DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present disclosure generally relates to refrigerators, and more specifically to a smart refrigerator for efficient inventory management along with recipes suggestion and reduction of food wastage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Present day refrigerators are often termed as smart as these refrigerators or fridges comes with internet connectivity and communication modules using which users can monitor and control various functions of the refrigerator. Some of the existing smart refrigerators provide energy efficiency by operating at optimal temperatures. Another type of smart refrigerator includes convenient features like storing food and liquid items at the right temperature to preserve the nutrition in these items. Some refrigerators include features such as reminding users to eat food before it gets stale and sending alerts if the fridge is faulty.
[003] Often, a user might want to view the food available in the refrigerator and get some recommendations about a recipe that can be made with available food. Further, the user might want to order some items pertaining to the recipe which are not available in the refrigerator. Further, a user might want to understand the items available on the refrigerator door.
[004] There exists a need for a user to view the contents in the refrigerator and specifically on the refrigerator door, get recommendations or suggestions about the recipe or dish that can be made with the available contents, and order items pertaining to the recipe if they are not available in the refrigerator. This will help in optimizing the inventory in the refrigerator and reduce food wastage.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[005] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simple manner that is further described in the detailed description of the disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter nor is it intended for determining the scope of the disclosure.
[006] The objective of the disclosure is to optimize inventory in the refrigerator and reduce food wastage.
[007] Another objective of the disclosure is to allow a user to view the contents in the refrigerator and specifically the refrigerator door and get recommendations or suggestions about the recipe or dish that can be made with the available contents.
[008] Another objective of the disclosure is to allow the user to order items pertaining to the recipe if they are not available in the refrigerator.
[009] Another objective of the disclosure is to provide healthy food to the user by alerting the user before the food becomes stale or the expiry date is over.
[0010] Accordingly, a smart refrigerator for capturing images of a refrigerator door is disclosed herewith. The smart refrigerator includes an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled camera disposed and detachably coupled to a liner cabinet of the smart refrigerator. The AI enabled camera is configured to sense opening of the refrigerator door and capture a plurality of images of the refrigerator door while it is being opened. The smart refrigerator includes a circuit configured to process the captured images and transmit the captured images to a server.
[0011] To further clarify advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[001] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments can be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
[002] FIGURE 1A illustrates a smart refrigerator in communication with a user device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[003] FIGURE 1B illustrates the smart refrigerator, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[004] FIGURE 1C illustrates a perspective view of a camera in the smart refrigerator, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[005] FIGURE 1D illustrates a perspective view of the camera in the smart refrigerator, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[006] FIGURE 1E illustrates an inventory management system using the smart refrigerator, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[007] Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the refrigerator, one or more components of the system may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[008] For promoting an understanding, the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
[009] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
[0010] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not comprise only those steps but may comprise other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or a method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0011] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
[0012] In addition to the illustrative aspects, exemplary embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
[0013] FIGURE 1A illustrates a smart refrigerator in communication with a user device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0014] The smart refrigerator 110 enables a user to optimize inventory and reduce food wastage. The user is able to view the contents in the smart refrigerator 110 and get recommendations or suggestions about the recipe or dish that can be made with the available contents. Further, the user is able to order items pertaining to the recipe if they are not available in the smart refrigerator 110.
[0015] The smart refrigerator 110 includes a main body as cabinet which is main storage area. The smart refrigerator 110 includes a refrigerator door 125 with shelves for storing various types of products. A camera 115 is mounted at the cabinet liner 130 side of the main storage area, wherein the camera lens is focused on the door 125 to capture the door images on opening the door 125. Further, the camera 115 sends the images through a network 120 for image processing. The network 120 can include a cloud server 145, an on-premise server, or any storage device capable of image processing.
[0016] In one embodiment, the camera 115 is enclosed and mounted at the cabinet liner through camera housing. The cabinet liner 130 has a depression which provisions the accommodation of the camera housing in the cabinet liner 130.
[0017] It is to be noted that the camera 115 can be placed anywhere along the smart refrigerator 110 as long as the field of view is good to capture the items in the smart refrigerator 110 and specifically the refrigerator door 125. In some embodiments, the refrigerator 110 can have more than one camera for better coverage area. In yet another embodiment, camera 115 can be placed in the refrigerator 110 as well as freezer sections.
[0018] The camera 115 allows a user to see what food is available and which is not available even when the user is not at home or in a remote location. Using an electronic device 105, the user can view the food available in the refrigerator 110. In one example, the electronic device 105 is a mobile phone. In other embodiments, the electronic device 105 can be a personal digital assistant, a tablet, or any device that is capable of installing an application (app) 150 for viewing and managing the inventory in the refrigerator 110.
[0019] Using the app 150, the user can see the items that are about to expire. In one embodiment, the app 150 allows the user to add the items that are not available and add into the shopping list for purchasing. In another embodiment, the app 150 can connect to the local stores in the vicinity of the user and get the items delivered to the user.
[0020] The app 150 allows the user to determine the consumption pattern of the food items, make intelligent choices of the items being purchased based on the life of a particular food item, and manage the expenses better.
[0021] The app 150 enables consumption of healthy food and alerts the user before the food becomes stale or before the expiry date is over.
[0022] FIGURE 1B illustrates the smart refrigerator 110, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The smart refrigerator 110 captures images of a refrigerator door 125.
[001] In one embodiment, the smart refrigerator 110 includes an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled camera 115 disposed and detachably coupled to the liner cabinet 130 of the smart refrigerator 110 as illustrated in Figure 1C. The AI enabled camera 115 is enclosed and mounted at the cabinet liner 130 through camera housing. The cabinet liner 130 has a depression which provisions the accommodation of the camera housing in the cabinet liner 130.
[002] The AI enabled camera 115 is mounted with an anti-fog coated lens 140 as illustrated in Figure 1D. The anti-fog coated lens 140 avoids condensation on the AI enabled camera 115. It is to be noted that the detachably coupled AI enabled camera 115 can be removed for maintenance or replacement.
[0023] The AI enabled camera 115 is configured to sense opening of the refrigerator door 125 and capture a plurality of images of the refrigerator door 125 while it is being opened. It is to be noted that the AI enabled camera 115 automatically senses each time the refrigerator door 125 is opened. Multiple images are captured while the refrigerator door 125 is being opened. In one embodiment, the smart refrigerator 110 can have more than one door and in that multi door applications, the smart refrigerator can have a camera placed on the cabinet liner that provides the best view of the corresponding door.
[0024] The smart refrigerator 110 includes a circuit 135. The circuit 135 is integrated to the AI enabled camera 115. The circuit 135 is configured to process the captured images and transmit the captured images to a server 145.
[0025] The server 145 is configured to identify inventory of items in the refrigerator door 125 and send information of the inventory to the mobile application 150. At least one of the AI enabled camera 115 or the server 145 filters good quality images from the captured images.
[0026] The mobile application 150 enables a user to connect to a store via social messaging platform or phone call to order and replenish items in the smart refrigerator 110. Further, the mobile application 150 is configured to identify food items, notify the user about refrigerator functions, suggest recipes based on the inventory, and maintain grocery shopping list inventory.
[003] FIGURE 1E illustrates an inventory management system using the smart refrigerator, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[004] In one embodiment, the user opens the mobile application 150 installed in the mobile phone 105. The mobile application 150 is configured to connect to the smart refrigerator 110. The smart refrigerator 110 includes the camera 115 that automatically clicks pictures on opening of the refrigerator door 125. The images are sent to a cloud server 145. In an embodiment, the camera 115 is configured to process the captured images using AI/ML algorithms. In another embodiment, the cloud server 145 is configured to process the captured images using AI/ML algorithms. While processing the images, the raw images are filtered for good quality images and processed further. In yet another embodiment, the processing using AI/ML algorithms can take place inside the mobile application 150. The mobile application 150 is configured to control and monitor the smart refrigerator 110. Further, the mobile application 150 enables a user to view the items inside the smart refrigerator 110. Furthermore, the mobile application 150 can identify items in the smart refrigerator 110 and provide inventory management for the user.
[005] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
[006] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. ,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:

