# US 11,027,962 B2 · Beverage supply apparatus and control method therefor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,027,962 B2 - Document ID: US11027962B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/603,333 - Filed: 2017-12-01 - Published: 2020-02-06 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-25 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Gyuhyeok Jeong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027962B2 ## CPC - B67D 1/0882: {Devices for controlling the dispensing conditions} - G06N 5/046: Forward inferencing; Production systems - B67D 1/0881: {Means for counting the doses of dispensed liquid} - B67D 1/0888: {Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)} - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G06N 3/09: Supervised learning - G06N 20/00: Machine learning - G10L 15/22: Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue - G06N 3/08: Learning methods - B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F) - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING ## Abstract The present invention relates to a beverage supply apparatus comprising a sensing unit, a microphone, an artificial intelligence unit and a control unit. The control unit: activates the microphone when an object is detected; recognizes first sound data of a user when the first sound data is sensed via the activated microphone; acquires information associated with the user on the basis of the first sound data; stores the acquired information associated with the user; and determines a menu corresponding to the object on the basis of the information associated with the user and the first sound data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for supplying beverage, the apparatus comprising: a sensing unit; a microphone; an artificial intelligence unit, and a controller capable of: activating the microphone when an object detected, recognizing a first sound data of a user when the first sound data is sensed through the activated microphone, obtaining information of the user based on the first sound data, storing the obtained information of the user, determining a menu corresponding to the object based on the user's information and the first sound data, and controlling a water supply unit to supply the determined menu to the object, wherein the artificial intelligence unit is further configured to: store the user's information and information on the menu by learning the first sound data, when both a linguistic expression and a non-linguistic expression are included in the first sound data, determine the user's information by considering both of the linguistic expression and the non-linguistic expression, and store the user's information and the information on the menu, wherein the non-linguistic expression includes a yawning sound. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of: converting the first sound data into a text, and determining the menu corresponding to the object based on the text. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audio output unit, wherein when the menu corresponding to the object is determined, the controller is further capable of outputting the information on the menu as an audio signal through the audio output unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display unit, wherein when the menu corresponding to the object is determined, the controller is further capable of outputting the information on the menu as a visual signal through the display unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a second sound data of the user is sensed through the activated microphone, the controller is further capable of changing the menu corresponding to the object based on the second sound data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the second sound data is sensed, the artificial intelligence unit is capable of storing the user's information and information on the menu by learning the first sound data and the second sound data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of determining at least one of a type, amount or temperature of the supplied menu based on the user's information and the first sound data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein one of the controller and the artificial intelligence unit is capable of storing information on at least one of the first sound data, the users information and the menu to the memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a weight detecting unit, wherein the controller is further capable of measuring a weight of the object through the weight detecting unit and determining an amount of the menu based on the measured weight of the object. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a camera, wherein controller is further capable of obtaining the user's information through the camera. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication unit performing communication with an external server or an external device, wherein when sensing the first sound data, the controller is further capable of obtaining information of the user corresponding to the first sound data through the external server or the external device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is further capable of analyzing a difficulty level of the first sound data, wherein when the analyzed difficulty level is a first difficulty level, the controller is further capable of determining the menu based on information stored in the apparatus for supplying the beverage, and wherein when the analyzed difficulty level is a second difficulty level, the controller is further capable of determining the menu through the external server or the external device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of determining the menu corresponding to the object by considering time information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user's information includes age information and sex information. ### Claim 15 A method of controlling a beverage supply apparatus, the method comprising: detecting an object; activating a microphone; sensing a first sound data of a user; recognizing the first sound data; obtaining information of the user based on the first sound data; storing the obtained information of the user; determining a menu corresponding to the object based on the user's information and t first sound data; storing the user s information and information on the menu by learning the first sound data; controlling a water supply unit to supply the determined menu to the object; when both a linguistic expression non-linguistic expression are included in the first sound data, determining the user's information by considering both of the linguistic expression and the non-linguistic expression; and storing the user's information and the information on the menu, wherein the non-linguistic expression includes a yawning sound.