APPLIANCE NETWORK WITH A CLIENT DRIVER

• US 20080125912A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Maynard, Donald A., Horst, Gale R., Heilman, Layne E.
• Application Number:
  US11/932,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125912A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• 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

An appliance network comprising a commercial laundry appliance having a communication network, a laundry credit accessory in communication with the communication network, and a software architecture configured to generate a plurality of messages and configured to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages between the commercial laundry appliance and the laundry credit accessory.

Claims

1. An appliance network comprising:

a commercial laundry appliance configured to perform a cleaning cycle of operation on a laundry article in response to payment by credit, comprising;

a communication network comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes configured to communicate across the communication network;

a plurality of components, each component associated with at least one of the plurality of nodes; and

a laundry credit accessory having at least one node in communication with the communication network; and

a software architecture comprising a plurality of software elements and configured to generate a plurality of messages, with at least one of the software elements residing in each of the components and in the laundry credit accessory and configured to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages between the components and between the accessory and the components.

2. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of messages is a control command that implements the cleaning cycle of operation of the first networked appliance.

3. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality of messages comprises usage information.

4. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality of messages comprises operating parameters for the commercial laundry appliance.

5. The appliance network of claim 4 wherein the operating parameters comprise price change information.

6. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality of messages comprises diagnostic information for the commercial laundry appliance.

7. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the first networked appliance further comprises a user interface configured to generate a set of messages, and the plurality of messages generated by the software architecture includes at least one message not included in the set of messages.

8. The appliance network of claim 7 wherein the laundry credit accessory provides alternate content to the user interface.

9. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the laundry credit accessory forms a node on the communication network of the first networked appliance, wherein the node formed by the accessory is configured to control at least one other node on the communication network.

10. The appliance network of claim 1 further comprising a central system capable of communicating with at least one of the commercial laundry appliance and the laundry credit accessory.

11. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the central system provides price information to the commercial laundry appliance.

12. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the laundry credit accessory sends a message to the central system regarding a service alert for the commercial laundry appliance.

13. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the laundry credit accessory propagates information between the commercial laundry appliance and the central system.

14. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the laundry credit accessory comprises a memory for storing credits for paying for the performance of the cleaning cycle of operation.

15. The appliance network of claim 14 wherein the performance of the cleaning cycle of operation results in a reduction of the number of the credits stored in the memory.

16. The appliance network of claim 15 wherein a user can purchase additional credits to increase the number of credits stored in the memory.

17. The appliance network of claim 16 wherein the additional credits are purchased through the laundry appliance.

18. The appliance network of claim 16 further comprising a network device for purchasing additional credits and capable of communication with the laundry credit accessory.

19. The appliance network of claim 14 wherein the memory of the laundry credit accessory further stores at least one of usage information, pricing information, operating parameters, and diagnostic information.

20. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the laundry credit accessory stores an updated cleaning cycle of operation.

21. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the laundry credit accessory is configured to query the communication network for the identity of the components on the communication network.

22. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the laundry credit accessory is configured to create at least one additional message on the communication network.

23. The appliance network of claim 22 wherein the laundry credit accessory forms a node on the communication network of the first networked appliance, wherein the node formed by the accessory is configured to control at least one other node on the communication network.