APPLIANCE DIAGNOSTICS UTILIZING VISIBLE INDICATORS

Abstract

A cooking appliance can include diagnostic information communication ability. The cooking appliance has a support for supporting a cooking vessel at a cooking location. A heating element is configured to heat the cooking vessel at the cooking location. A user interface of the cooking appliance includes a visible indicator that is operable to convey primary operational information indicative of an operational aspect of the cooking appliance to a user during normal operation of the cooking appliance. A controller receives sensed information indicative of a malfunction of the cooking appliance and controls an operation of the visible indicator to display an error signal that is incomprehensible to the user without computer assistance, but is readable by a portable code reader. The error signal comprises repeated illumination and deactivation of the visible indicator at a predetermined frequency.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This application relates generally to a method, a domestic appliance such as a cooking appliance, and error reporting system for diagnosing an operational error, and, more specifically, to a cooking appliance that can utilize a visible indicator that serves another purpose during proper operation of the cooking appliance to convey error information, and methods and systems for conveying error information from a cooking appliance.

2. Description of Related Art

Professional cooking appliances have traditionally been fabricated from durable materials such as stainless steel and included analog thermometers, possibly a simple clock and/or timer, and perhaps other such “legacy” equipment that provide the appliances with a clean, minimalistic look. Instead of an extensive array of options commonly found on consumer cooking appliances, professional cooking appliances are typically sought after for their cooking performance, allowing enough food to be prepared for hundreds of diners each day. Thus, professional cooking appliances typically lack sophisticated digital displays that are adaptable to convey much information beyond the time to users. Because professional cooking appliances in restaurants and other commercial locations are typically maintained by a service provider who will provide service on location, there simply is not much of a need for sophisticated digital displays.

Even in consumer-grade appliances, to maximize the useable interior volume of an oven cavity and/or the useful surface area of cooktops, there can be a limited amount of space in certain cooking appliances for dedicated hardware that perform functions unrelated to cooking. Diagnostic and control circuitry can be concealed within a cabinet of the cooking appliance, but digital displays with LCD screens, for example, are often too large to be included on a control panel or other location where they will not be damaged by heat.

Although commonly found in restaurants and other commercial cooking establishments, such appliances have become increasingly popular in residential kitchens. Unlike the appliances in commercial establishments, residential appliances are often not maintained and serviced regularly by an outside service provider. Owners of residential appliances are responsible for requesting service to repair a malfunctioning unit, but may be unable to provide an accurate description of the nature of the malfunction or the repairs needed to a repair service provider.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a cooking appliance with diagnostic information communication ability. The cooking appliance includes a support for supporting a cooking vessel at a cooking location. A heating element is configured to heat the cooking vessel at the cooking location. A user interface of the cooking appliance includes a visible indicator that is operable to convey primary operational information indicative of an operational aspect of the cooking appliance to a user during normal operation of the cooking appliance. A controller receives a signal indicative of a malfunction of the cooking appliance and controls an operation of the visible indicator to display an error signal that is incomprehensible without computer assistance, but is readable by a portable code reader. The error signal comprises repeated illumination and deactivation of the visible indicator at a predetermined frequency or illumination sequence.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a appliance with diagnostic information communication ability. The appliance includes an appliance enclosure having a plurality of outer walls at least partially surrounding an operational cavity of the appliance. A user interface of the appliance includes a visible indicator that is operable to convey primary operational information indicative of an operational aspect of the appliance to a user during normal operation of the appliance. A controller is configured to determine an error code corresponding to a malfunction of the appliance upon occurrence of the malfunction. The controller is further configured to control an operation of the visible indicator to display the error code by periodic activation and deactivation of the visible indicator at a frequency exceeding a flicker fusion threshold, such that the visible indicator appears to remain illuminated during the periodic deactivation of the visible indicator when displaying the error code.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a method of communicating diagnostic information from a appliance. The method includes the step of displaying primary operational information indicative of an operational state of the appliance using a visible indicator. The visible indicator is part of a user interface comprising a plurality of visible indicators for the appliance. An occurrence of an error condition during operation of the appliance is determined. A controller of the appliance determines an error code corresponding to the error condition. The controller controls an operation of said or another visible indicator to display the error code by periodically activating and deactivating said or another visible indicator at a frequency exceeding a flicker fusion threshold, such that said or another visible indicator appears to remain illuminated during the periodic deactivation of the visible indicator when displaying the error code.

