USER INTERFACE - GESTURAL TOUCH

A method for controlling a domestic appliance that treats contents, said domestic appliance having a display, a controller, and at least one user input component, the method comprising: displaying a first screen on the display; detecting user input to the at least one user input component; correlating the user input to a gesture type with the controller; determining the gesture type from among a plurality of gesture types with the controller; and displaying a second screen on the display according to at least the gesture type, wherein said second screen is different from said first screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLES

The following description is provided in relation to several examples which may share common characteristics and features. It is to be understood that one or more features of any one example may be combinable with one or more features of the other examples. In addition, any single feature or combination of features in any of the examples may constitute additional examples.

FIG. 1shows a perspective view of a domestic appliance100installed as it commonly would be in a home. The particular domestic appliance100shown is an oven installed in a wall of a kitchen. The domestic appliance100ofFIG. 1shows a user interface200having a display300. In this example, the display300may be a thin film transistor display that may include at least one user input component400that may be a capacitive touch input element.

FIG. 2shows a schematic of the components of the user interface of a domestic appliance in accordance with the present technology. The components may include a controller500for coordinating the operation of the user interface. A display300may be operationally controlled by the controller500. A timer502may be included to time how long a particular screen is displayed on the display300or to time a period of inactivity. The period of inactivity being a time during which no user input is detected by the system. The user input component400may be any type of component that receives an input from a user and communicates or programs the same to the controller500. Specifically, it is envisioned that commonly known touchscreen input devices, such as a capacitive touch input element, will comprise the user input component.

FIG. 3is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system according to certain examples. A processing system or controller500may include a central processing unit or CPU516, a system bus514that communicates with RAM518and storage or a memory device504. The storage504can be magnetic, flash based, solid state, or other storage technology. The system bus514may also communicate with a user input adapter512that allows users to input commands to the processing system via a user input component400(e.g., a touch input element or the like) and/or buttons400. The results of the processing may be displayed to a user on a display300via a display interface520(e.g., a video card or the like). The memory device504may be included to store the functional parameters (e.g., treatment time, treatment mode, treatment temperature, etc.) input to the controller500through the user input component400. At least one treatment element510may also be included for the treatment of the contents of the appliance.

The treatment element(s)510may be included to facilitate the treatment of contents by the domestic appliance100. For example, the domestic appliance100may also include a chamber that holds the contents and a door to enclose the contents in the domestic appliance100and such domestic appliance may be an oven, a dishwasher, a washing machine, a drier, a microwave oven, a coffee maker, a refrigerator, and/or a freezer, etc. Thus, the contents may be food, consumable liquids, crockery, dishes, stoneware, flatware, bakeware, and/or clothing, etc. It is also contemplated that the domestic appliance may not necessarily include a chamber for treating the contents or items and in such a case the domestic appliance may be a vacuum cleaner, a blender, and an iron, etc. Treatment by the domestic appliance is contemplated to comprise cooking, baking, heating, steaming, sanitizing, dis-infecting, cooling, freezing, cleaning, washing, vacuuming, and/or blending, etc. The treatment element510, in the example where the appliance100is an oven and the contents are food, is at least one heating element that may include an electric resistance heating element or a gas burner. A fan may also comprise the treatment element510in the case of a convection oven that performs convection heating of the food. Other treatment elements, as commonly known in the art, may also comprise the treatment element.

The processing system500may also communicate with the additional components of the domestic appliance, e.g., timer502and treatment element510. It should also be noted that the timer502may be comprised within the processing system500, rather than as a separate component.

Certain examples herein are described in terms of sequences of actions that can be performed by, for example, elements of a programmable computer system. It will be recognized that various actions could be performed by specialized circuits (e.g., discrete logic gates interconnected to perform a specialized function or application-specific integrated circuits), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both.

FIG. 4shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for controlling a domestic appliance. A first screen may be displayed by the display300and may be any of a plurality of screens that are displayed to the user. This function is exemplified at step1000. A user may then provide user input to the at least one user input component400and the user input component will detect the user input. This function is exemplified at step1002. The user input detected by the user input component400may then be communicated or programmed to the controller500where the user input is correlated to one of a plurality of gesture types. This function is exemplified by step1006. Subsequently, once the user input has been correlated to a gesture type, the controller500may then determine the gesture type from among a plurality of gesture types (which may be stored in the memory device504or accessed in other ways, such as the internet), as exemplified in step1006. In this particular example, the controller500may determine that the user has either provided a downward swipe or an upward swipe to the user input component400. This functionality may be accomplished by comparing the user input detected by the user input component to a plurality of gesture types stored in at least one lookup table.

If the controller500determines that a downward swipe has been inputted by the user, the controller500may then determine whether a timer502of the domestic appliance100has been programmed. This function is exemplified by step1008. If the controller500determines that the timer502of the domestic appliance100has been programmed, then the display300may display a timer info screen which shows the timer parameters as programmed and in which the parameters can be changed. This function is exemplified by step1012. If no further inputs are detected by the user input component400(i.e., a period of inactivity) after a period of time, the display300may display the first screen. This function is exemplified by step1020.

If the controller500determines that the timer502of the domestic appliance has not been programmed, then the display300may display a set timer screen. This function is exemplified by step1010. If no further inputs are detected by the user input component400(i.e., a period of inactivity) after a period of time, the display300may display the first screen. This function is exemplified by step1020.

