APPLIANCE AND A CONSUMABLE HOLDER IN A NETWORK

• US 20090040067A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: PIRES, ANDRE O., MCCOY, RICHARD A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,477,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.370
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• 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
• 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

Abstract

A network includes a client and an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle on an article using a consumable. Information associated with the consumable can be exchanged between the appliance and the client across the network.

Claims

1. A network comprising a client and an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle on an article using a consumable wherein information associated with the consumable can be exchanged between the client and the appliance across the network.

2. The network of claim 1 wherein the client is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

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

4. The network of claim 1 wherein the client is internal to the appliance and further comprising an external client in communication with the appliance and the internal client.

5. The network of claim 4 comprising a smart coupler to communicate with a second network.

6. The network of claim 5 wherein the smart coupler is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

7. The network of claim 5 wherein the second network comprises a remote client.

8. The network of claim 7 wherein the remote client is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

9. The network of claim 4 comprising a second smart coupler to communicate with a third network, wherein the third network includes a second appliance.

10. The network of claim 1 wherein the information associated with a consumable includes a cycle structure.

11. The network of claim 1 wherein the network is virtual.

12. An appliance configured to perform an operation cycle related to a consumable comprising one of a user interface, a consumable holder and a consumable reader having information associated with a consumable and further configured to send the information to one of a smart coupler, a remote client, and a second appliance.

13. An external client enabled to communicate with an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle related to a consumable, the external client comprising information associated with the consumable that can be exchanged with the appliance across a network.

14. The external client of claim 13 wherein the external client is a remote client in communication with a smart coupler.

15. The external client of claim 13 wherein the external client is a smart coupler.

16. The external client of claim 13 wherein the external client is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

17. The external client of claim 16 wherein the external client is a consumable reader.

18. The external client of claim 17 wherein the consumable reader is one of a phone, a PDA, a computer, and a camera.

19. A graphical user interface adapted to communicate with one of an appliance configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article, and an external client configured to communicate with the appliance wherein the graphical user interface comprises software configured to send a network message to one of the appliance and the external client for effecting the configuration, enablement, functionality, or operation of the external client.