The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a cooking appliance with diagnostic information communication ability;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a portion of a user interface including a plurality of visible indicators used to transmit an error signal to be read by a portable code reader; and

FIG. 3 is flow diagram for an example method of communicating diagnostic information from an appliance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. Relative language used herein is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which like numerals are used to identify like or similar items. Further, in the drawings, certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form.

A domestic appliance includes a visual indicator that visibly conveys information unrelated to an error involving the operational state of the appliance. A controller is configured to operate the visual indicator in a first manner to convey the information unrelated to the error, and to operate the visual indicator in a second manner, that is different from the first manner, to convey error information identifying an error involving the operational state of the appliance. Example domestic appliances having the ability to visually communicate diagnostic information include household cooking appliances, such as cooking ranges and microwave ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, dryers, and other appliances commonly found in homes. However, for the sake of brevity, the visual communication of diagnostic information will be described below in the context of a cooking appliance, and in particular for a free-standing range.

An illustrative embodiment of a cooking appliance 10 with diagnostic information communication ability is shown in FIG. 1. Although the illustrated embodiment is a free-standing range or oven, including both an oven cavity 12 and a cooktop 14 with a plurality of surface burners 16, alternate embodiments of the present cooking appliance 10 can include only the oven cavity 12 or only the cooktop 14. The oven cavity 12 is an operational cavity of the appliance, and is partially surrounded by a plurality of outer appliance walls 11 forming the generally box-shaped enclosure or cabinet of the cooking appliance 10.

The cooking appliance 10 includes at least one, and optionally a plurality of supports on which a cooking vessel such as a pot, pan, tray, sheet, rack, etc . . . with food to be cooked can be placed. The cooktop 14, for instance, can include a support in the form of a glass pane 18 that overlays a plurality of electric and/or inductive heating elements forming the burners 16. Pots, pans, etc . . . containing food rest on the glass pane 18 above the operational heating elements forming the burners 16 during stovetop cooking of the food.

Within the oven cavity 12 there are a plurality of supports in the form of rack flanges 20 arranged vertically along the side walls defining the lateral extent of the cavity 12. The rack flanges 20 on each opposite side wall can each receive a lateral end of an oven rack (not shown) on which a cooking vessel or food is to be supported while the food is being cooked in the oven cavity 12. A gas and/or electric heating element 22 arranged adjacent to, e.g., the top and/or bottom of the oven cavity 12 is operable to generate the heat required to bake and/or broil the food in the oven cavity 12, and a door 24 is pivotally coupled to the cabinet of the cooking appliance 10 to selectively open and close the oven cavity 12.

A user interface 26 is provided to the cooking appliance 10, and includes a plurality of input devices 28 such as a knob, pushbutton, touch-sensitive display, or any other device that can be manipulated by a user to establish a desired operational parameter of the cooking appliance 10. For example, a first knob 30 can be turned to establish a desired cooking mode in the oven cavity 12. Illustrative, non-limiting examples of such mode include a bake mode, in which both the top and bottom heating elements 22 are operational to cook food in the oven cavity 12; a convection bake mode, in which the top and bottom heating elements 22 are operational along with a fan to promote air circulation within the oven cavity 12; a convection roast mode, which is similar to the convection bake mode, but utilizing a hotter temperature in the oven cavity 12 than is utilized for the convection bake mode; and a broil mode, in which the top heating element 22 is fully operational while the bottom heating element 22 is not operational or operational at a lower power than it is operated in the bake mode.

