Household appliance with luminary communication interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10907288-B1
Application number	US-201916586775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 27, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A household appliance for performing a cycle of operation on an article according to a cycle of operation. The household appliance includes a cabinet defining a treating chamber that is configured to receive the article. The cabinet also includes at least one consumable, a controller, a user interface, and a luminary communication interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A household appliance for performing a cycle of operation on an article according to a cycle of operation, the household appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a treating chamber configured to receive the article;
at least one controllable component for use in performing the cycle of operation;
a dock having an annular port positioned in the cabinet;
at least one consumable received in the dock for use in performing the cycle of operation;
a controller programmed with the cycle of operation and operably coupled to the at least one controllable component;
a user interface carried by the cabinet and physically spaced apart from the dock and coupled to the controller to provide data communication between the controller and a user; and
a ring shaped luminary communication interface circumscribing the annular port and physically associated with the at least one consumable, and emitting at least one of colored light motion or light intensity patterns to illustrate a status of the at least one consumable.

2. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the at least one consumable comprises multiple consumables and the luminary communication interface emits unique combinations of colored light motion and light intensity patterns for each of the multiple consumables to uniquely illustrate the status of each of the multiple consumables.

3. The household appliance of claim 2 wherein the luminary communication interface is physically associated with only one of the multiple consumables while the unique combinations of colored light motion and light intensity patterns provide directional indicia for at least one of the other multiple consumables.

4. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the luminary communication interface circumscribes the at least one consumable.

5. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the cabinet comprises a pedestal that contains at least a portion of the luminary communication interface.

6. The household appliance of claim 5 wherein the pedestal further comprises at least a portion of a recirculation system.

7. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the at least one consumable is at least one of a filter cartridge, softener cartridge, or fluid treatment cartridge.

8. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the household appliance comprises at least one of a dishwasher, a refrigerator, a freezer, a range, a stove, an oven, a food recycler, a microwave, a cooktop, a clothes washing machine, a clothes dryer, a combination washing machine and dryer, a dispensing dryer, a tumbling or stationary refreshing/revitalizing machine, an extractor, a non-aqueous washing apparatus, a clothes refresher, or a revitalizing machine.

9. The household appliance of claim 1 wherein the cycle of operation comprises at least one of freezing, cooling, cooking, baking, clothes washing, clothes drying, clothes treating, recycling food, dish drying, or dish washing.

10. The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a door overlying the annular port and the luminary communication interface.

11. The household appliance of claim 10 , wherein the door is transparent or semi-transparent for allowing a user to view the luminary communication interface.

12. The household appliance of claim 11 , wherein the at least one consumable is a filter cartridge.

13. The household appliance of claim 1 further comprising a second port in the cabinet spaced from the first port.

14. The household appliance of claim 13 , wherein the second port comprises a second internal dock for receiving a second consumable.

15. The household appliance of claim 14 , wherein the at least one consumable is a filter cartridge and the second consumable is a softener cartridge.

16. The household appliance of claim 14 wherein the second internal dock comprises a drawer that slides in/out of the second port.

17. The household appliance of claim 16 further comprising a non-opaque cover overlying the second port.

18. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the luminary communication interface comprises at least 2% of the total surface area of a front panel of the cabinet.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Carpenter Scott E
• Fischer Marcus R
• Fytczyk Joli A
• Hammond Richard L

Classifications

• D06F33/00 Primary

  Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers  (D06F31/00 takes precedence; details of control systems therefor D06F34/00; control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32) · CPC title

• D06F2105/42

  Detergent or additive supply · CPC title

• D06F39/022

  in a liquid state (D06F39/024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G08B5/36

  using visible light sources · CPC title

• D06F39/02 Primary

  Devices for adding soap or other washing agents · CPC title