CONSUMABLE HOLDER WITH USER INTERFACE DATA

• US 20090044137A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: BARTLEY, JAMES K., MCCOY, RICHARD A.
• Application Number:
  US12/256,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044137A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• 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 6/6435 Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

A user interface has software configured to communicate with an appliance adapted to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article and to communicate with a consumable information holder. The software is further configured to cause the graphical user interface to communicate to a user information that is at least partially derived from the consumable information holder. The information includes at least one step for activating a user interface component, preparing the appliance for the operation cycle, handling the appliance during the operation cycle, handling the appliance after the operation cycle, preparing the article for the operation cycle, handling the article during an operation cycle, or handling an article after the operation cycle.

Claims

1. A user interface having software configured to communicate with an appliance adapted to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article and to communicate with a consumable information holder, wherein the software is further configured to cause the graphical user interface to communicate to a user information at least partially derived from the consumable information holder, the information comprising at least one step for one of activating a user interface component, preparing the appliance for the operation cycle, handling the appliance during the operation cycle, handling the appliance after the operation cycle, preparing the article for the operation cycle, handling the article during an operation cycle, and handling an article after the operation cycle.

2. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the information comprises a set of ordered steps.

3. The user interface of claim 2 wherein the set of ordered steps includes activating a user interface component.

4. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the at least one step in the ordered collection of steps includes obtaining information about setting operating cycle of the appliance.

5. The user interface of claim 1 wherein preparing the article includes introduction of the article into the appliance use environment.

6. The user interface of claim 1 wherein handling the article includes removal of the article from the appliance use environment and re-introduction into an appliance use environment.

7. The user interface of claim 1 wherein handling the article after the operation cycle includes using the article post-contemporaneously with an appliance use environment.

8. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the user interface is graphical.

9. A consumable information holder for use with an article in an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle related to the article, the consumable information holder comprising information containing instructions to a user related to one of preparation for the operation cycle, handling during the operation cycle, and handling after the operation cycle, and adapted to be perceived by a consumable reader enabled to exchange data with a user interface, whereby when a consumable reader obtains the information from the consumable information holder and the user interface displays relevant data from the consumable reader, a user can utilize the information from the user interface in preparing for, handling during, and handling after the cycle of operation.

10. The consumable holder of claim 9 wherein the information comprises at least two steps.

11. An appliance having software configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article and to communicate with a consumable information holder, wherein the software is further configured to cause the appliance to communicate to a user information at least partially derived from the consumable information holder, the information comprising at least one step for one of activating a user interface component, preparing the appliance for the operation cycle, handling the appliance during the operation cycle, handling the appliance after the operation cycle, preparing the article for the operation cycle, handling the article during an operation cycle, and handling an article after the operation cycle.

12. The appliance of claim 11 wherein the information comprises a set of ordered steps.

13. The appliance of claim 12 wherein the set of ordered steps includes activating a user interface component.

14. The appliance of claim 11 wherein the at least one step in the ordered collection of steps includes obtaining information about setting operating cycle of the appliance.

15. The appliance of claim 11 wherein preparing the article includes introduction of the article into the appliance use environment.

16. The appliance of claim 11 wherein handling the article includes removal of the article from the appliance use environment and re-introduction into an appliance use environment.

17. The appliance of claim 11 wherein handling the article after the operation cycle includes using the article post-contemporaneously with an appliance use environment.