JP7565702B2 - Recipe providing method, program and information terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recipe provision management system and information processing device that stores and manages recipe information for menus that can be cooked using home appliances and displays it on a user's information terminal.

There is a known recipe provision management system that displays recipe information related to menus stored and managed in a server on an information terminal owned by a user. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which an information terminal such as a smartphone or tablet accesses a server via a network in advance, downloads application software related to cooking with a home appliance cooking device from the server, and installs the application. When the installed application is started by operating the information terminal, recipe information for menus that can be cooked with the cooking device can be displayed on the information terminal.

In addition, a cooking device that displays multiple menus on a display screen and allows the user to select and register a favorite menu by touch operation is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 2.

JP 2019-219105 A JP 2017-207219 A

In the above Patent Document 1, menu recipe information is displayed on an information terminal held by the user, and if favorite recipe information is selected from here by a touch operation as in Patent Document 2, the favorite recipe information can be registered in the cooking appliance. However, cooking appliances as products are generally used by one family in common, and since the storage capacity of the product is limited, the number of menu information items that can be registered is limited. Moreover, if multiple family members use one cooking appliance and each register their favorite recipe information, it becomes difficult to find the recipe information that each user has registered.

Another problem is that in the home, it is common for one user to use not just one home appliance, but multiple appliances, such as a microwave oven and a toaster oven. However, if recipe information for dishes that can be cooked using these multiple home appliances is imported directly into an information terminal, it becomes difficult to find recipe information related to a specific home appliance that the user wants to use.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a recipe provision management system and information processing device that can display recipe information for menus required by a user on an information terminal owned by the user, even when multiple users use one home appliance, or when one user uses multiple home appliances.

The recipe providing method of the recipe providing management system of the present invention comprises a home appliance having a communication function with a network, a server connected to the home appliance via the network and storing recipe information for menus that can be cooked by the home appliance, and an information terminal that can access the server via the network and display the recipe information, and includes a step of, when the recipe information is within a predetermined time from the publication date, displaying a mark indicating this on the recipe information displayed on the information terminal, and displaying the recipe information with the mark displayed in a display order based on the number of accesses to the server .

According to the present invention, even if the amount of recipe information for menus stored in the server increases , the recipe information for each menu is classified according to the presence or absence of a mark depending on the time since the recipe information for each menu was displayed on the information terminal, and the order of the recipe information for which these marks are displayed on the information terminal is automatically determined based on the number of accesses to the recipe information for each menu, so that the recipe information for the menu displayed on the information terminal can be changed each time. This makes it easy for the administrator to perform maintenance when inputting recipe information for a new menu into the server, and also has the advantage that the recipe information for the recommended new menu is preferentially displayed in order of the number of accesses from among the abundant recipe information for menus, making it easy for the user to select the recipe information for the desired menu.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a recipe providing management system in an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the oven range, which is a home appliance. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the inside of the hot air unit, upper heater, and lower heater in the oven range according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an internal explanatory diagram of a steam unit in the oven range according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the oven range. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the oven range. FIG. 2 is an external plan view of a smartphone serving as an information terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the smartphone. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the server according to the first embodiment. The photo shows a portion of the recipe list screen that appears on the smartphone's display when the oven range is selected. The photo shows the entire recipe list screen that can be displayed by swiping on the smartphone's display when an oven range is selected. The photo shows a recipe screen displayed on the display of a smartphone. The photo shows the confirmation screen for adding a favorite to a list, which is displayed on the smartphone's display. The photograph shows the favorite recipe registration screen displayed on the display means of the smartphone.

Below, preferred embodiments of the recipe provision management system and information processing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a recipe provision management system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 denotes home appliances that are mainly used at home, and 2 denotes a wireless LAN router as an access point that serves as a wireless terminal. Here, the home appliances 1 are all installed in the same house and are composed of a microwave oven 1-1, a toaster oven 1-2, and a rice cooker 1-3 that can heat and cook food, and each is wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 2. The wireless LAN router 2 functions as a means for accessing the network 3, and is configured to exchange various information and data between the microwave oven 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3 that constitute the home appliances 1 and a server 5 on a cloud 4 that connects to the network 3 via the wireless LAN router 2. Note that the home appliances 1 connected to the wireless LAN router 2 are not limited to the microwave oven 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3, but may include any cooking appliance that can at least cook food. These multiple home appliances 1 each have different cooking functions and are configured independently, and can be installed anywhere within the communication range of the wireless LAN router 2.

6 is an information terminal with display and communication functions, and 7 is an access point that serves as a wireless terminal. Here, the information terminal 6 is composed of smartphones 6-1, 6-2 and tablet terminals 6-3 that are individually owned by each user who uses the home appliance 1, and each is wirelessly connected to the access point 7. The access point 7 functions as a means for accessing the network 3, and various information and data are exchanged between the smartphones 6-1, 6-2 and tablet terminals 6-3 that constitute the information terminal 6 and the server 5 on the cloud 4 that is connected to the network 3 via the access point 7. Note that the wireless LAN router 2 and the access point 7 may be the same thing.

The recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment can be said to be a system in which n home appliances 1 and m information terminals 6 are connected to a management server 5 via a network 3 (n and m are both natural numbers). The server 5 stores and holds recipe information for all dishes that can be cooked with each of the n home appliances 1. Therefore, in FIG. 1, recipe information for dishes that can be cooked with a microwave oven 1-1, recipe information for dishes that can be cooked with a toaster oven 1-2, and recipe information for dishes that can be cooked with a rice cooker 1-3 are each stored and held in the server 5. The recipe information for the dishes stored in the server 5 includes all information necessary for a user to prepare a dish for that dish using the home appliance 1.

In FIG. 1, if we focus on an oven range 1-1 as an example of a single home appliance 1, three information terminals, namely smartphones 6-1 and 6-2 and a tablet terminal 6-3, are connected to a server 5 connected to this oven range 1-1 via a network 3. Since each household user who uses the oven range 1-1 currently owns an information terminal 6, m information terminals 6 assigned to m users are connected to one home appliance 1 (i.e., a one-to-many relationship). This allows each information terminal 6 to receive recipe information for menus that can be cooked with one home appliance 1 via the network 3.

In FIG. 1, for example, if we focus on a smartphone 6-1 as one information terminal 6, three home appliances, namely a microwave oven 1-1, a toaster oven 1-2, and a rice cooker 1-3, are connected to the server 5 connected to this smartphone 6-1 via the network 3. Therefore, one information terminal 6 owned by one user is connected to n home appliances 1 (i.e., a many-to-one relationship), and the content of the recipe information displayed on one information terminal 6 can be changed according to the functions of the product associated with each home appliance 1 from the recipe information for each menu that can be cooked by each of the n home appliances 1 stored and held in the server 5.

Next, referring to Figure 2, an example of the external configuration of a typical oven range 1-1 among home appliances 1 is shown. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a main body configured in a roughly rectangular box shape, and this main body 11 is provided with a metal cabinet 12 as a member that covers the exterior of the oven range 1-1 that is the product. Reference numeral 13 denotes a door that is provided on the front of the main body 11 and can be opened and closed freely.

The top of the door 13 is provided with a handle 14 for opening and closing the door 13, which opens vertically, and the side of the door 13 is provided with an operation panel 15 for display, notification, and operation. In addition to a display means 16 that displays the cooking settings and progress, the operation panel 15 is provided with operation means 19 such as keys 17 provided on the operation panel 15 and a touch panel 18 provided on the surface of the display means 16 to enable various operation inputs related to cooking. In addition, a communication module 20, which serves as device communication means and acts as a transmitting/receiving unit that enables wireless communication between the oven range 1-1 and the wireless LAN router 2, is provided in the center of the bottom of the door 13.

