APPLIANCE NETWORK WITH A CLIENT DRIVER

• US 20080104208A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Whipple, Andrew, McCoy, Richard, Ebrom, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 9,124,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0063 using remote monitoring or controlling of the dishwasher operation, e.g. networking systems
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/04 Signal transfer or data transmission arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 7/02 by radio
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/26 the radio signal being a near-field communication signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• 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 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• 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 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 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 : Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 : for thawing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 : Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A network includes an appliance with a node on the network. The node has a unique software architecture that enables the node to expose its functionality to the network. A client has a driver to enable communication with the node so that the client can affect a cycle of operation in the appliance.

Claims

1. A network comprising:

at least one appliance configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article, and having at least one node on the network,

wherein the node has a software architecture comprising a plurality of software elements and configured to generate a plurality of messages with identifiers of functionalities of the node and to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages to other nodes on the network to communicate data related to the node, and

at least one client having a driver that enables the client to communicate with the at least one node, whereby the software architecture can expose functionalities of the node so the client can affect a cycle of operation performed by the appliance.

2. The network according to claim 1 wherein the client is a physical device.

3. The network according to claim 1 wherein the client is external to the appliance.

4. The network according to claim 3 wherein the client is on a different network and has a communication protocol for the different network.

5. The network according to claim 1 wherein the client comprises an arbitrary software component.

6. The network according to claim 5 wherein the arbitrary software component develops references to identifiers of functionality for the at least one node.

7. The network according to claim 5 wherein the at least one node has an arbitrary software component.

8. The network according to claim 5 wherein the arbitrary software component is one of a clock and time synchronization accessory, a stirring and ingredient addition accessory, a cooking sensor accessory, an operation cycles accessory, a consumable messaging and reader accessory, a recipe book, a laundry smart card accessory, a smart dimmer and adapter, a network binder accessory, a remote user interface, a smart coupler, a resource communication accessory, a cellular telephone accessory, and an audio/visual communication Accessory.

9. The network according to claim 1 wherein the client comprises a software architecture comprising a plurality of software elements and configured to generate a plurality of messages with identifiers of functionalities of the client and to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages to other nodes on the network to communicate data related to the client.

10. The network according to claim 1 wherein the driver develops references to identifiers of functionality for the at least one node.

11. The network according to claim 1 wherein the driver is configured to communicate a discovery message.

12. The network according to claim 1 wherein the driver is configured to communicate a password.

13. A network comprising at least three of appliance devices and client devices, at least one being an appliance device configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article, wherein one of the appliance devices has at least one node,

wherein the node has a software architecture comprising a plurality of software elements and configured to generate a plurality of messages with identifiers of functionalities of the node and to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages to other nodes on the network to communicate data related to the node, and

wherein each of the remainder of the at least three devices has a driver that enables the device to communicate with the at least one node, whereby the software architecture can expose functionalities of the node so the devices can affect a cycle of operation performed by the appliance.

14. The network according to claim 13 wherein each of the devices has a node and at least one of the nodes has a routing table comprising identifiers of the nodes.

15. The network according to claim 13 wherein at least one the nodes propagates discovery messages issued by one of the software architecture and the drivers.

16. A device comprising a processor, a memory, a power supply, and circuitry configured to transmit information contained in the memory to a physical transmission medium wherein the memory stores information received in a discovery message from an appliance.

17. The device according to claim 16 wherein the discovery message is propagated over at least two networks.

18. The device according to claim 16 wherein the device is a coupler connecting two networks.

19. An appliance configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article, wherein the appliance is further configured to connect to a client to receive a message configured according a software architecture comprising a plurality of software elements and configured to generate a plurality of messages with identifiers of functionalities of the client and to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages to the appliance.