1. A smart refrigerator (110) for capturing images of a refrigerator door (125), the smart refrigerator (110) comprising:
an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled camera (115) disposed and detachably coupled to a liner cabinet (130) of the smart refrigerator (110), wherein the AI enabled camera (115) is configured to sense opening of the refrigerator door (125) and capture a plurality of images of the refrigerator door (125) while it is being opened; and
a circuit (135) configured to:
process the captured images; and
transmit the captured images to a server (145).

2. The smart refrigerator (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the AI enabled camera (115) is mounted with an anti-fog coated lens (140) to avoid condensation on the AI enabled camera (115).

3. The smart refrigerator (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detachably coupled AI enabled camera (115) can be removed for maintenance or replacement.

4. The smart refrigerator (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the AI enabled camera (115) or the server (145) filters good quality images from the captured images.

5. The smart refrigerator (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server (145) is configured to identify inventory of items in the refrigerator door (125) and send information of the inventory to a mobile application (150).

6. The smart refrigerator (110) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mobile application (150) enables a user to connect to a store via social messaging platform or phone call to order and replenish items in the smart refrigerator (110).

7. The smart refrigerator (110) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mobile application (150) is configured to identify food items, notify the user about refrigerator functions, suggest recipes based on the inventory, and maintain grocery shopping list inventory.