Message architecture for an appliance communications network

• US 8,903,971 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McCoy, Richard A., Williams, David M., DeVilbiss, Grant J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, NAM T
• Application Number:
  US12/345,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

A message architecture is provided for use in a communications network for an appliance having at least one component and further enabled to communicate information about the at least one component. The message architecture includes first and second identifiers where the first identifier identifies the form of the second identifier and the second identifier identifies at least one component in the appliance.

Claims

1. A method executed in an appliance connected to a communications network, the appliance having at least one component and a controller to communicate information over the communications network about the at least one component, the method comprising:

generating a message comprising a message structure including a first identifier and a second identifier, wherein the message structure is used in conjunction with a messaging protocol to provide comprehensive information about the appliance and the at least one component over the communications network;

retrieving a value of the first identifier corresponding to at least one first byte, wherein the first identifier identifies the format of the second identifier and wherein the second identifier corresponds to at least one second byte, the value of which provides the comprehensive information about the at least one component;

retrieving the value of the second identifier based on the format identified by the first identifier; and

recognizing the comprehensive information related to the at least one component based on the format indicated by the first identifier and the value retrieved from the second identifier to manage the at least one component using the obtained comprehensive information.

2. The method of claim 1 where the first identifier relates to one of an identifier of a location, a category, a supplier, a manufacturer, a schema, a format, a manufacturing location, and a product type.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a third identifier wherein the third identifier is a unique identifier of an appliance from a universe of appliances.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising a fourth identifier wherein the fourth identifier is a unique identifier of a manufacturer of one of the appliance, and the at least one component.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one component comprises at least one of a printed circuit board, a motor, an actuator, a valve, software, data, a printed circuit board with a microprocessor, a software module for controlling a motor, a cycle engine for controlling the cycle of operation of an appliance, a data module containing data parameters about the motor allowing the software module to appropriately parameterize and configure itself for the control of the motor, a data module containing a cycle structure for use by the cycle engine to control the cycle of operation, and a data module containing data for use by a user interface engine to create screens, screen content, and the navigation between screens, a data module containing media content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the identifiers comprises at least two message elements, each message element having a unique meaning.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second identifier includes one of serial number, model number, component information, manufacturer, supplier, location, cross reference, time of manufacture, date of manufacture, location of manufacture, a software module, a functionality identifier, replacement part, original part, and a software module version.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first identifier comprises one of length data, forking data, and format data.

9. An appliance, comprising at least one component and a processor configured to communicate information over a communications network about the at least one component by

generating a message comprising a message structure including a first identifier and a second identifier, a value of the first identifier corresponding to at least one first byte, the first identifier identifying the format of the second identifier and the second identifier corresponding to at least one second byte, the value of which provides comprehensive information about the appliance and the at least one component, wherein the message structure is used in conjunction with a messaging protocol to provide the comprehensive information over the communications network;

wherein nodes in the communications network retrieve the value of the first identifier;

retrieve the value of the second identifier based on the format identified by the first identifier; and

recognize the comprehensive information related to the at least one component based on the format indicated by the first identifier and the value retrieved from the second identifier to manage the at least one component using the obtained comprehensive information.

10. The appliance of claim 9 wherein the communication includes a command that results in publication of the information whereby the message structure enables traceability of the one of the appliance and the at least one component.