Similarly, a second knob 32 provided to the user interface 26 can be utilized to further refine the desired cooking mode input via the first knob 30. For example, the second knob 32 can be rotated by the user to establish a desired cooking temperature for the selected cooking mode. The temperature range can encompass any temperatures utilized for cooking food, such as 200° F. to about 550° F. The second knob 32 can optionally include markings in 25° F., 50° F. or 100° F. increments, for example, providing the user with a reference for selecting the desired cooking temperature.

The illustrative embodiment of the cooking appliance 10 in FIG. 1 includes a limited display device 34 that can display a time, a timer counting down the duration of a cooking operation, or other limited information. An example of the display device 34 includes a linear arrangement of a plurality of seven-segment displays, a liquid crystal display, or other suitable display that can present the user with a string of numbers and/or characters relating to the operation of the cooking appliance 10. So-called professional embodiments of the cooking appliance, however, can optionally lack any display device 34 that is operable to display alphabetical, numerical, alphanumerical, graphical or other types of user-readable characters.

A region 36 of the user interface 26, shown enlarged in FIG. 2, also includes at least one, and optionally a plurality of visible indicators 38 (e.g., light-emitting diodes “LEDs”) that are operable to convey primary operational information indicative of an operational aspect or state of the cooking appliance 10 to a user during normal operation of the cooking appliance 10. In other words, in the absence of a malfunction involving an erroneous operation of the cooking appliance 10, the visible indicator(s) 38 can be illuminated to identify the mode or state in which the cooking appliance 10 is operating, a set temperature, or any other operational aspect of the cooking appliance 10. The operational aspect of the cooking appliance 10 indicated during normal, proper operation of the cooking appliance 10 is considered the primary operational information conveyed by the LED 38. The LED 38 is controlled during normal operation between on and off states to convey human-perceptible information, which can be observed by the human eye without computer assistance and understood and interpreted, such as the selected cooking mode.

According to the embodiment of the region 36 shown in FIG. 2, each of the plurality of visible indicators is a discrete, individual LED 38 that is varied between on and off states. A label 40 is applied to the user interface adjacent to each LED 38 to identify the primary operational aspect or information of the cooking appliance signaled through operation of the LED 38. For example, the LED 38 adjacent to the label 40 that reads “Bake” is illuminated to indicate that the cooking appliance 10 is operating in the bake mode. Each such LED 38 can be activated by a controller 42 (FIG. 1) in response to the user input during normal operation (e.g., absent any errors or other malfunctions) of the cooking appliance 10 in response to the user input entered via the user interface 26. According to alternate embodiments, the LED 38 can convey operational information pertaining to one of the cooktop burners 16, the oven cavity 12, or any other feature of the cooking appliance 10. Further, although the LED 38 described for the illustrative embodiment is a discrete LED that functions solely to indicate an operational state of a feature of the cooking appliance 10, alternate embodiments can utilize one or a plurality of segments of a seven-segment display, or any visible indicator that does not spell out the nature of a malfunction in a human-readable manner to the user.

The controller 42 can be an electronic controller and can include one or more processors. For example, the controller 42 can include one or more of a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), discrete logic circuitry, or the like. The controller 42 can further include memory and may store program instructions that cause the controller to provide the functionality ascribed to it herein. The memory may include one or more volatile, non-volatile, magnetic, optical, or electrical media, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrically-erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or the like. The controller 42 can further include one or more analog-to-digital (A/D) converters for processing various analog inputs to the controller.

One or more sensors can be arranged on the cooking appliance 10 at one or more suitable locations for sensing a property of the cooking appliance 10, and can be operatively connected to communicate with the controller 42. For example, a temperature sensor can be positioned adjacent to a burner 16 to sense an operational temperature of the burner 16, once activated. The controller 42 receives from the sensor temperature information indicative of the operational temperature of the burner 16. The controller 42 also receives information indicative of the desired operational parameter, a burner setting for the burner with the sensor in the present example, input by the user via the appropriate input device 28 provided to the user interface 26. The controller 42 is configured to determine that a malfunction has occurred in response to making a determination that the temperature information transmitted by the sensor is not consistent with, or does not reflect the desired burner temperature input by the user. Voltage or current sensors can be included in the appliance to allow the controller to detect anomalies such as under and overvoltage conditions, short circuits, etc. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, various malfunctions and error conditions, such as a communication failure for example, can be detected by the controller 42, with or without the use of sensors.

