Appliance consumer feedback system

• US 10,054,911 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Scheckelhoff, Ryan James
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Jigneshkumar C
• Application Number:
  US14/943,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 700275
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A system and method for optimizing performance of an appliance. The method includes collecting user feedback and/or performance data related to an operating cycle of an appliance. This collected data is transmitted to a remote server which provides a recommendation, based on the user feedback and/or performance data, for improving the performance of the appliance during a subsequent operating cycle. In addition, feedback related to one appliance may be used to make operating adjustments to another appliance. In this manner, closed loop feedback can be used to improve and optimize the operation of one or more appliances.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing performance of a dishwasher, the method comprising:

performing an operating cycle of the dishwasher;

receiving user feedback regarding the performance of the operating cycle and transmitting the user feedback to a remote server;

collecting performance data for the operating cycle and transmitting the performance data to the remote server;

receiving from the remote server a recommendation, based on the user feedback and the performance data, for improving the performance of the dishwasher during a subsequent operating cycle; and

performing the subsequent operating cycle using an adjusted operational parameter based on the recommendation received from the remote server, wherein the recommendation comprises an instruction to the user for adjusting the positioning of the dishes of the dishwasher before initiating the subsequent operating cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation comprises a command to adjust at least one operational parameter of the dishwasher for the subsequent operating cycle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction comprises a suggested dishwasher setting or a tip that may result in improved dishwasher performance during the subsequent operating cycle.

4. A system for improving the performance of one or more appliances, the system comprising:

a clothes dryer having a controller configured for controlling a drying cycle and a communication module configured for transmitting performance data related to the drying cycle to a remote server;

a user input device configured for receiving user input regarding the performance of the drying cycle and transmitting the user input to the remote server; and

a clothes washer configured for performing a subsequent wash cycle,

wherein the clothes washer or the user input device are configured to receive a recommendation from the remote server for improved performance during the subsequent wash cycle, the recommendation being based at least in part on one of the performance data and the user input, wherein the recommendation comprises adjusting a spin-dry speed during the subsequent wash cycle or an instruction to the user of the clothes washer to properly distribute clothing within a tub of the clothes washer before initiating the subsequent wash cycle, and wherein the clothes washer performs the subsequent operating cycle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the recommendation comprises a command to adjust at least one operational parameter of the clothes dryer for a subsequent operating cycle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the performance data relates to at least one of water levels, spin speed, detergent levels, or fault indications, and the user feedback relates to one of soil conditions, wash performance, cycle time, or cycle noise.

7. A method for improving the performance of one or more consumer appliances, the method comprising:

receiving performance data regarding an operating cycle of a first consumer appliance;

receiving user feedback regarding the operating cycle of the first consumer appliance;

determining a corrective action based on at least one of the performance data and the user feedback;

implementing the corrective action by either providing a recommendation to a user or automatically adjusting at least one operational parameter of a second appliance during a subsequent operating cycle, wherein the recommendation comprises adjusting an operational parameter for the second appliance; and

performing the subsequent operating cycle using the at least on adjusted operational parameter based on the recommendation,

wherein the first appliance is a clothes dryer and the second appliance is a clothes washer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the recommendation comprises an instruction to the user of the second appliance to implement at least one preliminary corrective action before initiating the subsequent operating cycle.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the recommendation for improving performance is adjusting a spin-dry speed or an instruction to properly distribute clothing within a tub of the clothes washer.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the performance data relates to at least one of water levels, spin speed, detergent levels, or fault indications, and the user feedback relates to one of soil conditions, wash performance, cycle time, or cycle noise.