A water supply cassette 21 and a water receiver 22 are disposed at the bottom of the main body 11 and can be attached and detached from the front of the main body 1. The water supply cassette 21 is a bottomed container that holds liquid water as a liquid supply source for steam heating food placed in the cooking chamber 24, which will be described later. The water receiver 22 is also a bottomed container that receives food debris, water droplets, steam, etc. from the main body 11.

The display means 16 is a backlit display that displays all information related to cooking, such as the type of heating, the name of the dish, the heating time, the temperature, and a photo of the cooking, in color using letters, numbers, symbols, photos, etc. Here, it is configured as a liquid crystal display that uses TFTs (thin film transistors) as switching elements, but other display devices such as organic electroluminescence (EL) may also be used, and it is not limited to color display, and black and white display may also be used.

The keys 17 are provided as a push operation section that accepts push operations from the user, at a position that does not overlap with the display means 16 of the operation panel section 15, and here comprise a start key 17A and a cancel key 17B. The start key 17A is a key that is pushed to start cooking, and the cancel key 17B is a key that is pushed to stop cooking midway or to cancel operations or settings. In this embodiment, an illumination lamp such as an LED (not shown) is provided near the start key 17A to light or flash the start key 17A as necessary. The touch panel 18 is provided as a touch operation section that accepts touch operations from the user, at a position that overlaps with the display screen of the display means 16.

Figures 3 to 5 show schematic examples of the internal structure of the oven range in this embodiment. In each of these figures, the surrounding walls that form the cooking chamber 24 consist of a ceiling wall 24a, a bottom wall 24b, a left side wall 24c, a right side wall 24d, and a rear wall 24e. The ceiling wall 24a is dome-shaped with a convex shape facing upward, while the walls 24b to 24e except for the ceiling wall 24a are all formed flat.

The back wall 24e of the cooking chamber 24 has an intake port 26 in its center, and horizontally long hot air outlets 27, 28 above and below the intake port 26. In addition, an upper heater 29 that heats the food to be cooked from above the cooking chamber 24 is embedded in the ceiling wall 24a of the cooking chamber 24, and a lower heater 30 that heats the food to be cooked from below the cooking chamber 24 is embedded in the bottom wall 24b of the cooking chamber 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, 31 is a hot air unit provided behind the cooking chamber 24 inside the main body 11. This hot air unit 31 is composed of a hot air heater 32 as a heating means for heating air, a hot air fan 33 as a centrifugal fan for sending heated air into the cooking chamber 24 and circulating it, and a hot air motor 34 for rotating the hot air fan 33 in the forward or reverse direction.

In the hot air unit 31, a hot air fan 33 is provided facing the intake port 26 in the approximate center, and a hot air heater 32 is arranged around it. When the hot air fan 33 rotates as a result of the hot air motor 34 being energized, air sucked in through the intake port 26 from inside the cooking chamber 24 is blown out in the radial direction of the hot air fan 33, heated by the hot air heater 32, and supplied into the cooking chamber 24 through the hot air outlets 27, 28. This forms a path for circulating hot air inside and outside the cooking chamber 24, and the food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 24 is heated and cooked in the oven. The hot air unit 31 is stored in a case 35 attached to the rear of the cooking chamber 24.

As mentioned above, the cooking chamber 24 is provided with an upper heater 29 and a lower heater 30. When electricity is applied to the upper heater 29 and the lower heater 30, infrared heat radiation from the upper heater 29 and the lower heater 30 occurs in the enclosed space within the cooking chamber 24, heating the food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 24 and grilling it.

As shown in FIG. 4, 36 is a steam unit that serves as a steam generating device and is provided inside the main body 11, to the side of the cooking chamber 24. This steam unit 36 is connected in communication with a steam generator 39 via a pump 37 that delivers water from the water supply cassette 21 and a water supply pipe 38 in order to supply saturated steam or superheated steam into the cooking chamber 24.

The steam generator 39 is configured by embedding a sheath heater 41 in a hollow vaporization chamber 42 made of die-cast aluminum, and connecting the water supply pipe 38 to the vaporization chamber 42. The water supplied to the vaporization chamber 42 is heated by passing electricity through the sheath heater 41 to generate steam, which can be supplied into the cooking chamber 24 from multiple steam outlets 43 formed in the left side wall 24c of the cooking chamber 24. This generates a flow of steam in the cooking chamber 24 as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 4, and heats the food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 24 for steam cooking.

As shown in FIG. 5, 44 is a microwave generator that is installed below the bottom wall 24b of the cooking chamber 24 and irradiates microwaves from below the cooking chamber 24 to the food to be cooked to perform microwave heating. The microwave generator 44 is composed of a magnetron 45 that serves as a source for generating microwaves, a waveguide 46 that guides the microwaves from the magnetron 45 into the inside of the cooking chamber 24, an antenna 47 that radiates microwaves from the waveguide 46 to the cooking chamber 24, an antenna motor 49 such as an AC motor that rotates the antenna 47 horizontally around an upright shaft 48, and a microswitch 50 that is attached near the antenna 47.

In addition, an equipment control means 51, which will be described later, is installed below the bottom wall 24b of the cooking chamber 24, and an internal temperature distribution detection means 52 is installed above the right side wall 24d of the cooking chamber 24. The internal temperature distribution detection means 52 is configured by equipping an infrared sensor (not shown) with a swing mechanism, and detects the temperature distribution inside the cooking chamber 24, making it possible to detect the temperature of the food being cooked placed therein.

Figure 6 shows the main electrical configuration of the oven range 1-1. In the figure, 51 is a device control means composed of a microcomputer, and as is well known, this device control means 51 is equipped with a CPU as a processing means, a memory as a storage means, a timer as a timekeeping means, an input/output device, etc.

The input port of the device control means 51 is electrically connected to the operation means 19 using the keys 17 and touch panel 18, the communication module 20, the internal temperature detection means 25, and the internal temperature distribution detection means 52, as well as a hot air motor rotation detection means 53 that detects the rotation of the hot air motor 34 built into the hot air unit 31, a door opening/closing detection means 54 that detects the open/closed state of the door 13, an antenna position detection means 55 equipped with a microswitch 50 that detects the origin position of the antenna 47 that constitutes the microwave generator 44, and a vaporization chamber temperature detection means 56 such as a thermistor that detects the temperature of the vaporization chamber 42 that constitutes the steam unit 36.

The output port of the device control means 51 is electrically connected to the display means 16 using a liquid crystal display, the communication module 20, as well as the microwave heating means 58 including the magnetron 45 of the microwave generator 44 and its driving means, the heater driving means 59 such as a relay that turns on and off the upper heater 29 and the lower heater 30 for grill heating, the hot air heater 32 for oven heating, and the sheathed heater 41 for steam heating, the antenna driving means 60 for driving the antenna motor 49 that serves as the driving source for the antenna 47, the hot air motor driving means 61 for driving the hot air motor 34 that serves as the driving source for the hot air fan 33, the pump driving means 62 for operating the pump 37 of the steam unit 36, and the notification means 63 having a sound output function such as a buzzer.

The device control means 51 receives operation signals from the operation means 19 and detection signals from the inside temperature detection means 25, the inside temperature distribution detection means 52, the hot air motor rotation detection means 53, the door opening/closing detection means 54, the antenna position detection means 55, and the vaporization chamber temperature detection means 56, and outputs drive control signals to the microwave heating means 58, the heater driving means 59, the antenna driving means 60, the hot air motor driving means 61, the pump driving means 62, and the notification means 63, all of which are heating means, at a predetermined timing based on the timekeeping from the clocking means, based on the heating information acquired from the communication module 20, and also has the function of outputting a display control signal to the display means 16. These functions are realized by the device control means 51 reading a program recorded in the memory as a storage medium, but in this embodiment in particular, the device control means 51 is provided with a program that causes the device control means 51 to mainly function as a heating control unit 65, a display control unit 66, and a notification control unit 67.

