USER TERMINAL DEVICE AND CLOTHING TREATING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME

Abstract

A user terminal device includes: an input interface; a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device; and a processor operatively connected with the input interface and the communication interface, wherein the processor is configured to: based on clothing information being input through the input interface, control the communication interface to transmit the clothing information to a server, and receive, from the server through the communication interface, recommended course information generated based on the clothing information, generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information based on an editing command being input to the input interface, control the communication interface to transmit the user-customized course information to the server, and wherein the user-customized course information includes course name information and course description information, based on the editing command.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosure relates to a user terminal device (e.g., an electronic device) and a clothing treating system including the same, and more particularly, to a user terminal device that provides a recommended course for optimal clothing management based on clothing information and edits the recommended course based on a user input to provide a user-customized course.

2. Description of Related Art

In recent years, home appliances have been developed for performing various clothing treating and management, such as a washing machine performing a washing process, a dryer performing a drying process, a clothing care machine performing a clothing care process of removing odor, dust, or wrinkles from clothes, and the like.

However, in the related art, a clothing treating device may only execute courses provided by a manufacturer, and thus, it would be difficult to perform integrated management for executing one integrated course using a plurality of clothing treating devices executing different functions.

In addition, there are needs for easily executing a user-customized course generated by modifying and editing an integrated course based on user's preferences and for storing the course in clothing treating devices.

SUMMARY

Provided is a clothing treating system that may improve user convenience by providing an optimal treatment and management course based on an individual characteristic of clothing, providing a user interface (UI) for a user to freely edit a course name and a course description, and automatically updating edited course information in a plurality of clothing treating devices.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a user terminal device includes: an input interface; a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device; and a processor operatively connected with the input interface and the communication interface, wherein the processor is configured to: based on clothing information being input through the input interface, control the communication interface to transmit the clothing information to a server, and receive, from the server through the communication interface, recommended course information generated based on the clothing information, generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information based on an editing command being input to the input interface, control the communication interface to transmit the user-customized course information to the server, and wherein the user-customized course information includes course name information and course description information, based on the editing command.

The user terminal device may further include a memory configured to store a course list including a plurality of clothing treatment courses, and the processor may be further configured to update the course list to include the generated user-customized course information, and store the updated course list in the memory.

The processor may be further configured to control the communication interface to transmit, to the server, editing information based on the editing command being input to the input interface.

The processor may be further configured to control the communication interface to transmit, to a clothing treating device, the user-customized course information.

The processor may be further configured to control the communication interface to transmit, to the clothing treating device, a control signal to perform a processing operation corresponding to a user-customized course, based on a start command for executing the user-customized course being input to the input interface.

The user terminal device may further include a display, and the processor may be further configured to control the display to display a user interface for receiving the clothing information.

The clothing information may include at least one of a material, a type, a color, or dryness of clothes.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a control method of a user terminal device, includes: based on clothing information being input to the user terminal device, transmitting the clothing information to a server; receiving, from the server, recommended course information that is generated by the server based on the clothing information; based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input, generating user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information; and transmitting the user-customized course information to the server, wherein the generating the user-customized course information includes generating the user-customized course information that includes course name information and course description information based on the editing command.

The control method may further include: storing a course list including a plurality of clothing treatment courses; updating the course list to include the generated user-customized course information; and storing the updated course list.

The control method may further include transmitting, to the server, editing information based on an editing command for the stored course list being input.

The control method may further include transmitting, to a clothing treating device, the user-customized course information including the course name information and the course description information.

The control method may further include transmitting, to the clothing treating device, a control signal to perform a processing operation corresponding to a user-customized course, based on a start command for executing the user-customized course being input.

The control method may further include displaying a user interface for receiving the clothing information on a display.

The clothing information may include at least one of a material, a type, a color, or dryness of clothes.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a clothing treating system includes: a user terminal device; a server configured to generate recommended course information based on clothing information received from the user terminal device; and a clothing treating device configured to: perform at least one of a washing process, a drying process, or a clothing care process, and store an executable course list, wherein the user terminal device is configured to, based on the clothing information being input to the user terminal device, transmit the clothing information to the server, wherein the server is further configured to transmit, to the user terminal device, the recommended course information generated based on the received clothing information, wherein the user terminal device is further configured to: based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input to the user terminal device, generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information, and transmit the user-customized course information to the server, wherein the server is further configured to: confirm a clothing treating device for executing the user-customized course based on the received user-customized course information, and transmit, to the confirmed clothing treating device, an update signal including the user-customized course information, and wherein the clothing treating device is further configured to: update the course list to include the user-customized course information, and store the updated course list.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a clothing treating system according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram for describing a user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram for describing a detailed configuration of the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram for describing a configuration of a server according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram for describing a configuration of a clothing treating device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence diagram for describing operations of the user terminal device, the server, and the clothing treating device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface (UI) for providing a user-customized course;

FIG. 8 illustrates a UI for receiving clothing information;

