Laundry system including home terminal device and laundry apparatus with communicating function

• US 7,174,227 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Consumer Marketing Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Ha Products Co., Ltd. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Consumer Marketing Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Ha Products Co., Ltd. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Miho, Nishimura, Yoshimi, Haruna, Hiroyuki, Imamura, Fumihiro, Kobayashi, Midori
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard; Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp; Chad
• Application Number:
  US10/501,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20050109070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 700/15, 700/17, 700/19, 700/27, 700/33, 700/83, 700/90, 68/17.R, 68/17.A, 68/27, 68/2, D32/5, D32/6, D32/28
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/085 on baking ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control

Abstract

A laundry system includes a home terminal device and laundry apparatus. The terminal device includes a first short-range communication device, a long-range communication device, and a terminal device controller transmitting information about laundry and a laundry constraint to a server connected to an Internet, thereby obtaining an operation control program for the laundry apparatus. The terminal device controller transfers the program via the first short-range communication device to the laundry apparatus and receives via the first short-range communication device information about an operating state of the laundry apparatus. The laundry apparatus includes a second short-range communication device, a laundry apparatus controller, and a laundry unit. The controller receives the program via the second short-range communication device from the terminal device to control the laundry unit and transfers the information about the operating state of the laundry apparatus via the second short-range communication device to the terminal device.

Claims

1. A laundry system comprising a terminal device and a laundry apparatus, the terminal device including:

a display panel;

an input panel;

a first short-range communication device;

a long-range communication device; and

a terminal device controller transmitting information about clothes as laundry and information about a laundry constraint both set on the input panel, to a server connected to a long-range communication network for providing laundry control information, using the long-range communication device, thereby obtaining an operation control program for the laundry apparatus on the basis of the two pieces of information, the terminal device controller transmitting the obtained operation control program via the first short-range communication device to the laundry apparatus, the terminal device controller receiving via the first short-range communication device information about an operating state of the laundry apparatus, displaying the information on the display panel; and

the laundry apparatus including;

an operation panel;

a laundry unit;

a second short-range communication device; and

a laundry apparatus controller receiving the operation control program via the second short-range communication device from the terminal device to control the laundry unit so that laundry is washed and/or dried, the laundry apparatus controller transmitting to the terminal device the information about the operating state of the laundry apparatus via the second short-range communication device, wherein the terminal device controller obtains from the server a plurality of major groups of clothes to be laundered to display the obtained major groups on the display panel, the terminal device controller obtaining from the server a plurality of minor groups of clothes belonging to a selected one of the major groups, displaying the obtained minor groups on the display panel, the terminal device controller obtains from the server a piece of guide information about laundry of clothes belonging to a selected one of the minor groups to display the obtained information on the display panel, and when two or more minor groups obtained from the server are designated as laundry, the terminal device controller obtains from the server an operation control program for the laundry apparatus in consideration of the two or more selected minor groups thereby to transfer the obtained operation control program to the laundry apparatus.

2. A laundry system comprising a terminal device and a laundry apparatus, the terminal device including:

a display panel;

an input panel;

a first short-range communication device;

a long-range communication device; and

a terminal device controller transmitting information about clothes as laundry and information about a laundry constraint both set on the input panel, to a server connected to a long-range communication network for providing laundry control information, using the long-range communication device, thereby obtaining an operation control program for the laundry apparatus on the basis of the two pieces of information, the terminal device controller transmitting the obtained operation control program via the first short-range communication device to the laundry apparatus, the terminal device controller receiving via the first short-range communication device information about an operating state of the laundry apparatus, displaying the information on the display panel; and

the laundry apparatus including;

an operation panel;

a laundry unit;

a second short-range communication device; and

a laundry apparatus controller receiving the operation control program via the second short-range communication device from the terminal device to control the laundry unit so that laundry is washed and/or dried, the laundry apparatus controller transmitting to the terminal device the information about the operating state of the laundry apparatus via the second short-range communication device, wherein when an “

atopy care”

course has been selected as the laundry constraint, the terminal device controller obtains from the server the operation control program taking the selected laundry constraint into account, transferring the obtained operation control program to the laundry apparatus.

3. A laundry system comprising a terminal device and a laundry apparatus, the terminal device including:

a display panel;

an input panel;

a first short-range communication device;

a long-range communication device; and

a terminal device controller transmitting information about clothes as laundry and information about a laundry constraint both set on the input panel, to a server connected to a long-range communication network for providing laundry control information, using the long-range communication device, thereby obtaining an operation control program for the laundry apparatus on the basis of the two pieces of information, the terminal device controller transmitting the obtained operation control program via the first short-range communication device to the laundry apparatus, the terminal device controller receiving via the first short-range communication device information about an operating state of the laundry apparatus, displaying the information on the display panel; and

the laundry apparatus including;

an operation panel;

a laundry unit;

a second short-range communication device; and

a laundry apparatus controller receiving the operation control program via the second short-range communication device from the terminal device to control the laundry unit so that laundry is washed and/or dried, the laundry apparatus controller transmitting to the terminal device the information about the operating state of the laundry apparatus via the second short-range communication device, wherein when the operation panel of the laundry apparatus has been operated so that contents of the operation control program have been changed, the laundry apparatus controller transfers the changed contents of the operation control program to the terminal controller and displays the changed contents of the operation control program on the display panel.