At step1010, the user may also be presented with the option to program the timer502by the set timer screen, rather than letting the screen lapse and return the display300to the first screen.FIG. 5shows an exemplary method by which the user may program the timer502. The set timer screen may first be displayed by the display300. This function is exemplified by step2000, which corresponds to step1010ofFIG. 4. The user may then provide user input associated with a timer selection to the user input component400which detects the user input, as exemplified by step2002. The user input component400may then program the timer selection to the controller500. This function is exemplified by step2004. A treatment time screen may then be displayed by the display300, as exemplified by step2006. The user may then provide user input associated with a treatment time to the user input component400which may detect the user input, as exemplified by step2008. The user input component400may then program the treatment time to the controller500. This function is exemplified by step2010. Once these parameters have been programmed, the display300may return to the first screen.

At step1006, the controller500may also determine that an upward swipe has been inputted from among a plurality of gesture types. If so, the controller500may then determine whether a treatment mode has been programmed. This function is exemplified in step1014. If the controller500determines that a treatment mode has been programmed, then the display300may display an info mode screen associated with the programmed treatment mode. This function is exemplified in step1018. If no further inputs are detected by the user input component400(i.e., a period of inactivity) after a period of time, the display300may display the first screen. This function is exemplified by step1020.

If the controller500determines that the treatment mode has not been programmed, then the display300may display an info mode for a plurality of treatment modes. This function is exemplified by step1016. If no further inputs are detected by the user input component400(i.e., a period of inactivity) after a period of time, the display300may display the first screen. This function is exemplified by step1020.

At step1016, the user may also be presented with the option to program the treatment mode by the treatment mode info screen and/or may have the display300display further information about any of the plurality of treatment modes, rather than letting the screen lapse and return the display300to the first screen.FIG. 6shows an exemplary method by which the user may program the treatment mode. The info mode screen for a plurality of treatment modes may be displayed, as exemplified by step3000. The user may then provide user input associated with the one of the plurality of treatment modes displayed to the user input component400, as exemplified by step3002. The user input component400may communicate or program the treatment mode to the controller500or the display300may display an info mode screen associated with the treatment mode, in accordance with the user input detected. This function is exemplified by step3004. After programming the treatment mode or displaying an info mode screen associated therewith, the display will return to the first screen, as exemplified by step3006.

FIG. 7shows a flowchart for another exemplary method of controlling the domestic appliance100or navigating through a plurality of screens. One of a plurality of screens may be displayed by the display300. These screens may be one of a first screen, a second screen, or a third screen. This function is exemplified by step4000. The user input component400may then detect user input from the user and program or communicate the same to the controller, as exemplified by step4002. The controller500may then correlate the user input to a gesture type, as exemplified by step4004. The controller500then determines which one of the first, second, or third screen is displayed, as exemplified by step4006. The controller500may then determine the gesture type from among a plurality of gesture types, as exemplified by steps4008,4014, and4020. This functionality may be accomplished by comparing the user input detected by the user input component to a plurality of gesture types stored in at least one lookup table.

Depending on which screen is initially displayed and the gesture type detected, the display300may display a subsequent screen accordingly. If the first screen is displayed and the gesture type is the rightward swipe, then the first screen will continue to be displayed, as exemplified by step4022. If the first screen is displayed and the gesture type is the leftward swipe, then second screen will be subsequently displayed, as exemplified by step4024. If the second screen is displayed and the gesture type is the leftward swipe, then the third screen may be subsequently displayed, as exemplified by step4016. If the second screen is displayed and the gesture type is the rightward swipe, then the first screen may be subsequently displayed, as exemplified by step4018. If the third screen is displayed and the gesture type is the rightward swipe, then second screen may subsequently be displayed, as exemplified by step4010. If the third screen is displayed and the gesture type is the leftward swipe, then the third screen may continue to be displayed, as exemplified by step4012.

The gestures described thus far are not intended to be the only types of gestures capable of controlling the domestic appliance. It is also contemplated that a variety of other gestures could be detected to control the appliance, e.g., gestures taking the form of one or more alphanumeric characters or symbols, etc. Furthermore, gestures may be complex and include a number of swipes in a number of directions to affect a single control step. Providing more complex gestures such as characters, symbols, or multiple swipes may allow the user to control a variety of functions while allowing the domestic appliance to effectively differentiate the gestures to correctly perform the function desired by the user and/or technician.

FIG. 8shows a view of user input causing the screen displayed to change according to steps1000through1010ofFIG. 4. First screen600may be displayed and the user may provide user input in the form of a downward swipe. The user input component400may then detect the user input and the controller500may correlate the user input to a gesture type and determine the gesture type from among the plurality of gesture types. In this example, the controller500has determined that the timer502has not been programmed. Subsequently, the set timer screen602is displayed.

FIG. 9shows a view of user input causing the screen displayed to change according to steps1000,1002,1004,1006,1014, and1018ofFIG. 4. First screen600may be displayed and the user may provide user input in the form of an upward swipe. The user input component400may then detect the user input and the controller500may correlate the user input to a gesture type and determines the gesture type from among the plurality of gesture types. In this example, the controller500has determined that the treatment mode has not been programmed. Subsequently, the info mode screen associated with the programmed treatment mode may be displayed.

FIG. 10is a view of user inputs to the user input component400. These user inputs affect navigation through a plurality of screens.FIG. 10is also a further depiction of the method shown inFIG. 7. This view shows user inputs that correspond to leftward and rightward swipes which may be detected by the user input component400and correlated to a gesture type by the controller500. The controller500may then determine the gesture type from among the plurality of gesture types. Depending on which of the first screen700, second screen702, and third screen704is displayed and the gesture type detected, one of the aforementioned screens may then be displayed according to the method shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 11is a view of user input to the user input component400. The user input component400may be coextensive with the display300such that the user may interact with portions of the image displayed on the screen. In this view, exemplary user inputs are shown where the hand of a user is shown providing an input to the user input component400. Specifically, the upward swipe of the plurality of gesture types is indicated by the arrow.

While the present technology has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred examples, it is to be understood that the technology is not to be limited to the disclosed examples, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the technology.