Patents by Inventor Irena J. McDowell

Irena J. McDowell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11169273
    Abstract: Systems and methods for obtaining a location of an appliance are provided. In particular, the systems and methods include features for automatically obtaining a location of an appliance, e.g., for registration purposes. In one example aspect, a system includes an appliance that includes features for providing a local appliance network, a user device for connecting to the local appliance network, and a remote computing device communicatively coupled with the user device. To obtain the location of the appliance, the user device first connects with the local appliance network. The user device then obtains data indicative of the geographic location of the user device while connected to the appliance network and routes the data to the remote computing device. As the range of the local appliance network is limited, the location of the user device while connected to the local appliance network is assumed as the geographic location of the appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeff Donald Drake, Irena J. McDowell, Chad Michael Helms, Arnold Estravillo, William Everette Gardner
  • Publication number: 20200264314
    Abstract: Systems and methods for obtaining a location of an appliance are provided. In particular, the systems and methods include features for automatically obtaining a location of an appliance, e.g., for registration purposes. In one example aspect, a system includes an appliance that includes features for providing a local appliance network, a user device for connecting to the local appliance network, and a remote computing device communicatively coupled with the user device. To obtain the location of the appliance, the user device first connects with the local appliance network. The user device then obtains data indicative of the geographic location of the user device while connected to the appliance network and routes the data to the remote computing device. As the range of the local appliance network is limited, the location of the user device while connected to the local appliance network is assumed as the geographic location of the appliance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Jeff Donald Drake, Irena J. McDowell, Chad Michael Helms, Arnold Estravillo, William Everette Gardner
  • Publication number: 20200220932
    Abstract: A method of using a remote server to operate an appliance includes an appliance sending data indicative of usage patterns of the appliance to a remote server. The remote server identifies a routine event based on the data and sends an event initiation prompt including operational data related to the routine event to the appliance or a user of the appliance. The user may confirm that the routine should be initiated, and such confirmation may be communicated to the appliance before the appliance initiates the routine event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: William Everette Gardner, Arnold Estravillo, Irena J. McDowell, Jeff Donald Drake, Chad Michael Helms
  • Publication number: 20200085238
    Abstract: A method of operating a cooking appliance in coordinated communication with, for example, a remote server and a user device, is provided. The method may include receiving a recipe selection signal of a predetermined recipe at the remote server, and transmitting a recipe information signal to the cooking appliance based on the predetermined recipe. The method may further include receiving an appliance confirmation signal from the cooking appliance in response to a discrete recipe action of the predetermined recipe being performed at the cooking appliance subsequent to receiving the recipe selection signal. The method may still further include transmitting a determined status signal to the user device based on the received appliance confirmation signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Jeff Donald Drake, Nelson Tanquero, William Wesley Bornor, Irena J. McDowell, Jared Joseph Hatfield, Chad Michael Helms