The heating control unit 65 mainly controls the operation of each unit involved in the heating and cooking of the food placed in the cooking chamber 24. When the communication module 20 receives heating information from the server 5 through an operation on the information terminal 6, or an operation signal from the operation means 19, if the door 13 is determined to be closed based on a detection signal from the door opening/closing detection means 54, the heating control unit 65 sends control signals to the microwave heating means 58, heater driving means 59, antenna driving means 60, hot air motor driving means 61, pump driving means 62, and notification means 63 in response to the operation signal to control the heating and cooking of the food in the cooking chamber 24. In this embodiment, recipe information for menus that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1 is stored and held in the recipe information storage unit 68, which is a part of the memory, and when an operation is performed from the operation means 19 to instruct the start of cooking for one menu selected from the recipe information storage unit 68, the heating control unit 65 heats and cooks the food in a predetermined procedure according to the recipe information for the selected menu. In addition, when the cooking information, such as the type of heating and heating conditions required for the oven range 1-1 to heat and cook the food, is received by the communication module 20 from the recipe information for a specific menu selected by operation from the information terminal 6, and then an operation is performed from the operation means 19 to instruct the start of cooking, the heating and cooking unit 65 is configured to heat and cook the food in a predetermined procedure that follows the heating information for the selected specific menu.

The menus stored in the recipe information storage unit 68 can be broadly divided into manual cooking menus and automatic cooking menus. A manual cooking menu is a menu that is used by setting heating conditions such as time, power, and temperature for a menu selected from the recipe information storage unit 68 by touching the touch panel 18 before operating the start key 17A, such as a manual microwave menu. An automatic cooking menu is a menu that is used by selecting a menu from the recipe information storage unit 68 without setting heating conditions such as time, power, and temperature, such as a hamburger steak menu.

The display control unit 66 mainly controls the operation related to the display of the display means 16, and has the function of switching and displaying various screens on the display means 16, which is a liquid crystal display. In particular, in this embodiment, the recipe information for each menu stored in the recipe information storage unit 68 includes various display information for displaying a screen related to that menu on the display means 16. On the other hand, the cooking information received by the communication module 20 does not include such display information, and the heating control unit 62 can control the operation of the heating means based on the cooking information received by the communication module 20 to cook the food placed in the cooking chamber 24 without displaying a screen related to the specific menu selected on the information terminal 6 on the display means 16.

The notification control unit 67 mainly controls the operation related to notifications from the notification means 63. In this embodiment, when the communication module 20 receives the above-mentioned heating information, the notification control unit 67 is configured to cause the notification means 63 to notify the same for a certain period of time.

The main components of the oven range 1-1 with a range cooking function have been described above, but this is merely one example, and the oven range 1-1 may omit the oven cooking function or steam cooking function, or may omit the lower heater 30 in the grill cooking function. In addition, other home appliances 1 may also be equipped with functional components equivalent to the above-mentioned operation means 19 for instructing the start of cooking, the communication module 20 for connecting to the network 3, a cooking execution unit such as a heating means for cooking the food to be cooked, and the device control means 51 for controlling the operation of the cooking execution unit. Depending on the difference in the heating means incorporated as the cooking execution unit, the above-mentioned toaster oven 1-2 becomes a home appliance 1 with a toaster cooking function, and the rice cooker 1-3 becomes a home appliance 1 with a rice cooking function.

Figure 7 shows an example of the external configuration of a smartphone 6-1, which is a representative example of the information terminal 6. In the figure, the smartphone 6-1 mainly comprises a display means 71 capable of displaying a screen, a push-type operation button 72, and a communication module 73. A touch panel 74 is provided on the surface of the display means 71, and the operation button 72 and the touch panel 74 constitute an operation means 75 that enables operation from the smartphone 6-1. In addition, the communication module 73, which serves as a terminal communication means, is mounted inside the main body of the smartphone 6-1 as a transmitting/receiving unit that enables wireless communication between the microwave oven 6-1 and the wireless LAN router 2 or the access point 7. Note that the smartphone 6-1 also comprises communication means such as a microphone and speaker, and photography means such as a camera, but these are not shown here.

Figure 8 shows the main electrical configuration of the smartphone 6-1. In the figure, 77 is a terminal control means composed of a microcomputer, and as is well known, this terminal control means 77 is equipped with a CPU as a processing means, a memory as a storage means, a timer as a timekeeping means, an input/output device, etc. An operation means 75 and a communication module 73 are each electrically connected to an input port of the terminal control means 77, and a display means 71 and a communication module 73 are each electrically connected to an output port of the terminal control means 77.

The terminal control means 77 has a function of receiving an operation signal from the operation means 75, and outputting a display control signal to the display means 71 at a predetermined timing based on the time measured by the clock means, based on the recipe information retrieved from the communication module 73. This function is realized by the terminal control means 77 reading a program recorded in the memory as a storage medium, and in this embodiment in particular, the terminal control means 77 is provided with a program that causes the terminal control means 77 to function mainly as a communication control unit 78 and a display control unit 79.

The communication control unit 78 mainly controls the operations related to the communication module 73, and by operating the communication module 73 as necessary, has the function of sending various information and data from the terminal control means 77 to the server 5 via the network 3, and conversely, importing various information and data including recipe information from the server 5 to the terminal control means 77 via the network 3.

The display control unit 79 mainly controls the operation related to the display of the display means 71, and has a function of switching between various screens to be displayed on the display means 71. In particular, in this embodiment, when recipe information or nutritional information is received from the server 5 via the communication module 73, the display control unit 79 is configured to display the recipe information or nutritional information on the display means 71.

Figure 9 shows the main electrical configuration of the server 5, which is an example of an information processing device. In the figure, 81 is a server control means composed of a microcomputer, which, as is well known, includes a CPU as a processing means, a memory as a storage means, a timer as a timekeeping means, and an input/output device. An operation means 82 that enables operations from the administrator of the recipe provision management system 100 and a communication module 83 that enables connection to the network 3 are electrically connected to the input port of the server control means 77, and the communication module 83 and a display means 84 that can display on a screen are electrically connected to the output port of the terminal control means 77. The communication module 83, which is the server communication means, is installed in the server 5 as a transmission/reception unit that enables communication with the home appliance 1 and the information terminal 6 via the network 3.

The server control means 81 is configured to mainly function as a device information registration unit 86, a recipe information registration unit 87, a recipe information provision unit 88, a favorite information registration unit 89, a favorite information provision unit 90, and a cooking information provision unit 91 by reading the programs stored in the memory as a storage medium. In addition to these programs, the memory built into the server control means 81 is provided with a device information storage unit 93 that stores device information that associates the information terminal 6 owned by the user with the home appliance 1 used by the user, a total recipe information storage unit 94 that stores and saves recipe information for menus related to all home appliances 1 that can be connected to the server 5, a nutritional information storage unit 95 that records and saves nutritional information related to nutritional analysis of foods used in each menu stored in the total recipe information storage unit 94, and a favorite information storage unit 96 that stores a favorite menu specified by the user through operation from the information terminal 6 and favorite information associated with the information terminal 6.

The menu recipe information referred to here includes all display information for displaying images related to the menu on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, and cooking information such as the type of heating and heating conditions required to cook the food to be cooked for the home appliance 1 that can cook the food to be cooked with that menu. Furthermore, nutritional information refers to data on the nutritional components contained in food, and includes, for example, nutritional component information corresponding to the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, information showing the balance of each nutritional component, information showing the amount of each nutritional component that satisfies the daily requirement, and information on nutritional advice obtained from the above.

