Automated appliance registration

• US 8,342,394 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2012
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sherman, Itay, Bychkov, Eyal, Ron, Uri, Katz, Hagay, Perry, Hagit, Margalit, Ran
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARSHALL, CHRISTLE I
• Application Number:
  US13/347,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20120120994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 340/531, 705/24, 705/1
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for registering an electrical appliance, including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance, and for storing address information usable o obtain an address of a remote recipient corresponding o the electrical appliance, and a wireless communicator including a memory for storing identifying information about a user, and a wireless modem for ransmiWng data, wherein when the wireless communicator is first connected with the electrical appliance, the wireless communicator executes program code o register the electrical appliance with the remote recipient, wherein the program code includes insrucions that cause the wireless modem o ransmi a lease a portion of the identifying information about the electrical appliance and the identifying information about the user o the address of the remote recipient, the address obtained using the address information.

Claims

1. A system for registering an electrical appliance, comprising:

a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance, and for storing address information usable to obtain an address of a remote recipient corresponding to the electrical appliance; and

a wireless communicator comprising;

a memory for storing identifying information about a user;

an interface connector for connecting the wireless communicator with the electrical appliance; and

a wireless modem for transmitting data, wherein when said wireless communicator is first connected with the electrical appliance via said interface connector, said wireless communicator executes program code to register the electrical appliance with the remote recipient corresponding to the electrical appliance, wherein the program code includes instructions that cause said interface connector to receive the identifying information about the electrical appliance, and cause said wireless modem to transmit at least a portion of the identifying information about the electrical appliance and the identifying information about the user to the address of the remote recipient via an SMS message or an MMS message, the address obtained using the address information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the program code is stored within said electrical appliance storage.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the program code is stored within said wireless communicator memory.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the user invokes the program code to register the electrical appliance.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote recipient invokes the program code, via said wireless communicator, to register the electrical appliance.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the identifying information about the electrical appliance comprises at least one of a serial number, a model number, an identifier for a point of sale from which the electrical appliance was purchased, a date on which the electrical appliance was purchased, and a warranty for the electrical appliance.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said wireless modem transmits the at least a portion of the identifying information about the electrical appliance and the identifying information about the user via a text file.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said wireless modem transmits the at least a portion of the identifying information about the electrical appliance and the identifying information about the user via a voice call, using text-to-speech conversion.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said wireless modem transmits the at least a portion of the identifying information about the electrical appliance and the identifying information about the user via a voice call, using dial-tone modulation frequency to encode the transmitted information.