Electric shaver or apparatus cooperating therewith and data-evaluation arrangement

• US 6,233,535 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1998
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Petretty, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US09/117,831
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 702/187, 702/188, 702/63, 324/427, 324/428, 324/433, 324/426, 320/132, 320/134, 320/136, 320/139
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/38 Details of, or accessories for, hair clippers, or dry shavers, e.g. housings, casings, grips, guards cutters, cutting heads B26B19/04, B26B19/12, B26B19/14; cleaning or disinfecting devices A45D27/46; drying devices A45D27/48; casings for electric apparatus in general H05K
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/3873 Electric features; Charging; Computing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 19/388 Sensors; Control

Abstract

The invention is directed to an electric shaver or an apparatus cooperating with the shaver, with a microcontroller which operates to obtain information about the use history of the shaver or the apparatus cooperating with the shaver, about the current operating condition of the shaver or the apparatus cooperating with the shaver and/or the components incorporated in the shaver or the apparatus cooperating with the shaver, wherein at least individual items of said information are output only in a separate output mode for such information.

Claims

1. An electric shaver comprising:

an electrically drivable output unit for displaying a current operating mode in a first output mode; and

a microcontroller programmed to obtain a plurality of different items of information selected from a group consisting of an operation history of the shaver, a current operating condition of the shaver, an identity of a component incorporated in the shaver, and a use history of the component incorporated in the shaver, wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to store the plurality of different items of information in the shaver and to selectively and separately output through the output unit in a second output mode the plurality of different items of information.

2. The shaver according to claim 1, wherein the second output mode is produced by applying a predetermined voltage to at least one PIN of the microcontroller.

3. The shaver according to claim 1 wherein the second output mode is produced by applying different voltages in a predetermined time-related sequence to the electric shaver.

4. The shaver according to claim 1 wherein the second output mode is produced by switching the electric shaver to specific operating modes in a predetermined time-related sequence.

5. The shaver according to claim 4, wherein the specific operating modes are set by actuating a control element of the shaver in a predetermined on-off sequence.

6. The shaver according to claim 1 wherein in the second output mode the individual information items are selected for output based on a setting mode of the second output mode.

7. The shaver according to claim 6, wherein the setting mode is set by actuating a control element of the shaver in a predetermined on-off sequence.

8. The shaver according to claim 1 wherein the information items are output by at least one of visual and aural means.

9. The shaver according to claim 1 wherein the microprocessor drives the output unit with a signal encoding both the type of information and the information itself by means of pulse duration modulation.

10. The shaver according to claim 1 wherein the output unit is divisible into several segments and the microprocessor indicates at least one of the type of information and the information itself by driving the individual segments (104, 105).

11. The shaver according to claim 10, wherein the driving of at least one of the segments signals that the shaver is in the second output mode.

12. An arrangement for the evaluation of information that is output by a shaver according to claim 1 comprising;

a device for detecting the items of information from the output unit; and

a processing unit having a data input that is connectable to the device to receive the information, the processing unit further processing and indicating the information.

13. An apparatus which cooperates with an electric shaver, said apparatus comprising:

an electrically drivable output unit for indicating a current operating mode in a first output mode; and

a microcontroller programmed to obtain a plurality of different items of information selected from a group consisting of an operation history of the apparatus, a current operating condition of the apparatus, an identity of a component incorporated in the apparatus, and a use history of the component incorporated in the apparatus, the microcontroller is further programmed to store the plurality of different items of information in the apparatus and to selectively and separately output in a second output mode the plurality of different items of information through the output unit.