FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and more particularly to a refrigerator having an apparatus for measurement of the calorie intake by its users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional refrigerator has a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber. A display portion in the form of a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel may be provided. In the prior art, the user interface through LCD panel only shows basic information like temperatures in freezing and refrigerator chamber, services of the dispenser (water, crushed ice, etc). Several advanced refrigerators have been developed in the last few years. They have one or more of features like photo album, digital recipe booklets, weather forecasts, internet access, e-mail service, telephony, shopping list management, large television screen, bar coding of food items, etc. Most of these features relate to entertainment, inventory management, electronic communication, etc. However, these refrigerators do not have features to manage the health of its users.

The advanced refrigerators provide several features but do not provide a calorie counting device as per the current invention. The features provided cater to different user needs but they can't keep track of calorie intake, provide graphs for calorie consumption history and recommend a calorie goal based on the user's BMI and calorie consumption history. Moreover, a dynamic calorie goal recommendation isn't possible in most of the prior arts because the BMI (Body Mass Index) data isn't updated with time for the various profiles. Another shortcoming of tbg<£rior art refrigerators is that they can't provide calorie content of the food items in the refrigerator according to the portion sizes input by the user. Further, there is no provision to update the calorie intake of the users when far away from the refrigerator. Furthermore, there is no provision to update the food items stored in the refrigerator, their quantity, expiry date, etc. at the time of purchase itself. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to overcome the limitations set above in the prior arts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator for the determination of the calorie intake and the daily calorie goal for at least one user, the refrigerator comprising a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment and an interactive display. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the interactive display of the refrigerator comprises:

a) a storage device for storing different types of data;

b) a display device for displaying various screens of the interactive display;

c) an input Device for receiving user commands and allowing the user to navigate the various screens and enter or change the information stored in the storage device;

d) a control device for controlling the functions and components of the interactive display; and,

e) a power supply portion for supplying power of suitable voltage to all the components of the interactive display, characterized in that the control device

- allows the user to create different user profiles, enter personal details like weight, height, age, gender and level of exercise, and enter the quantity and type of food intake by inputting this information through input device;

- stores all the information for each profile in the storage device and calculates the BMI (Body Mass Index) and daily calorie goal from the profile information; and,

- stores the BMI and daily calorie goal for each profile in the storage device and displays it on the display device.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the interactive display further comprises a Wi-Fi module for connecting the refrigerator to the internet through a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or other such medium in the vicinity of the refrigerator. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein at least some of the information stored in the storage device (107) is stored or changed by the input device (103), and the BMI and daily calorie goal is updated by the control device (105). In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the storage device stores calorie content of a plurality of food items and the control device causes the name and calorie content of a food item to be displayed on the display device.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the user can set a plurality of food items as favorite and the control device stores the same on the storage device. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the storage device stores the calorie intake for each meal entered by the user for a particular profile, and the control device causes the calorie intake history for the profile to be displayed as daily, weekly or monthly graphs, histograms, pie charts, tables, scatter plots or other forms of graphical representation on the display device depending upon the user command input through the input device. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the storage device comprises a flash memory and additionally a temporary storage device like an SDRAM or DDR2 RAM for temporarily storing the user profile information and transferring it to the display device. in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the interactive display further comprises at least one USB port for connecting an external storage device like USB drive, flash memory, multimedia card, SD card, etc. to the interactive display.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the user can add an image or photograph to a user profile by selecting an image from the storage device or from an external storage device connected to the USB port. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the interactive display further comprises a real time clock battery for supplying power to the power supply portion to maintain time and date in the interactive display in case of power failure or power off. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the interactive display further comprises an input switch for turning the display device on or off and/or an input switch for bringing the user back to a home screen on the display device. The input switches can be tact switches, capacitive touch switches, resistive touch switches and the like. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the interactive display further comprises a sound output device having a plurality of speakers for generating sound.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the display device is either a liquid crystal display device or a light emitting diode or a plasma display device, optionally having a backlight unit. In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the control device is a microprocessor or microcontroller or like device.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator comprising a main control portion comprising:

