JP2009060263A - Preparing time display method and preparing time counting method of instant food - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a preparing time display method and a preparing time counting method by which instant food is more easily and more simply prepared by utilizing a QR code recognition function of a portable terminal. <P>SOLUTION: The preparing time display method of instant food encodes preparing time of the instant food to bar codes or two-dimensional codes with an identifier for calling a timer function of a cellular phone, and displays the bar cords or the two-dimensional codes which are obtained on a package of the instant food. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an instant food cooking time display method and a cooking time measurement method.

  In instant foods such as cup ramen, for example, a cooking method is widely adopted in which cooking is completed by opening a lid of a container, pouring hot water and leaving it for a predetermined cooking time. Some instant foods are boiled in a pan for a predetermined cooking time or heated in a microwave oven. The cooking time varies depending on the type and manufacturer of the instant food, and the user who uses the instant food usually performs cooking after confirming the heating time described in the package.

  On the other hand, recent portable terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have a function of acquiring and decoding images of barcodes and two-dimensional codes (two-dimensional barcodes) with a built-in camera. Has appeared. For example, most of the mobile phones sold in Japan at the present time in 2007 support QR code, which is a kind of two-dimensional code. The built-in camera is activated as a code reader to take a QR code, Services that perform various processes by decoding a captured QR code have been realized.

  Examples of existing services using QR codes include a telephone directory registration function, a mail linkage function, and a bookmark registration function. These functions are executed when an identifier corresponding to each function is included in the data obtained by decoding the QR code. For example, the phone book registration function encodes data such as name, phone number, mail address, and address together with an identifier corresponding to the phone book registration function into a QR code, which is photographed with a built-in camera of the mobile terminal and decoded. This recognizes the name, telephone number, mail address, address, etc., and activates the address book program to register the recognized data.

In addition, the mail linkage function encodes data such as address, title, and text into a QR code and recognizes it on the mobile terminal, thereby recognizing the contents of the address, title, text, etc. A mail is created based on the recorded data. Furthermore, the bookmark registration function encodes the site name and title into the same QR code, and the mobile terminal that recognizes the site activates the browser and registers it in the bookmark.
JP 2003-330831 A

  First, in the field of instant foods, there is a problem that it is complicated to check different cooking times depending on the types of instant foods. Also, if the cooking time was forgotten while pouring hot water into the container, the package had to be reviewed to check the cooking time. On the other hand, the QR code recognition function in mobile terminals is used in the phone book registration function, mail linkage function, and bookmark registration function, but in most cases it is used to mediate data between mobile terminals. The actual situation is that there are not many cases that are used for these applications.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a cooking time display method and a cooking time measurement method for an instant food that makes it possible to easily and easily cook the instant food by effectively using the QR code recognition function of the mobile terminal. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is to encode a cooking time of an instant food into a barcode or a two-dimensional code together with an identifier for calling a timer function of a portable terminal, and obtain the barcode or An instant food cooking time display method characterized by displaying a two-dimensional code on a package of the instant food.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the bar code or the two-dimensional code may be configured to further encode a character string or an image related to the instant food. The bar code or the two-dimensional code may be further encoded with sound data for notifying that cooking has ended.

  A second aspect of the present invention provides a timer program for realizing a timer function for measuring the cooking time of an instant food by being executed by a control unit of a portable terminal together with an identifier for calling the timer program. There is provided an instant food cooking time display method characterized by encoding a code or a two-dimensional code and displaying the obtained barcode or two-dimensional code on the package of the instant food.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of recognizing a barcode or two-dimensional code displayed on an instant food package by a portable terminal having a timer function and a function of recognizing a barcode or two-dimensional code. When,
Calling the timer function of the mobile phone in accordance with an identifier obtained by recognizing the barcode or two-dimensional code;
And a step of measuring the cooking time obtained by recognizing the bar code or the two-dimensional code using a timer function of the portable terminal.

  In the third aspect of the present invention, the portable terminal further has a function of displaying a character string or an image, and the step of displaying the character string or the image obtained by recognizing the barcode or the two-dimensional code It is possible to make it the structure further including the step which displays. Further, the portable terminal further has a function of reproducing sound data, and when the timer function is used to measure that the cooking time has elapsed, the sound data obtained by recognizing the barcode or the two-dimensional code is obtained. It is good also as a structure to reproduce | regenerate.

Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is that a portable terminal having a function of recognizing a barcode or a two-dimensional code recognizes the barcode or the two-dimensional code displayed on the instant food package, and Obtaining a timer program for realizing a timer function for measuring the cooking time of the instant food by executing it in the control unit of the terminal, and an identifier for calling the timer program;
And a step of measuring the cooking time of the instant food by executing the timer program in the control unit of the portable terminal based on the identifier. To do.

  In the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further include a step of performing installation when the timer program is not installed in the portable terminal.

  The present invention displays the cooking time of the instant food on the package of the instant food as a barcode or a two-dimensional code together with an identifier for calling the timer function of the portable terminal. Therefore, when using the instant food, the barcode function or the two-dimensional code displayed on the package is recognized by the portable terminal corresponding to the timer function and the code recognition function, and the timer function of the portable terminal is called by the obtained identifier, By measuring the cooking time obtained at the same time by the called timer function, it is possible to automatically measure the cooking time of the instant food without depending on memory or complicated operations. Thereby, utilization of instant food can be simplified more. In addition, when using instant food, the bar code or two-dimensional code displayed on the package is further encoded with a character string or image relating to the instant food and sound data for notifying that cooking has been completed. For example, it is possible to display the product name and product image of the instant food while measuring the cooking time with the timer function, or to notify that the cooking time has passed with sound data unique to the instant food. It is also possible to add advertising effects. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a more interactive service by encoding a URL to a Web page that includes campaign information about instant foods. Furthermore, if a program that realizes the timer function by being executed by the control unit of the mobile terminal is encoded into a barcode or a two-dimensional code, the program can be obtained without being separately downloaded. It becomes possible to realize the service in an easy form.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an instant food 100 to which the cooking method of instant food according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the instant food 100. The instant food 100 has a configuration in which noodles 103 are accommodated in a cup-shaped container 102 whose opening is covered with a peelable lid 101. The instant food 100 thus configured is poured with a predetermined amount of hot water in a state where the lid 101 is peeled off halfway while the noodle 103 is accommodated in the container 102, and the lid 101 is returned to pass a predetermined cooking time. It is possible to finish cooking and eat as it is. In the present embodiment, the cooking time of the instant food 100 is encoded with an identifier for calling a timer function of a mobile phone, which will be described later, in either the lid 101 or the container 102 that is the package of the instant food 100. The dimension code 104 is displayed. FIG. 1A shows a mode in which the two-dimensional code 104 is displayed on the lid 101, and FIG. 1B shows a mode in which the two-dimensional code 104 is displayed on the side of the container 102. In order to display the two-dimensional code in this way, for example, a seal on which the two-dimensional code 101 is printed may be attached to the lid 101 or the container 102, or may be directly printed on the lid 101 or the container 102. The seal may be attached to or printed on the resin sheet that coats the lid 101 or the container 102. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the two-dimensional code 104 is a QR code.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a mobile phone 200 as a mobile terminal used for implementing the instant food cooking time measuring method according to the present invention using the two-dimensional code 104 displayed on the instant food 100. . As shown in FIG. 4, the cellular phone 200 mainly includes a camera unit 201, a code recognition unit 202, a storage unit 203, a control unit 205, a communication unit 206, a key input unit 207, and a display unit 208. And a sound unit 209.

  The camera unit 201 has a predetermined optical system and an image receiving element, and provides the mobile phone 200 with a function of taking a digital image. When taking a digital image with the mobile phone 200, the camera unit 201 is activated by the control unit 205 in response to a user performing a predetermined operation with the key input unit 207. The activated camera unit 201 repeats the process of returning data obtained by the image receiving element from the subject image acquired by the optical system at a predetermined exposure time to the control unit 205 at predetermined time intervals, and the control unit 205 displays the data at the display unit. The live view function is realized by displaying in 208. In this state, when the user further performs a predetermined operation with the key input unit 207, the camera unit 201 generates image data with the shooting conditions set from the subject image acquired by the optical system, and the generated image data Is stored in the storage unit 203 by the control unit 205. Further, the camera unit 201 may have a mode for using as a code reader for causing the code recognition unit 202 to recognize the acquired image data.

