Communication system and method for enabling improved use of an electric appliance

• US 20060085525A1
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wilfried Beck
• Original Assignee: Wilfried Beck
• Inventors: Beck, Wilfried
• Application Number:
  US11/293,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085525A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A communication system comprising at least one electric appliance (2, 17, 18, 19, 20) and a server (1, 21). The appliance (2, 17, 18, 19, 20) is linked to the server (1, 21), relevant data of the appliance (2, 17, 18, 19, 20) is reproduced in the server (1, 21) and the latter can be connected to a call center (5) via the Internet. When a request is made, the call center can access the server (1, 21) or the appliance (2, 17, 18, 19, 20) and the desired appliance (2, 17, 18, 19, 20) function or status can be achieved by the remote action of the center.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

at least one electrical appliance; and

a server;

wherein the appliance is linked with the server, rellevant data of the appliance are reproduced on the server, the server is connectable with a Call-Center via the Internet, wherein the owner of the applicance has the access to said data on the server.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server is connected with the Call-Center via the Internet upon request of the user.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of appliances are assigned to the server.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the appliance is a hi-fi-unit, for instance a multiroom-hi-fi-unit with a video server, and/or a home automation appliance, for instance a control unit of an edificial heating installation, and/or a medical appliance, for instance a medical a monitor appliance.

5. A system according to the claims 1 to 4, wherein the appliance is at least one of a hi-fi unit, for instance a multiroom-hi-fi-unit with a video server, a home automation applicance, for instance a control unit of an edificial heating installation, and a medical appliance, for instance a medical monitor applicance.

6. A system according to claims 3, wherein relevant data of the applicances are made available to the Internet-Call-Center by a server.

7. A system according to one of the claims 1, wherein the server is provided as a black-box-server, particularly as an open platform.

8. A system according to one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the connection between the server and Internet-Call-Center is realized by actuating a help-button of the appliances.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein a request to the server is realized instantaneously by wire or without, particularly by remote control.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein actuating the help-button calls the Internet-Call-Center without instantaneously causing telephone charges.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the connection with the Call-Center is realized by a person respectively by an automatic voice machine.

12. A method for improving the benefit of an electrical appliance, wherein relevant data of the appliance are made available for a Internet-Call-Center by a server such that a desired status of the appliances can be effected by external activity of the Internet-Call-Center, wherein the owner of the technical appliance has the access to said data on server and wherein data are not stored at a third person, comprising the steps:

1. the user contacts the Internet-Call-Center,

2. upon request of the user, the server will be connected to the Call-Center via Internet, and

3. the user receives competent assistance regarding the disposition of the appliance.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sequence of the steps to be carried out is 1, 2, 3.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the desired status of the applicance can be realized instantaneously by the Internet-Call-Center interacting with the server respectively the appliance.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein the Internet-Call-Center informs the user of the applicance and the user can effect the desired status following the given information.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein the Internet-Call-Center and the user communicate by spoken or written words respective pictures.

17. A communication system comprising:

at least one electrical appliance; and

a server;

wherein the appliance is linked with the server, relevant data of the appliance are reproduced on the server and the server is connectable with a Call-Center via the Internet where a third person has access to the up to date data of the appliance after an owner has requested a connection to the Call-Center.