# US 10,120,553 B1 · User interface and controller for a heating system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,120,553 B1 - Document ID: US10120553B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/489,490 - Filed: 2017-04-17 - Published: 2018-10-18 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-17 - Assignees: Sebastian Thrun - Applicants: Sebastian Thrun - Inventors: Sebastian Thrun; David St. Martin; Arash Kani - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10120553B1 ## CPC - G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - H05B 6/6441: {allowing the input of coded operation instructions, e.g. bar code reader} - H05B 6/668: {Microwave heating devices connected to a telecommunication network} - G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract In various embodiments, a method of providing a user interface and controller for a heating system includes determining at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag, rendering the at least one option on a graphical user interface, receiving user input based on the rendered at least one option, relaying the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, and outputting a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining, by a processor, at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag; rendering, by the processor, historical activity and the at least one option on a graphical user interface, wherein the at least one option includes an inventory of heatable loads; receiving user input based on the rendered at least one option; relaying, by the processor, the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, wherein the controller is provided in a remote heating apparatus, and the remote heating apparatus is part of a system of a plurality of heating apparatuses, the plurality of heating apparatuses configured to communicate with each other in a local area network and operate in coordination; receiving at least one sensor reading about a state of a load, wherein the at least one sensor reading is collected at least one of: during execution of the heating instructions and responsive to termination of the heating instructions; determining whether to modify heating based on the received at least one sensor reading; and outputting, on the graphical user interface, a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one option is stored in the electronic tag. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one option is retrieved based on a link stored in the electronic tag. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the at least one option includes visual content. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the at least one option includes audio content. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user input includes a photograph. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user input includes audio. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting a notification includes a notification that a heating process will be completed within a pre-defined time period. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting a notification includes a notification that a heating process is complete. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes at least one of: a visual, an audio, and a haptic signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering, by the processor, recipe options associated with the inventory of heatable loads. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the received at least one sensor reading includes at least one of an image and a sound. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to a determination to modify heating, adjusting heating instructions for another user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes feedback based on the received at least one sensor reading. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the received at least one sensor reading is associated with a first user; and the received at least one sensor reading is aggregated with at least one sensor reading about another load associated with a second user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the aggregated at least one sensor reading is used to modify heating instructions for the load and the load associated with the second user. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the heating instructions include a plurality of phases, each phase having an associated energy level; and further comprising, responsive to a determination to modify heating, modifying at least one of a length of one of the plurality of phases and an energy level of one of the plurality of phases. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a progress of execution of the heating instructions in real time. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering: (i) a progress of execution of the heating instructions in real time and (ii) at least one of a description of the load and nutritional facts of the load. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the historical activity includes whether an item is expired and, for previously-heated loads, a time when the load was heated. ### Claim 21 A system comprising: a processor configured to: determine at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag; render historical activity and the at least one option on a graphical user interface, wherein the at least one option includes an inventory of heatable loads; receive user input based on the rendered at least one option; relay the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, wherein the controller is provided in a remote heating apparatus, and the remote heating apparatus is part of a system of a plurality of heating apparatuses, the plurality of heating apparatuses configured to communicate with each other in a local area network and operate in coordination; receive at least one sensor reading about a state of a load, wherein the at least one sensor reading is collected at least one of: during execution of the heating instructions and responsive to termination of the heating instructions; determine whether to modify heating based on the received at least one sensor reading; and output, on the graphical user interface, a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete; and a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions. ### Claim 22 A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for: determining at least one option for heating instructions based on an electronic tag; rendering historical activity and the at least one option on a graphical user interface, wherein the at least one option includes an inventory of heatable loads; receiving user input based on the rendered at least one option; relaying the user input to a controller configured to carry out the heating instructions, wherein the controller is provided in a remote heating apparatus, and the remote heating apparatus is part of a system of a plurality of heating apparatuses, the plurality of heating apparatuses configured to communicate with each other in a local area network and operate in coordination; receiving at least one sensor reading about a state of a load, wherein the at least one sensor reading is collected at least one of: during execution of the heating instructions and responsive to termination of the heating instructions; determining whether to modify heating based on the received at least one sensor reading; and outputting, on the graphical user interface, a notification in response to a determination that at least a portion of the heating instructions is complete.