Refrigerator having user avatar display function

• US 20060256132A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Jong-Min, Lee, Su-Won, Kim, Eun-Jeong, Kwon, Yong-Chol, Park, Eun-Young, Youn, Deok-Hyun, Bae, Sun-Cheol, Kong, Byung-Koo, Sim, Jae-Seng, Son, Ku-Young
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/12 Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses a refrigerator having a user avatar display function which can store avatars of each user, identify users, and display the avatars corresponding to the identified users. The refrigerator having the user avatar display function includes a photographing means for photographing images of users, a storing means for storing user information for identifying the users, and avatar information having avatars corresponding to the users and/or user information, a display means for displaying the avatars, and a control means for reading the user information, comparing the user information with the images of the users photographed by the photographing means, reading the avatar information according to the comparison result, and displaying the avatars of the users included in the read avatar information on the display means.

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a user avatar display function, comprising:

a photographing means for photographing images of users;

a storing means for storing user information for identifying the users, and avatar information having avatars corresponding to the users and/or user information;

a display means for displaying the avatars; and

a control means for reading the user information, comparing the user information with the images of the users photographed by the photographing means, reading the avatar information according to the comparison result, and displaying the avatars of the users included in the read avatar information on the display means.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the storing means stores message information including messages whose receivers are the users.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the messages comprise at least one of image messages, sound messages and text messages.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the control means reads the messages corresponding to the avatars of the users from the message information, and displays the messages on the display means.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, further comprising a speaker unit for providing the sound messages.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the images of the users comprise at least one of iris images, fingerprint images and body shapes of the users.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the body shapes comprise at least faces.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an input means for receiving commands and/or data from the users.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the storing means comprises avatar formation information for forming the avatars, the input means receives selection of the avatars by the users in the avatar formation information, and the control means adds the selected avatars to the avatar information corresponding to the user information.

10. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the input means receives selection of the users and/or avatars as receivers, and the control means adds information on the users who are receivers and/or the avatars to the message information.

11. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the input means receives the text messages.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a reading means for identifying food information of food taken out of the refrigerator,

wherein the control means adds the food information from the reading means to the user information.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the storing means stores nutrition information on foods, and the control means reads the nutrition information, calculates the ingestion quantity of the users according to the food information included in the user information on the basis of the nutrition information, changes the avatars of the users according to the ingestion quantity of the users, and displays the changed avatars on the display means.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the storing means stores biorhythm information of the users, and the control means changes the avatars according to the biorhythm information of the users, and displays the changed avatars on the display means.

15. A refrigerator having a user avatar display function, comprising:

a storing means for storing avatar information having avatars corresponding to users;

a display means for displaying the avatars; and

a control means for changing the avatars according to user-related information and displaying the avatars on the display means.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the user-related information comprises food information of the foods which the users have ingested.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a reading means for identifying food information of food taken out of the refrigerator,

wherein the control means adds the food information from the reading means to the user-related information as the food information of the foods which the users have ingested.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the storing means stores nutrition information on foods, and the control means calculates the ingestion quantity of the users according to the food information on the basis of the nutrition information, changes the avatars of the users according to the ingestion quantity of the users, and displays the changed avatars.

19. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the user-related information comprises biorhythm information of the users.