ACCESS CONTROL MODE FOR AN OVEN APPLIANCE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to oven appliances, and more particularly, to methods of restricting access to certain features or modes of operation of an oven appliance under certain circumstances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional residential and commercial oven appliances generally include a cabinet that includes a cooking chamber for receipt of food items for cooking. Multiple heating elements are positioned within the cooking chamber to provide heat to food items located therein. In addition, conventional oven appliances include a cooktop positioned on a top of the appliance that includes one or more heating elements, such as electric heaters, gas burners, or induction heating elements. Cooking appliances that include both an oven and a cooktop are commonly referred to as “ranges.”

Particularly in residential settings, children or individuals with memory loss or cognitive impairments may interact with an oven appliance in an undesirable manner, e.g., such as making setting changes, operating the oven appliance in a dangerous manner, or generating other potentially hazardous situations. Such interactions could lead to unfavorable consequences for the oven appliance, utilized cookware, food being cooked, the individuals themselves, or others. Conventional oven appliances do not include effective features for mitigating dangers associated with such interactions.

Accordingly, an oven appliance with improved safeguards for appliance operation and interactions is desirable. More particularly, an oven appliance that includes methods of operation that reduce hazardous situations associated with appliance usage by unauthorized or access-limited users would be especially beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In one exemplary embodiment, a method of operating an oven appliance including a user interface appliance is provided. The method includes determining that an access control mode is activated, detecting a user interaction with the oven appliance, determining that the user interaction is not in compliance with the access control mode, and implementing a responsive action in response to determining that the user interaction is not in compliance with the access control mode.

In another exemplary embodiment, an oven appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction is provided. The oven appliance includes a cabinet defining a cooking chamber, a cooktop positioned at a top of the cabinet and comprising one or more heating elements, a user interface panel mounted to the cabinet for facilitating user interaction with the oven appliance, and a controller in operative communication with the user interface panel. The controller is configured to determine that an access control mode is activated, detect a user interaction with the oven appliance, determine that the user interaction is not in compliance with the access control mode, and implement a responsive action in response to determining that the user interaction is not in compliance with the access control mode.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.

FIG. 1 provides a front perspective view of an oven appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 provides a side cross-sectional view of the exemplary oven appliance of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 3 is a method of operating an oven appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 4 is an example sequence of user options on a user interface of the example oven appliance of FIG. 1 according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 5 is an example sequence of user options on a user interface of the example oven appliance of FIG. 1 according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 6 is an example flow chart illustrating a method of operating an oven appliance according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 7 is an example flow chart illustrating a method of operating an oven appliance according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, the terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, is applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 10 percent margin.

FIG. 1 provides a front, perspective view of an oven appliance 100 as may be employed with the present subject matter. Oven appliance 100 generally defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T, each of which is mutually perpendicular, such that an orthogonal coordinate system is generally defined. As illustrated, oven appliance 100 includes an insulated cabinet 102. Cabinet 102 of oven appliance 100 extends between a top 104 and a bottom 106 along the vertical direction V, between a first side 108 (left side when viewed from front) and a second side 110 (right side when viewed from front) along the lateral direction L, and between a front 112 and a rear 114 along the transverse direction T.

Within cabinet 102 is a single cooking chamber 120 which is configured for the receipt of one or more food items to be cooked. However, it should be appreciated that oven appliance 100 is provided by way of example only, and aspects of the present subject matter may be used in any suitable cooking appliance, such as a double oven range appliance. Thus, the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is not intended to limit the present subject matter to any particular cooking chamber configuration or arrangement. Indeed, aspects of the present subject matter may be applied to display assemblies for any suitable appliance.

Oven appliance 100 includes a door 124 rotatably attached to cabinet 102 in order to permit selective access to cooking chamber 120. Handle 126 is mounted to door 124 to assist a user with opening and closing door 124 in order to access cooking chamber 120. As an example, a user can pull on handle 126 mounted to door 124 to open or close door 124 and access cooking chamber 120. One or more transparent viewing windows 128 (FIG. 1) may be defined within door 124 to provide for viewing the contents of cooking chamber 120 when door 124 is closed and also assist with insulating cooking chamber 120.

