HOUSEHOLD DEVICE HAVING AN INPUT MEANS LOCKING DEVICE

Abstract

A household device, in particular a refrigeration device, includes an electronic control device configured to control at least one function of the household device, an input device connected to the control device, having at least one input and being configured to supply an assigned control signal to the control device, based on a manual actuation of the at least one input. An input locking device, in its locked state, is configured to prevent controlling of the function of the household device, despite the at least one input being actuated, and in its unlocked state, is configured to permit controlling of the function of the household device when the at least one input is actuated. The input locking device is configured and/or constructed for shifting the input locking device into the locked state, after the at least one input has not been actuated over a predefined time period.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A household device, comprising: an electronic control device configured to control at least one function of the household device; an input device connected to said electronic control device, said input device including at least one input and said input device being configured, based on a manual actuation of said at least one input, to supply an assigned control signal to said electronic control device; and an input locking device, in a locked state, being configured to prevent controlling of the function of the household device despite said at least one input being actuated, and in an unlocked state, being configured to permit controlling of the function of the household device when said at least one input is being actuated; said input locking device being at least one of configured or constructed to place said input locking device into said locked state in an absence of an actuation of said at least one input over a predetermined period of time.

12. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said input device has an additional input being manually actuable and being at least one of configured or constructed, when actuated, to place said input locking device into said unlocked state.

13. The household device according to claim 12, wherein said additional input is an unlocking device.

14. The household device according to claim 12, wherein said manually actuable additional input is at least one of configured or constructed to only put said input locking device into said unlocked state after an ongoing actuation beyond a minimum period of time.

15. The household device according to claim 13, wherein said manually actuable unlocking device is at least one of configured or constructed to only put said input locking device into said unlocked state after an ongoing actuation beyond a minimum period of time.

16. The household device according to claim 14, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to be actuated manually to output at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of a first type during an ongoing actuation of said manually actuable additional input.

17. The household device according to claim 15, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to be actuated manually to output at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of a first type during an ongoing actuation of said manually actuable unlocking device.

18. The household device according to claim 16, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to output at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of a second type differing from said at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of the first type after an expiration of a minimum period of time having an ongoing actuation of said manually actuable additional input.

19. The household device according to claim 17, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to output at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of a second type differing from said at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of the first type after an expiration of a minimum period of time having an ongoing actuation of said manually actuable unlocking device.

20. The household device according to claim 12, wherein said manually actuable additional input is at least one of configured or constructed to control a function differing from an unlocking function in said unlocked state of said input locking device.

21. The household device according to claim 13, wherein said manually actuable unlocking device is at least one of configured or constructed to control a function differing from an unlocking function in said unlocked state of said input locking device.

22. The household device according to claim 18, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to output at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of a third type when said at least one input is actuated in said locked state of said input locking device.

23. The household device according to claim 19, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to output at least one of an acoustic or optical signal of a third type when said at least one input is actuated in said locked state of said input locking device.

24. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to output a signal indicative of said manually actuable additional input when said at least one input is actuated in said locked state of said input locking device.

25. The household device according to claim 24, wherein said signal is at least one of an acoustic or optical signal.

26. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said control device is at least one of configured or constructed to output a signal indicative of said manually actuable unlocking device when said at least one input is actuated in said locked state of said input locking device.

27. The household device according to claim 26, wherein said signal is at least one of an acoustic or optical signal.

28. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined period of time is between 10 seconds and 50 seconds.

29. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined period of time is a period of 30 seconds.

30. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said input device has at least one touch input.

31. The household device according to claim 11, wherein said input device has a touch screen and at least one touch input associated with said touch screen.

Description

[0022] In the figures:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a perspective diagram of a household device designed as a refrigeration device with a door leaf having the input device.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a touch screen with at least one input means and an unlocking means, and

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of the method of operation of an inventive input means locking device.

