to directly control the sequence of food preparation operations during cooking. The existing conventional food preparation systems are, however, limited by their inability to clean and cook large quantities of food items such as cereals and pulse without any human involvement.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a cooking system and a cooking apparatus for preparing a food item in large quantities automatically or semi-automatically, that reduces (or) eliminates human involvement to clean and cook large quantities of food item such as cereals and pulses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is provided to introduce concepts of the subject matter in a simple manner that is further described in the detailed description of the disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter nor is it intended to determine the scope of the disclosure.

To overcome at least some of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a smart cooking system that eliminates human involvement, efficient cleaning of the rice and uniform cooking of the rice. Moreover, in order to provide a healthier life, the present invention uses traditional method of boiling rice that boils the rice in water and then strains the rice.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooking system for preparing a food item in large quantities automatically or semi- automatically. The cooking system comprises a cooking apparatus and a user device connected with the cooking apparatus using the communication module. The communication module is configured to establish a communication network. Further the cooking apparatus comprises a cooking assembly, a processing module connected with the cooking assembly, a sensor module connected with the processing module, a user interface module connected with the processing module and a communication module connected with the processing module. The cooking assembly comprises a food ingredients storage section, a scaling section, a water storage section, a boiling section, a pneumatic section, an induction section and a base section. Further, the user interface module is configured to display one or more recipes, cooking instructions and cooking status and receive one or more recipes or instructions from a user, to prepare a food item. Additionally, the processing module is configured to operate the cooking assembly based on the received one or more recipes or instructions and monitor the operation of the cooking assembly using sensed parameters received from sensor module. Also, the cooking assembly is configured to prepare the food item as per the one or more recipes or instructions received using the food ingredients stored therein. Moreover, the user device is configured to operate the cooking apparatus remotely via the communication network.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the food ingredient storage section comprises a food ingredient container having one or more hoppers and first one or more valves; one or more seasoning containers having second one or more valves; and a first sensor unit having first one more sensors placed in the food ingredient container and the one or more seasoning containers. Further, the one or more hoppers are provided for storing and dispensing food ingredients stored therein. Furthermore, the one or more seasoning containers are configured to store and dispense one or more seasonings stored therein such as salt, pepper, sugar and spices, by opening and closing the first one or more valves. In addition, the first sensor unit is configured to send first one or more sensed parameters to the sensor module. Moreover, the first one or more sensed parameters are selected from a group comprising storage level of the ingredients in the food ingredient container and the one or more seasoning containers and positions of the first one or more valves.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the scaling section is positioned below the food ingredient storage section and is configured to measure a quantity of food ingredients dispensed from the food ingredient container and the one or more seasoning containers. Further, the scaling section comprises a measuring container having third one or more valves; a motor to operate the second or more valves of the measuring container; and a second sensor unit configured to measure wherein the second sensor unit is configured to send second one or more sensed parameters to the sensor module. Further, the second one or more sensed parameters are selected from a group comprising storage level of received contents in the measuring container unit and position of the second one or more valves.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the boiling section is connected with the induction section and the water storage section. The boiling section comprises a holding container positioned below the measuring container adapted to receive and wash the food ingredients received from the measuring container using the water received from the water storage section; a boiling container positioned below the holding container and above the induction section, the boiling container being adapted to receive the washed food ingredients from the holding container and the one or more seasonings from the one or more seasoning containers; and a third sensor unit is configured to send third one or more sensed parameters to the sensor module. Further, the induction section is configured to provide required heat for cooking the food ingredients in the boiling container as per the one or more recipes or instructions received from the user. Additionally, the third one or more sensed parameters are selected from a group comprising temperature, pressure and condition of the water and food ingredients being cooked in the boiling container.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the water storage section comprises a water storage container, a lid, a holder, a pump, a plurality of pipes and a fourth sensor unit. Also, the induction section comprises a coil, induction plate, a heat dispenser, a fan and a fifth sensor unit.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the pneumatic section is connected with the holding container. The pneumatic section comprises an air compressor unit having an air container and a pressure gauge; a pneumatic unit having a pneumatic cylinder and a plate placed over the pneumatic cylinder through a movable stroke; and a sixth sensor unit. Further, the air container is configured to hold compressed air and the pressure gauge is configured to check the pressure of the compressed air inside the air container and the pneumatic cylinder. Moreover, the pneumatic cylinder is connected to the air container for receiving the compressed air from the air container. Also, the movable stroke is configured to move the plate and thereby the holding container, up and down. In addition, the sixth sensor unit is configured to send sixth one or more sensed parameters to the sensor module, the sixth one or more sensed parameters being a position of the stroke length during up and down movements and pressure of compressed air.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the base section comprises the base container, a door, a hinge and a seventh sensor unit. Further, the base container is configured to house the induction section, over which the boiling container is placed. Additionally, the door is provided in the base container for moving out the boiling container to remove the excess water and for cleaning purposes and wherein the seventh sensor unit is adapted to check a position of the door.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the user interface module comprises a display, an input means, a PCB board and a eighth sensor unit.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the user device is selected from a group comprising a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop or a desktop PC.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a cooking apparatus for preparing a food item in large quantities automatically or semi- automatically. The cooking apparatus comprises a cooking assembly, a processing module connected with the cooking assembly, a sensor module connected with the processing module, a user interface module connected with the processing module and a communication module connected with the processing module. The cooking assembly comprises a food ingredients storage section, a scaling section, a water storage section, a boiling section, a pneumatic section, an induction section and a base section. Further, the user interface module is configured to display one or more recipes, cooking instructions and cooking status and receive one or more recipes or instructions from a user, to prepare a food item. Additionally, the processing module is configured to operate the cooking assembly based on the received one or more recipes or instructions and monitor the operation of the cooking assembly using sensed parameters received from sensor module. Also, the cooking assembly is configured to prepare the food item as per the one or more recipes or instructions received using the food ingredients stored therein. The above summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in anyway limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, example embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, example embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the example embodiments will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a food ingredient storage section of a cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a scaling section of the cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a boiling section of the cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a pneumatic section of the cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a water storage section of the cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an induction section of the cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a base section of the cooking assembly of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a user interface module of the cooking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the cooking system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Further, skilled artisans 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 invention so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purpose of promoting and understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

