Home appliance and mobile terminal having application for registering the home appliance to server

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11540245-B2
Application number	US-202017010336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2020
Priority date	Sep 2, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A home appliance configured to be registered in a server, the home appliance includes: a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) module, based on the home appliance being registered in the server, communicatively connected to an access point (AP) and configured to periodically operate in an AP mode through a virtual interface, and a controller configured to control the Wi-Fi module to periodically operate in the AP mode. The Wi-Fi module is configured to generate a beacon signal to search for an unregistered home appliance based on the Wi-Fi module being operated in the AP mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A home appliance configured to be registered in a server, comprising:
a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) module, based on the home appliance being registered in the server, communicatively connected to an access point (AP) and configured to periodically operate in an AP mode through a virtual interface; and
a controller configured to control the Wi-Fi module to periodically operate in the AP mode,
wherein the Wi-Fi module is configured to generate a beacon signal to search for an unregistered home appliance based on the Wi-Fi module being operated in the AP mode,
wherein the Wi-Fi module is configured to use a hidden service set identifier (SSID) based on the Wi-Fi module being operated in the AP mode,
wherein the controller is configured to control, based on the virtual interface receiving a communication connection request from an unregistered home appliance that recognized the hidden SSID, the Wi-Fi module to be communicatively connected to the unregistered home appliance that recognized the hidden SSID,
wherein the Wi-Fi module is configured to receive AP information from the AP, and
wherein the controller is configured to:
obtain the AP information, and
control, based on the Wi-Fi module receiving a registration confirmation key input completion signal from the communicatively-connected unregistered home appliance, the Wi-Fi module to (i) transmit the obtained AP information to the communicatively-connected unregistered home appliance and (ii) transmit the registration confirmation key input completion signal to the server through the AP.

2. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control, based on the Wi-Fi module receiving a push signal from the communicatively-connected unregistered home appliance, the Wi-Fi module to transmit the push signal to the server through the AP.

3. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control, based on the Wi-Fi module receiving a registration confirmation request for the communicatively-connected unregistered home appliance from the server through the AP, the Wi-Fi module to transmit the registration confirmation request to the communicatively-connected unregistered home appliance.

4. The home appliance of claim 1 , wherein the AP information comprises a SSID and a password of the AP.

5. A home appliance configured to be registered in a server, comprising:
a Wi-Fi module having a virtual interface; and
a controller configured, based on the home appliance not being registered in a server, to control the Wi-Fi module to search for a registered home appliance transmitting a beacon signal and determine whether a hidden SSID included in the beacon signal of the searched registered home appliance matches a preset hidden SSID stored in a list,
wherein the controller is configured to:
control, based on the controller determined that the hidden SSID of the searched registered home appliance matches the preset hidden SSID stored in the list, the Wi-Fi module to attempt communication connection to the searched registered home appliance,
control, based on the Wi-Fi module being communicatively connected to the searched registered home appliance, the Wi-Fi module to transmit a push signal to the communicatively-connected registered home appliance, and
control, based on the Wi-Fi module receiving a registration confirmation request from the communicatively-connected registered home appliance and a registration confirmation key input being determined from a user, the Wi-Fi module to transmit a registration confirmation key input completion signal to the registered home appliance.

6. The home appliance of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to control, based on the Wi-Fi module receiving information regarding AP connected to the registered home appliance from the communicatively-connected registered home appliance after transmitting the registration confirmation key input completion signal to the registered home appliance, the Wi-Fi module to attempt the connection with the AP through the virtual interface based on the received AP information.

7. The home appliance of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to control, based on successful communication connection between the AP and the Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi module to transmit, to the server and through the AP, registration information comprising unique information of the home appliance.

8. The home appliance of claim 7 ,
wherein the AP information comprises an SSID and a password of the AP, and
wherein the unique information of the home appliance comprises a serial number of the home appliance.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Suhwan

Classifications

• H04L2012/2841

  Wireless · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title