Autonomous Appliance Cryptocurrency Control Component

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Solution Overview

Problem

Household appliances often require users to manually manage supplies and services, leading to inefficient operation and potential misuse of resources, with existing solutions not ensuring timely maintenance or cost-effective procurement of necessary materials and services.

Innovation Solution

A domestic appliance equipped with a control component that manages a cryptocurrency credit for autonomous ordering of required resources and services, ensuring legally binding transactions without user approval, and preventing misuse by limiting the credit to specific uses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the appliance operates autonomously to order resources and services, then the productivity and reliability are improved, but the device complexity increases due to cryptocurrency management and autonomous control components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautonomous operation efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol component complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The appliance autonomously manages its own operation by automatically ordering resources and services using cryptocurrency payments without requiring user intervention. The control component independently monitors resource levels, places orders, and manages the cryptocurrency balance, enabling the system to serve itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

A cryptocurrency wallet and blockchain system serve as intermediaries between the appliance and service providers. The control component manages the cryptocurrency balance and executes automated payments through this intermediary system, enabling trustless autonomous transactions without direct user involvement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the credit is restricted to specific uses, then the reliability is improved by preventing misuse, but the adaptability decreases as the credit cannot be converted to other currencies or uses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecredit usage controlVSAvoidcredit flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The cryptocurrency system is segmented into appliance-specific wallets that are cryptographically locked to individual appliances. Each wallet contains credits that can only be spent by its associated appliance for authorized services, creating fine-grained control over credit usage while maintaining system-wide adaptability through multiple specialized wallets.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If the appliance autonomously manages cryptocurrency credit, then the ease of operation is improved by reducing user burden, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases due to cryptographic key management and security requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser intervention requirementVSAvoidcryptographic security management
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The control component autonomously manages the cryptocurrency wallet including private key storage, transaction signing, and balance monitoring. This self-service capability eliminates the need for users to interact with cryptographic systems while maintaining high security standards through automated key management protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3839853A1Autonomous domestic appliance
Publication Date: 2021.06.23 BOSCH SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP3839853A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3839853A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3839853A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A household appliance comprises a functional component designed to perform a household-related function and a control component for controlling the functional component. The control component is designed to manage a cryptocurrency balance, which can only be used for funds or services that enable the household appliance to perform its function.