Laundry machine and online system including the same

• US 9,671,766 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• 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:
  US14/234,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 provided to enable communication with a server, comprising:

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

an input component configured to initiate the setting mode based on receiving a prescribed user selection,

wherein the home appliance is accessed during the setting mode by an external terminal provided separate from the home appliance and is changed from the setting mode to the use mode upon reception of service set identifier (SSID) information of an access point (AP) from the external terminal and user information for registration of the home appliance to the server from the external terminal.

2. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication module is further configured to store the received SSID information.

3. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication module accesses to the AP by using the SSID information.

4. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SSID information includes a password of a wireless local area network (LAN) associated with the AP.

5. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input component is provided in a control panel of the home appliance.

6. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the particular input unit is configured to provide a first input method for a selection of a prescribed function of the home appliance and a second input method, different from the first input method for the selection of the prescribed function, for initiating the setting mode.

7. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein access by the external terminal to the setting mode of the communication module is made through a fixed address of the communication module or access to a WiFi network of the communication module.

8. The home appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the communication module stores a server address for connection to a particular server through the AP when in the use mode.

9. The home appliance as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a display indicating the fixed address of the communication module or information on the WiFi network during the setting mode.

10. The home appliance as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a display presenting a WiFi icon if the setting mode is changed to the use mode from the setting mode.

11. The home appliance as claimed in claim 10, wherein the display indicates a state of the home appliance.

12. The home appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external terminal exchanges the user information with the server to register the external terminal with the server,

wherein the home appliance forwards registration information that includes the user information and home appliance information identifying the home appliance via the AP, during the use mode to register the home appliance with the server, and

wherein the server associates the home appliance and the external terminal based on the registration information.

13. An online system comprising:

a server, and

a home appliance provided to enable communication with the server and an external terminal provided separate from the home appliance,

wherein the home appliance includes;

a WiFi communication module mounted or connected to the home appliance for supporting a setting mode for establishing a communication connection and a use mode for communicating with the server through the communication connection, and

an input component to receive a user input to initiate the setting mode,

wherein the communication module is configured to be accessed by the external terminal during the setting mode and to change to the use mode upon reception of service set identifier (SSID) information of an access point (AP) through the external terminal and user information for registration of the home appliance to the server through the external terminal.

14. The online system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the communication module has a fixed address that is used by the external terminal to for access to the home appliance during the setting mode and stores a server address for the communication connection to the server through the AP in the use mode.

15. The online system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the input component is not configured to receive an alphanumeric character input.

16. The online system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the external terminal includes a WiFi module to communicate with the communications module in the setting mode, a user input, a display, a central processor unit (CPU), an operating system (OS), and storage.

17. The online system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the external terminal executes an application for at least one of remote control, remote diagnosis, firmware or software update, or monitoring of the home appliance when the communications module is in the use mode.

18. The online system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the external terminal transmits the user information, home appliance information and request information to the server, and

the home appliance transmits an AP address, connection information between the home appliance and the AP, the user information, and the home appliance information to the server, wherein the server matches the home appliance to the external terminal based on the transmitted information from the external terminal and the home appliance and forwards the request information to the home appliance.

19. A method for using an online system comprising:

logging in a server by inputting user information through an external terminal provided separate from a home appliance;

determining, based on the user information and home appliance information for the home appliance, whether the home appliance is registered with the server;

entering a product registration mode if the home appliance is not registered;

using a prescribed address for access to a setting mode of the home appliance during the product registration mode;

inputting service set identifier (SSID) information of an access point (AP) and the user information to the home appliance during the setting mode through the external terminal, the home appliance registering the user information and the home appliance information to the server, to register the home appliance with the server through the AP; and

when the home appliance is registered to the server, carrying out at least one of remote control, remote diagnosis, firmware or software update, or monitoring of the home appliance through the external terminal.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium to store instructions, the instructions causing a processor to perform a method for using an online system comprising:

logging in a server by inputting user information through an external terminal provided separate from a home appliance;

determining, based on the user information and home appliance information for the home appliance, whether the home appliance is registered with the server;

entering a product registration mode if the home appliance is not registered;

using a prescribed address for access to a setting mode of the home appliance during the product registration mode;

inputting service set identifier (SSID) information of an access point (AP) and the user information to the home appliance during the setting mode through the external terminal, the home appliance registering the user information and the home appliance information to the server, to register the home appliance with the server through the AP; and

when the home appliance is registered to the server, carrying out at least one of remote control, remote diagnosis, firmware or software update, or monitoring of the home appliance through the external terminal.