- a main power supply portion for receiving external power supply, reducing it to a predetermined voltage and supplying this reduced power to the interactive display power;

- a detecting portion for detecting the temperatures in the refrigerating and freezing sections of the refrigerator;

- a compressor control portion for controlling the operation of a compressor of the refrigerator;

- a fan control portion for controlling the operation of the fan which circulates the air in refrigerating and freezing sections of the refrigerator;

- a storage portion for storing the temperature conditions in the refrigerator and freezer compartments; and,

- a microcontroller for controlling the operation of ali components of the main control portion and for communicating with the control device of the interactive display.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a refrigerator wherein the temperature detected in the refrigerator and freezer compartments is stored in the storage device and communicated by the microcontroller to the control device and displayed on the display device. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention is provided a method of determining the calorie intake and daily calorie goal of at least one user comprising the steps of:

a) providing a refrigerator having an interactive display as disclosed in the aforementioned embodiments;

b) creating a user profile and entering their weight, height, age (or date of birth), gender and level of exercise (or lifestyle);

c) entering the type and quantity of food consumed by the user in each meal every day;

d) determining the calorie intake based on pre-stored information regarding the calorie content per weight of different types of food items;

e) calculating the BMI (Body Mass Index) on the basis of the weight and height entered in step b);

f) determining a daily calorie goal from the BMI calculated in step e) and the information provided in step b);

g) storing the BMI and daily calorie goal of steps e) and f) in a storage device and displaying it on a display device of the interactive display.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention is provided a method of determining the calorie intake and daily calorie goal wherein step f) for calculating the daily calorie goal comprises the steps of: calculating a first factor by two different formulae for males and females based on the age, weight and height; determining a second factor based on the level of exercise entered by the user in step b); categorizing the user as normal, underweight, overweight or obese depending upon the BMI calculated in step e); determining a third factor based on the BMI of the user, said factor equaling 1 for a normal user, greater than 1 for an underweight user and increasingly lower than 1 for overweight and obese users respectively; calculating the daily calorie goal as a product of the three factors determined above.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention is provided a method of determining the calorie intake and daily calorie goal wherein the first factor is calculated for males as: Factorl = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight (in Kg)) + (5.003 x height (in cm)) - (6.775 x age); and for females as: Factorl'= 655.1 + (9.563 x weight (in Kg)) + (1.850 x height (in cm)) - (4.676 x age). In accordance with another embodiment of the invention is provided a method of determining the calorie intake and daily calorie goal further comprising the step of displaying the calorie intake determined in step d) in the form of daily, weekly or monthly graphs on a display device of the interactive display. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention is provided a method of determining the calorie intake and daily calorie goal wherein the interactive display of step a) comprises a Wi-Fi module and is connected to the internet using the same; and the user enters the information of steps b) and/or c) from a mobile device like Smartphone having internet access.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention is provided a method of automatically updating the inventory of a refrigerator comprising the steps of:

a) connecting the refrigerator to a Wi-Fi network or other means for providing internet access;

b) one time registration of the refrigerator on a particular sever maintained by the manufacturer and providing the user with a unique registration number for the refrigerator;

c) providing a plurality of grocery stores with databases for food items which need to be refrigerated;

d) purchasing items from the said plurality of grocery stores and entering the unique registration number at the time of billing;

e) filtering the purchased items for the items mentioned in the database of step c) and sending the details of such items to the server of the manufacturer;

f) sending the details of the food items to and thereby updating the inventory of the refrigerator having the unique registration number entered in step d).

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention is provided a method of automatically updating the inventory of a refrigerator using the refrigerator as disclosed in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1A is a diagram showing a refrigerator having an apparatus for measurement of the calorie intake in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. IB is a magnified view of the interactive display provided in the refrigerator of Fig. 1A.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the major components of the interactive display of Fig. IB.