In response to determining that a malfunction has occurred, the controller 42 identifies a particular error signal or error code (e.g., from a table stored in memory) corresponding to the malfunction, and controls operation of one LED 38 or other visible indicator to display an error signal or code. The error signal or code can be embodied as the repeated activation and deactivation of the LED 38 at a predetermined frequency (e.g., binary data) that is incomprehensible to the human observer (e.g. imperceptible to the human eye) without computer assistance, but is readable by a portable code reader 44 (FIG. 2) as described below. At such a frequency, the LED 38 may appear to flicker to a user observing transmission of the error code, but the user cannot interpret the error code viewing the operation of the LED 38 at such a high frequency with the naked eye. Thus, the controller 42 is configured to utilize the LED 38 or other visible indicator that serves a primary purpose other than error indication during normal operation of the cooking appliance 10 to convey error information in response to a malfunction. The error signal or code is displayed only during the malfunction, with the LED conveying the primary operational information when the malfunction does not exist. Such visible indicators have not traditionally been utilized for sophisticated error indication. Sophisticated error indication (something more than a few LED flashes to be counted by a user) can be readily done using an alphanumeric display. However, it can be desirable to exclude from the control panel 26 an alphanumeric display that is operable to display the error code, to give the appliance a professional look and feel for example. In such embodiments, employing LED-based error communication as discussed herein can be useful.

In certain embodiments, the frequency of the periodic activation and deactivation of the LED 38 can be high enough so as to exceed the flicker fusion threshold and appear to remain illuminated during display of the error code. The flicker fusion threshold is a threshold, typically in the range of 50 Hz to 60 Hz, beyond which an average person cannot perceive the deactivation of a light source during periodic activation and deactivation of the light source. If the frequency of activation/deactivation of the LED 38 exceeds the flicker fusion threshold, the primary operational information and the error code can be displayed simultaneously, since the LED will appear to remain illuminated. However, the existence of the error condition may not be appreciated by the user viewing the primary operational information (since any flickering of the LED to communicate the error code would be too fast to be observed). In this case, other LEDs, audible annunciators, etc., can be activated to indicate to the user that an alarm has occurred. In certain embodiments, the cooking appliance 10 can include a dedicated error LED that does not display primary operational information to a user and that indicates the occurrence of an error condition by flashing at a frequency either below or above the flicker fusion threshold while displaying the error code. The error condition can also be indicated by activation/deactivation of the LED using a short pulse width, so that the LED appears to be off or dim while display the error code.

The embodiments discussed above utilize a single, discrete LED 38 to transmit the error signal. However, according to alternate embodiments the controller 42 can control operation of a plurality of LEDs 38 or other closely-arranged visible indicators to transmit an error signal or code. The visible indicators utilized according to such embodiments are arranged close enough together on the cooking appliance to be captured within the same frame (represented by broken lines 46 in FIG. 2) in a viewfinder of a camera 41 or other image capture device provided to the portable code reader 44. Each of the plurality of visible indicators can be operated by the controller to convey different primary operational information to the user during the normal operation of the cooking appliance. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, each LED 38 represents a different operational mode of the oven. However, two or more of the LEDs 38 can also be controlled by the controller 42 to display a different respective portion or subset of the error signal or code to be received by the portable code reader 44. Two or more of the LEDs 38 can also be controlled by the controller 42 to redundantly display the error signal or code, to help ensure that the error code is correctly captured and interpreted by the portable code reader 44. Data integrity verifications can be included as part of the error signal or code displayed by the appliance. For example, checksums or cyclic redundancy checks (CRC) can be included in the error signal. If multiple LEDs 38 are used to display the error signal or code, such LEDs can be spaced apart from each other in a manner suitable for establishing a proper positional relationship between portable code reader 44 and the user interface 26, to help ensure that the error code is correctly captured and interpreted by the reader.

