Methods for determining proximity of a mobile device and an appliance and for operating the same

• US 9,331,862 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Lee, Dong Hun, Shin, Dong Soo, Hwang, Jun Sik, Park, Kihwan
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, HSINCHUN
• Application Number:
  US14/073,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20150126126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/232.1, 340/310.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method for determining proximity of a mobile device to an appliance and for operating the appliance and the mobile device is provided. The method includes identifying the mobile device and/or the appliance with a Media Access Control or MAC header and establishing a proximity of the mobile device to the appliance based at least in part on a Received Signal Strength Indicator or RSSI. A service of the appliance can be executed if the RSSI is greater than a threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for determining proximity of a mobile device to an appliance and for operating the appliance and the mobile device, comprising:

broadcasting a command for the appliance with the mobile device via a wireless local area network or WLAN when the mobile device is positioned proximate the appliance;

in reply to the command, receiving from the appliance an appliance type identifier, an appliance model name, a list of available services and a Media Access Control or MAC address of the appliance at the mobile device via the WLAN; and

storing the appliance type identifier, the appliance model name, the list of available services and the MAC address of the appliance in a memory of the mobile device;

receiving a MAC header of the appliance at the mobile device via the WLAN;

establishing whether a Received Signal Strength Indicator or RSSI of the appliance is greater than a threshold value at the mobile device;

requesting a service of the appliance with the mobile device via the WLAN if the RSSI of the appliance is greater than the threshold value at said step of establishing; and

executing the service with the appliance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a source address of the appliance is registered with the mobile device prior to said step of requesting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of requesting comprises requesting the service of the appliance with the mobile device if the RSSI of the appliance is greater than the threshold value at said step of establishing and if the source address of the appliance is registered with the mobile device at said step of determining.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of executing comprises sending information from the appliance to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying the information on a display of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of executing comprises executing the service with the appliance if an identity of the service is listed in a service list of the appliance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the appliance is a refrigerator appliance, a washing machine appliance, a dryer appliance, a dishwasher appliance, a microwave appliance, an HVAC appliance, a cooktop appliance, an oven appliance, a video display appliance or an audio emitter appliance.