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US 10,722,096 B2Granted
Household appliance including a mountable wireless communication module
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsWyndham F. Gary, Jr., Jonathan D. Gephart, John Howard Lanham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A household appliance includes a selectively mountable wireless communication module. The selectively mountable wireless communication module can be selectively mounted in a toe kick area of the household appliance. The household appliance can be, but is not limited to, a dishwasher, an oven, a refrigerator, a freezer, a microwave, a washing machine, a dryer, or a combo washer-dryer.
Claims20
A household appliance comprising:
- a housing at least partially defining an interior and having a toe kick area along a bottom-front of the housing and a front overhanging the toe kick area;
- left and right legs located at the bottom-front of the housing and having a foot extending from each of the left and right legs, wherein at least one of the legs and the feet are radio wave transmissive;
- a first wireless communication mount located at a left side of the toe kick area and adjacent the left leg;
- a second wireless communication mount located at a right side of the toe kick area and adjacent the right leg;
- a wireless communication module comprising at least one antenna, the wireless communication module selectively mountable to either one of the first wireless communication mount or the second wireless communication mount;
- and
- a controller configured to communicate with the wireless communication module.
4 more elements
A household appliance comprising:
- a housing at least partially defining an interior and having a toe kick area along a bottom-front of the housing and a front overhanging the toe kick area;
- a base frame with a pair of side walls connected by cross bars;
- a first wireless communication mount located at a left side of the toe kick area and provided on one of the side walls;
- a second wireless communication mount located at a right side of the toe kick area and provided on the other of the side walls;
- a wireless communication module comprising at least one antenna, the wireless communication module selectively mountable to either one of the first wireless communication mount or the second wireless communication mount;
- and
- a controller configured to communicate with the wireless communication module.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.