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 invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

The terms "comprise", "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 that are not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase“in an embodiment”,“in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

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

Figure 1 illustrates a cooking system (100) for preparing a food item in large quantities automatically or semi-automatically, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The food item may be selected from, but not limited to, cereals such as rice etc. or pulses or the like. The cooking system (100) comprises a cooking apparatus (102) connected with a user device (130). The user device (130) is envisaged to be operated by a user and is selected from, but not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop or a desktop PC.

Further, the cooking apparatus (102) comprises a cooking assembly (104), a processing module (120) connected with the cooking assembly (104), a sensor module (124), a user interface module (126) and a communication module (122).

The communication module (122) is configured to enable wireless communication between the user device (130) and cooking apparatus (102) via a communication network (132). In that sense, the communication module (122) is envisaged to include one or more of, but not limited to, Wi-Fi router, GSM module, a Bluetooth module, GSM module etc. configured to establish the communication network (132). The communication network (132) may be one of, but not limited to, a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). The communication network (132) may be implemented using a number of protocols, such as but not limited to, TCP/IP, 3GPP, 3GPP2, LTE, IEEE 802.x etc. Preferably, the communication network (132) is wireless intranet (not requiring internet). In one embodiment, the communication network (132) may be internet. The communication network (132) enables the user device (130) to operate the cooking apparatus (102) remotely.

In another embodiment, multiple communication networks may be utilised. For example: the user device (130) may be connected with the cooking apparatus (102) via a Bluetooth network and/or a wireless intranet network and at the same time, the user device (130) and the cooking apparatus (102) are also connected to the internet.

Also, there may be a data repository (128) provided in the cooking system (100). The data repository (128) may be local storage or a cloud-based storage. The data repository (128) is envisaged to, include prestored data as well as store new data obtained from various components of the system.

In addition, the processing module (120) is envisaged to include computing capabilities such as a memory unit (not shown) configured to store machine readable instructions. The machine-readable instructions may be loaded into the memory unit from a non-transitory machine-readable medium such as, but not limited to, CD- ROMs, DVD-ROMs and Flash Drives. Alternately, the machine-readable instructions may be loaded in a form of a computer software program into the memory unit. The memory unit in that manner may be selected from a group comprising EPROM, EEPROM and Flash memory. The processing module (120) further includes a processor or plurality of high-speed computing processors with multiple cores (not shown) operably connected with the memory unit. In various embodiments, the processor is one of, but not limited to, a general-purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In one embodiment, the processing module (120) (102) may be, but not limited to, a microprocessor.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module (120) is envisaged to implement artificial intelligence and machine learning based technologies for, but not limited to, data analysis, collating data & presentation of data in real-time.