In general, cooking chamber 120 is defined by a plurality of chamber walls 130. Specifically, cooking chamber 120 may be defined by a top wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall, and two sidewalls 130. These chamber walls 130 may be joined together to define an opening through which a user may selectively access cooking chamber 120 by opening door 124. In order to insulate cooking chamber 120, oven appliance 100 includes an insulating gap defined between the chamber walls 130 and cabinet 102. According to an exemplary embodiment, the insulation gap is filled with an insulating material 132, such as insulating foam or fiberglass, for insulating cooking chamber 120.

Oven appliance 100 also includes a cooktop 140. Cooktop 140 is positioned at or adjacent top 104 of cabinet 102 such that it is positioned above cooking chamber 120. Specifically, cooktop 140 includes a top panel 142 positioned proximate top 104 of cabinet 102. By way of example, top panel 142 may be constructed of glass, ceramics, enameled steel, and combinations thereof. One or more grates 144 are supported on a top surface of top panel 142 for supporting cooking utensils, such as pots or pans, during a cooking process.

Oven appliance 100 may further include one or more heating elements (identified generally by reference numeral 150) for selectively heating cooking utensils positioned on grates 144 or food items positioned within cooking chamber 120. For example, referring to FIG. 1, heating elements 150 may be gas burners 150. Specifically, a plurality of gas burners 150 are mounted within or on top of top panel 142 underneath grates 144 that supports cooking utensils over the gas burners 150 while gas burners 150 provide thermal energy to cooking utensils positioned thereon, e.g., to heat food and/or cooking liquids (e.g., oil, water, etc.). Gas burners 150 can be configured in various sizes so as to provide e.g., for the receipt of cooking utensils (i.e., pots, pans, etc.) of various sizes and configurations and to provide different heat inputs for such cooking utensils. According to alternative embodiments, oven appliance 100 may have other cooktop configurations or burner elements.

In addition, heating elements 150 may be positioned within or may otherwise be in thermal communication with cooking chamber 120 for regulating the temperature within cooking chamber 120. Specifically, an upper gas heating element 154 (also referred to as a broil heating element or gas burner) may be positioned in cabinet 102, e.g., at a top portion of cooking chamber 120, and a lower gas heating element 156 (also referred to as a bake heating element or gas burner) may be positioned at a bottom portion of cooking chamber 120. Upper gas heating element 154 and lower gas heating element 156 may be used independently or simultaneously to heat cooking chamber 120, perform a baking or broil operation, perform a cleaning cycle, etc. The size and heat output of gas heating elements 154, 156 can be selected based on, e.g., the size of oven appliance 100 or the desired heat output. Oven appliance 100 may include any other suitable number, type, and configuration of heating elements 150 within cabinet 102 and/or on cooktop 140. For example, oven appliance 100 may further include electric heating elements, induction heating elements, or any other suitable heat generating device.

A control panel assembly 160 is located within convenient reach of a user of the oven appliance 100. For this example embodiment, control panel assembly 160 is positioned at a top 104 and front 112 of cabinet 102, e.g., above door 124 along the vertical direction V and forward of cooktop 140 along the transverse direction T. Control panel assembly 160 includes knobs 162 that are each associated with one of heating elements 150. In this manner, knobs 162 allow the user to activate each heating element 150 and determine the amount of heat input provided by each heating element 150 for cooking food items within cooking chamber 120 or on cooktop 140. Although shown with knobs 162, it should be understood that knobs 162 and the configuration of oven appliance 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided by way of example only. More specifically, control panel assembly 160 may include various input components, such as one or more of a variety of touch-type controls, electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical input devices including rotary dials, push buttons, and touch pads. Control panel assembly 160 may also be provided with one or more graphical display devices or display components, such as a digital or analog display device designed to provide operational feedback or other information to the user such as e.g., whether a particular heating element 150 is activated and/or the rate at which the heating element 150 is set. Indeed, according to the illustrated embodiment, control panel assembly 160 includes a display assembly 164, such as a liquid crystal display with an interactive display and interface.