FIG. 9 illustrates recommended course information generated according to input clothing information and a UI for editing the recommended course information;

FIG. 10 illustrates a diagram for describing an operation in which user-customized course information generated by the user terminal device is transmitted to a plurality of clothing treating devices;

FIG. 11 illustrates a display and a manipulation panel of the clothing treating device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a UI for receiving a start command for executing a user-customized course through the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates an operation of each clothing treating device based on a user-customized course being executed;

FIG. 14 illustrates a sequence diagram for describing an operation of transmitting user-customized course information generated by the user terminal device to the plurality of clothing treating devices;

FIG. 15 illustrates a sequence diagram for describing an operation of receiving a start command for executing a user-customized course through the user terminal device and transmitting a control signal for controlling the clothing treating device; and

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart for describing a control method of the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described below are illustratively provided to assist in understanding of the disclosure, and it is to be understood that the disclosure may be variously modified and executed unlike embodiments described herein. However, when it is decided that a detailed description for the known functions or components related to the disclosure may obscure the gist of the disclosure, the detailed description and concrete illustration will be omitted. Further, the accompanying drawings may not be illustrated to scale, but sizes of some of components may be exaggerated to assist in the understanding of the disclosure.

General terms have been selected in consideration of functions of the disclosure as terms used in the specification and the claims. However, these terms may be changed depending on an intention of those skilled in the art, legal or technical interpretation, the emergence of a new technology, and the like. In addition, some terms are terms arbitrarily selected by an applicant. These terms may be interpreted in the meanings defined herein, and may be interpreted based on a general content of the specification and usual technical knowledge in the art as long as they are not specifically defined.

In the description of the disclosure, the order of each step should be understood to be non-limiting, unless the preceding step must be performed logically and temporally before the following step. In other words, except for the exceptional case above, even if the process described in the following step is performed before the process described in the preceding stage, the nature of the disclosure is not affected and the scope of the right should be defined regardless of the order of the steps.

In the specification, an expression “have”, “may have”, “include”, “may include”, or the like, indicates existence of a corresponding feature (for example, a numerical value, a function, an operation, a component such as a part, or the like), and does not exclude existence of an additional feature.

Terms such as “first” and “second” may be used to describe various components, but the components are not to be interpreted to be limited to these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one component from other components. For example, a first component may be named a second component and the second component may also be similarly named the first component, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

In the specification, components necessary for description of each embodiment of the disclosure are described, and thus, the disclosure is not limited thereto. Accordingly, some components may be changed or omitted, and other components may be added. In addition, they may be distributed and arranged in different independent devices.

Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosure will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and contents described in the accompanying drawings, but the disclosure is not limited or restricted by the embodiments.

Hereinafter, the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16.

FIG. 1 illustrates a clothing treating system according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, a clothing treating system 1000 according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure may include a user terminal device 100, a server 200, and clothing treating devices 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3.

The user terminal device 100 may be capable of executing various functions such as providing information to a user or receiving a user command. Non-limiting examples of the user terminal device 100 include a smart phone, a tablet, a wearable device, and a personal computer (PC).

The user terminal device 100 may receive a user command from a user and transmit the user command to the server 200 or transmit the user command to the clothing treating devices 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3 through the server 200. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the user terminal device 100 may directly transmit the user command to the clothing treating devices 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3. The user terminal device 100 may directly communicate with the clothing treating devices 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3, for example, using a short-range wireless communication method such as Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth.

The server 200 may refer to an electronic device that collects and processes data of external devices. For example, the server 200 may be implemented not only by a device that only has a server function, such as a cloud server, but also by various electronic devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, a wearable device, and a PC that may have a server function in addition to other functions. However, this is only an example, and the server 200 may also be implemented by various types of electronic devices not listed here. In addition, the server 200 may be implemented as a single device or as an aggregate including a plurality of devices. For example, the server 200 may be a server providing the SmartThings™ service.

The clothing treating system 1000 according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure may include various types of clothing treating devices 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3. For example, the clothing treating devices 300 may include a washing machine 300-1 that performs a washing process of washing clothes by friction between wash water stored in a water tank and the clothes, and a dryer 300-2 that performs a dry process of drying clothes by circulating hot air, and a clothing care machine 300-3 that performs a clothing care process of removing odor, dust, or wrinkles from clothes accommodated therein by spraying air such as steam.

The user terminal device 100 may transmit clothing information to the server 200 based on the clothing information being received, and the server 200 may generate recommended course information based on the clothing information received from the user terminal device 100.

The recommended course information may be generated for a clothing treatment course for treating and managing clothes in an optimal way according to characteristics of the clothes in consideration of various parameters such as a material, a type, a color, and dryness of the clothes. In this case, the server 200 may generate the recommended course information according to the type of the registered clothing treating device 300. For example, in case that the user has all of the washing machine 300-1, the dryer 300-2, and the clothing care machine 300-3 and registers them in the server 200, the server 200 may generate, as a recommended course, a clothing treatment course using at least one of the washing machine 300-1, the dryer 300-2, or the clothing care machine 300-3. In a case that the user has only the washing machine 300-1 and the dryer 300-2, the server 200 may generate, as the recommended courses, the remaining clothing treatment courses other than a clothing treatment course using the clothing care machine 300-3.