  The code recognition unit 202 provides a function of recognizing and decoding image data of a two-dimensional code acquired by the camera unit 201 and obtaining original data encoded in the two-dimensional code. There is no particular limitation on the two-dimensional code supported by the code recognition unit 202, but here, a case where it corresponds to a QR code as shown in FIG. 3 is shown. Such a code recognition unit 202 is a functional block that is virtually configured by executing a predetermined program on the control unit 205 described later.

  The storage unit 203 is a readable / writable memory for storing predetermined information under the control of the control unit 205 described later and for providing information stored in the control unit 205. The storage unit 203 stores a timer application 204, and a timer function for measuring the passage of a predetermined time is realized by reading and executing the timer application 204 by the control unit 205.

  The control unit 205 is a functional block that is virtually configured by executing a predetermined program on a CPU (not shown), and includes a camera unit 201, a code recognition unit 202, a storage unit 203, and a communication unit of the mobile phone 200. Various functions of the mobile phone 200 are realized by exchanging data and control signals with the functional blocks such as 206, the key input unit 207, the display unit 208, and the sound unit 209.

  The communication unit 206 operates under the control of the control unit 205 to provide a function of connecting to a mobile communication network and performing communication with another node. Examples of the communication here include circuit-switched communication performed by communication connection with another mobile phone or fixed telephone, packet-switched communication performed by connection with another mobile phone or server, and the like. As described above, the timer application 204 is stored in the storage unit 203. The timer application 204 is acquired by downloading from a server on the mobile communication network via the communication unit 206, for example. It doesn't matter.

  The key input unit 207 is an input device such as a keypad provided on the housing of the mobile phone 200 and other buttons, and a key event that is a signal corresponding to each key or button is operated by the user. 205 is used for various operations or control.

The display unit 208 is a liquid crystal display device or an organic liquid crystal display device, and displays an operating state of the mobile phone 200, a user interface for operating the mobile phone 200, and the like under the control of the control unit 205. Sound unit 209 operates under the control of the control unit 205 to provide a function of generating a desired sound by ringing according to melody data in a predetermined format. Such a sound unit 209 can be composed of a sound source chip and a speaker, for example.

Next, in the present embodiment, first to third operations for measuring the cooking time of the instant food 100 using the mobile phone 200 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 to 7.
First, the first operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the two-dimensional code 104 displayed on the package of the instant food 100 is photographed by the camera unit 201 of the mobile phone 200 (ST101). When the mobile phone 200 has a mode for using the camera unit 201 as a barcode reader, the shooting is performed after setting the mode. Next, the image data of the photographed two-dimensional code 104 is recognized by the code recognition unit 202, and the encoded identifier and the cooking time value of the instant food 100 are acquired (ST102).

  Next, the control unit 205 determines whether the acquired identifier is for calling a timer function (ST103). If it is determined that the acquired identifier is an identifier for calling the timer function, the control unit 205 activates the timer application 204 (ST104). At this time, the value of the cooking time acquired in ST102 is passed to the timer application 204 as a parameter. In ST103, if it is not determined that the acquired identifier is an identifier for calling the timer function, the timer application 204 is not activated and the mobile phone 200 performs other processing. Is omitted.

  The timer application 204 passed the cooking time as a parameter in ST104 then displays the cooking time on the display unit 208 and starts a countdown (ST105). Thereafter, it is periodically determined whether the cooking time has elapsed (ST106). When it is determined that the cooking time has elapsed, the control unit 205 controls the sound unit 209 to sound an alarm and notify the user. (ST107) Thereby, a series of operation | movement which measures cooking time is complete | finished.

  According to such a first operation, the user who cooks the instant food 100 uses the mobile phone 100 to store the two-dimensional code 104 without storing the cooking time of the instant food or the time at which cooking is started. It is possible to measure that the cooking time peculiar to the instant food 100 elapses by an operation that only allows recognition.

