Network system with electronic credentials and authentication for appliances

• US 9,009,811 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ebrom, Matthew P., Glotzbach, Mark E., Glotzbach, Patrick J., McCoy, Richard A., Putnam, Daniel M., Whipple, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Minh
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMEIDA, DEVIN E
• Application Number:
  US11/930,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• Field of Search: 726/11, 726/14
• US Class Current: 726/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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

Abstract

An appliance has a communication network with a plurality of nodes for executing commands to enable operation by components. A firewall is provided to restrict access to the commands by the nodes without a password.

Claims

1. An appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation to complete a physical operation on an article, comprising:

at least one component, having a software architecture, and configured to connect over a network with a second component and configured to be operable by a network command sent from the second component,

wherein the software architecture is configured to generate a plurality of messages in the network, and configured to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages in the network and comprising;

a firewall table of executable commands receivable by message from the second component in the network and executable by the at least one component; and

a firewall that restricts the at least one component from executing the executable commands in the firewall table of commands previously received from the second component.

2. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the second component must be authenticated by the firewall to enable execution of commands in the firewall table by the at least one component.

3. The appliance according to claim 2 further comprising a non-firewall table of commands that the at least one component can execute without authentication.

4. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein the firewall provides three levels of access by the second component:

denied, granted, and temporarily granted.

5. The appliance according to claim 4 wherein the second component will be permitted full access to all commands upon publication and acceptance of a permanent password.

6. The appliance according to claim 4 wherein the second component will be permitted full access to all commands for a limited time upon publication and acceptance of a temporary password.

7. The appliance according to claim 2 wherein the second component can be authenticated by publishing a password in a message over the network.

8. An appliance network comprising an appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation to complete a physical operation on an article, the appliance having

at least one component, having a software architecture, connected over the appliance network to an accessory, and configured to be operable by a network command sent from the accessory,

wherein the software architecture is configured to generate a plurality of messages in the network, and configured to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages in the network and comprising:

a firewall table of executable commands receivable by message from the accessory in the network and executable by the at least one component; and

a firewall that restricts the at least one component from executing the executable commands in the firewall table of commands previously received from the accessory.

9. The appliance network of claim 8, further comprising a non-firewall table of commands that the accessory can access without a password.

10. The appliance network of claim 8 wherein the firewall provides three levels of access by the accessory:

denied, granted, and temporarily granted.

11. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the accessory will be permitted full access to all commands upon publication and acceptance of a permanent password.

12. The appliance network of claim 10 wherein the accessory will be permitted full access to all commands for a limited time upon publication and acceptance of a temporary password.