Food preparation apparatus and methods

Abstract

A food preparation apparatus includes a food preparation chamber and multiple food preparation environment control devices for adjusting a food preparation control environment in the food preparation chamber. The food preparation apparatus includes a user interface permitting a user to program a food preparation recipe to be executed by the food preparation apparatus. The user interface includes a user input configured for receiving at least one parameter for controlling at least one food preparation environment control device and a graphical display for displaying aspects of the programmed recipe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A food preparation apparatus comprising
 a food preparation chamber,   at least one controller,   multiple food preparation environment control devices responsive to the at least one controller to adjust a food preparation environment in the food preparation chamber,   a user interface permitting a user to program a food preparation recipe to be executed by the food preparation apparatus such that the controller controls the food preparation environment control devices according to the recipe, the user interface including
 a user input for programming the recipe, the user input being configured for receiving at least one parameter for controlling at least one of the food preparation environment control devices, the at least one parameter defining an operational state of the at least one food preparation environment control device, and 
 a graphical display operatively connected to the user input and configured to, before execution of the programmed recipe, display as a graph representations of operational states of the multiple food preparation environment control devices with respect to time according to the programmed recipe. 
   
     
     
         2 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input includes at least one actuator for receiving the at least one parameter, and the user interface further comprises a recipe program screen, the at least one actuator and the graphical representation being shown on the recipe program screen at the same time. 
     
     
         3 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen including the user input and the graphical display. 
     
     
         4 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input includes a parameter value display and an associated actuator for adjusting a parameter value displayed on the parameter value display. 
     
     
         5 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the graphical display updates the graph in real time according to at least one parameter received by the user input. 
     
     
         6 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input is configured for receiving multiple parameters for controlling the at least one food preparation environment control device, the user input including color indicators associated with respective parameters, and the graphical display displaying on the graph representations of operational states associated with the parameters using color corresponding to respective color indicators. 
     
     
         7 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the operational states are representative of whether the food preparation environment control devices are active or inactive. 
     
     
         8 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input permits the user to input parameters associated with different functions of the food preparation apparatus to be performed during the recipe, and the graphical display displays separately on the graph representations of operational states of food preparation environment control devices of the food preparation apparatus associated with different functions of the food preparation apparatus. 
     
     
         9 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input permits the user to input parameters associated with humidification and venting functions of the food preparation apparatus to be performed during the recipe, and the graphical display displays separately on the graph representations of operational states of the food preparation environment control devices of the food preparation apparatus associated with the humidification and venting functions. 
     
     
         10 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the graphical display displays on the graph overlapping durations of operational states of the food preparation environment control devices. 
     
     
         11 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the graph displayed by the graphical display includes a bar graph including representations of operational states of the food preparation environment control devices with respect to time. 
     
     
         12 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising a recipe run screen, the recipe run screen including a countdown time display and an operational status indicator, the countdown time display counting down recipe time, and the operational status indicator indicating an operational state of at least one food preparation environment control device corresponding to the countdown time displayed by the countdown time display. 
     
     
         13 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 12  wherein the operational status indicator has different states representing respective active and inactive states of the food preparation environment control device. 
     
     
         14 . A food preparation apparatus as set forth in  claim 12  wherein the user input includes a color indicator associated with the at least one parameter, and wherein the operational status indicator of the run screen is illuminated in a color corresponding to the color indicator of the user input for indicating an operational state of the associated food preparation environment control device. 
     
     
         15 . A user interface for use with a food preparation apparatus having a food preparation chamber, at least one controller, and multiple food preparation environment control devices responsive to the controller to adjust a food preparation environment in the food preparation chamber, the user interface permitting a user to program a food preparation recipe to be executed by the food preparation apparatus such that the controller controls the food preparation environment control devices according to the recipe, the user interface including
 a user input for programming the recipe, the user input being configured for receiving at least one parameter for controlling at least one of the food preparation environment control devices, the at least one parameter defining an operational state of the at least one food preparation environment control device, and   a graphical display operatively connected to the user input and configured to, before execution of the programmed recipe, display as a graph representations of operational states of the multiple food preparation environment control devices with respect to time according to the programmed recipe.   
     
     
         16 . A user interface as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input includes at least one actuator for receiving the at least one parameter, and the user interface further comprises a recipe program screen, the at least one actuator and the graphical representation being shown on the recipe program screen at the same time. 
     
     
         17 . A user interface as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input includes a parameter value display and an associated actuator for adjusting a parameter value displayed on the parameter value display. 
     
     
         18 . A user interface as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input is configured for receiving multiple parameters for controlling the at least one food preparation environment control device, the user input including color indicators associated with respective parameters, and the graphical display displaying on the graph representations of operational states associated with the parameters using color corresponding to respective color indicators. 
     
     
         19 . A user interface as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the user input permits the user to input parameters associated with different functions of the food preparation apparatus to be performed during the recipe, and the graphical display displays separately on the graph representations of operational states of food preparation environment control devices of the food preparation apparatus associated with different functions of the food preparation apparatus. 
     
     
         20 . A user interface as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the graph displayed by the graphical display includes a bar graph including representations of operational states of the food preparation environment control devices with respect to time.