[0026] A household device 1 shown by way of example in FIG. 1 is embodied as a refrigeration device 1a. The refrigeration device 1a has a body 2. Arranged in the body 2 is a heat-insulating inner container 3. The inner container 3 delimits a storage space 4 for refrigerated goods, especially for foodstuffs. One or more shelves 5, especially glass shelves, for storage of foodstuffs, can be arranged in the inner container 3. A front-side access opening of the storage space 4 is able to be closed off by a door leaf 6. In the case of the present exemplary embodiment the door leaf 6 is supported pivotably around a vertical pivot axis in relation to the inner container 3. To this end the door leaf 6 can be hinged by hinge fittings not shown in any greater detail onto the body 2 or onto the inner container 3 for example. On an inner side of the door leaf 6 facing towards the storage space 4, as shown in FIG. 1, one or more door shelves 7 can be arranged. The door leaf 6 can optionally have a glass front 8a or a metal front 8b on its outer side. As an alternative or in addition the door leaf 6 can have a control panel 9 on its outer side. The control panel 9 can be made of a plastic, especially made of a transparent plastic, or can at least have a transparent window section 10. The transparent window section 10, in a specific form of embodiment, can just be formed solely by an area of the glass front 8a.

[0027] In the area of the transparent window section 10 the household device 1 or the refrigeration device 1a has an input device 11. The input device 11 is in particular arranged behind the control panel 9 or the glass front 8a or the metal front 8b. The input device 11 has at least one input means 12, which is designed, on the basis of a manual activation of the input means 12, to control a function of the household device 1. In the case of the present exemplary embodiment the at least one input means 12 will be embodied by a touch screen 12a.

[0028] In order to fasten a pre-installed input device 11 to the rear side of the glass front pane, i.e. to the glass front 8a or to the rear side of the glass door leaf so that it lies flat against them, a clamping device not shown in any greater detail can be provided, which is designed to spread itself out in a position pushed into a compartment 18, between the rear side of the pre-installed input device 11 and an inner wall of the compartment 18, so that the input device 11 will be pressed against the rear side of the glass front pane, i.e. the glass front 8a, or will be pressed onto the rear side of the glass door leaf.

[0029] FIG. 2 shows schematically an example of a view of the input device 11. The input device 11 comprises a number of input means 12, also including the additional input means 16, which input means 12, 16 especially form the touch screen 12a, and an electronic control device 14. The electronic control device 14 is designed to control at least one function of the household device 1, especially of the refrigeration device 1a. To this end at least one input means 12, 16, especially the touch screen 12a, is connected electrically via an electrical connection lead 13 to the electronic control device 14. On manual actuation of the input means 12, of the additional input means 16 or of the touch screen 12a, an assigned control signal will be conveyed to the control device 14 via the connecting lead 13.

[0030] The input device 11 has the additional input means 16, especially an unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually, which is designed and/or intended, when actuated, to put the input means locking device 15 into the unlocked state.

[0031] To this extent the input device 11, through the input means 12 and the additional input means 16, especially the unlocking means 16a, has a plurality of touch input means 17, which can especially be grouped together in the form of a touch screen 12a, to which the number of touch input means 17 are assigned.

[0032] The input means locking device 15, as indicated in FIG. 2, can be formed at least substantially by a computer program that is stored in a program memory of the control device 14.

[0033] The input means locking device 15 is designed, in its locked state, to suppress an activation of the function of the household device 1 despite actuation of the at least one input means 12 and, in its unlocked state, to allow an activation of the function of the household device 1 on actuation of the at least one input means 12, wherein the input means locking device 15 is designed and/or intended, in the absence of an actuation of the at least one input means 12 over a predetermined period of time, to put the input means locking device 15 into the locked state.

[0034] A schematic flow diagram of the method of operation of an example of the input means locking device relating thereto is illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0035] The upper status field 20 shown in FIG. 3 represents the unlocked state of the input means locking device 15 and the lower status field 21 represents the locked state of the input means locking device 15. Starting from a switch-on state 19, which can occur through the electrical switching-on of a main switch of the household device 1 or by the connection of the household device 1 to an electrical power socket, the input means locking device 15 initially assumes the unlocked state in accordance with the upper status field 20. In this unlocked state a display means, such as a lamp or an LED, can illuminate and thereby display the unlocked state. Now the household device 1 can be activated, i.e. controlled, by means of the input means 12, 16 on the touch screen 12a, in order to control the operation of the household device 1.

