KR20130142087A - Method of operating a laundry machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for operating a laundry machine of the present invention refers to a method for operating a laundry machine for general clothes and fiber allowing the customization and the selection of a laundry program, and/or the interaction between the elements, characterized in that the laundry machine has a graphic user interface (1) at least. The method comprises the following steps: of i) selecting an icon (2) displayed in a first region (3) of the graphic user interface (1), wherein the icon (2) allows performing at least one laundry program, ii) maintaining the icon selected in the step (i) in the state of being pressed, iii) moving the icon (2) maintained in the state of being pressed in the step (ii) to a second region (4) of the graphic user interface (1), wherein the second region (4) is arranged to be adjacent to the first region (3), and iv) releasing the icon (2) moved in the step (iii). [Reference numerals] (AA) Start;(BB) Screen display in a laundry program region + a bookmark region;(CC) Is a class selected?;(DD,II,KK,MM) No;(EE,JJ,LL,NN) Yes;(FF) Display an icon of the laundry program;(GG) i and ii;(HH) Is the icon continuously pressed after the selection?;(iii) Is the icon moved to the bookmark region?;(iv) Is not the icon selected (released)?;(OO) End

Description

How to operate a washing machine {METHOD OF OPERATING A LAUNDRY MACHINE}

The present invention relates generally to a method for operating a washing machine, and more particularly, to a method of operation for application in a general garment and textile washing machine, the customization of the washing program in an interactive manner, May enable selection, and / or configuration.

Washing machines, due to their practicality and time-savings, are generally household, commercial or industrial appliances which are widely used to assist with the task of washing clothes or textiles.

In particular, in the case of a garment washing machine, the principle of operation consists of introducing water and / or detergent into the pierced barrel and stirring the garment in two rotational directions (clockwise and counter-clockwise) within the washing barrel. After washing and rinsing, there is usually a spin cycle, the purpose of which is to remove excess water to promote subsequent drying. In a spin cycle, the bin moves angularly in only one direction at a relatively high rotational speed, such as 500, 1,000 rmp or more.

Clothing washers known today are sufficiently automated to allow the user to select cleaning parameters such as temperature, water level, cleaning time, rinsing time, spin time and the like. In particular, most modern machines have a pre-set setting or cleaning program specified by the manufacturer, such as "stain removal", "off white", "jeans", "weight", "quilt", "sensitive", It is operated by the user using "high speed", "normal", "usually double rinse", "dynamic soaking", "turbo spin", and the like. Since it is enough for the user to select the desired program without having to set all washing parameters, the pre-designated program in the automatic washing machine has made the washing machine quite easy to operate.

In addition, with ongoing and significant advances in recent years, most modern garment washers have a digital user interface that can enable more intuitive and simplified interaction and further promote operation. For example, North American patents US 6,502,265 and US 7,337,634 have disclosed the use of touch-sensitive screens in laundry machines.

However, despite the obvious technical advances mentioned above, in order to provide an improved experience in use and operation, all resources and functions have yet to be found in terms of what a touch-sensitive screen can provide to the user of a garment cleaner. It is not.

In other words, currently known washing machines have the possibility of reinforcement and improvement in terms of their usability, in particular in terms of equipment, simplicity, and operating speed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a washing machine which can eliminate or at least reduce the limitations of the methods known in the art.

In addition, it is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a washing machine, in particular a washing machine for washing general clothing and textiles, which can enable the customization, selection, and / or configuration of a washing program interactively. It is.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a washing machine, in particular for washing clothes, which can provide improved usability and operating equipment over methods known in the art.

Still another object of the present invention includes providing a method of operating a washing machine that enables faster and simpler interaction with a user than methods known in the art.

One or more objects of the invention mentioned above are achieved by a method of operating a washing machine, in particular a laundry washing machine, equipped with at least one graphical user interface. The method includes the steps of:

Iii) selecting an icon displayed in the first area of the graphical user interface, the icon enabling execution of at least one laundry program;

Ii) keeping the icon selected in step (iii) pressed;

Iii) moving the icon held down in step (ii) to a second area of the graphical user interface, the second area being disposed adjacent to the first area, and

Iii) releasing the icon (2) moved in step (iii).

