SCREEN HELP WITH CONTEXTUAL SHORTCUT ON AN APPLIANCE

• US 20140317501A1
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Karlsson, Petter, Hofmann, Arnd, Brasseur, Jerome, Knausenberger, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,898,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/08 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

On-screen help with contextual shortcut on an appliance The invention relates to an appliance (100) with a user interface (110) comprising a display (111) for showing indications about conditions in the appliance, and first (112, 114) and second (113) touch-sensitive input means. The second input means causes the interface to enter an assistance mode displaying which assistance items, which a processing means (121) extracts from a collection (122) of assistance information based on the content of the display when the assistance mode is invoked. In one embodiment, a data record ensures that the user returns to the same page after consulting the assistance mode. In another embodiment, the appliance is adapted to update the collection of assistance information on the basis of data received at an external communication interface. In another embodiment, the display reacts differently to short and long activations of a given touch-sensitive input means. In another embodiment, the display includes parallax compensation.

Claims

1. An appliance (100) comprising:

a visual display (111, 211) for showing indications about conditions prevailing in the appliance;

a first touch-sensitive input means (112, 114;

212); and

a processing means (120), which is communicatively coupled to the visual display and the touch-sensitive input means and which is configured;

to associate the touch-sensitive input means with a control action selectable from a plurality of control actions in respect of the appliance, and

to indicate, using the visual display, the control action with which the touch-sensitive input means is currently associated,

characterized in that the processing means is configured to store a collection of assistance information containing assistance items,

wherein the collection of assistance information preferably comprises at least one in the group comprising;

textual information,

pictorial information,

aural information,

and in that the appliance further comprises a second touch-sensitive input means (113;

213) for entering an assistance mode, wherein the processing means is configured to extract one or more assistance items, to be shown on the visual display, from the collection of assistance information on the basis of indications present on the visual display at the moment of activation of the second touch-sensitive input means.

2. The appliance of any of claim 1, further comprising an external communication interface (140) communicatively coupled to the processing means and configured to receive external instructions relating to addition and/or removal of assistance items in the collection of assistance information.

3. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the processing means is operable in a maintenance mode, in which it implements instructions received at the external communication interface by amending the stored collection of assistance information, and in which it generates a new collection of assistance information on the basis of a static data record (510) and the received instructions.

4. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the processing means is configured to enter a maintenance mode, in which it implements instructions received at the external communication interface by amending the stored collection of assistance information, in response to a message received at the external communication interface.

5. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the collection of assistance information includes items generated by user interaction, such as at least one in the group comprising:

a frequently asked question,

a user-rated assistance item.

6. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the external communication interface (140) is further configured to transmit data relating to a failure condition prevailing in the appliance to a remote site.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the second touch-sensitive input means is a single button (113);

the processing means is configured to maintain a data record (701) containing data relating to indications currently shown on the visual display;

the processing means is configured to associate the data record with the one or more assistance items to be extracted from the collection of assistance information; and

the processing means is configured to show, in the assistance mode, an initial assistance menu, from which the one or more assistance items extracted by the processing means are individually selectable by a user.

8. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the processing means is configured to show an initial assistance menu that further comprises at least one static item.

9. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the processing means is configured to maintain the data record unchanged in the assistance mode and to exit the assistance mode by showing indications corresponding to the content of the data record on the visual display.

10. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the processing means is adapted to show pages selected from a collection of pages, each carrying an identifier, wherein the data record contains an identifier of a page shown at the moment of activation of the second touch-sensitive input means.

11. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the processing means is operable to associate a tactile activation of relatively shorter duration of the first touch-sensitive input means with a primary control action and to associate a tactile activation of relatively longer duration of the first touch-sensitive input means with entry into the assistance mode, wherein the one or more assistance items to be shown are extracted on the basis of the primary control action currently associated with the first touch-sensitive input means.

12. The appliance of claim 11, wherein the processing means is configured to apply a guard mechanism to avoid inadvertent tactile activation of the first touch-sensitive input means, said guard mechanism including that:

the processing means responds only to a release of an object from the first touch-sensitive input means as an activation; and

the processing means responds to an application of an object to the first touch-sensitive input means by displaying a visual indication identifying the first touch-sensitive input means.

13. The appliance of claim 11, wherein:

the control actions include operational commands, for controlling present and/or future conditions prevailing in the appliance other than in the processing means and visual display, and navigation commands; and

the guard mechanism includes that the processing means responds to an invoked operational command by requesting a separate confirmatory activation.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein:

the guard mechanism further includes that the processing means responds to an invoked operational command by further storing information relating to a screen image, from which the operational command is invoked, and that it responds to a failing confirmatory activation by returning to this screen image.

15. A computer-implemented method of updating a collection of assistance information stored in a processing means (120) in an appliance (100), which is equipped with an external communication interface (140) communicatively coupled to the processing means,

the method being performed at a remote site (599) and comprising the steps of:

preparing an executable update instruction relating to addition and/or deletion of assistance items in the collection of assistance information;

transmitting the update instruction for execution at the appliance by means of a wired, wireless or portable data carrier; and

receiving a confirmation of completion of the update from the appliance.