Generally, oven appliance 100 may include a controller 166 in operative communication with control panel assembly 160. Control panel assembly 160 of oven appliance 100 may be in communication with controller 166 via, for example, one or more signal lines or shared communication busses, and signals generated in controller 166 operate oven appliance 100 in response to user input via user input devices, e.g., control knobs 162 and/or display assembly 164. Input/Output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 166 and various operational components of oven appliance 100 such that operation of oven appliance 100 can be regulated by controller 166. In addition, controller 166 may also be in communication with one or more sensors, such as temperature sensor 168, which may be used to measure temperature inside cooking chamber 120 and provide such measurements to the controller 166. Although temperature sensor 168 is illustrated at a top and rear of cooking chamber 120, it should be appreciated that other sensor types, positions, and configurations may be used according to alternative embodiments.

Controller 166 is a “processing device” or “controller” and may be embodied as described herein. Controller 166 may include a memory and one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), CPUs or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of oven appliance 100, and controller 166 is not restricted necessarily to a single element. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM, electrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM), or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, controller 166 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.

Referring still to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of an external communication system 170 will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. In general, external communication system 170 is configured for permitting interaction, data transfer, and other communications between oven appliance 100 and one or more external devices. For example, this communication may be used to provide and receive operating parameters, user instructions or notifications, performance characteristics, user preferences, or any other suitable information for improved performance of oven appliance 100. In addition, it should be appreciated that external communication system 170 may be used to transfer data or other information to improve performance of one or more external devices or appliances and/or improve user interaction with such devices.

For example, external communication system 170 permits controller 166 of oven appliance 100 to communicate with a separate device external to oven appliance 100, referred to generally herein as an external device 172. As described in more detail below, these communications may be facilitated using a wired or wireless connection, such as via a network 174. In general, external device 172 may be any suitable device separate from oven appliance 100 that is configured to provide and/or receive communications, information, data, or commands from a user. In this regard, external device 172 may be, for example, a personal phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop or personal computer, a wearable device, a smart home system, or another mobile or remote device.

In addition, a remote server 176 may be in communication with oven appliance 100 and/or external device 172 through network 174. In this regard, for example, remote server 176 may be a cloud-based server 176, and is thus located at a distant location, such as in a separate state, country, etc. According to an exemplary embodiment, external device 172 may communicate with a remote server 176 over network 174, such as the Internet, to transmit/receive data or information, provide user inputs, receive user notifications or instructions, interact with or control oven appliance 100, etc. In addition, external device 172 and remote server 176 may communicate with oven appliance 100 to communicate similar information.

In general, communication between oven appliance 100, external device 172, remote server 176, and/or other user devices or appliances may be carried using any type of wired or wireless connection and using any suitable type of communication network, non-limiting examples of which are provided below. For example, external device 172 may be in direct or indirect communication with oven appliance 100 through any suitable wired or wireless communication connections or interfaces, such as network 174. For example, network 174 may include one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), the Internet, a cellular network, any other suitable short- or long-range wireless networks, etc. In addition, communications may be transmitted using any suitable communications devices or protocols, such as via Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, wireless radio, laser, infrared, Ethernet type devices and interfaces, etc. In addition, such communication may use a variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).

External communication system 170 is described herein according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. However, it should be appreciated that the exemplary functions and configurations of external communication system 170 provided herein are used only as examples to facilitate description of aspects of the present subject matter. System configurations may vary, other communication devices may be used to communicate directly or indirectly with one or more associated appliances, other communication protocols and steps may be implemented, etc. These variations and modifications are contemplated as within the scope of the present subject matter.