According to a further or alternative embodiment of the method of operating the washing machine of the present invention, the following steps may be included alone or in combination with each other:

Iii) selecting an icon displayed in the second area of the graphical user interface,

Iii) keeping the icon selected in step (iii) pressed for at least a specified time t until the graphical user interface is displayed in an option window of operation, and

Iii) selecting the desired operation from the option window displayed in step (iii),

Iii) if the action selected in step (iii) is "move", moving the icon held down in step (iii) to a position different from the initial position in the second area of the graphical user interface,

Iii) dropping the icon moved in step (iii),

Iii) if the action selected in step (iii) is "delete", deleting the icon held pressed in step (iii),

Iii) selecting an icon displayed in the second area of the graphical user interface,

Iiiii) keeping the icon selected in step (iii) pressed;

Iii) moving the icon held in the pressed state in step (iii) to the first area and deleting the icon;

Iii) selecting the icon displayed in the second area of the graphical user interface or in the first area of the graphical interface,

Iii) holding down the selected icon in step (iii),

Iii) moving the icon held down in step (iii) within the second area or within the first area,

-Customizing the washing program before step (iii),

-Setting the washing temperature,

-Setting the water level,

Setting a contamination state,

Setting a soak time,

Setting a wash time,

Setting a rinse time,

Setting the spin time,

-Storing the set parameters of the washing program,

Selecting a wash program class before step (iii), wherein the wash program class is placed in a first area of the graphical user interface,

Correlating the emission of at least one sound signal after or during the execution of a particular step, and / or

Performing the above steps by human touch or with a pen for a touch-sensitive screen.

One or more of the objects of the invention mentioned above are achieved by a method of operating a washing machine, in particular a laundry washing machine, having at least a graphical user interface. The method includes the steps of:

a) displaying in the favorites area of the graphical interface at least one icon that can enable the execution of the at least one laundry program, and

b) when the icon displayed in step (a) is pressed by the user and released before the specified time t has elapsed, the execution of the washing program starts;

According to a further or alternative embodiment of the method of operating the washing machine of the present invention, the following steps may be included alone or in combination:

c) when the icon displayed in step (a) is pressed by the user and released after a specified time t has elapsed, displaying an option window of the action on the graphical user interface, the action being “move” or Step that is "delete",

d) waiting for selection by the user of the action displayed in the option window of the action in step (c), and

e) performing or waiting for the operation selected by the user in step (d),

f) displaying a window in a graphical interface that enables a minimum of performance of the laundry program by the user,

g) if the user chooses to cancel the wash program using the window displayed in step (f), stopping the wash program execution;

h) deleting the icon when the icon is pressed and moved from the second area of the graphical user interface to the first area,

Iii) moving the icon within the second area of the graphical user interface or within the first area when selecting or dragging the icon within the second area of the graphical user interface or within the first area; .

Objects, technical effects, and advantages of the subject matter of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art through the following drawings and detailed description that illustrate non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the invention.
1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a washing machine that considers a user as a reference.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the washing machine of the present invention taking the washing machine as a reference.
3A-3D show a series of screens of a first example of applying the method of the present invention.
4A-4E show a series of screens of a second example of applying the method of the present invention.
5A-5D show a series of screens of a third example of wjrydd the method of the present invention.

Firstly, a method of operating a washing machine, specifically a laundry washing machine, will be described according to a specific embodiment, but since the embodiments of the present invention can be carried out in different forms and variations according to preferred embodiments, the described embodiments It is not limited to the example.

The laundry machine of the present invention has at least a graphical user interface 1, in particular a touch-sensitive screen, preferably a capacitive type (but not limited to). The graphical interface 1 allows the user to control and monitor the laundry machine by human touch or in an interactive manner using a pen for a touch-sensitive screen. 3A-5D show graphical interface 1 in operation in different examples of applying the method of operating the present invention.

First, when the washing machine is turned on, after the display of the initial display screen (s), the graphical user interface 1 displays a screen, such as that shown in FIG. 3A. As can be seen in FIG. 3A, the graphical user interface 1 comprises a first area 3 and a second area 4 which are adjacent to each other, preferably the first area 3 comprises a graphical user interface ( Located on the left side of 1), the second area 4 is located on (but need not be limited to) the right side of the graphical user interface 1.

Again according to FIG. 3A, the first area 3 of the graphical user interface 1 is configured to display a program class 6, in which there are four program classes 6 in a particular embodiment of the invention. "General", "fiber", "special", and "custom". Thus, to start the washing, the user first selects the desired program class 6 arranged in the first area 30 of the graphical user interface 1.

