Duke Manufacturing Company

Benjamin Wann

Canyon DeVille

Norman J Bernard

Brian Rain

Brian Heuckroth

Kwame Bamfo-Agyei

Gregory Glen Stettes

Charles Jesse James

Anthony James Regna

Jeffrey Alan Stafford

Thomas E Kieffer

Madeline Elaine Marsh

John Sweaney

Jason Smith

A kitchen network system comprising a plurality of food preparation apparatuses. Each of the food preparation apparatuses has a physical data bus, a single board computer, and an input/output (I/O) circuit communicatively coupled to the processor via the physical data bus. The single board computer comprises a processor that generates a control signal for controlling an operation of the food preparation apparatus and communicates the control signal on the physical data bus according to a publish/subscribe message-based protocol. In addition, the processor transmits and receives data for provisioning the single board computer to a wireless mesh network and connects the provisioned single board computer as a node on the wireless mesh network. The I/O circuit is responsive to the control signal for driving one or more components of the food preparation apparatus to perform the operation.

Networked food preparation apparatus

A food preparation appliance and associated components and methods. The food preparation appliance is configured to support transmission of operations updates and other data to/from a local or remote computer. In some embodiments, the food preparation appliance provides a virtual data bus for transmission of the updates or data. The virtual data bus may be bridged to a physical data bus of the food preparation appliance. The food preparation appliance can be configured to receive operations updates regardless of an operational mode of the food preparation appliance.

Food preparation apparatus having a virtual data bus

A kitchen network system comprising a plurality of food preparation apparatuses, each comprising a single board computer communicatively coupled to a wireless mesh network. The single board computer comprises a processor, a built-in antenna, and one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the processor. The memory devices store a database containing provisioning and configuration data for at least two of the nodes of the mesh network. The processor transmits and receives data on the mesh network via the antenna, generates a control signal for controlling an operation of the food preparation apparatus, and communicates the control signal on a physical data bus according to a message-based protocol. An input/output (I/O) circuit communicatively coupled to the single board computer via the physical data bus is responsive to the control signal for driving one or more components of the food preparation apparatus to perform the operation.

An appliance having a current sensor configured to monitor load current in the appliance associated with operation of one or more components for determining a fault condition thereof. The appliance comprises a smart controller configured to control operations of the appliance and the one or more components each configured to perform an operation of the appliance in response to the smart controller. An input/output (IO) circuit coupled to the smart controller via a local data bus is configured to receive commands from the smart controller and to control the one or more components in response thereto.

Appliance component fault detection

A smart pan system comprising a food pan having one or more radio frequency tag coupled thereto that store a unique identifier associated with the food pan. A tag reader associated with a food preparation apparatus reads the unique identifier for linking to information relating to the food carried in the pan.

Smart food pan system

Systems, components, and methods for use in a commercial kitchen intelligence system. A network appliance and a plurality of kitchen components are coupled to a data communication network. The network appliance establishes a VPN connection with a portal remote to the commercial kitchen. The network appliance establishes communication with a point-of-sale (POS) system for receipt of POS data. The network appliance facilitates communication among the kitchen components on the data communications network independent of different protocols by which the kitchen components are configured to communicate.

Growing community of inventors

Kirkwood, MO, United States of America

Benjamin Wann