Household Appliance Demo Software With Remote Customer Updates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current sales demonstration methods for household appliances are inflexible and costly, as demo models often require separate manufacturing, lack customization, and are difficult to update, leading to excessive resource consumption and disposal when promotional offers or features change.

Innovation Solution

A method enabling adaptable demonstrations by providing consumer-specific updates to demonstration software remotely and downloading them over a network, allowing a smart device to control production line appliances in a demonstration mode, interactively showcasing features to customers, and tailoring presentations based on customer characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If separate demo models are manufactured with modified components, then demonstration functionality is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedemonstration functionalityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses software copying instead of physical component copying. Demo mode software is created as a copy of the production control software with specific demonstration features enabled, eliminating the need to manufacture separate physical demo models with modified hardware components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical/manufacturing system with a software-based system. Instead of physically modifying appliances for demo purposes, the invention uses software control to enable demonstration modes, substituting hardware modification with software-based functionality control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If demo appliances are manufactured with full functionality, then demonstration capability is improved, but production costs and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedemonstration capabilityVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by enabling only the specific features needed for demonstration rather than activating full appliance functionality. The demo mode software selectively activates demonstration-relevant features while keeping other functions dormant, reducing resource consumption during demo operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the operational parameters of the appliance through software control. By modifying software parameters and control logic, the appliance operates in a demo mode with adjusted parameters that reduce resource consumption while maintaining adequate demonstration capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If demo software is hard-coded into appliances, then demonstration features are preserved, but update flexibility and customization capability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeature consistencyVSAvoidupdate flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the demo software dynamic rather than static. The demonstration software can be updated, modified, and customized based on different vendors' needs and promotional offers, allowing the system to adapt over time while maintaining reliable operation through structured software architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal demo software platform that can serve multiple vendors and appliance types. The software is designed to be configurable and adaptable to different demonstration needs, allowing one software solution to fulfill multiple functions across different contexts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Adaptability or versatility

If computer connection is used to alter programming, then customization capability is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidprogramming time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-configuring demo mode software with common demonstration features and parameters. This allows quick customization through simple software loading or configuration rather than time-consuming programming, as the foundational demo functionality is already prepared in advance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the complex programming tasks from the customization process. By separating the core demo functionality from the configuration options, the system allows vendors to customize demonstrations through simple parameter selection rather than complex programming, extracting and isolating the complexity into the software architecture itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS7742951B2Method of demonstrating a household appliance

Publication Date: 2010.06.22 WHIRLPOOL CORP

AI summary

A method of enabling adaptable demonstrations of a household appliance comprising providing consumer-specific updates to a demonstration software at a location remote from an appliance and downloading the consumer-specific updates to the appliance over an information network in response to a determined characteristic of the consumer or enabling a video conference over multimedia interface during the demonstration.