After the program class 6 is selected, it is displayed in the first area 3 of the graphical user interface 1 such that the at least one icon 2 can enable the execution of at least one laundry program. In particular, the washing machine can carry out a plurality of washing programs which can be specified by the manufacturer or customized by the user himself before step (i). The customization can be performed by setting parameters of the wash program, such as temperature, water level, contamination status, soak time, wash time, rinse time, and spin time. Naturally, other configurable parameters can be implemented. The parameter set can be stored in a laundry program or a new program.

In the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, although six icons 2 are displayed in the first area 3 of the graphical user interface 1, it is obvious that the quantity of the icons 2 may vary from case to case. . When the user presses and releases the icon 2 in the first area 3 of the graphical interface 1, the washing program is started. In addition, when the user selects the icon 2 and keeps the icon 2 pressed, moving the icon to the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1, as shown in FIG. 3B ( Dragging) is possible.

The second area 4 of the graphical interface 1 thus corresponds to a favorite area in which the user can add an icon 2 and enable fast access to the laundry program, i.e. function as a shortcut. .

1 shows a flowchart comprising the following main steps of the process described above:

Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the first area 3 of the graphical user interface 1,

Ii) holding down the icon (2) selected in step (iii),

Iii) moving the icon 2 held pressed in step (ii) to the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1, and

Iii) dropping the icon (2) moved in step (iii). At the end of this step, a window is shown which preferably indicates that the shortcut has been successfully created, as shown in FIG. 3C. 3D shows the final screen after adding a shortcut to the favorite area.

After performing the above steps (i) to (b), the user presses the shortcut (icon 2) displayed in the favorite area (second area 4 of the graphic second area 4), and the designated time Before the elapse of t, upon release, the washing program associated with the selected icon 2 is started. Specifically, time t is pre-set to 3 seconds, but other values may be utilized. In addition, when the user selects a shortcut displayed in the favorite area and keeps the shortcut pressed for at least the predetermined time t (FIGS. 4A and 5A), the graphical user interface 1 operates. An option window 5 of the action is displayed to allow the user to select the desired action, such as deleting a shortcut or moving the shortcut, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B. In other words, this process can be described by the following steps:

Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 (FIG. 4A),

Iii) holding down the selected icon 2 in step (i) for at least the predetermined time t until the graphical user interface 1 displays the option window 5 of the operation (Fig. 4B). ,

Iii) selecting the desired action in the option window 5 displayed in step (vi) (Fig. 4B),

Iii) moving the icon 2 pressed in step (iii) from the initial position of the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 to another position (FIG. 4C), and

Iii) dropping the moved icon 2 in the step (FIG. 4D).

In place of steps (iii) and (iii), the method of the present invention may further comprise the following steps:

Iii) if the action selected in step (vii) is " deleted " (FIGS. 5B and 5C), deleting the icon 2 pressed in step vi.

The steps (i) to (iv) described above are shown in the flowchart of FIG.

Alternatively, to delete the shortcut, the method further comprises the following steps:

Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1,

Iiiii) keeping the selected icon 2 pressed in step (iii), and

Iii) moving the icon (2) held in the pressed state in step (iii) to the first area (3) to delete the icon.

Further alternatively, to move the shortcut, the method further comprises the following steps:

Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 and the first area 3 of the graphical interface 1,

Iii) holding down the icon (2) selected in step (iii), and

Iii) moving the icon (2) held in the pressed state in step (iii) inside the second area (4) or the first area (3).

The steps (i) to (v) described above consider the user of the machine as a reference, i.e. the steps are the steps performed by the user when interacting with the machine.

In addition, the method of the present invention may be described with reference to a machine, ie it focuses on the steps performed by the machine when interacting with a user. The steps consist of:

a) displaying at least one icon (2) in the favorite area (4) of the graphical interface (1) which can enable the execution of at least one laundry program,

b) starting the execution of the laundry program when the icon 2 displayed in step (a) is pressed by the user and released before the preset time t has elapsed,

c) displaying an option window of operation on the graphical user interface when the icon displayed in step (a) is pressed by the user and released after a preset time t has elapsed,

d) waiting for selection by the user of the actions to be displayed in the option window 5 of the action in step (c), specifically, these actions consist of "move" and "delete",

e) performing or waiting for the operation selected by the user in step (d),

f) displaying in the graphical interface 1 a window which can enable cancellation of the execution of the washing program by the user, and

g) if the user chooses to cancel the wash program using the window displayed in step (f), stopping the wash program.

Optionally, in addition to steps c, d and e, the method further comprises the following steps:

h) deleting the icon 2 when the icon 2 is pressed and moved from the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 to the first area 3, or

i) The second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 when the icon 2 is selected by the user and dragged inside the second area 4 or the first area 3 of the graphical user interface 1. ) Or within the first area 3, moving the icon 2.