When the first identification information for identifying the information terminal 6 or the user and the second identification information for identifying the home appliance 1 used by the user are input from the information terminal 6 held by the user, the device information registration unit 86 associates the first identification information with the second identification information and stores and registers the device information in the device information storage unit 93. Specifically, for example, when a user who holds the smartphone 6-1 shown in FIG. 1 as one information terminal 6 accessed by the server 5 via the network 3 uses a microwave oven 1-1, a toaster oven 1-2, and a rice cooker 1-3 as multiple home appliances 1, when device information in which the unique first identification information input from the smartphone 6-1 to identify the user and the smartphone 6-1 is associated with the unique second identification information input from the smartphone 6-1 to identify the microwave oven 1-1, the toaster oven 1-2, and the rice cooker 1-3 is transmitted from the smartphone 6-1 to the server 5, the device information registration unit 86 stores and registers the device information in the device information storage unit 93 of the server 5.

The recipe information registration unit 87, in response to an operation input from the operation means 82 by the administrator, additionally stores and registers recipe information of a new menu that has not been stored and registered in the all recipe information storage unit 94 in the all recipe information storage unit 94, or partially changes the recipe information of a menu that has been stored and registered in the all recipe information storage unit 94 and overwrites and updates the all recipe information storage unit 94. In this embodiment, when the administrator operates the operation means 82 to register recipe information of a new menu, display information for displaying the characteristics of the menu, including a photo of the recipe, the name of the recipe, an introduction to the recipe, an estimate of the cooking time, a classification of functions, the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the difficulty of the dish (cooking), on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, and heating information including the model of the home appliance 1 capable of cooking and the type and heating conditions required for cooking with the home appliance 1, may be input. After the recipe information for such menus has been stored and registered in the full recipe information storage unit 94, the administrator does not need to periodically input from the operation means 82 the order in which the recipe information for the newly registered menus is to be displayed among the recipe information for multiple menus displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6.

When the recipe information registration unit 87 additionally registers recipe information for a new menu that has not been stored in the total recipe information storage unit 94 in response to an operation input from the administrator via the operation means 82, it is preferable that the recipe information registration unit 87 also stores and registers nutritional information regarding the nutrition of the foods used in that menu in the nutritional information storage unit 95 in association with the menu.

The recipe information providing unit 88 extracts one or more pieces of recipe information from the recipe information of all menus stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94 to a plurality of information terminals 6 that can access the server 5 via the network 3, transmits the information, and displays it on the display means 71 in cooperation with the display control unit 79 of the information terminal 6. In particular, in this embodiment, when a display request for recipe information of a menu related to a specific home appliance among a plurality of home appliances corresponding to the second identification information associated with the first identification information is transmitted to the server 5 via the network 3 from the device information stored in the device information storage unit 93 of the server 5 by a user's operation from the information terminal 6, the recipe information providing unit 88 extracts recipe information of a menu that can be cooked with the specific home appliance from the recipe information of all menus stored in the all recipe information storage unit of the server 5, transmits it to the information terminal 6 that received the display request, and displays it on the display means 71 in cooperation with the display control unit 79 of the information terminal 6.

Specifically, in the above example, when a user operates the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1 to send a display request for menu recipe information for a specific home appliance, for example the oven range 1-1, out of the oven range 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3 that have already been registered by the device information registration unit 86, to the server 5 via the network 3, the recipe information providing unit 88 of the server 5 extracts recipe information for menu items that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1 from the recipe information for all menu items stored in the recipe information storage unit of the server 5, and sends this to the smartphone 6-1. The display control unit 79 of the smartphone 6-1 then becomes able to appropriately display the recipe information for the menu items that correspond to the oven range 1-1 on the display means 71.

The recipe information providing unit 88 is preferably configured not only to transmit recipe information for one menu item to the information terminal 6 and display it on the display means 71, but also to transmit and display nutritional information related to that menu item stored in the nutritional information storage unit 95, for example, by operation of the operating means of the information terminal 6 or automatically.

The recipe information providing unit 88 of this embodiment is configured to count the number of accesses to the server 5 operated on the information terminal 6 from all information terminals 6 that can access the server 5 for each of the recipe information of multiple menus displayed on the information terminal 6, classify the recipe information of the menu stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94 of the server 5 into a first recipe information group within a certain time after the information terminal 6 is displayed, and a second recipe information group after the certain time, and transmit these first recipe information group and second recipe information group to the information terminal 6 so that both the first recipe information group and the second recipe information group are displayed in order of the recipe information of the menu with the most counted number of accesses.

The recipe information providing unit 88 is configured to cooperate with the display control unit 79 of the information terminal 6 so that when recipe information for a specific menu is selected from the recipe information for multiple menus displayed on the display means 71 by an operation from the information terminal 6, the recipe information for the selected menu is displayed on a single screen on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, along with a photo of the recipe, the name of the recipe, an introduction to the recipe, an estimated cooking time, a functional classification, the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the difficulty of the dish.

The favorite information registration unit 89 is configured to select a favorite menu from the recipe information of multiple menus displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 by the recipe information providing unit 88 through an operation from the information terminal 6, and each time the recipe information of the favorite menu is transmitted to the server 5 via the network 3, store and register the favorite information in which the recipe information of the favorite menu is associated with the unique first identification information from the information terminal 6 in the favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5. Note that the "recipe information of the favorite menu" does not mean all of the recipe information of the menus stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94, but may be information such as the name of the recipe that can identify which menu the user has designated as a favorite.

When a request to display favorite information is sent to the server 5 via the network 3 in response to an operation from the information terminal 6, the favorite information providing unit 90 transmits recipe information for the favorite menu associated with the information terminal 6 that received the display request from the favorite information stored in the favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5 to the information terminal 6 that received the display request, and displays it on the display means 71.

When recipe information for a specific menu is selected from the recipe information for multiple menus that the recipe information providing unit 88 has displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 through an operation from the information terminal 6, the cooking information providing unit 91 transmits cooking information related to the cooking of the food to be cooked from the recipe information for the selected menu to the home appliance 1 capable of cooking according to the specific menu.

In this embodiment, the server 5 also serves as a management device that manages the recipe information of the menus stored and registered in the all-recipe information storage unit 94 by the administrator operating the operation means 82. However, the management device including the operation means 82 and the display means 84 may be provided separately from the server 5 and connected to the network 3 so that various information and data can be exchanged between the management device and the server 5.

Next, we will explain in detail the operation of the recipe provision management system 100 configured as above.

When a user uses the recipe provision management system 100, the user first registers device information that specifies which home appliance 1 is to be used on which information terminal 6 owned by the user. For example, if the user owns a smartphone 6-1, an application for registering device information is installed in advance on the terminal control means 77 of the smartphone 6-1. Then, when the user activates this application by operating the operation means 75, the terminal control means 77 of the smartphone 6-1 displays on the display means 71 a user registration screen that prompts the user to enter an email address and password.

When the user operates the operation means 75 to input an email address and a password, the terminal control means 77 transmits this email address and password to the server 5 as unique first identification information from the user's smartphone 6-1. When the user then uses the photographing means of the smartphone 6-1 to photograph and input an identification code (not shown) affixed to each home appliance 1, the terminal control means 77 transmits this identification code to the server 5 as unique second identification information given to the home appliance 1. On the server 5 side, when the communication module 83 receives the first identification information and the second identification information from the smartphone 6-1, the device information registration unit 86 stores and registers device information in which the first identification information and the second identification information are associated with each other in the device information storage unit 93.

The first identification information input through the smartphone 6-1 may be unique user identification information based on the email address and password described above, or unique terminal identification information that identifies the information terminal 6 itself. Therefore, the "unique first identification information from the smartphone 6-1" here includes any identification information that allows the device information registration unit 86 to identify the smartphone 6-1 itself or the user who owns the smartphone 6-1 through the smartphone 6-1.

The second identification information included in the identification code may include, for example, the type of home appliance 1 (microwave oven, toaster oven, rice cooker, etc.), model name, serial number, etc., but may also include other unique identification information that identifies the home appliance 1 used by the user. When a user uses multiple home appliances 1, such as the microwave oven 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3 shown in FIG. 1, the device information registration unit 86 stores and registers device information in which the first identification information corresponding to one smartphone 6-1 is associated with second identification information that individually identifies the microwave oven 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3 in the device information storage unit 93. Therefore, the device information storage unit 93 stores and registers second identification information that identifies one or more home appliances 1 associated with each user identification information or terminal identification information that is the first identification information.

