Refrigerator and method for operating the same
First Claim
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1. A refrigerator comprising:
- a microcomputer that controls refrigerating and freezing environments of said refrigerator;
a display unit that displays information regarding an operating state of said refrigerator;
a media controller, connectable to an external network, that processes the operating state information for display on said display unit, said media controller and said microcomputer being installed on a single board;
an input/output unit that inputs signals to and outputs signals from said microcomputer;
a chipset that controls the input and output signals; and
a central processing unit that processes the signals controlled by the chipset for display on said display unit.
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Abstract
A refrigerator and a method for operating the same. The refrigerator comprises a single media controller installed on a single board together with a refrigerator microcomputer, which controls the entire operation of the refrigerator, for not only displaying information regarding internal environments of the refrigerator on a display unit installed on the outer surface of the refrigerator, but also connecting the refrigerator to an external network, such as the Internet, to enable a user to access the Internet through the refrigerator. Therefore, the refrigerator can be reduced in its assembling time and manufacturing cost and be increased in its assembling efficiency.
41 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A refrigerator comprising:
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a microcomputer that controls refrigerating and freezing environments of said refrigerator;
a display unit that displays information regarding an operating state of said refrigerator;
a media controller, connectable to an external network, that processes the operating state information for display on said display unit, said media controller and said microcomputer being installed on a single board;
an input/output unit that inputs signals to and outputs signals from said microcomputer;
a chipset that controls the input and output signals; and
a central processing unit that processes the signals controlled by the chipset for display on said display unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for operating a refrigerator, comprising:
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receiving a multimedia associated command at a microcomputer and transmitting the multimedia associated command to a media controller, said microcomputer controlling operation of said refrigerator, and said media controller controlling a multimedia function of said refrigerator;
processing the multimedia associated command at said media controller, the processing comprising converting a format of the multimedia associated command into a format of said media controller and determining a media type of the format-converted multimedia associated command; and
controlling output of said media controller in accordance with results of the processing. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method for operating a refrigerator, comprising:
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inputting a refrigerator control command to a media controller and transmitting the inputted command to a microcomputer via a bi-directional buffer, said media controller controlling a multimedia function of said refrigerator, said microcomputer controlling operation of said refrigerator; and
managing and controlling said refrigerator by said microcomputer in response to the transmitted command.
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Specification