Remote operation management system

• US 20040267383A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: West, Stephen James, Dickerson, Donald Richard Jr., Bicknell, William Hull
• Granted Patent: US 7,164,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/65
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/20 for washing or drying articles, e.g. clothes, motor cars
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A remote operation management system for commercial appliances is provided. The system includes a user interface for authorizing use of an appliance and a dedicated appliance controller coupled to the user interface and the appliance for controlling operation of the appliance. An appliance communication controller is coupled to the user interface over an appliance communication connection, and an external host controller is coupled to the appliance communication controller over a host communication connection. The external host controller is configured to communicate a message for the appliance to the appliance communication controller. A remote management system is coupled to the external host controller and configured to control a function of the appliance.

Claims

1. A remote operation management system for commercial appliances, comprising:

a user interface for authorizing use of an appliance;

a dedicated appliance controller coupled to said user interface and the appliance for controlling operation of the appliance;

an appliance communication controller coupled to said user interface over an appliance communication connection;

an external host controller coupled to the appliance communication controller over a host communication connection, the external host controller configured to communicate a message for the appliance to the appliance communication controller; and

a remote management system coupled to said external host controller and configured to control a function of the appliance.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said user interface passes control of the appliance to said dedicated appliance controller when use of the appliance is authorized.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the appliance is operable in an off-line mode whereby the appliance is controlled only by said user interface and said dedicated appliance controller.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said external host controller is coupled to more than one appliance.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said appliance communication controller is coupled to both said user interface and said dedicated appliance controller.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the host communication connection comprises a power line carrier communication connection.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the appliance communication connection comprises a serial appliance communication connection.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the dedicated appliance controller includes reprogrammable appliance control software.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a debit card machine.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a bank card machine.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a non-coin commercial machine.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1, system of claim 1 wherein the message is a dedicated appliance controller message.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the message is a user interface message.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the user interface and the appliance communication controller tracks statistics from the dedicated appliance controller.

15. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said management system comprises remote operation software.

16. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the external host controller comprises an external application layer for transmitting data to the at least one appliance communication controller.

17. A system in accordance with claim 16, wherein the external application layer comprises at least one of remote operation software, diagnostic software, and upgrade software.

18. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said external host controller is coupled to said remote management system via an Internet connection.

19. A method for remotely reconfiguring an appliance, the method comprising:

generating an upgrade message at a remote system;

transmitting the upgrade message from the remote system to an external host controller in a building housing the appliance;

transmitting the upgrade message from the external host controller to an appliance communication controller;

transmitting the upgrade message from the appliance communication controller to a dedicated appliance controller via a user interface; and

upgrading the dedicated appliance controller using the upgrade message.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the upgrade message is transmitted to the appliance communication controller from the external host control using a power line carrier system.

21. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the upgrade message is transmitted to the user interface from the appliance communication controller using a serial connection.

22. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the upgrade message is transmitted from the remote system to the external host controller using an Internet connection.