Although aspects of the present subject matter are described herein in the context of a single oven appliance, it should be appreciated that oven appliance 100 is provided by way of example only. Other oven or range appliances having different configurations, different appearances, and/or different features may also be utilized with the present subject matter, e.g., double ovens, connected oven/cooktop units, etc. Moreover, aspects of the present subject matter are equally applicable to standalone cooktops (e.g., without cooking chambers) or other cooking appliances.

Now that the construction and configuration of oven appliance 100 has been described according to exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, an exemplary method 200 for operating oven appliance 100 will be described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. Method 200 can be used to operate oven appliance 100 or may be used to operate any other suitable oven appliances. In this regard, for example, controller 166 may be configured for implementing some or all steps of method 200. Further, it should be appreciated that the exemplary method 200 is discussed herein only to describe exemplary aspects of the present subject matter, and is not intended to be limiting.

Referring now to FIG. 3, method 200 includes, at step 210, determining that an access control mode of an oven appliance is enabled. In this regard, for example, the access control mode is considered to be “enabled” when a user has selected such a mode using a user interface (e.g., such as control panel assembly 160). For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a user may enable the access control mode or the “serenity mode” by toggling a virtual switch 300 on the user interface panel. Specifically, a user may select the access control mode from the menu, enter a passcode set by the user with the appliance manufacturer, and press virtual switch 300 to enable the access control mode. As described in more detail below, according to example embodiments, implementation of the access control mode may also require that the access control mode be “activated” in addition to being enabled. In this regard, a user may enable the access control mode, but activation may occur only after a triggering event has occurred, an amount of time has passed, etc. According to still other example embodiments, selecting virtual switch 300 may both enable and activate the access control mode, thereby restricting appliance operation as described in more detail below.

Step 220 may generally include determining that a period of inactivity has occurred while the access control mode is enabled. As mentioned above, this period of inactivity may be triggered to activate the access control mode. In this regard, for example, the period of inactivity may indicate that the user of oven appliance 100 has left the room or is no longer interacting with oven appliance 100. In order to facilitate safe or restricted operation by an unauthorized or secondary user, this period of inactivity may trigger restrictions in appliance operation. It should be appreciated that the period of inactivity may vary while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, the period of inactivity may be between about 10 seconds and 30 minutes, between about 30 seconds and 20 minutes, between about 1 minute and 15 minutes, between about 3 minutes and 10 minutes, or about 5 minutes.

According to example embodiments, after the access control mode is enabled at step 210 and the period of activity has occurred at 220, method 200 may include activating the access control mode, which may restrict operation of oven appliance or provide a limited user interface input selection. This restricted operation may be particularly useful for households where children, impaired users, elderly individuals, senile individuals, or other users that should have restricted operating authorizations are present or are likely to interact with the appliance. As noted above, the user may directly enable and activate this access control mode using a virtual switch 300 or the mode may be activated after being enabled by the user and after a triggering event has occurred, e.g., an event that may indicate the presence of an unauthorized user.

After the access control mode has been activated, step 230 may include detecting a user interaction with the oven appliance. This user interaction may be manipulation of one or more knobs 162, interacting with display assembly 164, opening the door 124, removing cookware from cooktop 140, or any other suitable interactions. Step 240 may generally include determining that the user interaction (e.g., detected at step 230) is not in compliance with the access control mode. For example, a user or the manufacturer may program various restrictions into the operation of oven appliance 100, where these restrictions are activated or enforced when the access control mode is enabled and activated. If the user interaction is in violation of these restrictions, that interaction may be deemed as not in compliance with access control mode. For example, if a user restriction is a limit on the power level of the cooktop and the selected power level exceeds this limit, such a power selection may not be in compliance with the access control mode.

