Domestic appliance device

• US 9,667,249 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Mager, Gerhard, Flesch, Sebastien, Hechtbauer, Markus, Redelstab, Markus, Lebrun, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyd, Jonathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe, Sosina
• Application Number:
  US13/643,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20130038526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 345156, 345173, 345174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96031 Combination of touch switch and LC display

Abstract

A household appliance apparatus includes a display screen and an input unit which has at least one substantially transparent input device. In order to achieve advantageous ease of use with little design expenditure, the input device covers only a partial region of the display screen. The input device may hereby be configured as a conductive layer.

Claims

1. A household appliance apparatus, comprising:

a housing configured to be coupled to one of a household kitchen appliance and a household laundry appliance;

a display screen;

an input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which only covers a partial region of the display screen; and

an electronic operating unit programmed to control an operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance based on an input to the input unit,

wherein the input unit has at least one rotary switch,

wherein the rotary switch is disposed on the input unit adjacent to the display screen, and

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to control the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance, to change a symbol displayed on the display screen based on a position of the rotary switch, and to change a functionality of the at least one substantially transparent input device corresponding to the symbol based on the position of the rotary switch.

2. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit has at least two of said input device, said at least two input devices covering different partial regions of the display screen.

3. The household appliance apparatus of claim 2, wherein the input devices are disposed at a distance from one another.

4. The household appliance apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the input devices supplies a characteristic input variable to the electronic operating unit, wherein the characteristic input variable of one of the input devices is substantially independently of the characteristic input variable of the other one of the input devices during operation.

5. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to combine the input device and the partial region of the display screen to form an adjustable key.

6. The household appliance apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an electronic display unit, which is configured separately from the electronic operating unit.

7. The household appliance apparatus of claim 5, wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to control an amount of light incident through the at least one substantially transparent input device to change a background image of the at least one substantially transparent input device formed by the light.

8. The household appliance apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one substantially transparent input device supplies a characteristic input variable to the electronic operating unit based on the input to the input unit during operation, and

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to change an effect of the characteristic input variable, which is supplied to the electronic operating unit by the at least one substantially transparent input device, on the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance.

9. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device is configured as a conductive layer.

10. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit has at least one layer element, which is connected to the input device with a material fit.

11. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit covers at most 50% of the display screen.

12. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit has at least one substantially transparent conductor path.

13. The household appliance apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit has at least one flexible printed circuit board.

14. A household appliance, comprising:

a housing, wherein the household appliance is one of a household kitchen appliance and a household laundry appliance; and

a household appliance apparatus on the housing of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry,

said household appliance apparatus, comprising;

a display screen;

an input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which only covers a partial region of the display screen; and

an electronic operating unit programmed to control an operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance based on an input to the input unit,

wherein the input unit has at least one rotary switch,

wherein the rotary switch is disposed on the input unit adjacent to the display screen, and

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to control the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance, to change a symbol displayed on the display screen based on a position of the rotary switch, and to change a functionality of the at least one substantially transparent input device corresponding to the symbol based on the position of the rotary switch.

15. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least two of said input device, said at least two input devices covering different partial regions of the display screen.

16. The household appliance of claim 15, wherein the input devices are disposed at a distance from one another.

17. The household appliance of claim 15, wherein each of the input devices supplies a characteristic input variable to the electronic operating unit, wherein the characteristic input variable of one of the input devices is substantially independently of the characteristic input variable of the other one of the input devices during operation.

18. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to combine the input device and the partial region of the display screen to form an adjustable key.

19. The household appliance of claim 18, wherein the household appliance apparatus includes an electronic display unit, which is configured separately from the electronic operating unit.

20. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the input device is configured as a conductive layer.

21. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one layer element, which is connected to the input device with a material fit.

22. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the input unit covers at most 50% of the display screen.

23. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one substantially transparent conductor path.

24. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the input unit has at least one flexible printed circuit board.

25. A household appliance apparatus, comprising:

a housing configured to be coupled to one of a household kitchen appliance and a household laundry appliance;

a display screen;

an input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which only covers a partial region of the display screen; and

an electronic operating unit programmed to control an operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance based on an input to the input unit,

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to combine the input device and the partial region of the display screen to form an adjustable key,

wherein the input unit includes at least one rotary switch disposed on the input unit adjacent to the display screen, and

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to control the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance, to change a symbol displayed on the display screen based on a position of the rotary switch, the symbol corresponding to a location of the at least one substantially transparent input device and visible through the at least one substantially transparent input device, and to change a functionality of the at least one substantially transparent input device corresponding to the symbol based on the position of the rotary switch.

26. A household appliance, comprising:

a housing, wherein the household appliance is one of a household kitchen appliance and a household laundry appliance; and

a household appliance apparatus on the housing of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry,

said household appliance apparatus, comprising;

a display screen;

an input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which only covers a partial region of the display screen; and

an electronic operating unit programmed to control an operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance based on an input to the input unit,

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to combine the input device and the partial region of the display screen to form an adjustable key,

wherein the input unit includes at least one rotary switch disposed on the input unit adjacent to the display screen, and

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to control the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance, to change a symbol displayed on the display screen based on a position of the rotary switch, the symbol corresponding to a location of the at least one substantially transparent input device and visible through the at least one substantially transparent input device, and to change a functionality of the at least one substantially transparent input device corresponding to the symbol based on the position of the rotary switch.

27. A household appliance, the household appliance being one of a household kitchen appliance and a household laundry appliance, the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance comprising:

a housing; and

a household appliance control apparatus on the housing, the household appliance control apparatus, comprising;

a display screen on the housing;

an input unit on the housing, the input unit having at least one substantially transparent input device which covers only a partial region of the display screen; and

an electronic operating unit programmed to control an operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance based on an input to the input unit,

wherein the electronic operating unit is programmed to change a symbol displayed on the display screen based on an input to the input unit, the symbol corresponding to a location of the at least one substantially transparent input device and visible through the at least one substantially transparent input device, and to change a functionality of the at least one substantially transparent input device corresponding to the symbol based on the input to the input unit for controlling the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance,

wherein the input unit includes at least one rotary switch on the housing, the at least one rotary switch configured to supply the input to the input unit to change the symbol displayed on the display screen and to change the functionality of the at least one substantially transparent input device for controlling the operation of the one of the household kitchen appliance and the household laundry appliance.