  Next, the second operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this operation, an identifier for calling a timer function of a cellular phone, cooking time of instant food, graphics, and melody data are encoded in the two-dimensional code 104, and the first is that these are used. The outline of the operation is the same. First, the two-dimensional code 104 displayed on the package of the instant food 100 is photographed by the camera unit 201 of the mobile phone 200 (ST201), and the image data of the photographed two-dimensional code 104 is recognized by the code recognition unit 202. The encoded identifier, cooking time of the instant food, graphics, and melody data are acquired (ST202).

  Next, it is determined whether the acquired identifier is for calling the timer function (ST203). If it is determined that the identifier is an identifier for calling the timer function, the value of the cooking time is set as a parameter. As a result, the timer application 204 is activated (ST204). The description in the case where it is not determined in ST203 that the acquired identifier is an identifier for calling the timer function will be omitted.

  The timer application 204 activated in ST204 displays the cooking time and starts a countdown (ST205). Thereafter, it is determined whether the cooking time has passed (ST206). If it is determined that the cooking time has passed, the control unit 205 displays the graphics acquired from the two-dimensional code 104 (ST207), and the sound unit. At 209, the sound data obtained from the two-dimensional code is reproduced (ST208), thereby completing a series of operations for measuring the cooking time.

  According to such a second operation, it is possible to measure that the cooking time unique to the instant food 100 has elapsed by only the operation of recognizing the two-dimensional code 104 using the mobile phone 100. In addition, it is possible to provide graphics for advertising the product and sound such as a commercial song to the user immediately before cooking and eating the instant food 100 when the cooking time has passed. In particular, an advertisement related to the instant food 100 can be performed. In addition, by encoding the URL related to the instant food 100 in the two-dimensional code 104, it is possible to access the URL from the mobile phone 100 via the network and similarly obtain graphics and sound data. The second operation has an advantage that it is not necessary to access the network because graphics and sound data can be acquired from the two-dimensional code 104.

  Next, the third operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this operation, a timer application 204 program that realizes a timer function by being executed by the control unit 205 of the mobile phone 100 is encoded in the two-dimensional code 104 together with an identifier for calling the timer application 204. Although it differs from the first and second operations in terms of use, the outline of the operation is the same. First, the two-dimensional code 104 displayed on the package of the instant food 100 is photographed by the camera unit 201 of the mobile phone 200 (ST301), and the image data of the photographed two-dimensional code 104 is recognized by the code recognition unit 202. The encoded identifier and timer application 204 program are acquired (ST302).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the acquired identifier is for calling the timer function (ST303). If it is determined that the identifier is an identifier for calling the timer function, then the mobile phone It is determined whether the timer application 204 is already installed in 100 (ST304). In ST203, the description when the acquired identifier is not determined to be an identifier for calling the timer function is omitted.

  If it is determined in ST304 that the timer application 204 has been installed, the timer application 204 is activated while passing the cooking time value as a parameter (ST306). On the other hand, if it is not determined in ST304 that the timer application 204 has been installed, the timer application 204 program acquired from the two-dimensional code 104 is installed in the mobile phone 100 (ST305), and the mobile phone 100 uses the timer. After the application 204 is in an executable state, the timer application 204 is similarly activated in ST306.

  Hereinafter, the cooking time is displayed by the started timer application 204, and countdown is started (ST307). Thereafter, it is determined whether the cooking time has elapsed (ST308). When it is determined that the cooking time has elapsed, the control unit 205 sounds an alarm in the sound unit 209 (ST308), thereby measuring the cooking time. End the operation.

  According to such a third operation, it is possible to measure that the cooking time unique to the instant food 100 has elapsed by simply recognizing the two-dimensional code 104 using the mobile phone 100. In addition, even in the mobile phone 100 in which the timer application 204 is not installed, the cooking time of the instant food can be measured using the two-dimensional code 104. In addition, in such an operation, the timer application 204 can be provided for each instant food 100, and thus, the advertising function similar to the second operation can be realized by the timer application 204.

