Computer cooking means

Claim 2

A cooking computer-controller device for controlling the cooking operation of a cooking apparatus, said device having a manually settable weight input means for indicating a single selected indicated weight applicable to all meat items and corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked, said device having a second input means indicating a selected doneness for said particular meat item and being operatively associated with said weight input means, said device having a time period output means operatively associated with said input means to provide as an output a cooking time period for said particular meat item computed as a function from both of said input means, said device having controller means operatively associated with said time period output means and for being operatively associated with said cooking apparatus for operating said cooking apparatus at a predetermined cooking temperature and at a particular point in said computed time period being adapted to cause a reduction in said cooking temperature so that said meat item will be substantially at the doneness of said setting of said second input means at the termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 3

A computer-controller device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said controller means of said device is adapted to maintain said cooking apparatus at a non-cooking and warmth retaining temperature following said termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 4

A computer-controller device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said computed time period is based on a cooking time formula that is based on substantially the results of seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a variable amount that is related to the doneness setting of said device or the results of forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a variable amount that is related to the doneness setting of said device.

Claim 5

A computer-controller device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said computed time period is based on a cooking time formula that is based on substantially the results of seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a fixed amount for doneness or the results of forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a Fixed amount for doneness.

Claim 6

A computer-controller device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said time period output means of said device has indicating means for indicating the computed cooking time period.

Claim 7

A cooking apparatus having a cooking computer-controller device for determining and controlling the cooking operation of a cooking apparatus, said device having a manually settable weight input means for indicating a single selected indicated weight applicable to all meat items and corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked, said device having a second input means indicating a selected variable other than the weight of the meat operatively associated with said weight input means, said device having a time period output means operatively associated with said input means to provide as an output a cooking time period for said particular meat item computed as a function from both of said input means, said device having controller means operatively associated with said time period output means for operating said cooking apparatus for said computed time period.

Claim 8

A cooking apparatus having a cooking computer-controller device for determining and controlling the cooking operation of a cooking apparatus, said device having a manually settable weight input means for indicating a single selected indicated weight applicable to all meat items and corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked, said device having a second input means indicating a selected variable other than the weight of the meat operatively associated with said weight input means, said device having a time period output means operatively associated with said input means to provide as an output a cooking time period for said particular meat item computed as a function from both of said input means, said device having controller means operatively associated with said time period output means for operating said cooking apparatus for said computed time period.

Claim 9

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said time period output means includes means for automatically indicating said computed cooking time period.

Claim 10

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said device has a computer actuator operatively associated with said automatic indicating means, said actuator being adapted to cause said automatic indicating means to indicate said computed time period only after said weight input means has been set and then said actuator has been actuated.

Claim 11

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said device has timer means operatively associated with said automatic indicating means for causing said indicating means to indicate elapsing time of said computed time period once said computed time period is being utilized.

Claim 12

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said computed cooking time period is based on a cooking time formula that is substantially the results of seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device or forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device.

Claim 13

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said formula of said device is also based on a fixed or variable factor added to said results to provide for a selected degree of doneness of said particular meat item, said selected degree of doneness comprising said second input means of said device.

Claim 14

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said second input means of said device comprises a meat doneness input means operatively associated with said weight input means and said time period output means, said meat doneness input means being adapted to set said device at a doneness setting for said particular meat item whereby said computed cooking time period is based on a cooking formula that comprises the two input variables of weight and doneness.

Claim 15

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said cooking time formula for said device is based substantially on the results of seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus the doneness setting of said device or the results of forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus the doneness setting of said device.

Claim 16

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said device has means for providing another output means that a predetermined cooking temperature for the particular meat item should be reduced to another predetermined temperature at a particular time during the elapsing of said time period so that the particular meat item will be substantially at the doneness of the doneness setting of said device at the termination of the computed cooking time period.

Claim 17

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said meat doneness input means is operatively associated with said temperature reducing output means to set said temperature reducing output meanS in accordance with the doneness setting of said device.

Claim 18

A cooking apparatus having a computer-controller device for controlling the cooking operation of said cooking apparatus, said device having a manually settable weight input means for indicating a single selected indicated weight applicable to all meat items and corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked, said device having a second input means indicating a selected doneness for said particular meat item and being operatively associated with said weight input means, said device having a time period output means operatively associated with said input means to provide as an output a cooking time period for said particular meat item computed as a function from both of said input means, said device having controller means operatively associated with said time period output means and operatively associated with said cooking apparatus for operating said cooking apparatus at a predetermined cooking temperature and at a particular point in said computed time period being adapted to cause a reduction in said cooking temperature so that said meat item will be substantially at the doneness of said setting of said second input means at the termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 19

A cooking apparatus having a computer-controller device for controlling the cooking operation of said cooking apparatus, said device having a manually settable weight input means for indicating a single selected indicated weight applicable to all meat items and corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked, said device having a second input means indicating a selected doneness for said particular meat item and being operatively associated with said weight input means, said device having a time period output means operatively associated with said input means to provide as an output a cooking time period for said particular meat item computed as a function from both of said input means, said device having controller means operatively associated with said time period output means and operatively associated with said cooking apparatus for operating said cooking apparatus at a predetermined cooking temperature and at a particular point in said computed time period being adapted to cause a reduction in said cooking temperature so that said meat item will be substantially at the doneness of said setting of said second input means at the termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 20

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said controller means of said device is adapted to maintain said cooking apparatus at a non-cooking and warmth retaining temperature following said termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 21

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said computed time period is based on a cooking time formula that is based on substantially the results of seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a variable amount that is related to the doneness setting of said device or the results of forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a variable amount that is related to the doneness setting of said device.

Claim 22

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said computed time period is based on a cooking time formula that is based on substantially the results of seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a fixed amount for doneness or the results of forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a fixed amount for doneness.

Claim 23

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said time period output means of said device has indicating means for indicating the computed cooking time period.

Claim 24

A cooking apparatus having a computer-controller device for controlling the cooking operation of said cooking apparatus, said device having a weight input means for setting said device at a weight setting corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked by said apparatus, said device having a meat doneness input means for setting said device at a doneness setting for said particular meat item, said device having means operatively associated with said input means to cause said cooking apparatus to cook said meat item at a predetermined and substantially constant cooking temperature for a period of time computed in accordance with a cooking time formula based on at least the weight setting of said device and for causing a reduction in said cooking temperature at a particular point in said time period as computed in accordance with said doneness setting of said device whereby said meat item will be substantially at the doneness of said doneness setting at the termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 25

A cooking apparatus having a computer-controller device for controlling the cooking operation of said cooking apparatus, said device having a weight input means for setting said device at a weight setting corresponding to the weight of a particular meat item to be cooked by said apparatus, said device having a meat doneness input means for setting said device at a doneness setting for said particular meat item, said device having means operatively associated with said input means to cause said cooking apparatus to cook said meat item at a predetermined and substantially constant cooking temperature for a period of time computed in accordance with a cooking time formula based on at least the weight setting of said device and for causing a reduction in said cooking temperature at a particular point in said time period as computed in accordance with said doneness setting of said device whereby said meat item will be substantially at the doneness of said doneness setting at the termination of said computed cooking time period.

Claim 26

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said cooking time formula is substantially seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus the doneness setting of said device or is substantially forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus the doneness setting of said device.

Claim 27

A cooking apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said cooking time formula is sUbstantially seventy times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a fixed amount for doneness or is substantially forty times the square root of the weight setting of said device plus a fixed amount for doneness.