Automated selection of settings for an ironing device

• US 9,879,373 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Janakiraman, Janani, Kostick, Megan D., Madden, Dany R., Sripal, Meenakshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pelham, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US15/215,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20160319477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 75/08 Hand irons internally heated by electricity
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 75/10 with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed D06F75/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 75/26 Temperature control or indicating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 75/40 Stands or supports attached to the iron

Abstract

Embodiments provide a method and device that enables automatic selection of settings for ironing one or more pieces of fabric. A digital camera on an ironing device captures an image of a fabric. A wireless communication device on the ironing device communicates the image to a remote computing system for digital image processing to determine a fabric type and to select a set of settings based on the fabric type. The wireless communication device receives the set of settings from the remote computing system. The set of settings are applied to the ironing device.

Claims

1. An ironing device, the device comprising:

a soleplate;

a thermostat configured to maintain the soleplate at a set temperature;

a steam generator configured to produce a set amount of steam;

an automatic drive system configured to drive the device at a fixed speed, wherein the automatic drive system comprises a motor configured to drive tracks that drive the device;

a digital camera configured to capture a digital image of a fabric and a digital image of a label comprising ironing instructions;

a microphone configured to record audio identifying a fabric type;

a wireless communication device configured to transmit the digital image of the fabric, the digital image of the label, and information about the device to a remote computing system for processing, the wireless communication device further configured to communicate the audio to the remote computing system to extract the fabric type using speech recognition, the wireless communication device further configured to transmit the device'"'"'s make and model to the remote computing system, the wireless communication device further configured to receive a set of settings from the remote computing system, the set of settings comprising a temperature setting, a steam setting, and a speed setting, and the set of settings based in part on the make and model of the ironing device;

a settings control module configured to receive the set of settings from the wireless communication device, the settings control module further configured to adjust the set temperature of the thermostat based on the temperature setting, the settings control module further configured to adjust the set amount of steam produced by the steam generator based on the steam setting, the settings control module further configured to adjust the fixed speed of the automatic drive system based on the speed setting; and

a speaker configured to produce noise while the device settings are changing;

wherein the digital camera is configured to continually capture digital images of the fabric while the device is operating, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to continually transmit the digital images of the fabric to the remote computing system and to receive further sets of settings from the remote computing system while the device is operating.