Fig. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the options provided on the home screen in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the Health Manager option of the home screen of Fig. 3A- B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5A-B, 6A-B, 7A-B and 8A-B are diagrams showing the steps involved in implementing the features of the Health Manager option.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of the Photo and Video option of the home screen of Fig. 3A- B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of the Settings option of the home screen of Fig. 3A-B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a particular embodiment of the invention. It is to be noted that the above mentioned figures are with reference to a forced convection refrigerator. However, the teachings of the invention can be readily applied to other types of refrigerators and home appliances also with or without some minor modifications.

DESCRIPTION

Discussed below are some representative embodiments of the present invention. The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative devices and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described in this section in connection with the embodiments and methods. The invention according to its various aspects is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the appended claims read in view of this specification, and appropriate equivalents. It is to be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Fig. 1A is a diagram showing a refrigerator having an apparatus for measurement of the calorie intake in accordance with the present invention. The refrigerator (100) has a freezer compartment located above the refrigerator compartment, both compartments having their own separate doors. The temperature in both of the compartments is maintained within a preset range of values. In the given embodiment, the interactive display is mounted on the freezer compartment door so that it is at a height convenient for viewing and operation.

Fig. IB is a magnified view of the interactive display provided in the refrigerator of Fig. 1A. The interactive display (101) comprises a display device (102), input device (103), switches (104a, 104b), sound output device (106) and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port (108). The interactive display (101) also has a storage device and control device which are not visible in the given figure. The display device (102) is in the form a Liquid Crystal Display or Light Emitting Diode display or plasma display to display all the various screens of the interactive display. The input device (103) comprises a capacitive touch screen panel mounted over the display device (102). It receives touch inputs allowing the user to navigate the several screens and set or change the information stored in the interactive display. The switch (104a) is a tact switch which is used to turn the display on or off. The switch (104b) is another tact switch which when pressed causes the home screen to be displayed on the display device (102). The sound output device (106) comprises one or more speakers for generating sound. The USB port (108) allows the user to connect an external storage device to the interactive display for copying data to or extracting data from the storage device of the interactive display.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the major components of the interactive display (101) like Display device (102), Input device (103), Switch devices (104a, 104b), Control device (105), Sound output device (106), storage device (107) and USB port (108). The storage device (107) stores data of the user interface and database of the food items. All the components are connected to the control device (105) which controls the functioning of these components. The control device (105) includes at least one central processing unit (not shown) and may also include the aforementioned storage device (107). However, for ease of understanding, we shall describe them as separate components. A central component of the interactive display is the control device (105) that comprises at least one central processing unit in the form of a microprocessor for controlling the other components of the interactive display. The control device takes inputs from the input device (103) and stores the data into the storage device (107). It also retrieves data from the storage device, processes it and displays the required information on the display device as and when desired by the user.

Every user's health and general information is stored according to dates in the storage device, so maintaining the correct date and time is essential. The control device instructs the display device to display the required information in the desired form based on the commands input by the user. Fig. 3A is a diagram showing the options provided on the home screen in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The home screen comprises five icons: Health Manager, Photos and video, Music, Calendar and Settings. Fig. 3B is a diagram showing the home screen which is displayed on the display device (102) when the refrigerator is on and the display hasn't been turned off. The user can give inputs by touching the relevant icons on the input device (103). For instance, touching the Health Manager icon opens the various sub-options of that menu. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the Health Manager option of the home screen of Fig. 3A-B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. There are four options provided in the Health Manager menu: Add (Profile) or SI, Track (Progress) or S2, Record (Food) or S3 and Know (Calorie) or S4.

