Network for communicating information related to a consumable to an appliance

• US 9,164,867 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Ebrom, Matthew P., Elston, Wallace J. III, Glotzbach, Mark E., Heilman, Layne E., Jenkins, Anthony E., Krefman, Stephen D., McCoy, Richard A., O'Shaughnessy, James P., Voss, Randy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US11/930,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,911 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 705 22- 23, 709/201, 709223-224, 709/203, 704/273, 137/387
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• 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 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• 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 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 for thawing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

An appliance network comprising a networked appliance and capable of communicating with a consumable such that information related to the consumable is communicated to the networked appliance.

Claims

1. An appliance network comprising:

at least one appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation related to a consumable and having at least one component and a first network node;

a consumable reader configured to read information related to the consumable that includes uncompiled data having a description of an ordered collection of steps, actions to be taken by at least one component of the appliance during each step, and conditions under which a current step should transition into a next step in the ordered collection of steps, said reader having a second network node in communication with the first network node; and

a software architecture including at least one software element and configured to generate a plurality of messages in the network, and configured to enable transmission of at least one of the plurality of messages in the network between the consumable reader and the at least one appliance through the first and second network nodes to transfer the information about the consumable from the consumable reader to the at least one appliance whereby the appliance can build the cycle of operation based on the information upon receipt of the at least one of the plurality of messages, and can perform the built cycle of operation related to the consumable.

2. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the information is a communication packet that is communicated to the software architecture.

3. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the software architecture includes memory and the information includes a key to direct the appliance to any data about the consumable stored in the memory.

4. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the information is a communication packet that is communicated to the appliance.

5. The appliance network of claim 1 wherein the information is on the consumable.

6. The appliance network of claim 1 where the consumable has packaging and the information is on the packaging.

7. An assembly comprising:

a consumable for use in an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle related to the consumable and to receive messages;

information associated with the consumable and configured for communication to the appliance in at least one message, wherein the information includes uncompiled data having a description of an ordered collection of steps, actions to be taken by at least one component of the appliance during each step, and conditions under which a current step should transition into a next step in the ordered collection of steps; and

an encoder to encode the information on one of the consumable and packaging for the consumable whereby the appliance can build the operation cycle based on the information upon receipt of the at least one message, and perform the built operation cycle related to the consumable.

8. The assembly according to claim 7 wherein the encoder is one of a personal computer, a magnetic strip writer, and a handheld encoding device.

9. The assembly according to claim 7 wherein the information is encoded on material removable from the consumable.

10. The assembly according to claim 9 wherein the material is one of plastic wrap, aluminum foil, pots, pans, microwave-safe containers, container lids, an adhesive strip, and a magnetic strip.

11. A method of configuring an appliance to perform a custom operation cycle to effect a physical operation on an article, the method comprising:

preparing uncompiled data having a description of an ordered collection of steps, actions to be taken by at least one component of the appliance during each step, and conditions under which a current step should transition into a next step in the ordered collection of steps;

encoding the uncompiled data to an information holder associated with using a consumable; and

using the information holder to convey the uncompiled data to the appliance whereby the appliance is configured to build a custom operation cycle based on the uncompiled data and to perform the custom operation cycle.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of providing a consumable reader configured to obtain the custom operation cycle and communicate the custom operation cycle to the appliance.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the information holder is one of a consumable holder, a removably coupled article comprising memory attached to a surface of a consumable holder, a consumable, a consumable data pod, packaging for a consumable, user manuals, and tags.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the preparing step is performed by a consumable provider.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the custom operation cycle comprises a cycle structure usable by the appliance.

16. A consumable for use in an appliance configured to perform an operation cycle related to the consumable and to receive messages, the consumable comprising encoded information that includes uncompiled data having a description of an ordered collection of steps, actions to be taken by at least one component of the appliance during each step, and conditions under which a current step should transition into a next step in the ordered collection of steps, and wherein the consumable is configured for communicating with the appliance by a message to convey the uncompiled data to the appliance whereby the appliance is configured to build a custom operation cycle based on the uncompiled data and to perform the custom operation cycle on the consumable.

17. The consumable according to claim 16 wherein the custom operation cycle is in a communication packet.

18. The consumable according to claim 16 wherein the consumable has packaging and the custom operation cycle is on the packaging.