Appliances that trigger applications on consumer devices based on user proximity to appliance

• US 9,473,892 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Richard J., Shi, Wen, Melsa, Peter J., Satanek, Brandon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly A
• Application Number:
  US14/566,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20160174035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/456.3, 37910201-10207, 37920702-20703, 715/740, 340/12.22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• 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

Example appliances that trigger applications on consumer devices based on user proximity to appliance background are disclosed. A disclosed example system includes an appliance to detect a proximity of a user to the appliance, a remote server to receive a result of the proximity detection from the appliance, and to send an application trigger based on the result, and a user device associated with the user to activate an application on the user device in response to the application trigger received from the remote server.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an appliance configured to detect a proximity of a person to the appliance by detecting when the person moves into and out of a predetermined range of the appliance and to send appliance state information and proximity information; and

a remote server communicatively coupled to the appliance to receive the appliance state information and proximity information from the appliance, and configured to send one of an application trigger or a push notification based on the appliance state information and proximity information;

wherein a user device associated with a user and communicatively coupled to the remote server will receive the one of the application trigger or the push notification and activate an application on the user device or display the push notification.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application, if activated, displays controls for the appliance when the user moves into the predetermined range of the appliance.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application, if activated, displays appliance use information or instructions when the user moves into the predetermined range of the appliance.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application, if activated, displays appliance diagnostic information or demo mode when the user moves into the predetermined range of the appliance.

5. The system as defined in claim 4, wherein the user is able to start an operation remotely via the user device.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the push notification, if displayed, comprises a reminder to start an operation of the application.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application, if activated, displays more information after the user moves out of the predetermined range of the appliance.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application, if activated, displays a reminder that the appliance can be monitored via the application after the user moves out of the predetermined range of the appliance.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application trigger is defined on a second user device associated with a second user.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application displays an interface customized for the user based on past use of the appliance by the user.

11. A method comprising:

detecting in an appliance a proximity of a person to the appliance by detecting when the person moves into and out of a predetermined range of the appliance;

receiving appliance state information and proximity information at a server remote from the appliance;

sending one of an application trigger or a push notification to a user device associated with a user based on the appliance state information and proximity information; and

activating an application or displaying the push notification on the user device upon receiving the one of the application trigger or the push notification from the remote server.