# US 11,898,288 B2 · Household appliance with luminary communication interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,898,288 B2 - Document ID: US11898288B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/843,007 - Filed: 2022-06-17 - Published: 2022-10-06 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-27 - Assignees: Whirlpool Corporation - Applicants: Whirlpool Corporation - Inventors: Scott E. Carpenter; Marcus R. Fischer; Joli A. Fytczyk; Richard L. Hammond - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898288B2 ## CPC - D06F 33/00: Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers (D06F31/00 takes precedence; details of control systems therefor D06F34/00; control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32) - D06F 39/02: Devices for adding soap or other washing agents - D06F 34/22: Condition of the washing liquid, e.g. turbidity - A47L 15/44: Devices for adding cleaning agents; {Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants} - A47L 15/4463: {Multi-dose dispensing arrangements} - D06F 34/20: Parameters relating to constructional components, e.g. door sensors - D06F 34/28: Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating programme parameters, e.g. the selected programme or its progress - D06F 39/022: {in a liquid state (D06F39/024 takes precedence)} - D06F 2105/42: Detergent or additive supply - G08B 5/36: using visible light sources - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract A household appliance for performing a cycle of operation according to a cycle of operation. The household appliance includes a cabinet defining a treating chamber, a tub located within the cabinet interior and defining a tub interior and having an access opening, a rotatable drum located within the tub interior, a user interface carried by the cabinet and coupled to a controller to provide data communication between the controller and a user, a pedestal for supporting the cabinet and comprising a liquid recirculation system for recirculating liquid to the treating chamber, at least one consumable received in a dock positioned in the pedestal for use in performing the cycle of operation, and, a luminary communication interface physically separated from the user interface and configured to emit at least one of colored light motion or light intensity patterns to illustrate a status of the at least one consumable. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A household appliance for performing a cycle of operation, the household appliance comprising: a cabinet defining a treating chamber; a tub located within the cabinet interior and defining a tub interior and having an access opening; a rotatable drum located within the tub interior for rotation about a rotation axis; a user interface carried by the cabinet and coupled to a controller to provide data communication between the controller and a user; a pedestal for supporting the cabinet and comprising a liquid recirculation system for recirculating liquid to the treating chamber; at least one consumable for use in performing the cycle of operation, the at least one consumable received in a dock, the dock positioned in an annular port in the pedestal; and a luminary communication interface physically separated from the user interface and configured to emit at least one of colored light motion or light intensity patterns to illustrate a status of the at least one consumable and wherein at least one of the luminary communication interface is ring shaped and circumscribes the annular port or further comprising a door overlying the annular port and the luminary communication interface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the luminary communication interface is physically associated with the at least one consumable. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed with the cycle of operation and controls at least the rotatable drum. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one consumable comprises multiple consumables and the luminary communication interface emits unique combinations of colored light motion and light intensity patterns for each of the multiple consumables to uniquely illustrate the status of each of the multiple consumables. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the luminary communication interface is physically associated with only one of the multiple consumables while the unique combinations of colored light motion and light intensity patterns provide directional indicia for at least one of the other multiple consumables. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the luminary communication interface circumscribes the at least one consumable. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one consumable is at least one of a filter cartridge, softener cartridge, or fluid treatment cartridge. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the door is transparent or semi-transparent for allowing a user to view the luminary communication interface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising a second port in the cabinet spaced from the annular first port and spaced from the user interface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The household appliance of claim 9, wherein the second port comprises a second internal dock for receiving a second consumable. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The household appliance of claim 10, wherein the at least one consumable is a filter cartridge and the second consumable is a softener cartridge. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The household appliance of claim 10, wherein the second internal dock comprises a drawer that slides in/out of the second port. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The household appliance of claim 12, further comprising a non-opaque cover overlying the second port. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the luminary communication interface comprises at least 2% of the total surface area of a front panel of the cabinet. ### Claim 15 A household appliance for performing a cycle of operation, the household appliance comprising: a cabinet defining a treating chamber; a tub located within the cabinet interior and defining a tub interior and having an access opening; a rotatable drum located within the tub interior for rotation about a rotation axis; a user interface carried by the cabinet and coupled to a controller to provide data communication between the controller and a user; a pedestal for supporting the cabinet and comprising a liquid recirculation system for recirculating liquid to the treating chamber; at least one consumable received in a dock positioned in the pedestal for use in performing the cycle of operation; and a luminary communication interface physically separated from the user interface and configured to emit at least one of colored light motion or light intensity patterns to illustrate a status of the at least one consumable and wherein the luminary communication interface circumscribes the at least one consumable. ### Claim 16 A household appliance for performing a cycle of operation, the household appliance comprising: a cabinet defining a treating chamber; a tub located within the cabinet interior and defining a tub interior and having an access opening; a rotatable drum located within the tub interior for rotation about a rotation axis; a user interface carried by the cabinet and coupled to a controller to provide data communication between the controller and a user; a pedestal for supporting the cabinet and comprising a liquid recirculation system for recirculating liquid to the treating chamber; at least one consumable received in a dock positioned in a first port in the pedestal for use in performing the cycle of operation; a luminary communication interface physically separated from the user interface and configured to emit at least one of colored light motion or light intensity patterns to illustrate a status of the at least one consumable; and a second port in the cabinet spaced from the first port and spaced from the user interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The household appliance of claim 16, further comprising a door overlying the luminary communication interface. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The household appliance of claim 16, wherein the luminary communication interface circumscribes the at least one consumable.