Appliance communication system and method

• US 7,117,051 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Viking Range Corporation (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TMIO LLC
• Inventors: Valachovic, Diane E., Mansbery, David I., Landry, Kenneth D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US10/800,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/17, 700/19, 700/22, 700/65, 700/83, 700/286, 702/188, 709217-219, 709223-225, 709/229, 710 15- 19, 710/36, 710105-107, 340/3.1, 340/3.5, 340/3.9, 340/5.2, 340/5.81, 340/5.85, 340/310.01
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A method for communicating with and controlling an intelligent appliance by a user from a remote device. The intelligent appliance includes an integrated controller, such as a single board computer, user-interface and integrated networking capabilities. Typically, the remote device is a personal data assistant, a tablet, a personal computer or a web-enabled cellular phone. The remote device establishes a connection with the intelligent appliance over a computer network, using wired or wireless connection techniques. The intelligent appliance verifies the identity of the user and provides the user with status updates. The remote device transmits a set of cooking instructions to the appliance. The intelligent appliance then cooks or refrigerates in accordance with the set of cooking instructions transmitted from the remote device and communicates this back to the remote device.

Claims

1. An intelligent appliance control system comprising:

a data interface adapted to place an associated appliance in data communication with an associated remote user interface;

means adapted for acquiring state information from the associated appliance, which state information is representative of at least one of a current and future state of the associated appliance;

means adapted for communicating the state information to the data interface, whereby the state information is made available for communication to the associated remote user interface;

the data interface including means adapted for acquiring state change information received from the associated remote user interface, representative of at least one altered, desired future state of the associated appliance;

means adapted for generating a state change signal representative of the desired future state of the associated appliance;

the means adapted for generating a state change signal include means adapted for selecting an operation to be performed;

means adapted for communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance;

wherein the operation to be performed is one of the group consisting of retrieving a list of available dishes, creating a new dish, modifying an existing dish, and deleting a stored dish.

2. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, wherein the data interface is adapted to communicate with the associated remote user interface via at least one of a selected Internet protocol and a web browser application.

3. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, wherein the data interface includes a processor and a memory, the processor selectively operating under a communication control program disposed in the memory to facilitate data communication with the associated remote user interface, and wherein the processor also operates under an appliance control program to facilitate control of the associated appliance in accordance with at least one of the state information and the state change information.

4. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, further comprising means adapted for authenticating the associated remote user interface.

5. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, wherein the means adapted for acquiring state information from the associated appliance further comprises a probe.

6. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, wherein a future state of the associated appliance is a diagnostic state.

7. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, wherein the state information communicated to the associated remote user interface is a status update of the associated appliance.

8. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1, wherein communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance is accomplished using at least one of a wireless communications channel, a power-line communications channel, an Ethernet communications channel, and a Token-ring communications channel.

9. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the state information received from the associated appliance and the state change information received from the associated remote user interface is in the form of at least one of data associated with a verbal command, data associated with an audible command, data associated with an infrared command, and data associated with a tactile input command.

10. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 1 further comprising data storage means adapted for storing data associated with at least one dish.

11. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 10 wherein the system further comprises:

user selection means adapted for receiving selection data from an associated user of at least one dish on which an operation is to be performed;

retrieval means adapted for retrieving data from the data storage means for at least selected one dish; and

display means for displaying the data associated with the at least one selected dish.

12. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 11 further comprising means adapted for commencing a preselected food operation corresponding the operation to be performed.

13. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 12 wherein the preselected food operation includes at least one of a cooling operation and a cooking operation.

14. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 13 further comprising means adapted for calculating at least one of a cook time, a start time and a cooking temperature corresponding to a cooking operation.

15. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 11 wherein the operation to be performed is modifying an existing dish, and further comprising;

means adapted for receiving selected data associated with the dish to be modified; and

means adapted for updating data associated with the dish to be modified in the data storage means.

16. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 11, wherein the operation to be performed is deleting a dish, and further comprising:

user selection means adapted for receiving selection data from an associated user of at least one dish on which is to be deleted;

retrieval means adapted for retrieving data from the data storage means for at least selected one dish; and

deletion means adapted for deleting data associated with the at least one selected dish from the data storage means.

17. The intelligent appliance control system of claim 10, wherein the operation to be performed is creating a new dish, and further comprising:

means adapted for receiving selected data associated with the new dish from an associated user; and

means adapted for storing the received data in the data storage means.

18. A method for controlling an intelligent appliance comprising the steps of:

acquiring state information from an associated appliance, which state information is representative of at least one of a current and future state of the associated appliance;

communicating the state information to a data interface, which data interface is in communication with an associated remote user interface, whereby the state information is made available for communication to the associated user interface;

acquiring state change information received from the associated remote user interface, by the data interface, which state change information is representative of at least one altered, desired future state of the associated appliance;

generating a state change signal representative of the desired future state of the associated appliance, wherein the step of generating a state change signal further comprises the step of selecting an operation to be performed; and

communicating the state chance signal to the associated appliance;

wherein the operation to be performed is one of the group consisting of retrieving a list of available dishes, creating a new dish, modifying an existing dish, and deleting a stored dish.

19. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, wherein the data interface is adapted to communicate with the associated remote user interface via at least one of a selected Internet protocol and a web browser application.

20. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, wherein the data interface includes a processor and a memory, the processor selectively operating under a communication control program disposed in the memory to facilitate data communication with the associated remote user interface, and wherein the processor also operates under an appliance control program to facilitate control of the associated appliance in accordance with at least one of the state information and the state change information.

21. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, further comprising the step of authenticating the associated remote user interface.

22. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, wherein acquiring state information from the associated appliance is accomplished using an Internet enabled probe.

23. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, wherein a future state of the associated appliance is a diagnostic state.

24. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, wherein the state information communicated to the associated remote user interface is a status update of the associated appliance.

25. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18, wherein communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance is accomplished using at least one of the group consisting of a wireless communications channel, a power-line communications channel, an Ethernet communications channel, and a Token-ring communications channel.

26. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18 wherein at least one of the state information received from the associated appliance and the state change information received from the associated remote user interface is in the form of at least one of data associated with a verbal command, data associated with an audible command, data associated with an infrared command, and data associated with a tactile input command.

27. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 18 further comprising the step of storing data associated with at least one dish in a data storage.

28. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving selection data from an associated user of at least one dish on which an operation is to be performed;

retrieving data from the data storage for at least selected one dish; and

displaying the data associated with the at least one selected dish.

29. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 28 further comprising the step of commencing a preselected food operation corresponding the operation to be performed.

30. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 29 wherein the preselected food operation includes at least one of a cooling operation and a cooking operation.

31. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 30 further comprising the step of calculating at least one of a cook time, a start time and a cooking temperature corresponding to a cooking operation.

32. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 28, wherein the operation to be performed is creating a new dish, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving selected data associated with the new dish from an associated user; and

storing the received data in the data storage means.

33. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 28 wherein the operation to be performed is modifying an existing dish, and further comprising the step of;

receiving selected data associated with the dish to be modified; and

updating data associated with the dish to be modified in the data storage means.

34. The method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 28, wherein the operation to be performed is deleting a dish, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving selection data from an associated user of at least one dish on which is to be deleted;

retrieving data from the data storage means for at least selected one dish; and

deleting data associated with the at least one selected dish from the data storage means.

35. The computer-implemented method for controlling an intelligent appliance comprising the steps of:

acquiring state information from an associated appliance, which state information is representative of at least one of a current and future state of the associated appliance;

communicating the state information to a data interface, which data interface is in communication with an associated remote user interface, whereby the state information is made available for communication to the associated user interface;

acquiring state change information received from the associated remote user interface, by the data interface, which state change information is representative of an altered, desired future state of the associated appliance;

generating a state change signal representative of the desired future state of the associated appliance, wherein the step of generating a state change signal further comprises the step of selecting an operation to be performed; and

communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance;

wherein the operation to be performed is one of the group consisting of retrieving a list of available dishes, creating a new dish, modifying an existing dish, and deleting a stored dish.

36. The computer-implemented method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 35, wherein the data interface is adapted to communicate with the associated remote user interface via at least one of a selected Internet protocol and web browser application.

37. The computer-implemented method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 35, wherein the data interface includes a processor and a memory, the processor selectively operating under a communication control program disposed in the memory to facilitate data communication with the associated remote user interface, and wherein the processor also operates under an appliance control program to facilitate control of the associated appliance in accordance with at least one of the state information and the state change information.

38. The computer-implemented method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 35, wherein acquiring state information from the associated appliance is accomplished using a probe.

39. The computer-implemented method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 35, wherein communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance is accomplished using at least one of the group consisting of a wireless communications channel, a power-line communications channel, an Ethernet communications channel, and a Token-ring communications channel.

40. The computer implemented method for controlling an intelligent appliance of claim 35 wherein at least one of the state information received from the associated appliance and the state change information received from the associated remote user interface is in the form of at least one of data associated with a verbal command, data associated with an audible command, data associated with an infrared command, and data associated with a tactile input command.

41. The computer-readable medium of instructions having computer-readabel instructions stored thereon for controlling an intelligent appliance comprising:

a data interface adapted to place an associated appliance in data communication with an associated remote user interface;

means adapted for acquiring state information from the associated appliance, which state information is representative of at least one of a current and future state of the associated appliance;

means adapted for communicating the state information to the data interface, whereby the state information is made available for communication to the associated user interface;

the data interface including means for acquiring state change information received from the associated remote user interface, representative of an altered, desired future state of the associated appliance;

means adapted for generating a state change signal representative of the desired future state of the associated appliance;

the means adapted for generating a state change signal include means adapted for selecting an operation to be performed; and

means adapted for communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance;

wherein the operation to be performed is one of the group consisting of retrieving a list of available dishes, creating a new dish, modifying an existing dish, and deleting a stored dish.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the data interface is adapted to communicate with the associated remote user interface via at least one of a selected Internet protocol and a web browser application.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the data interface includes a processor and a memory, the processor selectively operating under a communication control program disposed in the memory to facilitate data communication with the associated remote user interface, and wherein the processor also operates under an appliance control program to facilitate control of the associated appliance in accordance with at least one of the state information and the state change information.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein communicating the state change signal to the associated appliance is accomplished using at least one of the group consisting of a wireless communications channel, a power-line communications channel, an Ethernet communications channel, and a Token-ring communications channel.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 41 wherein at least one of the state information received from the associated appliance and the state change information received from the associated remote user interface is in the form of at least one of data associated with a verbal command, data associated with an audible command, data associated with an infrared command, and data associated with a tactile input command.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the means adapted for acquiring state information from the associated appliance further comprises a probe.