Once this device information is stored in the device information storage unit 93, thereafter, whenever the smartphone 6-1 starts an app and sends the same email address and password as at the time of registration to the server 5, the device information registration unit 86 checks this against the device information stored in the device information storage unit 93 and sends registered information for displaying a list of the registered home appliances 1, namely the oven range 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3, to the smartphone 6-1 via the network 3 from the server 5. When the smartphone 6-1 receives the registered information, the display control unit 79 causes the display means 71 to display a model selection screen that displays a list of the model names of the oven range 1-1, toaster oven 1-2, and rice cooker 1-3 so that they can be selected.

Figures 10 and 11 show an example of a recipe list screen G1 that the recipe information providing unit 88 displays on the display means 71 when a user selects a specific home appliance 1, for example a microwave oven 1-1, from among multiple registered home appliances 1 by operating the operating means 75 of the smartphone 6-1 on the function selection screen described above and transmits a display request for recipe information for the menu related to the microwave oven 1-1 to the server 5. Figure 10 shows a part of the recipe list screen G1 that is initially displayed in the display area of the display means 71, and Figure 11 shows the entire recipe list screen G1 that can be displayed in the display area of the display means 71 when a finger is touched to the touch panel 74 on the surface of the display means 71 and swiped up or down.

When the display control unit 79 of the smartphone 6-1 receives recipe information for multiple menus related to the oven range 1-1 from the recipe providing unit 88 of the server 5 via the network 3, it causes the display means 71 to display a recipe list screen G1 as shown in Figures 10 and 11. This recipe list screen G1 is a list of multiple recipes that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1, each of which is divided into blocks so that the user can easily see the outline of each recipe. The administrator inputs the necessary items and information related to the recipe information for the menu into the server 5, which serves as the management system of the recipe providing management system 100, and the recipe information registration unit 87 stores and registers this in the all recipe information storage unit 94, making it possible to display it.

The recipe information for each menu can be input by operating the operating means 82, and includes items for setting the recipe list screen to set how the recipe for that menu is to be displayed on the recipe list screen G1, such as a publication date input item for the day the recipe is published, a special display selection input item for selecting a recipe to be specially displayed on the top screen G1 by, for example, making the photo of the recipe larger than that of general recipes, an order input item for determining the order "1", "2", "3" in which the recipes are arranged in the special display, and a grouping input item for grouping (classifying) recipes into specific categories such as "recommended recipes" and "featured recipes" described below. In addition, the recipe information for each menu includes display information for displaying on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 the characteristics of the menu, including a photo of the recipe, the name of the recipe, an introduction to the recipe, an estimate of cooking time, a functional classification, the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the difficulty of cooking, as information that can be input by operating the operating means 82, and heating information including the model of the home appliance 1 capable of cooking and the type and heating conditions required for cooking with the home appliance 1.

The recipe list screen G1 is a display area showing an overview of recipe information for menus that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1. The first display area is a "recommended recipe" display area M1, where an image display P1 of a photo of the recipe is displayed larger than the image displays P11, P12, P21 to P28 of photos in the other display areas; the second display area is a "featured recipe" display area M2, where recipes are grouped by arbitrary category, such as recipes that can be cooked in large quantities at once or recipes suitable for the season; and the third display area is a "regular recipe" display area M3, where popular recipes with high access numbers are displayed in addition to the "recommended recipes" and "featured recipes."

In the "recommended recipe" display area M1, photos of recipes included in the recipe information of menus that have been specified as being in the "recommended recipe" category in the grouping input field for setting the recipe list screen, among the recipe information of all menus that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1 stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94, are displayed as image display P1 in almost the entire area. In addition, symbolic text display D1 and D2 are placed on top of the image display P1, respectively, at the center right and left sides of the image display P1, and an image display P2 of a "NEW" mark is placed in the upper left corner of the image display P1.

In this embodiment, the order of recipe photos displayed on the image display unit P1 in the "recommended recipe" display area M1 of the recipe list screen G1 is determined according to the order input item for setting the recipe list screen included in the recipe information of the menu preset by the administrator. In other words, the first thing displayed on the display means 71 as the image display body P1 is a photo of the recipe for which the order input item has been input as "1", and when a finger is touched to the part of the touch panel 74 overlapping the image display body P1 and a left or right operation is performed, or a finger is touched to the part of the touch panel 74 overlapping the text display bodies D1 and D2 and immediately released (tapped), a photo of the recipe for which the order input item has been input as "2" is displayed on the display means 71 as the image display body P1. Furthermore, if the user swipes or taps in the same direction using the same procedure, a photo of the recipe for which the order input item has been specified as "3" is displayed on the display means 71 as image display P1, and if the user swipes or taps in the opposite direction, a photo of the recipe for which the order input item has been specified as "1" is displayed on the display means 71 as image display P1. Therefore, even if the administrator sets multiple recipes for a menu to be displayed in the "recommended recipes" display area M1, the user can easily switch between photos of recommended recipes and display them on the image display P1 by swiping or tapping on the touch panel 74 without unnecessarily enlarging the "recommended recipes" display area M1 on the recipe list screen G1.

In the "Featured Recipe" display area M2, representative photos of recipes included in the recipe information of menus that are specified as belonging to the "Featured Recipe" category in the grouping input field for setting the recipe list screen, among the recipe information of all menus that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1 stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94, are displayed as image displays P11 and P12 for each category of grouped recipes. In addition, superimposed on the image display P11, a text display D11, for example "Speedy Deep Dish," is placed in the center of the image display P11 as the name of the grouped recipes that can be cooked in large quantities at once, and similarly superimposed on the image display P12, a text display D12, for example "Oven Special for Summer," is placed in the center of the image display P12 as the name of another grouped recipe that suits the season.

When the user taps on the touch panel 74 in the "Featured Recipe" display area M2, for example in a portion overlapping the image display P11, to send a display request for recipe information related to "Speedy Deep Dish" from the smartphone 6-1 to the server 5, the recipe information providing unit 88 sends to the smartphone 6-1 that received the display request the recipe information for the menu that has been specified as being in the "Speedy Deep Dish" category in the grouping input field for setting the recipe list screen, from among the recipe information for all menus that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1 stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94. This allows the smartphone 6-1 to display a list of recipes related to "Speedy Deep Dish" on the display means 71.

Also, if the user taps on the touch panel 74 at a location overlapping the image display P12 of the "Summer Oven Special" instead of the image display P11 of the "Speed Deep Dish", a list of recipes related to the "Summer Oven Special" can be displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1 in a similar manner.

In the "Normal Recipe" display area M3, for recipe information of all menus that can be cooked in the oven range 1-1 stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94 and for which no input has been specified in the grouping input fields for setting the recipe list screen, the recipe photo and recipe name included in the recipe information are displayed as image displays P21-28 and text displays D21-D28, respectively.

10 and 11, for example, recipe display section B21 has an image display P21, which is a photograph of "Peanut Banana Cake", arranged adjacent to text display D21, which is a recipe named "Peanut Banana Cake", recipe display section B22 has an image display P22, which is a photograph of "Whole Camembert Dip", arranged adjacent to text display D22, which is a recipe named "Whole Camembert Dip", recipe display section B23 has an image display P23, which is a photograph of "Steamed Pork with Plum", arranged adjacent to text display D23, which is a recipe named "Steamed Pork with Plum", and recipe display section B24 has an image display P24, which is a photograph of "Three Kinds of Spicy Chicken Wings", arranged adjacent to text display D24, which is a recipe named "Three Kinds of Spicy Chicken Wings". Recipe display section B25 has an image display P25 of a photo of "Okonomiyaki in the oven" placed near a text display D25 whose recipe name is "Okonomiyaki in the oven", recipe display section B26 has an image display P26 of a photo of "Sri Lankan coconut curry" placed near a text display D26 whose recipe name is "Sri Lankan coconut curry", recipe display section B27 has an image display P27 of a photo of "Crepes in the microwave" placed near a text display D27 whose recipe name is "Crepes in the microwave", and recipe display section B28 has an image display P28 of a photo of "Lemon cake" placed near a text display D28 whose recipe name is "Lemon cake", all of which are arranged vertically and horizontally in a block shape.

