# US 2016/0258104 A1 · LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINE WITH SPEECH RECOGNITION AND RESPONSE Laundry Washing Machine with Speech Recognition and Response Capabilities, in Particular Speech Response, and a Method for Operating Thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0258104 A1 - Document ID: US20160258104A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/029,277 - Filed: 2013-10-16 - Published: 2016-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2013-10-16 - Assignees: Saronikos Trading and Services, Unipessoal LDA - Applicants: Saronikos Trading and Services, Unipessoal Lda - Inventors: Robert JAMES - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160258104A1 ## CPC - D06F 34/32: characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens - G05B 19/042: using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) - G06F 3/048: Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - G06F 3/16: Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L) - H03M 1/12: Analogue/digital converters ({H03M1/001 – } H03M1/10 take precedence) - H03M 1/66: Digital/analogue converters ({H03M1/001 – } H03M1/10 take precedence) - D06F 34/18: Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight - G05B 2219/2633: Washing, laundry - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C) ## Abstract A laundry washing machine with a human interface configured to receive information, specifying for each item, introduced into the washing machine to be washed, essential information including a typology and a description of its characteristics. The laundry washing machine also has a memory means configured to memorize the essential information, and a data management means configured to use said information to determine the most appropriate washing program among multiple washing programs, chosen taking into account the items singularly specified through said essential information when they are introduced in said washing machine. The data management means is also configured to report to a user, by means of an output means, the presence of at least a conflicting laundry item into the washing machine, after having determined on the basis of said essential information which conflicting laundry item is unsuitable to be washed by means of the selected washing program. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A laundry washing or washing/drying machine comprising: a wash tub; an human interface device configured to receive, from a user, information regarding items to be washed; a control unit that is in communication with said human interface device, the control unit comprising: a memory means storing at least a set of washing programs and instructions for controlling the operation of said machine; and a data management means configured for acquiring information about laundry items introduced into the wash tub and for selecting a washing program from said set of washing programs on the basis of said information about the laundry items; and an output means that is in communication with the control unit; wherein the human interface device is configured to receive information specifying, for each of the items to be washed, essential information comprising: a typology of the items; and a description of the item's characteristics; wherein said memory means is configured to store the essential information; and wherein, based on the essential information, the data management means is configured to: determine a washing program among said set of washing programs, taking into account items singularly specified through said essential information when they are introduced in said wash tub; determine, based on said essential information, if a conflicting laundry item, which is unsuitable to be washed by the selected washing program, has been introduced into the wash tub; and when it is determined that a conflicting laundry item has been introduced into the wash tub, report to the user, by means of said output means, that the conflicting laundry item is in the wash tub. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1; wherein the control unit is configured to start the selected washing program only after the user has confirmed that said conflicting laundry item has been removed from the tub. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a speech recognition facility configured to recognize, through a microphone and the control unit, speech from the user specifying the essential information for each item introduced into the wash tub. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The machine according to claim 3; wherein the speech recognition facility is further configured to recognize speech from the user specifying that the conflicting laundry item has been removed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The machine according to claim 2, further comprising: a Human Interface Device (“HID”) controller; wherein the human interface device is configured to accept an input from the user specifying that the conflicting laundry item has been removed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The machine according to claim 5; wherein the control unit, in order to improve the effectiveness of the selected washing program, is configured to ask questions to the user about which action has to be made by the user or implemented by the machine by means of said output means; and wherein the human interface device is configured to accept answers, to the questions asked by the control unit, from the user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1; wherein both a predefined list of laundry items and a washing program associated to said predefined list are stored into said memory means, in a way that the user can recall them by means of said human interface device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1; wherein said output means comprises a loudspeaker. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1; wherein said output means comprises a display device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1; wherein said human interface device comprises; a touch screen displays; a loudspeaker; and a microphone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The machine according to claim 3; wherein said control unit comprises an analogue digital converter (“ADC”) and/or an audio digital analogue converter (“DAC”) for implementing said speech recognition facility, a response capability by the machine, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The machine according to claim 1, further comprising: an interface configured to periodically receive updates to said washing programs stored in said memory means. m 13. A method for operating a laundry washing or washing/drying machine, the method comprising the phases of: specifying essential information by means of a human interface identifying characteristics or laundry items individually inserted in the machine; selecting a washing program from a list of washing programs based on said essential information; determining, based on the essential information, if a conflicting laundry item, which is unsuitable to be washed by the selected washing program, has been inserted into the machine; and when it is determined that a conflicting laundry item has been inserted into the machine, reporting to a user that the conflicting laundry item is present in the machine. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13; wherein, when it is determined that a conflicting laundry item has been inserted into the machine, the method further comprises starting the selected washing program only after the user has confirmed that the conflicting laundry item has been removed from the machine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising: a speech recognition phase wherein, for each item inserted in the machine, the user specifies said essential information, the speech recognition phase comprising introducing of the items and descriptions of the characteristics of the items through a microphone and said control unit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13; wherein said list of washing programs is stored in a memory means of the machine; and wherein the method further comprises periodically updating the list of washing programs through an interface of the machine. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14; wherein, when it is determined that a conflicting laundry item has been inserted into the machine, the method further comprises vocally specifying that the conflicting laundry item has been removed from the machine. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13; wherein, when it is determined that a conflicting laundry item has been inserted into the machine, the method further comprises specifying that the conflicting laundry item has been removed by mean of a human interface device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising: recalling both a predefined list of laundry items and a washing program associated to said predefined list by means of a predefined vocal command. ### Claim 20 A laundry washing or washing/drying machine comprising: a wash tub; a microphone configured to transduce a voice of a user in electrical signals; a control unit that is in communication with said microphone, the control unit comprising: a memory means storing at least a set of washing programs and the instructions for operating said machine; a data management means configured to: acquire information about laundry items introduced into wash tub; and to select a washing program from said set of washing programs based on said information about the laundry items; an output means that is in communication with the control unit; wherein the information about the laundry items includes essential information for each laundry item comprising: a typology of the laundry item; and a description of the laundry item; wherein said essential information is provided by the user through said microphone, stored in said memory means, and utilized to select a washing program among said set of washing programs, and wherein the data management means is also configured to: determine, based on said essential information, if a conflicting laundry item, which is unsuitable to be washed by the selected washing program, has been introduced into the wash tub; and when it is determined that a conflicting laundry item has been introduced into the wash tub, report to the user, by means of said output means, that the conflicting laundry item is in the wash tub.