Appliance system

An appliance system including a plurality of appliances in associated proximity to each other and operable in accordance with a control strategy with each appliance being connected to an alternating current power supply, the combination comprising:

• at least a pair of appliances with each having controllable operating components for providing appliance operations and being substantially free of user-operable controls;
• power lines connected to said alternating current power supply for energizing said appliances;
• a single master control means located away from said appliances and connected to said power lines, said master control means including logic control means for stored operational information dedicated to controlling the operation of said appliances according to said control strategy and further including user-operable controls for entering selective operational information, said master control means being operable for processing said stored and selective operational information into first data packages including an appliance address code and for transmitting said first data packages to all of said appliances;
• an interface control means operably associated with each of said appliances and including means for receiving and decoding said first data packages, said interface control means being responsive to a unique appliance address code for energizing and deenergizing said controllable operating components of its associated appliance to achieve said appliance operations, said interface control means at the addressed appliance being operable for transmitting a second data package back to said master control means to verify reception of said first data package and to provide appliance status operational information;
• and means for effecting communication of said first and second data packages between said master control means and said interface control means, said master control means operable for receiving said second data packages and reprocessing said stored, selective and appliance status operational information into updated first data packages, said master control means being operable to effect a repeating sequence of transmitting said first data packages to all of said appliances and receiving said second data packages from addressed appliances, said interface control means associated with an addressed appliance being operable to effect a repeating sequence of receiving said first data packages and transmitting said second data packages, said interface control means and said master control means being operable for interrupting operation of said appliances responsive to absence of transmission and receipt of either said first or second data packages.