Network System with Electronic Credentials and Authentication for Appliances

• US 20080127325A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Glotzbach, Patrick, Glotzbach, Mark E., Whipple, Andrew D., Ebrom, Matthew P., McCoy, Richard A., Putnam, Daniel M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• 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

Abstract

An appliance has a communication network with a plurality of nodes for executing commands to enable operation by components. A firewall is provided to restrict access to the commands by the nodes without a password.

Claims

1. An appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation to complete a physical domestic operation on an article, comprising:

a communication network with a plurality of interconnected nodes configured to communicate across the communication network and execute commands;

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

wherein the software architecture provides a firewall to restrict execution of commands by at least one of the plurality of interconnected nodes.

2. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the nodes must communicate a password to enable subsequent command execution.

3. The appliance according to claim 2 wherein the firewall comprises a table of commands that the nodes can execute without a password.

4. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the firewall provides three levels of access by the at least one node:

denied, granted, and temporarily granted.

5. The appliance according to claim 4 wherein the at least one node will be permitted full access to all commands upon publication and acceptance of a permanent password.

6. The appliance according to claim 4 wherein the at least one node will be permitted full access to all commands for a limited time upon publication and acceptance of a temporary password.

7. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the at least one node can gain access to a restricted command by publishing a password in a message over the communication network.

8. An appliance network comprising:

an appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation to complete a physical domestic operation on an article, the appliance having;

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

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

an accessory having at least one node configured to 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 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,

wherein the software architecture provides a firewall to restrict access to the communication network by the accessory without a password.

9. The appliance network of claim 8 wherein the accessory is a client of the software architecture and firewall comprises a table of commands that the client can access without a password.

10. The appliance network of claim 8 wherein the firewall provides three levels of access by the client:

denied, granted, and temporarily granted.

11. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the client will be permitted full access to all commands upon publication and acceptance of a permanent password by the client.

12. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the client will be permitted full access to all commands for a limited time upon publication and acceptance of a temporary password by the client.