In the recipe display sections B21-B24 arranged at the top of the "normal recipe" display area M3, image displays P31-P34 of "NEW" marks are arranged in the upper left corners of the image displays P21-P24, superimposed on the respective image displays P21-P24. In addition, in all recipe display sections B21-B28 arranged in the "normal recipe" display area M3, image displays P41-P48 of heart marks, indicating whether or not a favorite recipe has been registered, are arranged in the upper right corners of the image displays P21-P28, superimposed on the respective image displays P21-P28. Note that the maximum number of recipe display sections B21-B28 displayed in Figures 10 and 11 is eight, but this number is not particularly limited. Below the "regular recipe" display area M3 on the recipe list screen G1, there is a button display section B51 with a text display D51 saying "See more recipes" inside. When the touch panel 74 is tapped in an area overlapping this button display section B51, a list of recipe information for another menu that could not be displayed in the "regular recipe" display area M3 on the recipe list screen G1 is displayed in recipe display sections B21 to B28 of the "regular recipe" display area M3, switching from the recipe list screen G1.

Here, when the user taps, for example, on a portion overlapping the image display P1 displayed in the "recommended recipe" display area M1 of the recipe list screen G1, or on a portion overlapping the image display of a specific recipe display section in the "normal recipe" display area M3 of the recipe list screen G1 or in a screen showing a list of recipe information other than the recipe list screen G1, and information that the recipe information of a specific menu has been selected from the recipe information of multiple menus displayed on the display means 71 is transmitted from the smartphone 6-1 to the server 5, the recipe information providing unit 88 counts the number of accesses for each information terminal 6, regarding the recipe information of the specified menu as having been accessed by operation from the smartphone 6-1. Since this number of accesses is counted for each recipe information of each menu in association with the first identification information from the information terminal 6, the recipe information providing unit 88 can grasp, on each occasion, not only the individual number of accesses, i.e., the ...

Then, the recipe information providing unit 88 sends the recipe information of the selected menu to the smartphone 6-1 that has accessed the server 5 so that a recipe screen G2 showing details of the recipe information of the selected menu as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display means 71. The recipe information of the menu transmitted here includes information such as a photo of the recipe, the name of the recipe, an introduction to the recipe, an estimated cooking time, a functional classification, the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the difficulty level of the dish. Correspondingly, the recipe screen G2 displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1 includes an image display P61 showing a photo of the recipe, a text display D61 showing the name of the recipe, for example, "Chinese chives and egg," a text display D62 showing the introduction of the recipe, for example, "Another dish for snacks or lunch boxes. An easy menu that can be made in about 1 minute by heating one serving in the microwave," a text display D63 showing the estimated cooking time, for example, "Estimated cooking time: 1 minute," a text display D64 showing the functional classification, for example, "Function classification: Snacks 1 minute," a text display D65 showing the main ingredients used in the recipe, for example, "Ingredients: Eggs and other vegetables," and a text display D66 showing the difficulty level of the dish. A text display D66 showing "Easy" and a button display B67 having a text display D67 saying "Send" are arranged from top to bottom. Also, an image display P62 showing a heart mark indicating whether or not a favorite recipe is registered is arranged in the upper right corner of the image display P61, superimposed on the image display P61 showing a photo of the recipe, similar to the image displays P41 to P48 described above. In this way, in this embodiment, detailed information about the recipe information of the selected menu, which is necessary for the user to decide whether or not to cook with that recipe, can be displayed on one screen as a recipe screen G2 on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1.

12 is displayed on the display means 71, the user taps the touch panel 74 at a position overlapping the button display section B67, thereby sending a request for transmission from the server 5 to the microwave oven 1-1 from the smartphone 6-1 via the network 3 to the server 5. The cooking information providing section 91 then sends cooking information relating to the cooking of the food to be cooked, from the recipe information for a specific menu item, for example "Chinese chive and egg", to the microwave oven 1-1, which is the home appliance 1 capable of cooking "Chinese chive and egg". In response to this, the microwave oven 1-1 automatically sets the type of heating and heating conditions required to cook "Chinese chive and egg", and then the user simply places the food to be cooked, which is displayed on the recipe screen G2, in the cooking chamber 24 and presses the start key 17A, and the heating control section 65 can cook "Chinese chive and egg" without the need to operate the touch panel 18 on the microwave oven 1-1 side. In addition, among the recipe information for "Chinese chives and egg" selected on the smartphone 6-1, the cooking information required to cook the food is sent from the server 5 to the microwave oven 1-1, so that the recipe screen G2 is displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1, while the display means 16 of the microwave oven 1-1 can independently display, for example, the time remaining until cooking is complete, without linking to the recipe screen G2.

In addition, when the communication module 20 of the oven range 1-1 receives cooking information from the server 5, the notification control unit 67 causes the notification means 63 to notify with a sound. Therefore, if the user is operating the smartphone 6-1 near the oven range 1-1, when the user selects the recipe information for "Chinese chives and egg" and taps the touch panel 74 in the area overlapping the button display unit B67, the user can confirm that the oven range 1-1 has received the cooking information by the notification output from the notification means 63, which functions as the notification unit.

Returning to the recipe list screen G1 of FIG. 11, the recipe information providing unit 88 of this embodiment classifies the recipe information of each menu stored and registered in the all recipe information storage unit 94 into within 90 days, which is a certain time from when the recipe is displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1 on the publication date, and 91 days or later, which is after 90 days, for the publication date, which is an input item for setting the recipe list screen entered by the administrator. Then, for recipe information of a menu that is within 90 days from when the recipe is displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1, this is classified into a first recipe information group, and the image display bodies P2, P31 to P34 of the "NEW" mark described above are added to the image display bodies P1, P21 to P24 of the corresponding recipe photos. On the other hand, for recipe information of a menu that is 91 days or later from when the recipe is displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1, this is classified into a second recipe information group, and image display bodies P25 to P28 of the recipe photos with the image display body of the "NEW" mark erased are displayed. In this way, the administrator first simply specifies the publication date for the recipe information of each menu and inputs it from the operation means 82, and the user can easily understand which recipes are newer menus based on the publication date based on the presence or absence of the "NEW" mark image displays P2, P31 to P34 displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1.

In addition, the recipe information providing unit 88 of this embodiment displays image displays P21-P24 of recipe photos in the first recipe information group with image displays P2, P31-P34 marked with the "NEW" mark in descending order of the number of hits for all information terminals 6 and users. Therefore, in the example of the recipe list screen G1 shown in FIG. 11, for recipe information of a menu that has been displayed within 90 days since the recipe was displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1, the image display P21, which is a photo of the most accessed "peanut banana cake," image display P22, which is a photo of "whole camembert dip," image display P23, which is a photo of "steamed pork with plum paste," and image display P24, which is a photo of "three kinds of spicy chicken wings," are displayed in descending order of the number of hits. Note that if the number of hits is the same, the image display of the photo of the recipe with the newest publication date is displayed first. In addition, image displays P21 to P24 of recipe photos may be displayed in a similar manner in order of the number of individual accesses to the smartphone 6-1 or user, rather than the number of accesses to all information terminals 6 or users.

