LAUNDRY APPARATUS

• US 20090138107A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: HA, Mi Kyung
• Application Number:
  US12/255,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138107A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/52 Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/32 Control of operational steps, e.g. optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control

Abstract

A laundry apparatus including a radio-communication device and a radio-communication control part, only to make possible communication with a mobile phone having a radio-communication device is disclosed. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, without an auxiliary remote control, the user may identify the information of the laundry apparatus remote or may control the laundry apparatus. Furthermore, the laundry apparatus according to the embodiment may receive a new operation control program from the mobile phone having the radio-communication device and the new operation control program may be installed in the laundry apparatus. As a result, changing demands of consumers may be satisfied.

Claims

1. A laundry apparatus comprising:

a laundry device washing or drying laundry;

an operation control part controlling components of the laundry device;

a radio-communication device able to radio-communicate with a mobile phone, the mobile phone having a radio-communication device which communicates to the radio-communication device; and

a radio-communication control part exchanging data with the operation control part, the radio-communication control part controlling the radio-communication device.

2. The laundry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio-communication control part comprises,

a radio-communication processing unit processing data generated during the radio-communication;

and

a radio-communication memory part in which a radio-communication control program is stored, with an auxiliary storage space, the radio control program run in the radio-communication processing unit to control the radio-communication device.

3. The laundry apparatus of claim 2, wherein a radio control program is stored in the auxiliary storage space of the radio-communication memory part, the radio control program which is transmittable to and installable in the mobile phone to control the laundry apparatus.

4. The laundry apparatus of claim 3, wherein the radio control program is wirelessly transmitted to the mobile phone via the radio-communication device of the laundry apparatus.

5. The laundry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio-communication control part collects information on an operation state of the laundry apparatus from the operation control part to transmit the collected information to the mobile phone via the radio-communication device of the laundry apparatus.

6. The laundry apparatus of claim 5, wherein the information on the operation state which is transmitted to the mobile phone is selected information by a user.

7. The laundry apparatus of claim 5,

wherein the information on the operation state transmitted to the mobile phone being displayed via the mobile phone, with the radio control program being run.

8. The laundry apparatus of claim 5, wherein the radio-communication control part collects or transmits the information on the operation state of the laundry apparatus, if a request signal of the information on the operation state is received.

9. The laundry apparatus of claim 8, wherein the information on the operation state of the laundry apparatus comprises information on operation completion of the laundry apparatus.

10. The laundry apparatus of claim 3, wherein the radio control program transmits a control signal of the laundry apparatus to the laundry apparatus via the radio-communication device of the mobile phone, if a control signal of the laundry apparatus is inputted by a user.

11. The laundry apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control signal is transmitted to the operation control part, after passing the radio-communication device and the radio-communication device of the laundry apparatus, to control the components of the laundry device.

12. The laundry apparatus of claim 1, wherein a new operation control program of the laundry apparatus stored in the mobile phone is added or an existing operation control program stored in the operation control part is replaced with the new operation control program, if a new operation control program of the laundry apparatus stored in the mobile phone is transmitted.

13. The laundry apparatus of claim 12, wherein the operation control program comprises a new operation mode of the laundry apparatus.

14. The laundry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio-communication device of the mobile phone and the radio-communication device of the laundry apparatus are Bluetooth modules.