Fig.5A is a view showing the Add (profile) option. Fig.5B is a flowchart for the Add (profile) option. In Step Al the Add profile icon is selected and appears as highlighted. In Step A2 the user creates a profile by entering user name, date of birth, weight, height, gender, daily exercise habits, etc. In Step A3, the control device (105) calculates the BMI (Body Mass Index) and daily calorie goal as per the pre-stored formulae in storage device (107), and displays to the user on the display device (102). The daily calorie goal is based on the gender, age, weight, height and level of exercise. In a particular embodiment, a first factor is determined by two different formulae for male and females based on their age, weight and height. The first factor is determined as follows: For male: Factorl = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight (in Kg)) + (5.003 x height (in cm)) - (6.775 x age) For female: Factorl'= 655.1 + (9.563 x weight (in Kg)) + (1.850 x height (in cm)) - (4.676 x age) A second factor is determined by the level of exercise. This factor increases with increasing amount of exercise and increasing amount of physical labor involved in the job/work. The daily calorie goal is equal to the product of these two factors multiplied by a third factor based on the BMI of the user. In a particular embodiment, the user is categorized as normal, underweight, overweight or obese.

The third factor equals 1 for a normal user, is greater than one for underweight and is increasingly lower than 1 for overweight and obese respectively. The categorization of the user on the basis of BMI can be done by using the indicators provided in Table 1 published by the World Health Organization (WHO), or any other suitable indicators. Table 1. Classification of adult underweight, overweight and obesity according to BMI; Fig.6A is a view showing the Track (progress) option. Fig.6B is a flowchart for the Track (progress) option. In Step Tl the Track progress icon is selected and appears as highlighted. In Step T2 the user can view the food consumption data for the several profiles stored in the storage device (107) in the form of daily, weekly, and monthly graphs. The graphs may show red, yellow and green regions indicating average, below average and above average requirements of the particular user.

These values are determined on the basis of the BMI of the particular user. Further, in Step T3 the food consumption data can be transferred to an external storage device like USB drive, Multimedia card, SD card, Micro SD card, etc. by the user in graphical or tabular form. Fig.7A is a view showing the Record (food) option. Fig.7B is a flowchart for the Record (food) option. In Step Rl the Record food icon is selected and appears as highlighted. In Step R2 the user enters the food consumed during different meal times (breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner), quantity of serving (small, medium and large) and number of servings. In Step R3 the entered information is saved for the current user profile and this information is stored in a suitable format in the storage device (107). Fig.8A is a view showing the Know (calorie) option. Fig.8B is a flowchart for the Know (calorie) option. In Step Kl the Know calorie icon is selected and appears as highlighted. In Step K2, the user can select the food items to know the amount of calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats contained in a given quantity or serving of that particular item. In Step K3, the user can also set any given food item as favorite. The database containing calorie content of the various food items and favorite food items is saved in the storage device (107).

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of the Photo and Video option of the home screen of Fig. 3A-B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The three sub-options provided are Photo, Video and Import. The Photos option displays all the photographs stored in the storage device (107) or an external storage device connected to the USB port (108).The individual photographs when touched are displayed in bigger size. The user can view and play videos in a similar manner. The import sub-option allows the user to import photos, videos or audio files from an external storage device to the storage device (107). Fig. 10 is a block diagram of the Settings option of the home screen of Fig. 3A-B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The Settings option has five sub-options: Date and Time, USB options, Screensaver, Volume and Brightness. The Date and Time can be changed by the user. The user can view the contents of a USB device connected to the USB port (108) and safely remove the same. The user can also change the Screensaver and set the time for its appearance. The user can also adjust the volume of the Sound output device (106) and brightness of the Display device (102).

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a particular embodiment of the invention. The refrigerator of the present invention comprises a main control portion (200) and a sub-control portion (201). The main control portion is provided in the main refrigerator body and is responsible for controlling the generation of cold air and its circulation to the various compartments of the refrigerator. The sub-control portion (201) is disposed away from the main control portion and is preferably installed on the door of the freezer compartment. The sub-control portion corresponds to the interactive display (101) and has many components in common, as indicated by the similar reference numerals. Power is supplied to the sub-control portion from the main control portion via power lines PL. The two portions communicate with each other via data lines DL which pass through a hinge of the freezer compartment door.

