Abstract: A washing machine appliance includes a wash tub positioned within a cabinet, a wash basket rotatably mounted within the wash tub, a blower operably coupled to the wash basket, a motor assembly mechanically coupled to the wash basket for rotating the wash basket, and a controller. The blower is configured to introduce air into the wash basket. The controller is configured to initiate a wash cycle for cleaning the load of clothes, determine that air dry conditions are satisfied, and perform an air dry operation after completion of the wash cycle in response to determining that the air dry conditions are satisfied. The air dry operation may include operating the blower to circulate the air within the wash basket and operating the motor assembly to tumble the load of clothes. A method of operating a washing machine appliance is also provided.

Abstract: An item-management system is provided having a household appliance, a camera assembly, and a controller. The household appliance may include a cabinet. The camera assembly may be directed at the cabinet to capture an image of the cabinet. The controller may be in operative communication with the camera assembly. The controller may have access to an item list of one or more stored items. The controller may be configured to direct an item-management operation. The item-management operation may include receiving the image from the camera assembly, identifying, automatically, based on the received image, a stored item from the item list, determining, based on identifying the stored item, an unsuitable status of the identified stored item to indicate the identified stored item is inappropriate for the household appliance, and directing, based on determining the unsuitable status, a responsive action at the household appliance.

Abstract: A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a food storage chamber with a door movably coupled to the cabinet whereby the door is movable between a closed position and an open position. A method of operating the refrigerator appliance may include, or the refrigerator appliance may be operable for, receiving an intentional door open input and disabling a door alarm of the refrigerator appliance in response to the intentional door open input. Such methods or operations may further include automatically re-enabling the door alarm after disabling the door alarm.

Abstract: A method of coordinating engagement with a laundry appliance may include receiving one or more table conditions from an owner account for a notification table. The method may also include receiving a communication request from a remote user device of a guest user and recording a guest account to the notification table based on the received communication request. The method may still further include receiving a status signal from the laundry appliance and transmitting a notice signal to the guest account based on the status signal and the one or more table conditions.

Abstract: A system and method for user interface development and appliance data transmission is provided. The method includes generating, at a controller at an appliance, a core control module configured to perform operations corresponding to a first operating function at the appliance; obtaining, at a network computing device, a user input corresponding to a second operating function; building, at the network computing device, a user-specific control module comprising the second operating function; transmitting, to the controller at the appliance, the user-specific control module; and combining the user-specific control module to the core control module.

Abstract: A method may include detecting one or more insertion actions for a loading one or more articles into the dishwashing appliance and directing, subsequent to the detected insertion actions, a dishwasher cycle within the dishwashing appliance. The method may also include detecting, subsequent to the dishwasher cycle, one or more removal actions for unloading the one or more articles from the dishwashing appliance. The method may further include evaluating the detected removal actions against the detected insertion actions and directing a user interface of the dishwashing appliance based on the evaluation.

Abstract: Household appliances and methods of testing are provided. The household appliance includes a mechanical component and a controller in operative communication with the mechanical component. The controller has a partitioned memory. The partitioned memory includes a testing partition and a control partition. The controller is configured for and/or the method includes authorizing a user of the household appliance and verifying a personality of the a household appliance. Testing software is loaded into the testing partition of the memory of the controller. The testing software is executed from the testing partition, whereby the mechanical component of the household appliance is operated. The method also includes and/or the controller is also configured for exiting remote testing mode after executing the testing software and deleting the testing software from the partitioned memory when exiting the remote testing mode.

Abstract: A method of operating a first domestic appliance associated with a user account and a second domestic appliance associated with the user account may include receiving a parameter signal including a parameter value from the first domestic appliance. The method may also identifying the parameter value as corresponding to a sharable parameter. The method further include recording the parameter value within a sharable field set of a pre-constructed table, after which the parameter value may be shared or analyzed further.

Abstract: A system and method for data transmission and performance improvement for an appliance is provided. The system includes an appliance including a controller operably connected to a network computing device. The controller is configured to transmit a packet to a network computing device. The packet includes genealogical data for the appliance encoded in a positional numeral system. The network computing device is configured to receive the packet and decode the genealogical data for the appliance. Decoding includes translating the positional numeral system to an appliance configuration.

Abstract: Household appliances and methods of operating household appliances are provided. The household appliance includes a user input device and a controller in operative communication with the user input device. Such methods include, or household appliances are configured for, downloading an input verification software from a remote computing device to the household appliance. An input at the user input device is detected. The methods also include, or the household appliances are also configured for, determining, by the controller of the household appliance using the input verification software, whether the detected input was intentional.

