Patent ID: 7925976
Filing Date: 2011-04-12
Classification: F25D

Abstract:
1. A refrigerator having a user avatar display function, the refrigerator comprising: a photographing device that photographs images of users for storage and an image of a current user currently accessing the refrigerator; a storage device that stores user information for identifying the users and avatar information including avatars corresponding to the users or the user information; a display that displays the avatars; a reading device that reads food information provided on food stored in the refrigerator so as to identify food being taken out of the refrigerator; and a controller that reads and compares the user information with the images of the users photographed by the photographing device to identify the current user, reads the avatar information corresponding to the identified current user, automatically modifies features of the avatar of the identified current user based on the food information to generate a modified avatar for the identified current user, wherein the controller modifies characteristics of the avatar of the identified current user to generate the modified avatar, wherein the modified characteristics provide an indication to the current user of an effect on the current user of the food being taken out of the refrigerator, and displays the modified avatar on the display thereafter.