  In the third operation, it is assumed that the program of the timer application 204 is encoded in the two-dimensional code 104, but the control unit 205 of the mobile phone 100 is configured by various CPUs, OSs, middleware, and the like. It is preferable that the control unit 205 is abstracted by a Java (registered trademark) execution environment or the like and the program of the timer application 204 is provided in the form of a Java (registered trademark) application.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the instant noodles contained in the container 102 are shown as the instant food 100. However, the instant food according to the present invention is not limited to this and is contained in a package made of a bag-like package. A cooking time display method may be applied. The present invention can also be applied to frozen foods and instant foods that are heated for a predetermined cooking time using a microwave oven or the like.

  Further, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 are merely examples of the cooking time measuring method according to the present invention, and are not limited thereto. For example, the operation of the key input unit 207 may be requested before starting the measurement of cooking time by the started timer application 204, or sound or graphics may be provided before the cooking time elapses. It doesn't matter. In addition, information for downloading the program of the timer application 204 may be encoded in the two-dimensional code 104, and the user may download the information as necessary.

  Furthermore, the cooking time measuring method according to the present invention can be implemented by a portable terminal other than a cellular phone such as a PDA, and a URL to a Web page including campaign information regarding instant foods in the two-dimensional code 104 is provided. If encoded, it is possible to provide a more interactive service.

(A), (b) The perspective view which shows the instant food which applied the cooking time display method of the instant food concerning this invention. Sectional drawing of the instant food which applied the cooking time display method of the instant food concerning this invention. The figure which shows an example of the two-dimensional code in this embodiment. The functional block diagram of the mobile telephone used in order to implement the cooking time measuring method of the instant food concerning this invention. The flowchart of the 1st operation | movement concerning embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the 2nd operation | movement concerning embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the 3rd operation | movement concerning embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Instant food 101 Cover part 102 Container 103 Noodle 104 Two-dimensional code 200 Mobile phone 201 Camera part 202 Code recognition part 203 Storage part 205 Control part 206 Communication part 207 Key input part 208 Display part 209 Sound part

Claims (9)

  The cooking time of the instant food is encoded into a barcode or a two-dimensional code together with an identifier for calling a timer function of the mobile phone, and the obtained barcode or the two-dimensional code is displayed on the package of the instant food. How to display the cooking time of instant foods.   The method of claim 1, wherein the bar code or the two-dimensional code further encodes a character string or an image relating to the instant food.   The method for displaying the cooking time of an instant food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bar code or the two-dimensional code further encodes sound data for notifying completion of cooking. .   A timer program that realizes a timer function for measuring the cooking time of an instant food by being executed by the control unit of the mobile terminal is encoded and encoded with a bar code or a two-dimensional code together with an identifier for calling the timer program. A method for displaying the cooking time of an instant food, wherein the bar code or the two-dimensional code is displayed on the package of the instant food. Recognizing the barcode or two-dimensional code displayed on the package of the instant food by the portable terminal having the timer function and the function of recognizing the barcode or the two-dimensional code;
Calling the timer function of the mobile phone in accordance with an identifier obtained by recognizing the barcode or two-dimensional code;
Measuring the cooking time obtained by recognizing the barcode or the two-dimensional code using a timer function of a portable terminal. The portable terminal further has a function of displaying a character string or an image,
The method for measuring the cooking time of an instant food according to claim 5, further comprising a step of displaying a character string or an image obtained by recognizing the barcode or the two-dimensional code. The portable terminal further has a function of reproducing sound data,
6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of reproducing audio data obtained by recognizing the bar code or the two-dimensional code when measuring that the cooking time has elapsed by the timer function. 6. A method for measuring cooking time of an instant food according to 6. The instant food by recognizing the barcode or two-dimensional code displayed on the package of the instant food by a portable terminal having a function of recognizing the barcode or the two-dimensional code, and executing it by the control unit of the portable terminal Obtaining a timer program that realizes a timer function for measuring the cooking time of, and an identifier for calling the timer program;
And a step of measuring the cooking time of the instant food by executing the timer program in the control unit of the mobile terminal based on the identifier.   The method for measuring cooking time of instant food according to claim 8, further comprising a step of installing the timer program when the timer program is not installed in the portable terminal.

Images