Similarly, the recipe information providing unit 88 also displays image displays P21 to P24 of recipe photos in descending order of the number of accesses to all information terminals 6 and users for the second recipe information group from which the image display of the "NEW" mark has been removed. Therefore, in the example of the recipe list screen G1 shown in FIG. 11, for recipe information for a menu 90 days or more after the recipe is displayed on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1, the image display P25 of the most accessed photo of "Okonomiyaki in the oven", the image display P2 of the most accessed photo of "Sri Lankan coconut curry", the image display P27 of the photo of "Crepes in the microwave", and the image display P28 of "Lemon cake" are displayed in descending order of the number of accesses. Note that, if the number of accesses is the same, the image display of the photo of the recipe with the newest publication date is displayed first. Also, the image display P25 to P28 of the recipe photos may be displayed in descending order of the number of accesses to the smartphone 6-1 or user, rather than the number of accesses to all information terminals 6 and users, in a similar manner.

The display of the button display units B21 to B28 including the image display units P21 to P28 changes depending on the model of the home appliance 1 included in the second identification information described above. For example, if a microwave oven without an oven function is associated with the first identification information from the smartphone 6-1 as the model of the home appliance 1, recipes for menus related to oven cooking are not displayed, and recipes for menus related to microwave cooking are displayed in the button display units B21 to B28 on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1. In addition, the display order of the button display units B21 to B28 may be changed depending on information such as the number of registered favorite menus described later, or the display order of the button display units B21 to B28 may be changed depending on information such as the number of times a menu has been operated on the main unit of the home appliance 1.

Next, the registration and display of favorite recipes will be described. As shown in the recipe list screen G1 in FIG. 11, image displays P41-P48 with heart marks are arranged in the upper right corners of image displays P21-P28, which are photos of recipes, respectively, and enable the user to register favorite recipes by operating the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1. When the user taps the touch panel 74 in a portion overlapping image display P41 corresponding to image display P21, which is a photo of "peanut banana cake" as the recipe that the user wishes to register as a favorite, the favorite registration confirmation screen G3 shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the display means 71.

In this favorite registration confirmation screen G3, as a message to encourage the user to register a favorite, for example, below a text display D71 that reads "Do you want to register this as a favorite?", an alert display A71 is displayed in which a button display B72 with a text display D72 saying "Cancel" and a button display B73 with a text display D73 saying "OK" are arranged side by side.

If the user taps the touch panel 74 overlapping the button display section B72, the registration of "peanut banana cake" as a favorite recipe is canceled, and the display of the display means 71 is switched to the original screen, such as the recipe list screen G1. If the user instead taps the touch panel 74 overlapping the button display section B73, the recipe information of the favorite menu for registering "peanut banana cake" as a favorite recipe is transmitted to the server 5 via the network 3 together with the above-mentioned first identification information from the smartphone 6-1. In response to this, the favorite information registration section 89 of the server 5 stores and registers the favorite information in the favorite information storage section 96, which associates the recipe information of the favorite menu from the smartphone 6-1 with the unique first identification information. The favorite information is stored and registered in the favorite information storage section 96 every time the communication module 83 of the server 5 receives the recipe information of the favorite menu and the unique first identification information from the information terminal 6. Therefore, the server 5 can centrally manage what kind of favorite menu recipe information each information terminal 6 and user has registered for all information terminals 6 and users.

In this embodiment, for example, when a favorite recipe is selected, such as "peanut banana cake," recipe information for the favorite menu related to "peanut banana cake" is sent to the server 5 after a tap operation is performed on the touch panel 74 on the favorite registration confirmation screen G3. However, the recipe information for the selected favorite menu may be sent to the server 5 immediately without performing a tap operation on the favorite registration confirmation screen G3.

In this way, the list of recipe information of the favorite menu registered by the operation from the smartphone 6-1 can be viewed by the user at any time by later displaying the favorite recipe registration screen G4 as shown in FIG. 14 on the display means 71. When an operation for requesting display of favorite information is performed from the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1 and the display request is transmitted to the server 5 via the network 3, the favorite information providing unit 90 transmits the recipe information of the favorite menu associated with the smartphone 6-1 that received the display request from all the favorite information stored and registered in the favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5 to the smartphone 6-1, and the favorite information providing unit 90 displays the favorite recipe on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1. Therefore, the favorite information providing unit 90 can display a list of favorite recipes registered according to the model of the home appliance 1 for each information terminal 6 owned by the user on the display means 71 as the favorite recipe registration screen G4.

The favorite recipe registration screen G4 is configured by arranging recipe display sections B81-B86, each of which has an image display P81-P86 that is a photo of a recipe, vertically and horizontally in a block shape, in the vicinity of text display D81-D86 that shows the name of the recipe, in the same way as the "normal recipe" display area M3 of the recipe list screen G1 described above. In all recipe display sections B81-B86, an image display of a heart mark indicating whether or not a favorite recipe is registered is placed in the upper right corner of the image display P81-P86, superimposed on each image display P81-P86. These image displays P81-P86 are displayed with the mark filled in, for example, to indicate that the corresponding recipe is registered as a favorite. On the other hand, image displays P41-P48, which do not have a filled in mark as shown in FIG. 11, indicate that the corresponding recipe is not registered as a favorite. In this way, the user can tell at a glance whether the corresponding recipe is registered as a favorite or not by the difference in the display format of the mark on the image displays P41 to P48, P62, and P81 to P86.

In this embodiment, the recipe information for the favorite menu item "Peanut Banana Cake" that was most recently stored and registered in the favorite information storage unit 96 by the favorite information registration unit 89 is displayed as the first recipe display unit B81 on the favorite recipe registration screen G4 shown in FIG. 14. Following this, the recipe information for the favorite menu items is arranged in the next recipe display units B82 to B86 in order of the time when the recipe information for the favorite menu items was stored and registered in the favorite information storage unit 96. Alternatively, the recipe information for the favorite menu items registered by individual users may be arranged in the recipe display units B81 to B86 in order of the number of times the recipe information for the favorite menu items was registered for all information terminals 6 or users. Thus, in this embodiment, when multiple users, each of whom owns an information terminal 6, share a single home appliance 1, such as a microwave oven 1-1, each user can use their own smartphone 6-1 to individually store and register recipe information for favorite menu items related to the microwave oven 6-1 in the favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5, and the favorite information providing unit 90 can display the recipe information for favorite menu items registered by that user on the display means 71 of the smartphone 6-1.

As described above, the recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment comprises one home appliance 1 equipped with a communication function with the network 3, a server 5 connected to the home appliance 1 via the network 3 and storing recipe information for menus that can be cooked by the home appliance 1 in a total recipe information storage unit 94, a recipe information provision unit 88 that transmits recipe information for menus stored in the total recipe information storage unit 94 of the server 5 to a plurality of information terminals 6 that can access the server 5 via the network 3 and displays the recipe information on the display means 71 of each information terminal 6, and a recipe information provision unit 88 that, in response to an operation from the operation means 75 of the information terminal 6, selects one of the recipe information for the plurality of menus that the recipe information provision unit 88 has displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6. The system includes a favorite information registration unit 89 that stores favorite information in which recipe information of a favorite menu is associated with unique identification information from the information terminal 6 in a favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5 each time recipe information of the favorite menu is transmitted to the server 5 via the network 3, and a favorite information provision unit 90 that, when a display request for favorite information is transmitted to the server 5 via the network 3 in response to an operation from the operation means 75 of the information terminal 6, transmits recipe information of the favorite menu associated with the information terminal 6 that received the display request from the favorite information stored in the favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5 to the information terminal 6 that received the display request and displays the information on the display means 71.

In this case, when there are multiple users who own an information terminal 6 and each user shares one home appliance 1, the recipe information of the user's favorite menu from among the recipe information of multiple menus that can be cooked with the home appliance 1 is associated with unique identification information from the information terminal 6 and stored and registered in the favorite information storage unit 96 of the server 5 for each user. When a display request for the recipe information of the favorite menu is transmitted from the information terminal 6 of the user to the server 5, a list of the favorite information registered by the user up to that point can be displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 in the favorite recipe registration screen G4 as shown in FIG. 14. Therefore, when multiple users share one home appliance 1, even if the recipe information of the favorite menu is different for each user, the recipe information of the different favorite menus can be registered from each information terminal 6, and the recipe information of the favorite menu registered by the user can be displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 of the user as the recipe information of the required menu.

