WO1993022731A1

WO1993022731A1 - Electronic memory device

Info

Publication number: WO1993022731A1
Application number: PCT/FR1993/000399
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erwin Vogrin
Original assignee: Erwin Vogrin
Priority date: 1992-05-05
Filing date: 1993-04-23
Publication date: 1993-11-11
Also published as: JPH06508953A; CA2112558A1; FR2691002B1; FR2691002A1; EP0593751A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic memory device to record, classify, update and read out data relative to domestic purchases, particularly the kind, quantity, volume or weight of products necessary to the making of a cooking recipe. To this effect, the device (10) is comprised of a casing provided with a display screen (11) and with function keys (12-21) to input, output and manage lists of recipes and products, and a computing unit with a digital keyboard (22) comprising arithmetical function keys (23). The device helps the housewife in managing in a practical and simple way the domestic purchases.

Description

ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICE

The present invention relates to an electronic memory device for recording, classifying, updating and restoring data relating to household purchases, in particular the nature, quantity, volume or weight of the products necessary for the preparation of a cooking recipe.

Numerous devices are already known, for example for memorizing addresses, telephone numbers or other practical data, as well as calculating machines associated with programs making it possible to establish and control a accounting. However, there is no simple and practical device to guide the housewife in her purchases.

The present invention proposes to fill this gap by providing the housewife with an efficient and simple-to-use device enabling it to easily manage household purchases in the form of a permanent electronic notebook for storing and restoring at any time. the data required for this purpose.

For this purpose, the device according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a directory of cooking recipes, - a directory of product families, a directory of products by family, a device for recording and updating these directories, a calculation unit for determining the quantities, volumes or weights of products required for this culinary preparation according to a given number of guests, a memory unit for storing the list of products to buy, a device recording and updating the list of products to buy, a display unit for cooking recipes, corresponding products and the quantities, volumes and weights determined by the unit for calculating these products to be purchased, and function keys for entering or exiting data from the directories.

In all embodiments, the device comprises. in addition to the means of recording and accounting for the costs of said household purchases.

In its preferred embodiment, said means include a numeric keyboard and function keys corresponding to the four elementary operations.

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the description of an exemplary embodiment and to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 and only shows a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention.

In its most advantageous embodiment, the device described is a memory aid intended for the housewife to facilitate her purchases and possibly an effective accessory for managing a household budget. To this end, this aide-memoire includes a directory of cooking recipes. It also includes means for transcribing this recipe in terms of purchases, that is to say displaying and memorizing the products entering into the composition of this recipe or accompanying it, in particular cheeses, wines and desserts by classifying them by product family, that is to say by stores or by departments of the same store. It may also include means for recording the costs and memorizing the expenses incurred in order to enter them into an integrated accounting system or to establish a provisional budget by revenue, per day, week, month or year.

It therefore has several complementary functions, one of which is the housekeeper's aide-memoire, the other accounting assistance and the third. a memory of cooking recipes capable furthermore of extrapolating the data required to adapt a recipe initially planned for a given number of guests to a different number of guests. In addition, it could include in memory the complete recipe of the selected cooking recipe.

Referring to the figure, the device 10 shown can be in the form of a flat box having a front face provided with a display screen 11, possibly double, of the liquid crystal type, which makes it possible to visualize a certain number of data stored in the various directories, or the memory unit, or determined by the calculation unit.

To display a given kitchen recipe on the upper part 11 A of the screen, press the button 12 entitled "RE¬

THIS "and on one of the keys 13 or 14 respectively entitled" HIGH ARROW "and" LOW ARROW "to scroll through the recipe directory in one direction or the other, these recipes being classified in alphabetical order.

When a certain recipe has been selected, it suffices to confirm the choice by pressing the function key 15 entitled "NOTE". When this choice is confirmed, pressing the key 16 called "RADIUS / PRODUCT" converts the preparation in terms of purchases, that is to say into products which constitute the basic ingredients of this recipe. The key 16 activates the search and display of products function on a prerecorded list of products which can be supplemented or updated by means of the key 17 bearing the name "ADD SECTION". The products mentioned on this list can be scrolled by pressing the keys 13 or 14.

When the department or product family has been found, press the key 15 to validate the data displayed. We then go to the selection of the product sought by scrolling through the list of products products from the same department, for example, butchery, bakery, grocery, dairy products, etc. .

A key 18 called "QUANTITY" displays the amount of products to purchase based on the recipe and ^'the number of guests. This same key, followed by a number, displays a quantity, volume or weight of the selected product, corresponding to the user's wishes.

The device also includes a button 19 called "PURCHASES" which makes it possible to scroll, for example on the upper part 11A of the screen, the list of departments where products are to be purchased. The extrusion is generated by pressing the keys 16 then 13 or 14.

A key 20 marked "POINTER" makes it possible to point the purchases and thereby verify whether all the necessary products registered in memory have been acquired. A key 21 marked "PRICE" is used to record the purchase price. This key is used in conjunction with a numeric keypad 22 which further comprises the keys for elementary arithmetic functions 23.

When the purchases are finished, the user can cause the totalization, the display or the memorization of the cumulation of the expenses which have just been made as well as the erasure of the points of purchases pointed out by successively pressing the "PURCHASES" key a key

24 designated "END".

The budget function defined by a key 25 marked "BUDGET" is optional. The fact of not using it does not in any way hinder the proper functioning of the preceding functions considered as basic functions. It allows the user to set an amount of expenditure for a month and / or for a day of purchases.

To store the budget for the month, use the 25 key. The message "budget for the month" is displayed on the upper part 11A of the screen.

The user then presses the key 15 and can type an amount that appears on the second line. To the question "ok?" which appears on the screen, he responds by pressing a 26 "NO" key if he made a mistake or the 15 "NOTE" key if he wants to record the amount he has entered.

To memorize a "daily budget", the process is the same as that of the monthly budget after the message "budget of the month" has been replaced by the message "budget of the day" by pressing the key 14.

To know the balance of his budget, the user can use the 25 "BUDGET" key to display the message "budget of the month" or "budget of the day", if he presses the key 14 then a key 27 marked "DISPLAY "so that the budget amount is entered on the upper part 11A of the screen and the" remains available "on the lower part 11B.

To modify a budget, we will use the same procedure as to write it down.

A twelve-month history of the budget and of what has been achieved can be envisaged.

The device can also be used as a calculator when the user presses a key 28 marked "CALCULETTE".

A clock function is obtained by pressing a key 29 marked "TIME-DATE" and can be used for memorizing parking time.

Two keys 30 and 31 marked respectively "ON / C" and "OFF" allow to ensure the switching on and off of the device. A key 32 marked "CE" performs the erase function. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but extends to any variant and modification obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Electronic memory device for recording, classifying, updating and restoring data relating to household purchases, in particular the nature, quantity, volume or weight of the products necessary for making a recipe of cooking, characterized in that it includes a directory of cooking recipes, a directory of families of products, - a directory of products by family, a device for recording and updating these directories, a unit of calculation to determine the quantities, volumes or weight of products required for this culinary preparation according to a given number of guests, a memory unit for storing the list of products to buy, a recording and updating device from the list of products to buy, - a display unit (11) for cooking recipes, corresponding products and the quantities, volumes and weights determined by the unit for calculating these p products to buy, and function keys (12 to 21) to enter or exit directory data.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises means for recording and accounting for the costs des¬ said household purchases.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said means comprise a digital keyboard (22) and function keys (23) corresponding to the four elementary operations.