The main control portion (200) comprises:

- First Power Supply portion (210)

- Storage Portion (215) Microcontroller (214) Detecting Portion (211)

- Compressor Control Portion (212)

- Fan Motor Control Portion (213)

The first power supply portion (210) receives external power supply, reduces it to a predetermined voltage and supplies this reduced power to the interactive display. Power of necessary voltage is also supplied from first power supply portion to the other constituents of the main control portion (200). The power rating of the constituent elements of main control portion and interactive display varies from one constituent to another. The storage portion (215) stores the temperature conditions in the refrigerator and freezer compartments. The storage portion is disposed to store a control pattern of the refrigerator and the microcontroller (214) may compare a current operating state with this control pattern to determine whether the refrigerator is functioning properly.

The microcontroller controls the entire operation of the refrigerator and freezer compartments by controlling the compressor control portion (212) and fan motor control portion (213) according to the result of the comparison between the values obtained from detecting portion (211) and the operational information stored in the storage portion (215). The microcontroller coordinates the functioning of detecting, fan control, compressor control and storage portions. The detecting portion (211) detects the temperatures in the refrigerating and freezing sections of the refrigerator. This data is sent to the microcontroller (214) of the main control portion. The detecting portion usually comprises a thermistor or similar Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) device to maintain the proper temperature. The thermistor sends data to the microcontroller, and microcontroller interrupts the power supply to the compressor of the refrigerator once the set temperature has been reached. The detected temperatures of the refrigerating and freezing compartments can also be displayed on the display device of the calorie counting device.

The compressor control portion (212) controls the operation of the compressor. The compressor plays a central role in the refrigeration cycle. The circulation and pressure of the refrigerant can be varied here depending upon the deviation of the actual temperatures in the refrigerating compartments and their respective set values. The deviation is calculated using data from detecting portion (211) and the corrective action is taken according to instructions from the microcontroller (214). The fan motor control portion (213) controls the operation of the fan which circulates the air in refrigerating and freezing sections of the refrigerator. The fan and the compressor play an important role in the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator. The fan is responsible for blowing the air from refrigerator or freezer compartment across the coils or tubes of the refrigeration system. The microcontroller (214) of the control portion communicates with a microprocessor (205) of sub-control portion (201) through data lines DL, and transmits the information data including the current states and/or operational information of the refrigerating compartments. As per an additional embodiment, the microcontroller receives information data including the operational information (such as set of temperatures of refrigerating compartments) input by the user through receiving portion Rx and stores them in storage portion (215).

Further, a second power supply portion (217) of the sub control portion (201) receives power through the first power supply portion (210) of main control portion (200) through power line PL. The sub-control portion (201) comprises:

- Second Power supply portion (217) Liquid Crystal Display (202)

- Backlight unit (216)

- Touch screen panel (203) Input switches (204) Microprocessor (205)

- Storage devices comprising a flash memory (207) and a DDR2 RAM (209)

- USB connector (208) Sound output device (206)

- Real time clock battery (218)

- Wi-Fi Module (219)

The second power supply portion (217) transforms the power received from the first supply portion (210) into power with a variety of voltage amplitudes and then supplies this converted power to the necessary components like microprocessor (205), flash memory (207), sound output device (206) etc. The power ratings of these components are already known, so the second power supply portion (217) is configured accordingly. The Liquid Crystal Display or LCD (202) is provided for visual representation of the information desired by the user. It also displays the various menus or screens which are a part of the graphical user interface. A backlight unit (216) is also provided for generating light using predetermined electric power received from the second power supply portion. The touch screen panel (203) is mounted over the LCD (202). It receives touch inputs from the user and relays them to the microprocessor so as to set or change the stored information in the storage portion. Input switches (204) are provided for turning the LCD (202) on or off and for bringing the user back to the home screen. The switches may be tact switches, capacitive touch switches, resistive touch switches and the like.

