Laundry machine and online system including the same

• US 10,705,494 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2019
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ha, Mikyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US16/263,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20190163145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/30 Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control controlling processes of washer-dryers D06F33/50
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/30 characterised by mechanical features, e.g. buttons or rotary dials
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/052 using standardised network management architectures, e.g. telecommunication management network [TMN] or unified network management architecture [UNMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home appliance which can communicate with an outside of the home appliance, an online system including the same and a method for using an online system. According to embodiments of the present invention, a home appliance, an online system and a method for using an online system may be provided, each including a WiFi communication module mounted or connected to the home appliance for supporting a setting mode for making communication connection and a use mode for enabling communication, and a particular input unit provided to run the setting mode by user'"'"'s selection, wherein the home appliance is changed to the use mode upon reception of SSID (Service Set Identifier; a name of a wireless LAN) information of an access point AP desired to access and user information required for registration of the home appliance through an external terminal after access to the setting mode through the external terminal provided separate from the home appliance.

Claims

1. A home appliance to communicate with a server, comprising:

a WiFi communication module connected to the home appliance for supporting a setting mode for establishing a communication connection with the server and a use mode for communicating with the server using the communication connection; and

wherein the home appliance is configured to be changed from the setting mode to the use mode and registered to the server upon;

(i) receiving at the WiFi communication module, from an external terminal, Service Set Identification (SSID) information of an Access Point (AP), the external terminal being separate from the home appliance, the server, and the AP, and

(ii) receiving at the WiFi communication module, from the external terminal, user information required for registration of the home appliance to the server after the external terminal accesses the home appliance during the setting mode, and

wherein the use mode is a mode in which the home appliance communicates with the server through the AP and is registered to the server.

2. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein, at a time of receiving of the SSID information and the user information, the WiFi communication module automatically stores the SSID information therein.

3. The home appliance as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the use mode, the WiFi communication module automatically accesses the AP by using the stored SSID information.

4. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SSID information includes a password of the SSID.

5. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the access to the setting mode of the WiFi communication module is made based on a fixed address of the WiFi communication module or access to a WiFi network of the WiFi communication module.

6. The home appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein the WiFi communication module has a server address for connecting to a particular server through the AP while the home appliance is in the use mode.

7. The home appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein the home appliance indicates the fixed address of the WiFi communication module or information on the WiFi network.

8. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying a WiFi icon when the setting mode of the home appliance is changed to the use mode as the setting mode of the home appliance is finished.

9. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the home appliance has a device identification (ID), and the device ID is provided to the server together with the user information.

10. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the home appliance is configured to perform at least one of remote control, remote diagnosis, firmware update, software update, and monitoring of the home appliance through the external terminal.

11. The home appliance as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one of remote control, remote diagnosis, firmware update, software update, and monitoring of the home appliance is enabled when the external terminal logs in to the server using the user information, and the home appliance is registered to the server.

12. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the home appliance is to provide a setting frame that is used by the external terminal for inputting the SSID information.

13. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the home appliance includes a remote control selection unit configured to make remote control possible selectively.

14. A method comprising:

logging in to a server by inputting user information to an external terminal, wherein the external terminal is separate from a home appliance, the server, and an Access Point (AP);

the external terminal having code that when executed performs a home appliance registration method for when the home appliance is not registered to the server;

the external terminal accessing a setting mode of the home appliance by using a fixed address of the home appliance;

the external terminal inputting Service Set Identification (SSID) information of the AP to the home appliance;

registering the home appliance to the server by performing the home appliance registration method, wherein the registering includes inputting the user information, the SSID information, and the fixed address to the server via the external terminal to make the home appliance communicate with the server through the AP; and

performing at least one of remote control, remote diagnosis, firmware update, software update, and monitoring of the home appliance through the external terminal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the external terminal is to provide a log-in frame, a frame for selection of the home appliance registration method, and a frame for registering the home appliance to the server at a time when the external terminal accesses the setting mode.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the external terminal provides a log-in frame configured to input the user information to log in to the server.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the log-in frame is configured to select the home appliance registration method.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the home appliance is not registered to the server after the log in to the server, a frame for selection of the home appliance registration method is displayed on the external terminal.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein when the home appliance registration method is selected, the frame for registering the home appliance to the server is displayed at a time when the external terminal accesses the setting mode.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the home appliance displays the fixed address of the home appliance.