Laundry assembly and method for controlling a connected laundry appliance of the laundry assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12467184-B2
Application number	US-202318318682-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2023
Priority date	May 16, 2023
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A laundry treatment assembly includes a washing machine appliance including a user interface and a dryer appliance, the dryer appliance including a dryer wireless communication module and a dryer controller operably coupled to the dryer wireless communication module, the dryer controller being configured to perform an operation including generating a plurality of request identification codes; emitting a first request identification code; emitting, after an expiration of a predetermined refresh period, a second request identification code; receiving a data package from the washing machine appliance, the data package including a start command to initiate a drying cycle of the dryer appliance and a discrete code of the plurality of request identification codes; and implementing a responsive action in response to receiving the data package.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A laundry treatment assembly comprising:
a washing machine appliance, the washing machine appliance comprising a user interface; and a dryer appliance, the dryer appliance comprising:
a dryer wireless communication module; and
a dryer controller operably coupled to the dryer wireless communication module; wherein the dryer controller is configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising:
generating a plurality of request identification codes;
emitting, via the dryer wireless communication module, a first request identification code of the plurality of request identification codes;
emitting, after an expiration of a predetermined refresh period, a second request identification code of the plurality of request identification codes;
receiving, via the dryer wireless communication module, a data package from the washing machine appliance, the data package comprising a start command to initiate a drying cycle of the dryer appliance and a discrete code of the plurality of request identification codes; and
implementing a responsive action in response to receiving the data package.

2 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 1 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
determining that the discrete code within the data package is a valid request identification code; and initiating the drying cycle in response to determining that the discrete code within the data package is the valid request identification code.

3 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of request identification codes is provided in a sequential order.

4 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 3 , wherein determining that the discrete code within the data package is the valid request identification code comprises determining that the discrete code is one of a most recently emitted request identification code or a request identification code emitted immediately previous to the most recently emitted request identification code.

5 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 1 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
determining that the discrete code within the data package is an invalid request identification code; and ignoring the start command to initiate the drying cycle in response to determining that the discrete code within the data package is the invalid request identification code.

6 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined refresh period is between 15 second and 45 seconds.

7 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 1 , wherein the washing machine appliance further comprises:
a washer wireless communication module; and a washer controller operably coupled to the user interface and the washer wireless communication module.

8 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 7 , wherein the washer controller is configured for:
receiving the start command to initiate the dryer cycle via the user interface; determining a most recently received request identification code of the plurality of request identification codes; and transmitting, via the washer wireless communication module, the data package, the data package including the start command and the most recently received request identification code.

9 . The laundry treatment assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of request identification codes is randomly generated via the dryer controller.

10 . A method of operating a laundry treatment assembly, the laundry treatment assembly comprising a washing machine appliance and a dryer appliance; the method comprising:
generating a plurality of request identification codes within the dryer appliance; emitting, via a dryer wireless communication module, a first request identification code of the plurality of request identification codes; emitting, after an expiration of a predetermined refresh period, a second request identification code of the plurality of request identification codes; receiving, via the dryer wireless communication module, a data package from the washing machine appliance, the data package comprising a start command to initiate a drying cycle of the dryer appliance and a discrete code of the plurality of request identification codes; and implementing a responsive action in response to receiving the data package.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
determining that the discrete code within the data package is a valid request identification code; and initiating the drying cycle in response to determining that the discrete code within the data package is the valid request identification code.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of request identification codes is provided in a sequential order.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein determining that the discrete code within the data package is the valid request identification code comprises determining that the discrete code is one of a most recently emitted request identification code or a request identification code emitted immediately previous to the most recently emitted request identification code.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
determining that the discrete code within the data package is an invalid request identification code; and ignoring the start command to initiate the drying cycle in response to determining that the discrete code within the data package is the invalid request identification code.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined refresh period is between 15 second and 45 seconds.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the washing machine appliance further comprises:
a washer wireless communication module; and a washer controller operably coupled to the washer wireless communication module.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the washer controller is configured for:
receiving the start command to initiate the dryer cycle via a user interface of the washing machine appliance; determining a most recently received request identification code of the plurality of request identification codes; and transmitting, via the washer wireless communication module, the data package, the data package including the start command and the most recently received request identification code.

18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of request identification codes is randomly generated via the dryer appliance.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hartlage Ryan
• Rodriguez Munoz Jose Efren

Classifications

• D06F34/28

  Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress · CPC title

• D06F2105/50

  Starting machine operation, e.g. delayed start or re-start after power cut · CPC title

• D06F2101/20

  Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles · CPC title

• D06F58/38

  of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity · CPC title

• D06F29/005

  the other separate apparatus being a drying appliance · CPC title