Steps (i) to (iii) or steps (a to i) described above may be associated with the emission of at least one sound after or during the execution of the step.

Thus, in accordance with the above description, the method of the present invention enables the customization, selection and / or configuration of a laundry program in a simple and fast manner, and because the interaction with the user is more intuitive and friendly, It provides improved machine operation usability and facilities.

Although the above description of specific embodiments refers to specific specific embodiments, the methods of the present invention may be carried out in a number of different ways and may carry out modifications and the scope of protection of the present invention includes all of the following examples, including asymmetric variants. It is limited only by the content of the claims.

Claims (21)

A method of operating a washing machine, the washing machine having at least a graphical user interface 10, the method comprising:
Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the first area 3 of the graphical user interface 1, the icon 2 enabling the execution of at least one laundry program;
Ii) keeping the icon selected in step (iii) pressed;
Iii) moving the icon 2 held pressed in step (ii) to the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1, the second area 4 being the first area 3; Disposed adjacent to, and
(Iii) releasing the icon (2) moved in step (iii)
Including, a method of operating a washing machine. The method of claim 1,
Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1,
Iii) keeping the icon 2 selected in step (iii) pressed for at least a specified time t until the graphical user interface 1 is displayed in the option window 5 of the operation, and
Iii) selecting the desired operation in the option window 5 displayed in step (iii);
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. 3. The method of claim 2,
Iii) if the action selected in step (iii) is "move", the icon 2 held pressed in step (iii) is different from the initial position in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1; Moving to, and
Iii) dropping the icon (2) moved in step (iii)
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. 3. The method of claim 2,
Iii) if the action selected in step (iii) is "delete", deleting the icon 2 held pressed in step (iii),
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. The method of claim 1,
Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1,
Iiiii) keeping the selected icon 2 pressed in step (iii), and
Iii) deleting the icon by moving the icon 2 held in the pressed state in step (iii) to the first area;
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Iii) selecting the icon 2 displayed in the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 or in the first area of the graphical interface 1,
Iii) holding down the icon (2) selected in step (iii), and
Iii) moving the icon 2 held pressed in step (iii) within the second area 4 or within the first area 3;
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of customizing the laundry program before step (iii). 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising setting a parameter of a laundry program. The method of claim 8,
-Setting the washing temperature,
-Setting the water level,
Setting a contamination state,
Setting a soak time,
Setting a wash time,
Setting a rinse time, and
-Setting the spin time
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing a parameter set in the laundry program. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the laundry program is pre-defined by the manufacturer. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of selecting a wash program class (6) prior to step (iii), wherein the wash program class (6) is selected from the graphical user interface (1). A method of operating a washing machine, arranged in one region (3). The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising associating at least the emission of a sound signal after or during the performance of the particular step. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are performed by human touch or using a pen for a touch-sensitive screen. 7. A method of operating a washing machine having a touch-sensitive graphical user interface 1, the method comprising:
a) displaying at least one icon (2) in the favorite area (4) of the graphical interface (1) which can enable the execution of at least one laundry program, and
b) when the icon 2 displayed in step (a) is pressed by the user and released before the specified time t has elapsed, the execution of the washing program starts.
It includes a method of operating a washing machine. The method of claim 15,
c) displaying the option window 5 of the operation on the graphical user interface 1 when the icon 2 displayed in step (a) is pressed by the user and released after the specified time t has elapsed,
d) waiting for selection by the user of the action displayed in the option window 5 of the action in step (c), and
e) performing or waiting for the operation selected by the user in step (d);
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. 17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the action selected by the user in step (d) comprises an action of "moving" the icon (2) pressed in step (c). 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the action selected by the user in step (d) comprises an operation of "deleting" the icon (2) pressed in step (c). The method of claim 15,
f) displaying a window in the graphical interface 1 which enables a minimum of the execution of the washing program by the user, and
g) stopping the execution of the laundry program if the user chooses to cancel the execution of the laundry program using the window displayed in step (f).
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. The method of claim 15,
h) deleting the icon 2 when the icon 2 is pressed and moved from the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 to the first area 3.
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine. The method of claim 15,
Iii) the second area of the graphical user interface 1 when selecting or dragging the icon 2 within the second area 4 of the graphical user interface 1 or inside the first area 3. Moving the icon 2 inside (4) or inside the first area (3)
Further comprising a method of operating a washing machine.

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