Household appliance including information light device
AssigneeBSH Home Appliances Corporation
InventorsLindsay Eng, Michael Georg Rosenbauer, Metin Tastan, Ralf Winkler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A household appliance including an information light device that allows a user of the household appliance to determine when the household device is in operation, and a method thereof. The information light device may include a light guide structured to indicate an operating status of the household appliance. The light guide may be disposed at a lower portion of the household appliance, and embodied as a wave guide where at least part of the light that exits the light guide is guided in a direction that is perpendicular to the light guide and onto a floor where the household appliance is disposed.
Claims20
A household appliance, comprising:
- an information light device including a light source and a light guide,
- wherein the light source is arranged to generate light that travels through the light guide and is distributed from the light guide,
- wherein the light guide is arranged to indicate an operating status of the household appliance,
- wherein the light guide is an elongated member extending along a width of the household appliance such that the light travels through the light guide and along the width of the household appliance, and
- wherein the light guide is disposed at a lower portion of the household appliance such that when the light is distributed from the light guide the light arranged to appear as a stripe of light on a floor adjacent the household appliance.
A method for indicating an operating status of a household appliance, the method comprising the steps of:
- generating light by a light source through an elongate light guide such that the light travels through the light guide and along an edge of the household appliance,
- distributing the light from the light guide in at least a direction that is perpendicular to the light guide such that the light is arranged to appear as a stripe of light on a floor adjacent the household appliance;
- and
- indicating an operational status of the household appliance with the light arranged to appear as a stripe of light on the floor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.