[0036] Since the input means locking device 15 is designed and/or intended, in the absence of an actuation of the at least one input means 12, 16 over a predetermined period of time, to put the input means locking device 15 into the locked state, after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the input means locking device 15 assumes the locked state in accordance with the lower status field 21, if none of the input means 12, 16 is actuated within this predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time can be a period of time of between 10 seconds and 50 seconds for example, especially a period of 30 seconds.

[0037] If by contrast, within the ongoing predetermined period of time, one or more of the input means 12, 16 is actuated, the input means locking device 15 does not drop into the locked state in accordance with the lower status field 21, but remains, as indicated by the arrow P1, in the unlocked state in accordance with the upper status field 20.

[0038] However if the input means locking device 15 is already in the locked state in accordance with the lower status field 21, then a manual actuation of one of the input means 12 does not at first initiate any unlocking, in order to put the input means locking device 15 into the unlocked state in accordance with the upper status field 20. Instead the input means locking device 15 remains in the locked state in accordance with the lower status field 21, as indicated by the arrow P2, until exclusively the additional input means 16 or the unlocking means 16a is continuously actuated for a predetermined minimum period of time, which can amount to between 1 second and 5 seconds, especially around 2 or 3 seconds, and the input means locking device 15, as indicated by the arrow P3, jumps to the unlocked state in accordance with the upper status field 20. Now the household device 1 can be activated, i.e. operated, by means of the input means 12, 16 on the touch screen 12a by manual actuation, in order to control the operation of the household device 1.

[0039] In the renewed absence of an actuation of the at least one input means 12, 16 over the predetermined period of time, the input means locking device 15 is again put into the locked state in accordance with the lower status field 21, as is indicated by the arrow P4. As a supplement to such an inventive automatic locking of the input device 11, the input device 11 can also be deliberately put into the lower status field 21 immediately by the user, i.e. by active actuation of the additional input means 16, especially of the unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually, without having to wait for the predetermined period of time, as is indicated by the arrow P5.

[0040] The additional input means 16, especially the unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually, can accordingly be designed and/or intended only to put the input means locking device 15 into the unlocked state after an ongoing actuation lasting beyond a minimum period of time.

[0041] The control device 14 can also be designed and/or intended, during the ongoing actuation of the additional input means 16, especially of the unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually, to output an acoustic and/or optical signal of a first type.

[0042] The control device 14 can also be designed and/or intended, after the minimum period of time has elapsed in which there has been an ongoing actuation of the additional input means 16, especially of the unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually, to output an acoustic and/or optical signal of a second type that differs from the acoustic and/or optical signal of the first type.

[0043] The additional input means 16, especially the unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually, can be designed and/or intended, in the unlocked state of the input means locking device 15, to activate another function that differs from the unlocking function.

[0044] The control device 14 can also be designed and/or intended, for an actuation of the at least one input means in the locked state of the input means locking device 15, to output an acoustic and/or optical signal of a third type.

[0045] The control device 14 can also be designed and/or intended, for an actuation of the at least one input means 12 in the locked state of the input means locking device 15, to output a signal, especially an acoustic and/or optical signal, indicative of the additional input means 6a, especially of the unlocking means 16a to be actuated manually.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0046] 1 Household device

[0047] 1a Refrigeration device

[0048] 2 Body

[0049] 3 Inner container

[0050] 4 Storage space

[0051] 5 Shelf

[0052] 6 Door leaf

[0053] 7 Door shelf

[0054] 8a Glass front

[0055] 8b Metal front

[0056] 9 Control panel

[0057] 10 Window section

[0058] 11 Input device

[0059] 12 Input means

[0060] 12a Touch screen

[0061] 13 Connecting lead

[0062] 14 Control device

[0063] 15 Input means locking device

[0064] 16 Additional input means

[0065] 16a Unlocking means

[0066] 17 Touch input means

[0067] 18 Compartment

[0068] 19 Switch-on state

[0069] 20 Upper status field

[0070] 21 Lower status field