Avatar Refrigerator

• US 20080195944A1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sung-Ae, Oh, Seung-Jin, Lee, Ik-Kyu, Lee, Soo-Beom, Woo, Ki-Cheol, Son, Hee-Son
• Granted Patent: US 8,047,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/706
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for providing a user with a variety of information using an avatar. The present invention comprises a storage device for storing avatar data including a figure and/or a motion of the avatar, a display device provided on an outer surface of the refrigerator to display the avatar, a control device for selecting the avatar to be displayed on the display device among the avatar data stored in the storage device and causing the display device to display the avatar, and an input device for receiving a command or information input from the outside. According to the present invention so configured, there is an advantage in that the display device can display a variety of avatars stored in the storage device in conformance with a condition.

Claims

1. An avatar refrigerator, comprising:

a storage device for storing avatar data;

a display device provided in the refrigerator for displaying the avatar data thereon; and

a control device for allowing the avatar data to be displayed on the display device.

2. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the avatar data include at least one of a figure and a motion of an avatar.

3. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the avatar data further includes at least one of voice and letter information.

4. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device changes at least one of the avatar data such that the avatar displayed on the display device can be changed.

5. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an input device for receiving a command or information from the outside.

6. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control device causes at least one avatar to be changed and displayed on the display device according to set information assigned to the avatar.

7. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the set information is stored or changed by means of the input device.

8. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control device causes at least one avatar to be displayed on the display device according to the command input through the input device.

9. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device causes at least one avatar to be changed and displayed on the display device according to set information assigned to the avatar.

10. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the set information causes the avatar to vary according to time.

11. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a date and time counting device for calculating a current date and time, wherein the control device changes the avatar displayed on the display device according to the current date and time obtained from the date and time counting device.

12. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the avatar set information changes the avatar displayed on the display device according to a refrigerator state.

13. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 12, wherein the refrigerator state includes at least one of a temperature in a chamber, a door opening and closing state, a horizontal state of the refrigerator, and an operating state of a compressor.

14. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a horizontal detecting portion for detecting the horizontal state of the refrigerator.

15. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control device obtains a gradient from the horizontal detecting portion and causes the gradient to be displayed on the display device.

16. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the avatar set information includes information on a health condition, and the control device causes the avatar having the set information corresponding to the information on the health condition of a user to be displayed on the display device.

17. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the user'"'"'s health condition information is stored or changed by means of the input device.

18. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 17, wherein the refrigerator is connected to a health measuring device for measuring the user'"'"'s health condition, and the control device obtains the health condition information from a value measured from the health measuring device and stores the obtained health condition information into the storage device.

19. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 18, wherein the control device causes an abnormal region of a user'"'"'s body to be displayed at a corresponding area on the avatar according to the health condition information.

20. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 19, wherein the portion of the avatar corresponding to the abnormal region of the user'"'"'s body is changed in color or shape or flickers.

21. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the storage device stores standard health information, and the control device compares the user'"'"'s health condition information with the standard health information to determine the user'"'"'s health condition.

22. The avatar refrigerator as claimed i claim 21, wherein tie control device causes the user'"'"'s health condition to be displayed on the display device in the form of letters when receiving the user'"'"'s health condition from the input device.

23. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 21, wherein the storage device further includes predetermined treatment information, and the control device causes the treatment information corresponding to the user'"'"'s health condition to be displayed on the display device.

24. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control device stores separate avatar data for a plurality of avatars to allow an individual avatar to be chosen for each user and stores individual body information according to users.

25. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 24, wherein the input device includes at least one of an information input portion, a blood pressure measuring portion and a blood sugar measuring portion, and the control device causes the information input from the input device to be stored.

26. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 25, wherein the health condition information input through the information input portion includes at least one of blood pressure, a blood sugar, the body information, percent body fat.

27. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 26, wherein the input device includes a mode switching portion for switching a mode to a management mode in which the input information is shown, and a data input portion for allowing the individual avatar to en chosen among avatars displayed on the display device in the management mode switched by the mode switching portion and the individual health condition information to be input into the chosen avatar.

28. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 27, wherein the control device includes a data storing portion for accumulatively storing the individual health condition information input through the input device according to dates in the chosen individual avatar, and a data processing portion for causing a change in the health condition information stored in the data storing portion to be displayed on the display device.

29. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 28, wherein the data processing portion causes only the change in the health condition information for the last few days to be displayed on the display device.

30. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 29, wherein tile data processing portion determines test time based on the change in the data according to dates and causes the determined test time to be displayed on the display device.

31. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 26, wherein the blood sugar measuring portion includes a noninvasive blood sugar sensor capable of measuring a blood sugar level in a state where a body region is brought into contact with the sensor.

32. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 27, wherein the control device includes a data processing portion for comparing the individual health condition information input from the input device with the preset standard health condition information to manage a health condition or prescription, and a data storing portion for accumulatively storing the individual health condition information input from the input device and the individual health condition or prescription managed in the data processing portion together with a measuring date for each individual avatar.

33. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 32, wherein the data processing portion causes the individual health condition information accumulatively stored in the data storing portion and the health condition change or prescription to be displayed on the display device.

34. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 26, wherein the body information includes at least one of sex, name, age, weight and stature.

35. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 34, wherein the refrigerator provides recommendable exercise suitable to the input body information and corresponding calorie consumption, and the recommendable exercise and corresponding calorie consumption provided to the control device are displayed on the display device using the avatar.

39. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an image pick-up device for taking a motion image of a user.

40. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the storage device stores a plurality of avatar data different from each other according to growth degrees, growth data numerically represented according to the growth degrees of an avatar and user'"'"'s health condition information;

and the avatar refrigerator further comprises an avatar breeding device for updating the growth data according to tie health condition information.

41. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 40, wherein the health condition information includes at least one of a user'"'"'s body fat level and a calorie of food ingested by the user.

42. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 40, wherein the input device receives a growth period of time of the avatar, and the control device causes the avatar to grow for the growth period of time.

43. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 40, wherein the input device receives the health condition information from the user and the control device stores the health condition information in the storage device.

44. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 43, further comprising a measuring device for measuring the user'"'"'s body fat level and providing the measured level to the control device, wherein the control device stores the body fat level as the health condition information in the storage device.

45. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 43, wherein the storage device stores calorie information of food, and the control device causes an image of the food to be displayed on the display device and receives information of the food chosen through the input device by the user to calculate the calorie of food ingested by the user.

46. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 40, wherein the storage device stores data on a breeding state where the avatar is bred, the display device displays the breeding state;

the avatar breeding device updates the growth data according to a breeding command on the basis of the health condition information and the breeding state, and the control device receives the breeding command from the input device to transmit the breeding state data, the growth data and the health condition information to the avatar breeding device and to receives the updated growth data from the avatar breeding device.

47. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device determines whether the refrigerator is out of order or operates erroneously, and causes an avatar selected in accordance with the determination or a message indicating a determination result to be displayed on the display device.

48. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 47, further comprising an input device for allowing the user to input a request of detailed information on the determination result, wherein the storage device further stores the detailed information corresponding to the determination result and the control device causes the detailed information to be displayed on the display device at the request of the input device.

49. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 47, wherein the storage device stores a control pattern of the refrigerator and the control device compares a current operating state with the control pattern to determine whether the refrigerator is out of order.

50. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device comprises:

a power supply portion for receiving supplied power with predetermined voltage amplitude from the control device to generate a plurality of electric power;

a display portion for receiving the supplied power or electric power to cause the avatar data and state and operating information of the refrigerator to be displayed thereon;

a first storing portion for storing the avatar data and the state and operating information of the refrigerator;

a second storing portion for temporarily storing the avatar data and the state and operating information of the refrigerator to transmit the data and information to the display portion; and

a microprocessor supplied with the electric power for receiving the information data including the state and operating information of the refrigerator from the control device, storing the received information data in the first storing portion, reading the avatar data and the state and operating information of the refrigerator from the first storing portion to transmit and temporarily storing the data and information to and in the second storing portion, and reading the avatar data and the state and operating information of the refrigerator from the second storing portion to transmit the data and information to the display portion on which the data and information can be displayed.

51. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 50, wherein the display portion includes any one of a liquid crystal display device, a light emitting diode and a plasma display device.

52. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 50, wherein the first storing portion is a flash memory and the second storing portion is an SDRAM.

53. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 50, further comprising an input device for receiving an input command from the user, wherein the microprocessor transmits the information data including the input command to the control device.

54. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 53, wherein the microprocessor causes at least one of the avatar character and the state and operating information of the refrigerator to be selectively displayed.

55. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 54, wherein the microprocessor reads the information data to cause the data to be displayed on the avatar when receiving the information data.

56. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the display device further includes a speaker portion for generating a sound.

57. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 50, wherein the display device further comprises a speaker portion for generating a sound.

36. An avatar refrigerator, comprising:

a detecting sensor for detecting whether a refrigerator door is opened or closed;

a control device for counting and storing the number of times the door is opened and closed according to whether the door is opened or closed, which is detected by the detecting sensor; and

a display device for causing the number of times counted in the control device together with the avatar to be displayed thereon.

37. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 36, wherein the control device causes at least one of the number of times respective freezing and refrigerating chamber doors are opened and closed, opening and closing time of the respective freezing and refrigerating chamber doors, a compressor operating time and power consumption during the compressor operating time.

38. The avatar refrigerator as claimed in claim 37, further comprising a user identification device for identifying a user who opens the door, wherein the control device sets the avatar according to the user identified from the user identification device, accumulatively stores the number of times a relevant user has opened the door in the avatar for each user, and causes the number of times and the avatar for each user to be displayed on the display device.