Step 250 may generally include implementing a responsive action in response to determining that the user interaction is not in compliance with the access control mode. In this regard, oven appliance 100 may be programmed to prevent, discourage, or otherwise avoid operation that is in violation of the access control mode. Although example user interactions and corresponding responsive actions are described herein, it should be appreciated that these interactions and responsive actions are only examples intended to facilitate discussion of aspects of the present subject matter. Other user interactions and corresponding responsive actions are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter.

According to an example embodiment, when the access control mode is activated, oven appliance 100 may generally disable operations of oven appliance other than a predetermined or programmed abilities and actions. For example, only preselected or quick access cycle options may be selected when access control mode is activated. An attempt to select options that are not within these preselected cycle options may be ignored, may lockout the appliance, or may result in a notification to an authorized user or owner of oven appliance 100.

According to an example embodiment, a user interaction (e.g., detected at step 230) may be the manipulation of a cooktop power level or an oven cooking temperature. If the access control mode includes restrictions on these parameters, step 250 of implementing the responsive action may include limiting at least one of the cooktop power level or the oven cooking temperature. This may be particularly desirable to avoid hazardous situations associated with high cooking temperatures, to prevent overcooking of food, etc.

According to another example embodiment, a user interaction (e.g., detected at step 230) may be the manipulation of a control panel assembly to set a cooktop or oven operating duration that exceeds a predetermined time limit. For example, if a user is operating the cooktop for longer than a predetermined amount of time, the responsive action implemented at step 250 may include enforcing a limit on the cooktop or oven operating duration. In addition, when the access control mode is activated, step 250 may include disabling a preheat notification. In this regard, instead of notifying a user when the cooking chamber has reached the target temperature, the access control mode may eliminate the preheat notification such that the user is encouraged to place their food in the oven while it is still cold.

According to another example embodiment, a user interaction (e.g., detected at step 230) may be the removal or manipulation of cookware on the cooktop or within the cooking chamber during a cooking process. For example, if a user removes a pan from the cooktop (e.g., detected using an induction cooktop), method 200 may include detecting such removal and implementing a responsive action, such as notifying the user, turning off the heating element, or implementing further appliance restrictions. Similarly, a user interaction may include opening the oven door (e.g., as detected by a door switch), upon which appliance operation may be restricted or a user may be notified.

Specifically, according to example embodiments, the responsive action may include providing a user notification regarding the user interactions or seeking user confirmation to proceed in accordance with user interaction. In this regard, when access control mode is activated, a primary user or owner of oven appliance 100 may receive notifications regarding the unauthorized usage or usage that is in violation of the access control mode. These notifications may be received through the user interface panel or through a remote device through an external network (e.g., such as external device 172).

Notably, it may also be desirable to facilitate deactivation or disabling of the access control mode, e.g., particularly by a primary or nonrestricted user. For example, method 200 may include receiving a request to disable or modify the access control mode, e.g., at step 260. In order to verify an authorized party is making or enforcing such a request, method 200 at step 270 may include requesting a passcode prior to disabling or modifying access control mode (e.g., as shown schematically in FIGS. 4 and 5). Upon receiving and verifying the command to disable or deactivate the access control mode, method 200 may include commencing normal unrestricted operation of the oven appliance. According to an example embodiment, instead of requiring a passcode to enable normal appliance operation, method 200 may further include determining that a button was pressed and held for a predetermined amount of time, after which the action corresponding to that pressed button may be activated. It should be appreciated that steps 260 and 270 may be independent from steps 210 through 250 and may be performed in any sequence and at any time.

Referring now briefly to FIG. 6, an example control method 400 for implementing an access control mode will be described according to an example embodiment. As shown, method 400 begins at step 402. Step 404 includes determining whether the access control mode is enabled in settings. If the access control mode is enabled, step 406 may include waiting until a trigger event occurs before activating the access control mode. In this regard, for example, the trigger at step 406 may include the passage of a predetermined amount of time during which the authorized user does not interact with oven appliance 100 (e.g., indicated as Δt_int). If step 406 results in a determination that the user has not interacted with the appliance for greater than or equal to five minutes, step 408 may include activating the access control mode. If step 406 results in a determination that the user has interacted with the appliance within the last five minutes, method 400 may include doing nothing and continuing to monitor the time since the last interaction (Δt_int), or resetting the time if authorized user interaction is detected.