During a malfunction, the error signal or code transmitted through use of the LED 38 or other visible indicator can be captured utilizing the camera 41 provided to the portable code reader which, in the present example, is a cellular telephone commonly referred to as a smart phone. Examples of such a phone include, but are not limited to, the iPhone® from Apple, Inc., and the Galaxy S®, from Samsung Electronics, Co., but other phones and other portable devices (e.g., tablet computer, etc . . . ) equipped with a camera can also be used. The camera 41 can be a video camera, operable to capture motion picture video or at least a series of still photographic images at a frame rate high enough (e.g., at least twice the frequency at which the LED 38 is switched on and off by the controller 42) to accurately capture the error signal. The portable code reader 44 can be programmed with an application that, when executed, reads the error code represented by the flashing LED 38, and optionally converts the code into diagnostic signal that is subsequently transmitted by the portable code reader 44 over a cellular and/or public switched communication network, or other network such as the Internet. The error code can be displayed to the user in alphanumeric form on the display of the reader 44, along with a description of the error and possibly other information, such as a recommended service provider or instructions on correcting the malfunction. If transmitted, the diagnostic signal can be provided to a remote server 48 along with location information (e.g., GPS data) corresponding to the current location of the appliance and reader 44. The remote server 48 can respond with diagnostic information and information regarding a service provider capable of servicing the appliance. Either the reader 44 or server 48 can be programmed to automatically determine, based on the location information, a service provider located near the appliance, in a geographical region corresponding to the current location of the domestic appliance and the reader. The diagnostic signal can optionally indicate a specific part of the cooking appliance 10 that has malfunctioned and must be replaced or repaired, the existence of a condition that caused the malfunction, or any other data that is useful in identifying the cause of the malfunction, and optionally resolving the malfunction. In certain embodiments, the reader 44 can be configured to display, based on the information about the appliance obtained by the reader 44, information about the appliance, such as accessories available for the appliance, user manuals, installation instructions, recipes, and the like.

Examples of data that can be displayed by the LED 38, captured by the portable code reader 44, and optionally transmitted to the remote server 48 includes: current error code, date and/or time stamp of current error, previous error codes, date and/or time stamp of previous errors, appliance model number, appliance serial number, part numbers of various components that may need to be serviced or replaced, operational modes when errors occurred, operational temperature when errors occurred, user setpoints when errors occurred, firmware IDs, nonvolatile data identifiers, run time since install, power quality information, control input data, control output states, a website address for obtaining information about the appliance, user habits (e.g., common cooking cycles, temperatures, food probe temperatures, heating element and fan status, etc.), software versions, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for an example method of communicating diagnostic information from a domestic appliance. Primary operational information indicative of an operational state of the domestic appliance is displayed using a visible indicator as described above (step S10). The occurrence of an error condition is determined during operation of the domestic appliance (step S12). When the error condition is detected by the controller, or the controller is otherwise informed of the error condition, the controller determines a corresponding error code (step S14). The controller then controls the operation of one or more visible indicators to display the error code by periodically activating and deactivating the visible indicator (step S16). The visible indicator can be activated and deactivated at a frequency above or below the flicker fusion threshold as discussed above. The portable code reader captures images or video of the displayed error code via its camera (step S18), and the portable code reader determines the error code from the captured images or video (step S20). The portable code reader can determine location information corresponding to the current location of the appliance and reader (step S22). The error code and location information can be transmitted from the portable code reader to a remote server as discussed above. Either the portable code reader or the remote server can make determinations based on the error code and/or the location information, such as determining a maintenance service provider located in a geographical region corresponding to the current location of the domestic appliance and the camera device (step S24), determining replacement parts for the appliance, determining steps to correct the error condition, etc. Such information can be transmitted to and/or displayed on the portable code reader.