The microprocessor (205) takes inputs from the touch screen panel (203) and stores the data into the storage devices. It also retrieves data from the storage devices, processes it and displays the required information on the LCD (202) as and when desired by the user. Every user's health and general information is stored according to dates in the storage device, so maintaining the correct date and time is essential. The microprocessor instructs the LCD (202) to display the required information in the desired form based on the commands input by the user. The storage devices are provided in the form of a flash memory (207) and a DDR 2 RAM (209). The flash memory (207) contains the user interface for controlling refrigerating compartments and the state and operational information of the refrigerating compartments. Furthermore, it stores the operating system software, a graphical user interface, databases for calorie content of food items, standard health information related to BMI, databases for storing user profile data and the audio and video files.

More preferably, it stores standard health information and the microprocessor compares this with the user's personal health information entered using the touch screen panel (203). Based on the results of the comparison, a dietary recommendation is displayed on the LCD (202). The user inputs how many days' information is desired and the required data is supplied by the storage device to the control unit which transmits the information to the display device to display the data in the desired form. The DDR2 RAM (209) is a storage device for temporarily storing data (such as the health manager application data, multimedia data and the state and operational information of the refrigerator) read from flash memory (207) by the microprocessor (205), to be treated by itself. For example, when the treatment is to display the track progress data of a particular user profile through the liquid crystal display (202), the microprocessor (205) temporarily stores the track progress data of the user to the DDR2 RAM (209) after reading the data from the flash memory (207), and then transmits the data to the LCD (202), to be displayed.

The DDR2RAM temporarily stores the data when being supplied with the power from the second power supply portion (217), while the data is deleted when the power is off. The USB connector (208) is used to connect the USB storage device of the user for various functions like playing audio and video files in the audio and video players, viewing image files, copying audio, video and image files to the flash memory (207), to take back-up of user food intake data stored on flash memory (207). The sound output device (206) in the form of a plurality of speakers is used for generating sound. Sounds are generated with every touch input on the touch screen panel (203) and also when the user inputs the command to play audio or video files. The real time clock battery (218) is provided to supply power to the second power supply portion (217) to maintain system time and date in case of power off from external power supply. This is critical for preventing data loss in case of power failure. The Wi-Fi module (219) is used to connect the sub-control portion to the internet through a Wireless LAN (Local Area Network) signal available in the vicinity of the refrigerator. This module transmits and receives packet internet data for control of refrigerator from smart phones, food intake entry from smart phones, Health

Manager application update, food database update for Health Manager application, social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Google +) applications, inventory management of the refrigerator through smart phone, inventory management of the refrigerator from a grocery stores after purchase of refrigerator-able food items, weather update application. With the help of Wi-Fi, the application connects to a server where the recent update of Health manager application is stored. From here the update may be downloaded and installed. The update has the application bug fixes and the food database updates like new food items and correction to calorie contents in existing food items. The updates can also include updates to the software and/or the graphical user interface. The refrigerator may also include an inventory management system implemented either manually or automatically. In the manual method the user himself enters the information related to the food like date of purchase, quantity, expiry date, nutritional value, etc. and the same is stored in the inventory management system.

In the Automatic method the user connects the refrigerator to the Wi-Fi network and registers it on a particular sever maintained by the manufacturer and the user is provided with a unique registration number for the refrigerator. Once these initial steps are completed, the inventory management system can be automated if the user buys food items from certain grocery stores. The grocery stores maintain a database for the food items which need to be refrigerated. When the user makes any purchases at these grocery stores and provides the unique registration number at the time of billing, the items present in the database are filtered and sent to the server of the manufacturer. The server sends this information and updates the inventory management system of the refrigerator having the unique registration number provided at the time of billing.