Abstract: An appliance repair instruction method for directing a user to perform a repair on an appliance is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving a request for appliance-specific repair instructions, obtaining an image of the appliance, the image including a portion of the appliance, generating an instructional overlay image including an instructional graphic associated with the image received to communicate at least one step of the appliance-specific repair instructions, and communicating the instructional overlay image. A method for directing a user to perform repairs on an appliance is provided that includes sending a request for appliance-specific repair instructions, sending an image of the appliance, and receiving an appliance-specific repair instruction step on a user device.

Abstract: A method of operating a domestic appliance includes receiving information from one or more remote sources relating to a quality of water from a municipal water supply to domestic appliance, determining a health advisory has been issued regarding a geographical location of the domestic appliance in response to receiving the information, determining a schedule for performing one or more responsive actions in response to determining that the health advisory has been issued, directing an emission of a first notification, the first notification including one or more sets of instructions, and initiating at least one responsive action of the one or more responsive actions within the domestic appliance after directing the emission of the first notification, the at least one responsive action including restricting an output of a dispenser of the domestic appliance.

Abstract: A system and method for data transmission and appliance communication is provided. The system is configured to obtain a food identifier input and a preparation instruction input, generate a database correlating the food identifier input to the preparation instruction input, capture an image of food to be prepared, transmit the image of food to be prepared to a computing system, compare, at the computing system, the captured image to the database, and determine a preparation instruction corresponding to the captured image.

Abstract: An appliance performance report method for determining and communicating conditions of appliances. The method includes receiving appliance performance test parameters from a supervisory user of an appliance. The appliance performance test parameters include a test time frame for performing a self-diagnostic test. The method further includes directing the appliance to perform the self-diagnostic test during the test time frame, receiving diagnostic test data from the appliance following performance of the self-diagnostic test, generating a performance report using the diagnostic test data received from the appliance, and communicating the performance report to the supervisory user. An appliance performance report system including a controller is also described.

Abstract: A washing machine appliance includes a wash tub positioned within a cabinet, a water inlet fluidly coupled to a water supply for receiving wash fluid, a wireless communication module, and a controller operably coupled to the wireless communication module. The controller is configured to obtain an event notification of a water discoloration event associated with the water supply and implement a responsive action in response to obtaining the event notification of the water discoloration event, such as stopping an operating cycle and providing the user with an issue rectification guide for mitigating effects of the water discoloration event.

Abstract: A washing machine appliance includes a wash tub positioned within a cabinet, a wash basket rotatably mounted within the wash tub and defining a wash chamber configured for receiving a load of clothes, and a camera assembly positioned in view of the load of clothes. A controller is configured to obtain one or more images of the load of clothes to be washed during a wash cycle, analyze the one or more images using an image recognition process to identify an outlier garment in the load of clothes, determine that the outlier garment is not on a safelist, and implement a responsive action in response to identifying the outlier garment that is not on the safelist.

Abstract: A washing machine appliance and methods for the same may include authorizing a user of the washing machine appliance and loading testing software into a partitioned memory of a controller. The testing software may include a testing sequence. The method may further include receiving a single testing prompt from a remote device following loading testing software and executing the testing sequence of the testing software from the partitioned memory in response to receiving the single testing prompt, whereby a mechanical component of the washing machine appliance is operated. The method may still further include exiting a remote testing mode after executing the testing software and deleting the testing software from the partitioned memory when exiting the remote testing mode.

Abstract: A system and method for data transmission and performance improvement for an appliance is provided. The system includes an appliance including a controller operably connected to a network computing device. The controller is configured to transmit a packet to a network computing device. The packet includes genealogical data for the appliance encoded in a positional numeral system. The network computing device is configured to receive the packet and decode the genealogical data for the appliance. Decoding includes translating the positional numeral system to an appliance configuration.

Abstract: A method of coordinating engagement with a laundry appliance may include receiving one or more table conditions from an owner account for a notification table. The method may also include receiving a communication request from a remote user device of a guest user and recording a guest account to the notification table based on the received communication request. The method may still further include receiving a status signal from the laundry appliance and transmitting a notice signal to the guest account based on the status signal and the one or more table conditions.

Abstract: A system and method for user interface development and appliance data transmission is provided. The method includes generating, at a controller at an appliance, a core control module configured to perform operations corresponding to a first operating function at the appliance; obtaining, at a network computing device, a user input corresponding to a second operating function; building, at the network computing device, a user-specific control module comprising the second operating function; transmitting, to the controller at the appliance, the user-specific control module; and combining the user-specific control module to the core control module.