Whirlpool Corporation

Mark Eugene Glotzbach

Matthew Peter Ebrom

Richard A McCoy

Brian N Radford

Andrew D Whipple

Neomar Giacomini

Anthony E Jenkins

Patrick J Glotzbach

Layne E Heilman

Wallace J Elston, Iii

Christopher S Moes

Matthew J Nibbelink

Donald E Maynard

Phillip A Molloy

James Phillips Carow

Andre O Pires

Joel Adam Luckman

Erik Peter Oosterwal

Philip Andrew Molloy

Michael Stephen Hendrickson

Ronald L Voglewede

Brandon Lynn Satanek

Eric Joseph Schuh

Daniel M Putnam

Christopher J Woerdehoff

Gale Richard Horst

Michele A Paustian

Andrew Charles Reck

Anders B Zeijlon

Shawn Richard Oltz

Jennifer L Bonuso

Joshua Paul Carroll

Randy A Voss

Stephen David Krefman

Steven D Ficke

James P O'Shaughnessy

Michael A Morrell

Robert J Feldbruegge

Paul R Argue

Rodrigo C Castaldo

Randy L Jeffery

Steve Pearson

Eduardo K Yamakawa

Cesario Zimmerman

Example human-machine interface (HMI) assemblies are disclosed. One example HMI assembly includes a fascia, a touch film having a first raised contact, a PCB having a second raised contact, and a piercing member passing through the first and second contacts to electrically couple the first and second contacts.

Human-machine interface assemblies

Example human-machine interface (HMI) assemblies are disclosed. An example human-machine interface assembly can include a fascia. The human-machine interface assembly can further include a printed circuit board (PCB). The printed circuit board can have a light emitting diode (LED) to emit light through the fascia. The human-machine interface assembly can further include a backer that can be attached to the fascia.

Example methods and apparatus for communicatively coupling internal components and accessories appliances, and appliances with external components and accessories are disclosed herein. A disclosed example method of operating a domestic appliance having at least one of an internal communications network and/or an external communications network among at least two components includes identifying the components, communicating the capabilities of each identified component, communicating the status of each identified component, providing a command interface for operating the components, facilitating communication between the components, and operating the appliance using the command interface and the facilitated communication.

User controllable filter system for an appliance

Example human-machine interface (HMI) assemblies are disclosed. An example HMI assembly includes a fascia, a touch film having a first raised contact, a printed circuit board (PCB) having a second raised contact, and a backer having an extending member and attached to the fascia, the member configured to press the first contact against the second contact by applying a force to the PCB at substantially the second raised contact.

Methods and apparatus for communicatively coupling internal components within appliances, and appliances with external components and accessories

Light collimators and methods for human machine interfaces are disclosed. An example human machine interface includes a top surface having a decorative element to be illuminated, a light source, and a plurality of parallel light collimators that collimate visible light emitted by the light source and direct the collimated light toward the bottom side of the decorative element. An example method of illuminating a decorative element of a human machine interface includes emitting light, passing the light through a plurality of collimators defined in the human machine interface, and directing the collimated light toward the decorative element.

Light collimators and methods for human machine interfaces

A client having at least one memory location is provided for use with an appliance network. The client includes an arbitrary software component for performing a useful function, a software architecture or a software architecture driver configured to generate or enable transmission of messages, and means to communicate by message over a network. Thus, the client can have full capability to act as an accessory to an appliance to communicate with and to enhance or alter the operation of the appliance.

Client for an appliance network

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.

Network for communicating information related to a consumable to an appliance

An appliance has a communication network with a plurality of nodes for executing commands to enable operation by components. A firewall is provided to restrict access to the commands by the nodes without a password.

Network system with electronic credentials and authentication for appliances

A method of enabling adaptable demonstrations of products provides products with an internal communications network among at least two components, and includes distributing the products to vendors in different markets, providing to each vendor at least one smart device capable of assuming control of a component in the products, and distributing demonstration software to the vendors having smart devices. The demonstration software is unique to the vendor and/or the market so that the smart devices in different markets or among different vendors can be uniquely adapted to cause demonstration of the components in the products.

Method of providing product demonstrations

An appliance having a smart device in communication with multiple components of the appliance and a user interface of the appliance, the smart device having an updatable demonstration software that takes over control of the multiple components from the controller when executing the demonstration software to implement a demonstration of the appliance by controlling the actuation of the components and display related multimedia information on the multimedia user interface.

System for product demonstration

Conducting a video conference as part of the operation or demonstration of an appliance.

Method for product demonstration

A method of self servicing an appliance includes connecting a service accessory to an appliance, recording diagnostics data associated with the appliance onto the service accessory, removing the service accessory from the appliance, coupling the service accessory to a personal computer, and uploading the diagnostics data to an automated service system. Another embodiment includes coupling a service accessory to a computer having a test script, transferring a test script from the computer to the service accessory, connecting the service accessory to the communication network of the appliance, establishing communications between the service accessory and the appliance using the communication network; and executing the test script over the communication network.

Method of self servicing an appliance

A product in the form of a household appliance has an internal communications network connecting two or more components, and software architecture implemented on the network that identifies the components, communicates the capabilities of each identified component, communicates the status of each identified component, provides a command interface for operating the components, and facilitates communication between the components and devices external to the product. An external smart device having demonstration software communicates with the internal communications network and is in control of at least one of the components to effect a demonstration of features of the product.

A method of demonstrating a household appliance by executing a demonstration software to cause demonstration of at least one component of the appliance and to display related information on a user interface of the appliance by a multimedia program.

Growing community of inventors

Granger, IN, United States of America

Mark Eugene Glotzbach