Appliance and a consumable holder in a network

• US 8,477,007 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McCoy, Richard A., Pires, Andre O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghayour, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): TUN, NAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/256,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 340 1222- 1229, 340/12.5, 340 1251- 1254, 340/13.3, 340/3.1, 340/10.1, 340/572.1, 340/539.1, 340/5.2, 340/10.3, 340/10.31, 340/10.4, 340/641, 340/638, 340/643, 700/90, 700/211, 700 19- 20, 700 65- 66, 219/702
• US Class Current: 340/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 for thawing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A network includes a client and an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle on an article using a consumable. Information associated with the consumable can be exchanged between the appliance and the client across the network.

Claims

1. A network comprising a client and an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle on an article using a consumable wherein information associated with the consumable can be exchanged between the client and the appliance across the network, the information including uncompiled data having a description of an ordered collection of steps, actions to be taken by at least one component of the appliance during each step, and conditions under which a current step should transition into a next step in the ordered collection of steps wherein the transition conditions are logic expressions that must be resolvable to a Boolean value, whereby the appliance can build the operation cycle based on the information upon receipt from the client, and perform the built operation cycle related to the consumable.

2. The network of claim 1 wherein the client is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

3. The network of claim 1 wherein the client is external to the appliance.

4. The network of claim 1 wherein the client is internal to the appliance and further comprising an external client in communication with the appliance and the internal client.

5. The network of claim 4 comprising a smart coupler to communicate with a second network.

6. The network of claim 5 wherein the smart coupler is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

7. The network of claim 5 wherein the second network comprises a remote client.

8. The network of claim 7 wherein the remote client is one of a consumable holder and a consumable reader.

9. The network of claim 5 wherein the smart coupler is a first smart coupler and further comprising a second smart coupler to communicate with a third network, wherein the third network includes a second appliance.

10. The network of claim 1 wherein the network is virtual.