Appliance network for a networked appliance with a network binder accessory

• US 9,122,788 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Elston, Wallace J. III, Jenkins, Anthony E., McCoy, Richard A., Morrell, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sloms, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/929,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20080123557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,863 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• 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

An appliance network has a network binder accessory to establish a private network among nodes that might be on different networks, using “one-click”.

Claims

1. A network binder accessory to bind a first node to at least one other node in a private network apart from any existing network to which the first and at least one other nodes may belong, the network binder accessory comprising:

a processor, memory, and a power source to energize the processor and the memory;

a wireless transmitter/receiver of limited transmission range in communication with the processor and memory; and

an actuator to actuate the wireless transmitter/receiver, with the processor and memory in communication with a node by way of the wireless transmitter/receiver only when the node is within the limited transmission range of the actuated wireless transmitter/receiver;

wherein the network binder accessory is external to the first and at least one other nodes, and wherein upon actuation of the actuator when the first node is within the limited transmission range of the wireless transmitter/receiver, the network binder accessory recognizes any existing network identifiers associated with the first node, the processor and memory operate to establish a new private network identifier, apart from any existing network identifiers, and the new private network identifier is communicated with and assigned to the first node via the wireless transmitter/receiver, and upon actuation of the actuator when the at least one other node is later within the limited transmission range of the wireless transmitter/receiver, the wireless transmitter/receiver transmits the new private network identifier to the at least one other node to bind the first and at least one other nodes to each other using the new private network identifier, to establish the private network comprising the first and at least one other nodes apart from any existing network to which the first and at least one other nodes may belong.

2. The network binder accessory of claim 1 wherein the network binder accessory is configured to communicate with a personal computer.

3. The network binder accessory of claim 1 wherein the new private network identifier is stored in the memory.

4. The network binder accessory of claim 1 comprising a visual indicator to indicate the existence of a communicable node.

5. The network binder accessory of claim 1 comprising a graphical interface to display information from a node.

6. The network binder accessory of claim 5 wherein the information comprises one of a plurality of existing network identifiers on which a node is currently connected, the addresses of a node on a plurality of networks, where each network is identified by its own network identifier, a plurality of user-friendly names of a node on the plurality of networks, and identification and information about networks that the network binder has thus far configured, including the nodes for each network and relevant information about each.

7. The network binder accessory of claim 5 comprising a navigation button to enable scrolling if the information is too much to display on a single screen.