When the access control mode is activated, step 410 may include detecting whether buttons on the user interface are pressed and held for a predetermined amount of time, such as three seconds. If a button is pressed and held for the predetermined amount of time, the access control mode may deactivate and the timer may be reset at step 412. By contrast, if the buttons are not held for the predetermined amount of time, step 414 may include detecting other interactions and step 416 may include sending notifications regarding such interactions to the user. Step 418 may include determining that cookware is removed from the heating element and step 420 may include providing the user notification regarding such removal. Step 422 may include determining that the oven door was opened during use and step 424 may include providing a user notification regarding the opening of the door. In addition, as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 6, the process may be ongoing or may repeat, e.g., by looping back to step 410 where button presses are detected and assessed for button press duration. Other user interactions and responsive actions are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter.

Referring now to FIG. 7, method 500 begins at step 502, after which step 504 includes determining whether the access control mode (e.g., referred to herein as “serenity mode”) is activated. Specifically, according to example embodiments, activation of the serenity mode may include selecting virtual switch 300 in settings (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5). Notably, making this selection in the settings may both enable and activate the serenity mode. If the serenity mode is activated, step 506 may include determining whether various limits or restrictions are enabled. For example, the restriction may include a cooktop temperature restriction, a cooktop duration restriction, a cooktop timeout, or operation in an oven only mode. Steps 508 generally include determining whether the selected operating parameters violate the access control mode restrictions. Steps 510 include various responsive actions that may be taken when the access control mode is violated. In addition, steps 510 may include actions taken that are not in violation of a mode condition but instead are initiated in response to the access control mode or serenity mode being activated, e.g., such as desirable setting changes, power level restrictions, access restrictions, etc.

FIGS. 3, 6, and 7 depict exemplary control methods having steps performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will understand that the steps of any of the methods discussed herein can be adapted, rearranged, expanded, omitted, or modified in various ways without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, although aspects of the methods are explained using oven appliance 100 as an example, it should be appreciated that these methods may be applied to the operation of any suitable oven appliance.

As explained herein, aspects of the present subject matter are generally directed to a cooking appliance that has an access control mode as a part of its settings. For example, a user can enable the access control mode and set up a desired password, passcode, or other security credentials. If the appliance is started with the access control mode enabled, the appliance may automatically enter (activate) this mode after the user fails to interact with the appliance for a predetermined amount of time, e.g., after 5 minutes. Once the access control mode is active, it can be exited (deactivated), for example, by pressing any user interface element and holding it for 3 seconds. Further, a local alert or an alert for a remote device can be generated if there is any other interaction with the user interface, if there is cookware removal from active heating element, if the oven door is opened, or if any other potential hazardous actions are detected while the access control mode is enabled.

In addition, aspects of the present subject matter may be directed to similar modes of operation intended to prevent unintentional misuse of cooking appliances by children or individuals with memory loss or cognitive impairments. This mode may be referred to herein as the “access control mode” or the “serenity mode.” This mode can be manually activated through cooktop settings or can be set to activate automatically based on the time of day or other operating conditions. It may require a passcode for activation, so that no unauthorized person can disable or change the settings of the mode. This mode may limit various operational features such as cooktop power, cycle duration, oven preheating, etc. In addition, this mode may limit oven inputs to the use of only the quick access modes and may disable the cooktop. The mode may also include notifying family members about usage and enabling remote monitoring for added safety. In an alternate embodiment, for cooktop models that do not have a display, a button can be included which, when pressed for 3 seconds, activates, or deactivates the serenity mode. Furthermore, users can also customize the features included in the serenity mode.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

ACCESS CONTROL MODE FOR AN OVEN APPLIANCE

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