The same can be said for a server 5 that is connected to one home appliance 1 and multiple information terminals 6 via a network 3 and serves as an information processing device that stores recipe information for menus that can be cooked by the home appliance 1.

The recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment also includes a plurality of home appliances 1 equipped with a communication function with the network 3, a server connected to the plurality of home appliances 1 via the network 3 and storing recipe information of menus that can be cooked by each of the home appliances 1 in an all-recipe information storage unit 94, a device information registration unit 86 that, when a unique first identification information from an information terminal 6 that can access the server 5 via the network 3 and a unique second identification information given to each of the home appliances 1 are input, stores these as associated device information in the device information storage unit 93 of the server 5, and a recipe information provision unit 88 that, when a display request for recipe information of a menu related to a specific home appliance 1 among the plurality of home appliances 1 corresponding to the second identification information associated with the first identification information is transmitted via the network 3 from the device information stored in the device information storage unit 93 of the server 5 by operation of the operation means 75 of the information terminal 6, transmits recipe information of a menu that can be cooked by the specific home appliance 1 from the server 5 to the information terminal 6 and displays it on the display means 71.

In this case, when one user who owns an information terminal 6 uses multiple home appliances 1, device information that associates the unique second identification information given to the home appliance 1 to be used with the unique first identification information from the user's information terminal 6 is stored and registered in the device information storage unit 93 of the server 5. When a display request for recipe information of a menu related to a specific home appliance 1 among the home appliances 1 registered as device information is transmitted from the user's information terminal 6, the recipe information of the menu related to the specific home appliance 1 can be suitably displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 that received the display request. Therefore, when one user uses multiple home appliances 1, even if the functions of the home appliances 1 registered in the device information storage unit 93 are different from one another, it is possible to display the recipe information of the menu that the specific home appliance 1 can cook as the recipe information of the required menu on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 owned by the user.

The same can be said for a server 5 that is connected to multiple home appliances 1 and one information terminal 6 via a network 3 and acts as an information processing device that individually stores recipe information for menus that can be cooked by each of the home appliances 1.

In addition, the recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment further includes a cooking information providing unit 91 that, when recipe information for a specific menu is selected by operating the operating means 75 of the information terminal 6, transmits cooking information for the food to be cooked from the recipe information for the selected menu to the home appliance 1, and a notification means 63 as a notification unit that notifies, for example, by sound when the home appliance 1 receives the cooking information from the cooking information providing unit 91.

In this case, the cooking information required to cook the food to be cooked is sent to the home appliance 1 from the recipe information of the selected menu, so the screen can be displayed independently on the display means 16 of the home appliance 1 without being linked to the screen displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6. Also, if the user is operating the information terminal 6 near the home appliance 1, when the user selects recipe information of a specific menu on the information terminal 6, the user can confirm from the notification output from the notification means 63 that the home appliance 1 has received the cooking information.

In addition, in the recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment, for each menu stored in the all-recipe information storage unit 94, nutritional information related to the nutritional analysis of the foods used in that menu is stored in the nutritional information storage unit 95 of the server 5, and the recipe information provision unit 88 is preferably configured to transmit the nutritional information in addition to the recipe information of the menu to the information terminal 6 and display it on the display means 71.

As a result, in this embodiment, it becomes possible for recipe information for a menu displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 to include nutritional information regarding the nutritional value of the foods used in that menu.

In addition, in the recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment, the recipe information providing unit 88 counts the number of accesses to the server 5 from all information terminals 6 that can access the server 5 for each menu of recipe information for multiple menus displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, and classifies the recipe information for the menus stored in the all recipe information storage unit 94 of the server 5 into a first recipe information group within a certain time after being displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, and a second recipe information group after the certain time has passed, and transmits the first recipe information group and the second recipe information group to the information terminal 6 so that the recipe information for the menus with the most accesses is displayed in order, for example, in recipe display units B21-B24 having image displays P31-P34 of the "NEW" mark arranged on the recipe list screen G1, and recipe display units B25-B28 without the "NEW" mark.

As a result, even if the amount of recipe information for menus stored in the server 5 increases, the recipe information for each menu is classified into a first recipe information group and a second recipe information group according to the time that has passed since the recipe information providing unit 88 displayed the recipe information for each menu on the information terminal 6, and the order of the recipe information to be displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 for the first recipe information group and the second recipe information group is automatically determined based on the number of accesses to the recipe information for each menu, so that the recipe information for the menu displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 can be changed each time. This makes it easier for the administrator of the recipe provision management system 100 to perform maintenance when inputting recipe information for a new menu into the server 5, and also has the advantage that, among the abundant recipe information for menus, recipe information for recommended menus is preferentially displayed on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 in order of the number of accesses, making it easier for the user to select recipe information for the desired menu.

In addition, in the recipe provision management system 100 of this embodiment, when recipe information for a specific menu is selected by operating the operation means 75 of the information terminal 6, the recipe information providing unit 88 is configured to display, for the recipe information for the selected menu, two or more pieces of information among a photo of the recipe, the name of the recipe, an introduction to the recipe, an estimated cooking time, the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the cooking difficulty level, on a single screen on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, for example, as a recipe screen G2 shown in FIG. 12.

This allows the display means 71 of the information terminal 6 to display on a single screen the recipe information for the selected menu, which is necessary for the user to decide whether or not to cook using that recipe.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, various additions and modifications can be made to the contents of the information shown in this embodiment with the same intent. In addition, the network is not limited to the current Internet network, and various communication networks that will be constructed in the future can be used.

1 Home appliances 3 Network 5 Server
6 Information terminals
79 Display control unit (program)
P2, P31 to P34 "NEW" mark image display (mark)

Claims (5)

A home appliance having a communication function with a network;
a server connected to the home appliance via the network and storing recipe information of menus that can be cooked by the home appliance;
a recipe providing method for a recipe providing management system including an information terminal capable of accessing the server via the network and displaying the recipe information ,
A recipe providing method characterized by including a step of, if the recipe information is within a predetermined time from the publication date, displaying a mark indicating this on the recipe information displayed on the information terminal, and displaying the recipe information with the mark displayed in a display order based on the number of accesses to the server . counting the number of accesses to the server from all of the information terminals that can access the server for each of the recipe information of the plurality of menus displayed on the information terminal;
classifying the recipe information of the menu stored in the server into a first recipe information group within a certain time period after the recipe information is displayed on the information terminal and a second recipe information group after the certain time period has elapsed;
The recipe providing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of transmitting the first recipe information group and the second recipe information group to the information terminal so that both are displayed in order of the recipe information of the menu with the highest number of accesses. A step of selecting recipe information of a specific menu by an operation from the information terminal;
The recipe providing method described in claim 2, characterized in that it includes a step of displaying on one screen on the information terminal two or more of the following information for the recipe information of the selected menu: a photo of the recipe, the name of the recipe, an introduction to the recipe, an estimated cooking time, the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the difficulty of cooking. A program for causing a microcomputer of an information terminal according to claim 1 to function,
A program for causing recipe information for a menu that can be cooked using the home appliance to be displayed on the information terminal with a mark indicating this when the recipe information is released within a specified time period, and for displaying the recipe information with the mark displayed in a display order based on the number of accesses from the information terminal to the server. 2. The information terminal according to claim 1,
The information terminal is characterized in that, when recipe information for a menu that can be cooked using the home appliance is released within a specified time period, a mark indicating this is displayed on the displayed recipe information, and the recipe information with the mark displayed is displayed in a display order based on the number of accesses to the server.

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