The user may also remotely access the refrigerator from their Smartphone. Users can download the application from the online store and install it on their respective Smartphone(s). The application is very similar to the Health Manager application running on the refrigerator. The user can update the consumed food data even when not in the vicinity of the refrigerator. The updating is done on the refrigerator by exchange of information using packet data from the smart phone and Wireless LAN to which the refrigerator is connected. The user can also perform inventory management from their Smartphone in a similar manner. The invention is not limited to the embodiments which have been described and illustrated by way of example and numerous modifications and variations can be proposed without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The teachings of the invention may be applied to other types of home appliances with or without some minor modifications.

For instance, the control devices may include any microprocessors, microcontrollers, Integrated Circuits, etc. The storage devices may also be replaced by other types of storage devices like flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), optical disks, multimedia cards, memory sticks, etc. The input device need not necessarily be touch dependent and a plurality of buttons and switches may be provided to enter data and navigate the screen. The interactive display may be located on either of the sides adjacent to the doors, on the refrigerator door or any other location convenient for the user. The method for automatically updating the inventory may also be applied to other appliances having internet access.

We Claim:

1. A refrigerator for the determination of the calorie intake and the daily calorie goal for at least one user, the refrigerator comprising a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment and an interactive display (101).

2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interactive display (101) comprises:

a) a storage device (107) for storing different types of data;

b) a display device (102) for displaying various screens of the interactive display;

c) an input Device (103) for receiving user commands and allowing the user to navigate the various screens and enter or change the information stored in the storage device (107);

d) a control device (105) for controlling the functions and components of the interactive display (101); and,

e) a power supply portion (217) for supplying power of suitable voltage to all the components of the interactive display (101), characterized in that the control device (105)

- allows the user to create different user profiles, enter personal details like weight, height, age, gender and level of exercise, and enter the quantity and type of food intake by inputting this information through input device (103);

- stores all the information for each profile in the storage device (107) and calculates the BMI (Body Mass Index) and daily calorie goal from the profile information; and,

- stores the BMI and daily calorie goal for each profile in the storage device (107) and displays it on the display device (102).

3. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the interactive display (101) further comprises a Wi-Fi module i219) for connecting the refrigerator (100) to the internet through a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or other such medium in the vicinity of the refrigerator.

4. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein at least some of the information stored in the storage device (107) is stored or changed by the input device (103), and the BMI and daily calorie goal is updated by the control device (105).

5. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the storage device (107) stores calorie content of a plurality of food items and the control device (105) causes the name and calorie content of a food item to be displayed on the display device (102).

6. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 5 wherein the user can set a plurality of food items as favorite and the control device (105) stores the same on the storage device (107).

7. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the storage device (107) stores the calorie intake for each meal entered by the user for a particular profile, and the control device (105) causes the calorie intake history for the profile to be displayed as daily, weekly or monthly graphs, histograms, pie charts, tables, scatter plots or other forms of graphical representation on the display device (102) depending upon the user command input through the input device (103).

8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7 wherein the graphs show red, yellow and green regions indicating average, below average and above average requirements for the particular profile on the basis of the BMI of the particular profile.

9. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the storage device (107) comprises a flash memory (207) and additionally a temporary storage device like an SDRAM or DDR2 RAM (209) for temporarily storing the user profile information and transferring it to the display device (102).

10. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the interactive display (101) further comprises at least one USB port (108) for connecting an external storage device like USB drive, flash memory, multimedia card, SD card, etc. to the interactive display (101).

11. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the user can add an image or photograph to a user profile by selecting an image from the storage device (107) or from an external storage device connected to the USB port (108).

12. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the interactive display (101) further comprises a real time clock battery (218) for supplying power to the power supply portion (217) to maintain time and date in the interactive display (101) in case of power failure or power off.

13. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the interactive display (101) further comprises an input switch (104a) for turning the display device (102) on or off and/or an input switch (104b) for bringing the user back to a home screen on the display device (102).

14. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 13 wherein the input switches are tact switches, capacitive touch switches, resistive touch switches and the like.

15. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the interactive display (101) further comprises a sound output device (106) having a plurality of speakers for generating sound.

16. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the display device (102) is either a liquid crystal display device or a light emitting diode or a plasma display device, optionally having a backlight unit (216).

17. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the control device (105) is a microprocessor (205) or microcontroller or like device.

18. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the input device (103) is a resistive or capacitive touch screen panel (203).

19. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims comprising a main control portion (200) comprising:

- a main power supply portion (210) for receiving external power supply, reducing it to a predetermined voltage and supplying this reduced power to the interactive display power (101);

- a detecting portion (211) for detecting the temperatures in the refrigerating and freezing sections of the refrigerator;

- a compressor control portion (212) for controlling the operation of a compressor of the refrigerator;

- a fan control portion (213) for controlling the operation of the fan which circulates the air in refrigerating and freezing sections of the refrigerator;

- a storage portion (215) for storing the temperature conditions in the refrigerator and freezer compartments; and,

- a microcontroller (214) for controlling the operation of all components of the main control portion (200) and for communicating with the control device (105) of the interactive display (101).

20. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 19 wherein the temperature detected in the refrigerator and freezer compartments is stored in the storage device (215) and communicated by the microcontroller (214) to the control device (105) and displayed on the display device (102).

21. The refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the interactive display (101) is preferably provided on the door of the freezer compartment.

22. A method of determining the calorie intake and daily calorie goal of at least one user comprising the steps of:

a) providing a refrigerator having an interactive display (101) as claimed in any of the preceding claims;

b) creating a user profile and entering their weight, height, age (or date of birth), gender and level of exercise (or lifestyle);

c) entering the type and quantity of food consumed by the user in each meal every day;

d) determining the calorie intake based on pre-stored information regarding the calorie content per weight of different types of food items;

e) calculating the BMI (Body Mass Index) on the basis of the weight and height entered in step b);

f) determining a daily calorie goal from the BMI calculated in step e) and the information provided in step b);

g) storing the BMI and daily calorie goal of steps e) and f) in a storage device and displaying it on a display device of the interactive display (101).

23. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein step f) for calculating the daily calorie goal comprises the steps of: calculating a first factor by two different formulae for males and females based on the age, weight and height; determining a second factor based on the level of exercise entered by the user in step b); categorizing the user as normal, underweight, overweight or obese depending upon the BMI calculated in step e); determining a third factor based on the BMI of the user, said factor equaling 1 for a normal user, greater than 1 for an underweight user and increasingly lower than 1 for overweight and obese users respectively; calculating the daily calorie goal as a product of the three factors determined above.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the first factor is calculated for males as: Factorl = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight (in Kg)) + (5.003 x height (in cm)) - (6.775 x age); and for females as: Factorl'= 655.1 + (9.563 x weight (in Kg)) + (1.850 x height (in cm)) - (4.676 x age).

25. The method as claimed in any of the claims 22 to 24 further comprising the step of displaying the calorie intake determined in step d) in the form of daily, weekly or monthly graphs on a display device of the interactive display.

26. The method as claimed in any of the claims 22 to 25, wherein the interactive display (101) of step a) comprises a Wi-Fi module (219) and is connected to the internet using the same; and the user enters the information of steps b) and/or c) from a mobile device like Smartphone having internet access.

27. A method of automatically updating the inventory of a refrigerator comprising the steps of:

a) connecting the refrigerator to a Wi-Fi network or other means for providing internet access;

b) one time registration of the refrigerator on a particular sever maintained by the manufacturer and providing the user with a unique registration number for the refrigerator;

c) providing a plurality of grocery stores with databases for food items which need to be refrigerated;

d) purchasing items from the said plurality of grocery stores and entering the unique registration number at the time of billing;

e) filtering the purchased items for the items mentioned in the database of step c) and sending the details of such items to the server of the manufacturer;

f) sending the details of the food items to and thereby updating the inventory of the refrigerator having the unique registration number entered in step d).

28. The method of automatically updating the inventory of a refrigerator as claimed in claim 27, using the refrigerator as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 21.