Additionally, the sensor module (124) is connected with the processing module (120) and a plurality of sensor units disposed in each component of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking apparatus (102). The sensor module (124) is configured to receive sensed parameters (like temperature, weight, water level, position etc.) from the plurality of sensor units and communicates the same to the processing module (120). The cooking assembly (104) comprises food ingredients storage section (106), a scaling section (108), a water storage section (1 10), a boiling section (1 14), a pneumatic section (1 12), an induction section (1 16) and a base section (1 18).

Referring now to Figure 2 that illustrates a block diagram of the food ingredients storage section (106) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100). the food ingredients storage section (106) includes a food ingredients container (1062), one or more seasoning containers (1064) and a first sensor unit (1066). The food ingredients container (1062) includes one or more hoppers. The one or more hoppers are provided for storing and dispensing food ingredients stored therein. Food ingredients may be, but not limited to, cereals such as rice etc. or pulses to be cooked. Each of the one or more hoppers is tunnel shaped hopper and is provided with two open ends (i.e., a top end and a bottom end), wherein the top end is used for loading the ingredients (for example, rice) and the bottom end is used for dispensing those ingredients. The top end is provided with large size opening as compared to the bottom end opening. The top end of the tunnel shaped hopper is closed by a closing lid for protecting the ingredients from dust, smoke, unwanted particles etc. The bottom end is equipped with first one or more valves (1068) that may be opened and closed for dispensing of the consumables (i.e. the food ingredients). The opening and the closing of the first one or more valves (1068) is operated by a motor. The one or more hoppers may be made of steel material (or) any other suitable material.

Moreover, the one or more seasoning containers (1064) may include one or more cartridges for storing one or more seasonings such as salt, pepper, sugar and spices etc. The one or more seasoning containers (1064) may be of any shape, like, round, square, cylindrical, oval etc. Each of the one or more seasoning containers (1064) is also provided with respective two open ends (i.e., a top end and a bottom end) wherein the top end is used for filling the seasoning and the bottom end is used for dispensing the seasoning. The top end is provided with large size opening as compared to the bottom end opening. The top end is closed by a closing lid for protecting the seasonings stored therein, from dust, moisture, etc. The bottom end may be equipped with second one or more valves (1069) that may be opened and closed for dispensing the seasoning. The opening and the closing of the second one or more valves (1069) is operated by a motor. The first sensor unit (1066) may include one or more sensors like weight sensor, position sensor, and level sensor. All these sensors are placed in the food ingredients container (1062) and the one or more seasoning containers (1064) for detecting first one or more sensed parameters of the ingredients stored. The weight sensor may be provided for measuring the weight and the quantity of the food ingredients stored in the one or more hoppers. The position sensor may be provided for detecting movements (like, opening or closing movement) of the first one or more valves (1068) or the second one or more valves (1069). The level sensor may be provided for checking level of the food ingredients and the one or more seasonings stored in the respective containers. The food ingredients container (1062) and the one or more seasoning containers (1064) are then connected to the scaling section (108).

Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of the scaling section (108) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The scaling section (108) is positioned below the food ingredients storage section (106) and is configured to measure a quantity of food ingredients dispensed from the food ingredients container (1062) and the one or more seasoning containers (1064). The scaling section (108) includes a measuring container (1082) and a motor. The measuring container (1082) is located just below the one or more hoppers. The measuring container (1082) is provided for measuring the quantity of food ingredients dispensed from the one or more hoppers. The measuring container (1082) can save the labor of measuring food ingredients manually. The measuring container (1082) has third one or more valves (1084) at a bottom of the measuring container (1082). The third one or more valves (1084) is opened and closed by the motor. The measuring container (1082) may be made of a steel material (or) any other desirable material. Further, the scaling section (108) includes a second sensor unit (1086). The second sensor unit (1086) may include a respective weight sensor and a respective position sensor. The weight sensor may be placed in the measuring container (1082) for measuring the quantity of the food ingredient that is dispensed from the one or more hoppers. The position sensor may be placed proximal to the third one or more valves (1084) for detecting the positions (i.e., opened position or closed position) of the third one or more valves (1084) during the operation. The scaling module is further connected to the boiling section (1 14). Referring now to Figure 4 that illustrates a block diagram of a boiling section (1 14) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 4, The boiling section (1 14) includes a holding container (1 142), a boiling container (1 144) and a third sensor unit (1 146). The holding container (1 142) is located just below the measuring container (1082) of the scaling section (108). The holding container (1 142) is made of steel wires that have a mesh structure. The mesh structure is provided for holding food ingredients during boiling operation. The holding container (1 142) includes a lid for covering the holding container (1 142) at the top in order to avoid overflow of the rice during the boiling operation. The boiling container (1 144) is placed below the holding container (1 142). The food ingredients in the holding container (1 142) is first immersed in the boiling container (1 144) and washed a certain number of times by an agitator or any other such component. Water used for washing the rice may be discharged through another valve controlled by a motor in the boiling container (1 144). Then, the food ingredients in the holding container (1 142) are dispensed to the boiling container (1 144) and are boiled/cooked in the boiling container (1 144). As shown, the boiling module is connected to the induction section (1 16) and the water storage section (1 10) to provide the required water and heat.

The third sensor unit (1 146) of the boiling section (1 14) may include respective one or more sensors like temperature sensor, optical sensor, and pressure sensor. All the respective one or more sensors are placed in the boiling section (1 14) for detecting third one or more sensed parameters of the ingredients stored and the boiling process. The temperature sensor may be provided for measuring the temperature of water in the boiling container (1 144) during boiling operation. The optical sensor may be provided for checking the condition of food ingredients being cooked and to check if the food ingredients have boiled or not. The pressure sensor may be provided for checking the pressure inside the boiling container (1 144). Further, the boiling section (1 14) is also connected with the pneumatic section (1 12).

Figure 5 illustrates a block diagram of the pneumatic section (1 12) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 5, the pneumatic section (1 12) includes an air compressor unit (1 122), a pneumatic unit (1 124) and a sixth sensor unit (1 126). The air compressor unit (1 122) includes an air container and a pressure gauge. The air container is provided for holding compressed air inside the air container. The air container is connected to the pressure gauge. The pressure gauge is provided for checking the pressure of the air inside the air container. The pneumatic unit (1 124) includes a pneumatic cylinder and a plate. The plate (1 128) is connected with the holding container (1 142) of the boiling section (1 14). The plate (1 128) is placed over the pneumatic cylinder through a movable stroke. The stroke is provided for moving the plate (1 128) and thereby the holding container (1 142) up and down. The pneumatic cylinder is connected to the air container for passing the compressed air from the air container to the pneumatic cylinder. The pneumatic cylinder is also connected to the pressure gauge for checking the pressure of the air inside the pneumatic cylinder. The sixth sensor unit (1 126) may include a position sensor and a pressure sensor. The position sensor may be provided for checking the position of stroke length during up and down movements of the plate of the pneumatic unit (1 124). The pressure sensor may be provided for measuring the pressure inside the air container and the pneumatic cylinder. The pneumatic module is connected to the holding container (1 142).

Additionally, Figure 6 illustrates a block diagram of the water storage section (1 10) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 6, the water storage section (1 10) includes a water storage container (1 102), a lid, a holder, a pump (1 108), a plurality of pipes (1 104) and a sensor unit. The water storage container (1 102) (1 102) is provided for water storage that is used for rinsing and boiling food ingredients. The lid is provided on top of the water storage container (1 102) in order to protect the water from dust and other foreign particles. Further, the holder is provided for keeping the water storage container (1 102) tightly for avoiding shakes to the water storage container (1 102) during operation. The water storage container (1 102) is connected to the boiling container (1 144) through the plurality of pipes (1 104). The plurality of pipes (1 104) is provided for distributing water from the water storage container (1 102) (1 102) to the boiling container (1 144). The pump (1 108) is provided for pumping the water from the water storage container (1 102) to the boiling container (1 144) through the plurality of pipes (1 104). The pump (1 108) may be operated by an electric motor (not shown). The fourth sensor unit (1 106) may include a level sensor, a flow sensor and a PH sensor. The level sensor may be provided for checking the level of the water in the water storage container (1 102). The flow sensor may be provided for checking the flow of water from the water storage container (1 102) to the boiling container (1 144) via the plurality of pipes (1 104). The PH sensor may be provided for checking PH level of water which denotes the chemical content in the water. The water storage container (1 102) module is connected to the boiling container (1 144).