Illustrative embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above devices and methods are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance with diagnostic information communication ability, the cooking appliance comprising: a support for supporting a cooking vessel at a cooking location;a heating element configured to heat the cooking vessel at the cooking location;a user interface comprising a visible indicator that is operable to convey primary operational information indicative of an operational aspect of the cooking appliance to a user during normal operation of the cooking appliance; anda controller that receives a signal indicative of a malfunction of the cooking appliance and controls an operation of the visible indicator to display an error signal that is incomprehensible without computer assistance, but is readable by a portable code reader, wherein the error signal comprises repeated illumination and deactivation of the visible indicator at a predetermined frequency or illumination sequence.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the predetermined frequency exceeds a flicker fusion threshold such that the visible indicator appears to remain illuminated when displaying the error signal.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the error signal is displayed simultaneously with the primary operational information when the malfunction is sensed.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the visible indicator is operable to identify at least one of: a cooking mode active during the normal operation of the cooking appliance, and a cooktop burner that is operable during the normal operation of the cooking appliance.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the visible indicator is a discrete light emitting diode.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the cooking appliance lacks an alphanumeric display that is operable to display the error signal.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of visible indicators being operable to convey different primary operational information during the normal operation of the cooking appliance, and at least two of said visible indicators being controllable by the controller to display respective different subsets of the error signal.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of visible indicators being operable to convey different primary operational information during the normal operation of the cooking appliance, and at least two of said visible indicators being controllable by the controller to redundantly display the error signal.

9. A appliance with diagnostic information communication ability, the appliance comprising: an appliance enclosure including a plurality of outer walls at least partially surrounding an operational cavity of the appliance;a user interface comprising a visible indicator that is operable to convey primary operational information indicative of an operational aspect of the appliance to a user during normal operation of the appliance; anda controller configured to determine an error code corresponding to a malfunction of the appliance upon occurrence of the malfunction, and to control an operation of the visible indicator to display the error code by periodic activation and deactivation of the visible indicator at a frequency exceeding a flicker fusion threshold, such that the visible indicator appears to remain illuminated during the periodic deactivation of the visible indicator when displaying the error code.

10. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the error code is displayed simultaneously with the primary operational information when the malfunction is sensed.

11. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the appliance lacks an alphanumeric display that is operable to display the error code.

12. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of visible indicators being operable to convey different primary operational information to the user during the normal operation of the appliance, and at least two of said visible indicators being controllable by the controller to display respective different portions of the error code.

13. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of visible indicators being operable to convey different primary operational information to the user during the normal operation of the appliance, and at least two of said visible indicators being controllable by the controller to redundantly display the error code upon occurrence of the malfunction.

14. The appliance of claim 9, said appliance being a domestic appliance.

15. A method of communicating diagnostic information from a appliance, comprising the steps of: displaying primary operational information indicative of an operational state of the appliance using a visible indicator, wherein the visible indicator is part of a user interface comprising a plurality of visible indicators for the appliance;determining an occurrence of an error condition during operation of the appliance;determining, by a controller of the appliance, an error code corresponding to the error condition; andcontrolling, by the controller, an operation of said or another visible indicator to display the error code by periodically activating and deactivating said or another visible indicator at a frequency exceeding a flicker fusion threshold, such that said or another visible indicator appears to remain illuminated during the periodic deactivation of the visible indicator when displaying the error code.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: capturing images or video of the displayed error code using a camera device;determining, by the camera device, the error code from the captured images or video;determining, by the camera device, location information corresponding to a current location of the appliance and the camera device; andtransmitting at least one of the error code and the location information.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of automatically determining, based on the location information, at least one maintenance service provider located in a geographical region corresponding to the current location of the appliance and the camera device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: capturing images or video of the displayed error code using a camera device;determining, by the camera device, the error code from the captured images or video;determining, by the camera device, location information corresponding to a current location of the appliance and the camera device; anddetermining, based on the location information, at least one maintenance service provider located in a geographical region corresponding to the current location of the appliance and the camera device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the appliance lacks an alphanumeric display that is operable to display the error code.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein at least two of said visible indicators are controllable by the controller to display respective different portions of the error code.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein at least two of said visible indicators are controllable by the controller to redundantly display the error code upon occurrence of the error.