SMART FILTER FOR AN APPLIANCE

• US 20100106265A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: RICHMOND, PETER J., VOGLEWEDE, RONALD L., EBROM, MATTHEW P., MCCOY, RICHARD A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,118,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/52 Filter identification means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/54 Computerised or programmable systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/56 Wireless systems for monitoring the filter
• 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

Abstract

A filter assembly is provided for an appliance that performs a useful cycle of operation on a physical article and uses a resource that passes through the filter assembly. The filter assembly includes at least one replaceable filter mounted in a filter holder. The filter holder has at least one control board having software architecture configured for communication on a network including other control boards or clients. The control board has at least one functionality of a universe of functionalities, and the functionality has a unique identifier, where the unique identifier can be communicated by the software architecture over the network. The filter assembly has at least one node in communication with the network, so that the filter assembly can monitor and record events, communicate, or affect the cycle of operation of the appliance.

Claims

1. A filter assembly for an appliance that performs a useful cycle of operation on a physical article and uses a resource that passes through the filter assembly, the filter assembly comprising at least one replaceable filter mounted in a filter holder, the filter holder characterized by:

at least one control board having software architecture configured for communication on a network including other control boards or clients, and the at least one control board having at least one functionality of a universe of functionalities;

the at least one functionality having a unique identifier, wherein the unique identifier can be communicated by the software architecture over the network; and

the filter assembly having at least one node in communication with the network, whereby the filter assembly can monitor and record events, communicate, or affect the cycle of operation of the appliance.

2. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein the network is a first network and the filter assembly comprises a network communication device configured to propagate and transfer information between the appliance and at least one additional network which is not the first network.

3. The filter assembly of claim 2 wherein the network communication device comprises means to effect two way communication.

4. The filter assembly of claim 1 further comprising a memory device containing at least one of additional cycles of operation, updated cycles of operation, historical information relating to cycles of operation experienced by the appliance, and software to reconfigure the software architecture.

5. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein the filter holder is configured to query the communication network for the unique identifiers of the functionalities in the appliance.

6. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein the network is in the appliance and the filter assembly forms a node on the network.

7. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein functionality in the appliance is configurable by a message from the accessory.

8. The filter assembly of claim 7 wherein the message assigns the unique identifier to a new functionality.

9. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein the communication is wireless and two-way.

10. The filter assembly of claim 1 configured for use in a refrigerator.

20. The filter of claim 1 further comprising an identifying element wherein the unique identifier is stored in the identifying element.

21. The filter of claim 20 wherein the identifying element also has an algorithm for determining characteristics of the filter or the fluid.

22. The filter of claim 20 further comprising a filter status indicator.

11. A filter assembly comprising

a filter holder disposed to hold a filter in a fluid path;

a filter disposed in the filter holder in the fluid path;

at least one appliance coupling point configured to direct fluid from the fluid path downstream of the filter to an appliance configured to use the fluid;

a source of information about one of the filter holder, the filter, and the fluid; and

a circuit with at least one control board having software architecture configured for communication on a network including other components connected to the circuit, including at least one component in an appliance, the circuit being configured to retrieve data from the source of information;

whereby the circuit can communicate the information over the network when the filter assembly is coupled to an appliance.

12. The filter assembly of claim 11 wherein the at least one appliance coupling point is the filter holder.

13. The filter assembly of claim 11 wherein the software architecture enables two-way communication over the network.

14. A filter for an appliance that performs a useful cycle of operation on a physical article and uses a resource that passes through the filter, comprising:

at least one functionality from a universe of functionalities, the at least one functionality having a unique identifier, and

a circuit with at least one control element having software architecture configured for communication on a network including other components connected to the circuit, including at least one component in an appliance, the circuit being configured to communicate the unique identifier over a network,

whereby the circuit can monitor events concerning the filter or the resource, communicate meaningful information, or affect the cycle of operation of an appliance when the filter is coupled to the appliance.

15. The filter of claim 14 further comprising a memory device.

16. The filter of claim 14 wherein the circuit is configured to query the communication network for the unique identifiers of the functionalities in an appliance.

17. The filter of claim 14 wherein functionality in an appliance is configurable by a message from the filter.

18. The filter of claim 14 wherein the communication is wireless and two-way.

19. The filter of claim 14 wherein the circuit communicates to the appliance information about the characteristics of the filter when the filter is coupled to the appliance.