Method for product demonstration

• US 8,676,656 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ebrom, Matthew P., Glotzbach, Mark E., McCoy, Richard A., Molloy, Phillip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US11/931,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 700/234, 434/118, 434/107, 434/365, 434/379, 434/382, 815/9, 186/52, 609/08
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

A method of demonstrating a household appliance by executing a demonstration software to cause demonstration of at least one component of the appliance and to display related information on a user interface of the appliance by a multimedia program.

Claims

1. A method of demonstrating an appliance comprising a microprocessor controller with control logic coupled with multiple components in the appliance having corresponding functionalities via an internal communications network to implement any of a plurality of predetermined cycles of operation performing a physical domestic operation on an article by way of a first software operating layer in a first operating state, and a user interface capable of multimedia display coupled to the internal communications network to receive user input and provide output related to the operation of the appliance, the method comprising:

providing an external smart device, with memory and a controller, connected to the internal communications network and in communication with the microprocessor controller and the user interface, and having demonstration software stored in the memory and comprising a multimedia presentation having a presentation of at least one feature of the appliance, wherein the control logic by way of the first software operating layer is rendered ineffective unless invoked by way of a second software operating layer; and

executing the demonstration software on at least one of the microprocessor controller and the external smart device controller by way of the second software operating layer in a second operating state to bypass the control logic and to directly demonstrate the at least one feature of the appliance in the second operating state independently of the first software operating layer;

wherein the demonstrating the at least one feature of the appliance comprises presenting the multimedia presentation of the at least one feature on the user interface in conjunction with controlling of at least one of the multiple components necessary to demonstrate the functionality of the appliance associated with the at least one feature in the second operating state, independent of implementing or demonstrating any of the plurality of predetermined cycles of operation in the first operating state and without performing the physical domestic operation on the article.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the multimedia presentation is interactive with a consumer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the interaction comprises prompting the consumer for consumer information.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising customizing at least one of the demonstration of the functionality of the appliance or the multimedia presentation displayed on the user interface based on the consumer information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the customizing of the multimedia presentation displayed on the user interface comprises displaying at least one of:

sales incentive, appliance recommendation, related-appliance recommendation, appliance accessory, appliance options, or appliance build options.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the consumer information is transferred to a second household appliance having a second external smart device and executes a demonstration of a functionality of the appliance based on the transferred information.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein a display language is set based on the consumer information.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the demonstration software is updated in response to the consumer information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the demonstration software is updated in real time to customize the demonstration of a functionality of the appliance for the consumer.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the consumer information is stored in a remote database accessible by the appliance through a communications network.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the interaction with the consumer comprises a real-time video conference with a person through the user interface.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the person is at least one of a sales representative or a technician.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the real-time video conference is through a communications network.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the person can remotely take control of the demonstration of the functionality of the appliance during the real-time video conferencing.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein the interaction with the consumer comprises navigating the consumer through the demonstration of the functionality of the appliance.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing the demonstration software further comprises sensing the presence of a consumer at the appliance and executing the demonstration software when the consumer is present.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the sensing further comprises determining a personal characteristic of the consumer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the personal characteristic comprises at least one of:

biometric, gender, age, height, mass, voice, facial expression, native language, eye color or hair color.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one of the demonstration of the functionality of the appliance or the displaying of the related multimedia presentation is customized based on the personal characteristic.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the demonstration software is updated based on the personal characteristic.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the personal characteristic is stored in a database remote from the appliance.

22. The method of claim 16 further comprising notifying a sales representative when the consumer is present.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a second appliance comprising a second user interface capable of multimedia display and establishing video conferencing communication between the household appliances through the user interfaces.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the establishing video conferencing communication comprises establishing communication between the appliances over a communications network.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the external smart device is integrated with the user interface.