METHOD OF DETERMINING APPLIANCE PARTS STATUS

• US 20100169230A1
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Glotzbach, Patrick J., McCoy, Richard A., Williams, David M.
• Application Number:
  US12/345,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169230A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

A method identifies whether a component in an appliance is original with the manufacture of the appliance or replaced after manufacture of the appliance. The component will have one or more indicators. The method includes setting the indicator of each component when the components are made to indicate that the components are replacements, and setting the indicator of each component installed in the appliance when the appliance is made to indicate that the component is original. Thus, any component installed in the appliance after the appliance is made will have an indicator indicating it as a replacement.

Claims

1. A method of identifying whether a component in an appliance is original with the manufacture of the appliance or replaced after manufacture of the appliance wherein the component has at least one indicator, the method comprising:

setting the indicator of each component when the components are made to indicate that the components are replacements, and

setting the indicator of each component installed in the appliance when the appliance is made to indicate that the component is original,

whereby any component installed in the appliance after the appliance is made will have an indicator indicating it as a replacement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicator is a bit in memory and bit is set to true when the component is made and set to false when the appliance is made.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicator is set using a network message.

4. An appliance comprising at least one component, wherein the at least one component has an indicator with one of only two values representing the at least one component as original and replacement where if the at least one component is original, the value was set when the appliance was made and if the at least one component is replacement, the value was set when the component was made.

7. The appliance of claims 4 wherein the indicator is communicable via network message.

8. The appliance of claims 4 wherein the indicator is a bit.

9. The appliance of claims 4 wherein the indicator includes a memory location and a value in the location.

10. The appliance of claims 4 wherein the indicator includes a variable name and a value associated with the variable name.

5. An appliance comprising at least one component, wherein the at least one component has an indicator indicating whether it is original with the appliance or a replacement, and the identifier is stored in memory.

6. The appliance of claim 5 wherein the memory is in the appliance or a network

11. A method of servicing an appliance using an appliance internal network comprising:

retrieving from the internal network service information about at least one component in the appliance,

ascertaining from the service information whether the at least one component is original with the appliance or a replacement, and

servicing the appliance according to the service information.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising assessing a cost of servicing the appliance based on whether the at least one component is original with the appliance or a replacement.