Referring now to Figure 7, that illustrates a block diagram of the induction section (1 16) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 7, the induction section (1 16) includes a coil (1 162), an induction plate (1 164), a heat dispenser (1 168), a fan (1 170) and a fifth sensor unit (1 166). The induction plate (1 164) is placed over the coil (1 162) (for example, copper coil (1 162)) that produce heat. The heat dispenser (1 168) is provided for exhausting out the excess heat and smoke from the induction module through the fan (1 170). The fifth sensor unit (1 166) may include at least a temperature sensor and a position sensor. The temperature sensor may be provided for measuring the temperature of the induction plate (1 164). The position sensor may be provided for checking the position of the base container (1 182) over the induction plate (1 164).

Referring now to Figure 8, that illustrates a block diagram of the base section (1 18) of the cooking assembly (104) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 8, the base section (1 18) includes a base container (1 182), a door (1 184), a hinge and a seventh sensor unit (1 186). The induction section (1 16) is placed inside the base container (1 182) over which the boiling container (1 144) is placed. The door (1 184) is provided in the base container (1 182) for moving out the boiling container (1 144) to remove the excess water and for cleaning purposes. The body of the base container (1 182) is made up of acrylic material (or) any other desirable material. The seventh sensor unit (1 186) may include a position sensor for checking whether the door (1 184) is positioned properly.

Referring now to Figure 9, illustrates a block diagram of the user interface module (126) of the cooking system (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 9, the user interface module (126) include a display (1262), an input means (1268), a PCB board (1264) and an eighth sensor unit (1266). The display (1262) may be, but not limited to, an LED display, LCD display or a TFT display. The input means (1268) may be, but not limited to a virtual or physical keypad or keyboard. In one embodiment, the display (1262) and input means (1268) may be integrated and provided in the form of a touch-input-based display. Additionally, the PCB board (1264) is configured below the display (1262). The display (1262) is provided for display directions (such as, select a recipe, change cooking temperature, add salt a bit more, etc.), which may then be executed by the processing module (120) as per the user’s selection. The eighth sensor unit (1266) may include at least a position sensor and a temperature sensor. The position sensor may be provided for checking the position of the display (1262) whereas the temperature sensor may be provided for measuring temperature of the PCB board (1264). The user interface module (126) is configured to display (1262) one or more recipes, cooking instructions and cooking status as well as receive one or more recipes or instructions from the user manually using the input means (1268), to prepare the food item. The received and/or downloaded recipes and instructions may be stored in the data repository (128) for future reference.

The present invention works in the following manner:

Figure 10 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the cooking system (100), in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In this exemplary implementation, the foot item to be cooked is assumed to be rice. So, the food ingredient is raw rice. Further, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that there is only one hopper in the food ingredients storage container (1062). Further, in this example, the user interface module (126) is assumed to be a touch-input-based display. As previously explained, the user interface module (126) is envisaged to be connected to the processing module (120) and a data repository (128). Further, the cooking apparatus (102) is connected with the internet from where one or more recipes for preparing food items may be obtained/downloaded.

Additionally, the user may manually enter one or more recipes or instructions for cooking different varieties of rice using the touch-input-based display. Apart from this, the user may simply send one or recipes or instructions using the user the device such as a smartphone, when the user device (130) is connected with the cooking apparatus (102) via the communication network (132) even without the internet. Flowever, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art the cooking apparatus (102) of the present invention may easily operate as a standalone apparatus without the requirement of connection with the user device (130).

