Networking system for refrigerator and method of upgrading the system

• US 20040016243A1
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Pyeong-ki, Ahn, Kyu-hwan, Song, Dong June
• Granted Patent: US 6,889,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/132
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A networking system for a refrigerator in which a network module available for both wireless and wire accesses to the network over the Internet is built, thereby allowing an access to an other network over the Internet and constructing a home network, the networking system able to be easily upgraded, and a method of upgrading the networking system.

Claims

1. A networking system for a refrigerator, comprising:

an accessing station provided in a main body of the refrigerator, wherein the accessing station allows other electric appliances to wirelessly access to the Internet;

a wireless interface provided in the refrigerator main body, making a wireless access to the accessing station;

a home network controlling module provided in the refrigerator main body, including a home networking interface accessing a home network constructed with a plurality of electronic home appliances that are provided outside the refrigerator main body, and a home network controlling unit supplying data about statuses of the plurality of electronic home appliances collected through the home networking interface to the wireless interface; and

a wireless terminal provided as a separate unit from the refrigerator main body, making a wireless connection to the home network controlling module via the wireless interface through the accessing station of the refrigerator main body, to then display the status data of the electronic home appliances supplied through the wireless interface.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a refrigerator controlling module provided in the refrigerator main body, including a memory, which stores therein status data of the refrigerator such as present temperature of compartments of the refrigerator, and a refrigerator controlling unit to provide the status data of the refrigerator in the memory through the wireless interface and to control a cooling system,

wherein the wireless terminal wirelessly accesses the refrigerator controlling module via the wireless interface through the accessing station of the refrigerator main body, the refrigerator status data supplied through the wireless interface.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the home networking interface of the home network controlling module comprises a Home Plug interface accessing a power line based home network constructed by connection of power lines.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an upgrade server having a program database, which stores therein a program for the wireless terminal and which is executed at the wireless terminal, and a server controlling unit to supply the wireless terminal program to the wireless terminal through the Internet, according to the request of the wireless terminal that accesses the Internet, to download the program,

wherein the wireless terminal accesses the upgrade server of the Internet through the accessing station of the refrigerator main body, to thereby request downloading of the wireless terminal program.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the program database of the upgrade server further includes a program for home networking, executed at the home network controlling module,

wherein the server controlling unit supplies the home networking program to the home network controlling module through the Internet in response to the download request of the home network controlling module that accesses the Internet,

and wherein the home network controlling unit of the home network controlling module accesses the upgrade server of the Internet through the accessing station of the refrigerator main body and requests downloading of the home networking program.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the upgrade server comprises a server employing a file transfer protocol (FTP) mode.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the upgrade server comprises a server employing a file transfer protocol (FTP) mode.

8. A method of upgrading the refrigerator networking system according to claim 4, comprising:

allowing the wireless terminal to access the upgrade server through the accessing station of the refrigerator main body;

determining whether a version of the program for the wireless terminal supplied from the upgrade server is newer than the program currently in use;

downloading the wireless terminal program from the upgrade server if the version of the wireless terminal program supplied from the upgrade server is newer than the program currently in use;

indicating to a user that the wireless terminal program has been downloaded; and

installing the wireless terminal program according to a selection by the user.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

allowing the home network controlling module to access the upgrade server through the accessing station of the refrigerator main body;

determining whether a version of a program for home networking supplied from the upgrade server is newer than the program currently in use;

downloading the home networking program from the upgrade server if the version of the home networking program supplied from the upgrade server is newer than the program currently in use;

indicating to the user through the wireless terminal that the home networking program has been downloaded; and

installing the home networking program according to the user'"'"'s selection through the wireless terminal.

10. A refrigerator in a home networking system, comprising:

a refrigerator control module to control general functions of the refrigerator;

a local network control module to control a plurality of other appliances, which are connected to the local network control module; and

an access unit to connect the refrigerator to an outside network, to provide the plurality of other appliances with access to the outside network, and to provide a user with wireless access to the outside network, the refrigerator, and the plurality of other appliances, wherein the user is able to control the refrigerator and the plurality of other appliances via a wireless terminal.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the refrigerator control module comprises:

a memory unit to store environmental data of a current status of the refrigerator, a controlled status of the refrigerator, and a setup status of the refrigerator; and

a refrigerator control unit to provide control of the refrigerator to the user,

wherein the refrigerator control unit transmits the current status of the refrigerator to the wireless terminal for display to the user, wherein the refrigerator control unit receives a change of the setup status of the refrigerator from the user via the wireless terminal, and wherein the refrigerator control unit receives a refrigerator control input from the user via the wireless terminal.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the local network control module comprises:

an interface unit to connect the plurality of other appliances to the local network control module;

a memory unit to store a plurality of current statuses of the plurality of other appliances; and

a local network control unit to provide control of the plurality of other appliances to the user,

wherein the local network control unit transmits the current statuses of the plurality of other appliances to the wireless terminal for display to the user, and wherein the local network control unit receives an other appliance control input from the user via the wireless terminal.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the local network control module supports a home plug mode, wherein power wiring is used to connect the refrigerator to the plurality of other appliances.

14. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the outside network is connected to the Internet.

15. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the access unit is connected to an upgrade server, and wherein the upgrade server stores firmware to upgrade the refrigerator control module, the local network control module, the access unit, and the wireless terminal.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the upgrade server is a file transfer protocol (FTP) server.

17. A method of upgrading a home networking system, comprising:

determining a current version of a driving program to be upgraded, wherein the driving program drives a refrigerator, one of a plurality of other appliances connected to the refrigerator, or a wireless terminal;

downloading a new version of the driving program, if the new version is newer than the current version;

displaying to a user a message that the new version was downloaded;

receiving from the user a command to install the new version; and

installing the new version.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying to the user a message that the driving program has been successfully upgraded.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the new version of the driving program is downloaded from a file transfer protocol (FTP) server.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the refrigerator, the one of the plurality of other appliances, or the wireless terminal determines the current version of the driving program and downloads the new version of the driving program.

21. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for upgrading a home networking system, comprising:

determining a current version of a driving program to be upgraded, wherein the driving program drives a refrigerator, one of a plurality of other appliances connected to the refrigerator, or a wireless terminal;

downloading a new version of the driving program, if the new version is newer than the current version;

displaying to a user a message that the new version was downloaded;

receiving from the user a command to install the new version; and

installing the new version.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying to the user a message that the driving program has been successfully upgraded.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the new version of the driving program is downloaded from a file transfer protocol (FTP) server.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the refrigerator, the one of the plurality of other appliances, or the wireless terminal determines the current version of the driving program and downloads the new version of the driving program.