As shown in figure 10, the measuring container (1082) of the scaling module is placed just below the hopper that stores raw rice. For example, when the user selects a recipe through a mobile application (in the user device (130)) or from display (1262) of the user interface module (126) to the processing module (120), the cooking apparatus (102) starts to dispense the raw rice from the hopper to the measuring container (1082). The raw rice is measured according to a quantity specified mentioned in the recipe. The weight sensor of the second sensor unit (1086) placed in the measuring container (1082) measures the correct quantity of rice. After the specified quantity is dispensed to the holding container (1 142), the excess raw rice remains in the measuring container (1082). Further, as shown, the holding container (1 142) is placed just below the measuring container (1082). The mesh of the holding container (1 142) holds the raw rice in the holding container (1 142) during the rinsing and the boiling process. Once the quantity of raw rice qualifies the specified quantity, it is dispensed into the holding container (1 142).

The one or more seasoning containers (1064) may move down to dispense the salt and other seasonings as per the recipe, into the boiling container (1 144). The one or more seasoning containers (1064) may have a weight sensor to dispense the right amount of salt and other seasonings into the boiling container (1 144). The salt and other seasonings are dispensed into the boiling container (1 144) as the one or more cartridges of the respective one or more seasoning containers (1064) move up and down.

Moreover, the holding container (1 142) is placed over the boiling container (1 144) and connected to the plate (1 128) of the pneumatic cylinder. As described previously in figure 6, the boiling container (1 144) is connected to the water storage container (1 102) through the plurality of pipes (1 104), so that the water flows into the boiling container (1 144) from the water storage container (1 102). The water is used for rinsing and cleaning the rice to remove debris, dust and other unwanted particles from the rice. The holding container (1 142) is moved up and down into the boiling container (1 144) a certain number of times as mentioned by the user (or) any number of times that is pre-fed in the recipe for rinsing the rice thoroughly. The up and down movements of the holding container (1 142) into the boiling container (1 144) takes place with the help of the pneumatic unit (1 124) and the plate (1 128) that facilitate upward and downward motion. After rinsing, the holding container (1 142) is lifted up and the used water is vented through a water discharge outlet (not shown) from the boiling container (1 144).

After the rinsing process, the holding container (1 142) filled with rinsed rice is dipped into the boiling container (1 144) for the cooking process. The amount of water required for cooking process is transferred from the water storage container (1 102) to the boiling container (1 144). The water is heated as instructed in the recipe through the induction placed inside the base container (1 182). The temperature of the cooking process may be monitored by the temperature sensor of the third sensor unit (1 146). Further, the cooking process and texture of the boiling rice may be monitored by an optical sensor placed in the boiling module of the third sensor unit (1 146). Once the rice is cooked, the holding container (1 142) is lifted up by the pneumatic unit (1 124) and the user may pull out the holding container (1 142) to transfer the cooked rice into another vessel. The door (1 184) may be used to pull-out and push-in the holding container (1 142). The excess starch water remaining after the cooking process is removed through a discharge outlet (not shown).

All the above-mentioned processes such as dispensing of ingredients, rinsing, washing, boiling, heating, movements of components and valves and operation of each component, are actuated and facilitated by the processing module (120). Further, the processing module (120) monitors the operation of the cooking assembly (104) using sensed parameters received from sensor module (124). The sensor module (124) receives a plurality of sensed parameters from the plurality of sensors units (first, second... eighth) disposed in each component of the cooking assembly (104).

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the cooking system (100) can be remotely handled by the user device (130) connected with the cooking apparatus (102) via the communication network (132). It may also be operated using the user interface module (126) (including the display (1262) and the input means (1268) that is connected to the PCB board (1264)) employed in the system. In addition, the user may upload the one or more recipes and instructions (manually or from the internet) for cooking different quantities and varieties of food items using the mobile application or the touch-input-based display (1262) provided with the cooking system (100). These recipes may be stored in the data repository (128) for usage in future. The cooking system (100) of the present invention would find extensive application in places where food items such as rice are required to be prepared in large quantities like in restaurants, catering institutions, canteens, food donation centers and the like.

Further, one would appreciate that the communication network can be a short- range communication network and/or a long-range communication network, wire or wireless communication network. The communication interface includes, but not limited to, a serial communication interface, a parallel communication interface or a combination thereof.

In general, the word“module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules may comprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device.

Further, while one or more operations have been described as being performed by or otherwise related to certain modules, devices or entities, the operations may be performed by or otherwise related to any module, device or entity. As such, any function or operation that has been described as being performed by a module could alternatively be performed by a different server, by the cloud computing platform, or a combination thereof.

Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.