The server 200 may transmit the generated recommended course information to the user terminal device 100. The user terminal device 100 may provide the recommended course information to the user and may provide an editing user interface (UI) for receiving an editing command for the recommended course information.

The user terminal device 100 may generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information based on the editing command for the recommended course information being input.

The user-customized course information may be information about a course generated by freely editing and modifying the recommended course information provided through the server 200 or course information pre-stored in the clothing treating device 300 in such a way as to specifically reflect needs of individual users.

The user may input the editing command through the user terminal device 100 to perform an editing operation such as changing a course name of the recommended course information and adding a course description. In addition, the user may add new course information to a pre-stored course list or delete pre-stored course information. The operation of editing the recommended course information through the user terminal device 100 will be described below with reference to FIG. 9.

The above-described configuration in which the user command is received may be implemented by executing a mobile application providing a clothing information input UI, a course information providing UI, and an editing UI in the user terminal device 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram for describing the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the user terminal device 100 may include a communication interface 110 and a processor 120.

The communication interface 110 may not only perform communication with an external device through a local area network (LAN), an Internet network, or a mobile communication network, but may also perform communication with an external device through various communication manners such as Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, Zigbee, near field communication (NFC), and the like. To this end, the communication interface 110 may include various communication modules for performing network communication. For example, the communication interface 110 may include a Bluetooth chip, a Wi-Fi chip, a wireless communication chip, or the like. The processor 120 may be electrically connected to the communication interface 110 to control a general operation of the user terminal device 100.

According to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, the processor 120 may be implemented by a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON) that processes a digital signal. However, the processor 120 is not limited thereto, and may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), an ARM processor, and an artificial intelligence (AI) processor may be defined by these terms. In addition, the processor 120 may be implemented as a system-on-chip (SoC) or a large scale integration (LSI) in which a processing algorithm is embedded or may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor 120 may execute various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in a memory 130 (see FIG. 3).

The processor 120 may control the communication interface 110 to transmit clothing information to the server 200 based on the clothing information being input, may receive recommended course information generated based on the clothing information from the server 200 through the communication interface 110, may generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information according to a user input based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input, and may control the communication interface 110 to transmit the user-customized course information to the server 200. In this case, the processor 120 may generate the user-customized course information in such a way as to include course name information and course description information according to the editing command.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram for describing a detailed configuration of the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, the user terminal device 100 may include the communication interface 110, the processor 120, the memory 130, an input interface 140, and an output interface 150. A detailed description for components overlapping with the components illustrated in FIG. 2 among components illustrated in FIG. 3 will be omitted.

Various instructions, programs, or data required for operation of the user terminal device 100 or the processor 120 may be stored in the memory 130. For example, the memory 130 may store data received from the server 200.

The memory 130 may be implemented by a volatile memory such as a static random access memory (S-RAM) or a dynamic random access memory (D-RAM), a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The memory 130 is accessed by the processor 120, and readout, recording, correction, deletion, update, and the like, of data in the memory 130 may be performed by the processor 120. In the disclosure, the term “memory” includes the memory 130, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM) in the processor 120, and a memory card (for example, a micro secure digital (SD) card or a memory stick) mounted in the user terminal device 100.

Here, the processor 120 and the memory 130 may be implemented as physically separated components, or may be implemented as a single component in such a way that the processor 120 includes the memory 130. Further, the processor 120 may be implemented as a single component or a system including a plurality of components. The memory 130 may also be implemented as a single component or a system including a plurality of components.

The input interface 140 may receive various user commands. For example, the input interface 140 may receive a user command for controlling the user terminal device 100 or a control command to be transmitted to an external device. The input interface 140 according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure may receive a user editing command for course information.

The input interface 140 may be implemented by a display for receiving a user command through a touch screen. Further, the input interface 140 may include a microphone that receives a user speech.

The output interface 150 may include at least one of a display 151 or a speaker 152. Here, the display 151 is a device that outputs information in a visual form (for example, text or image). The display 151 may display an image frame on the entire display region or a partial display region. The display region may refer to the entire region in units of pixels where information or data is visually displayed. The speaker 152 is a device that outputs information in an auditory form (for example, voice). The speaker 152 may directly output various alarms or audio messages as well as various audio data on which various processing works such as decoding, amplification, and noise filtering are performed by an audio processing unit.

The display 151 may display various UIs such as the clothing information input UI, the course information providing UI, and the editing UI to provide course information to the user and receive an editing command for the course information. A detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram for describing a configuration of the server according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the server 200 may include a communication interface 210, a memory 220, and a processor 230.

The communication interface 210 may transmit and receive data with the user terminal device 100 and the clothing treating device 300.

The memory 220 may store an operating system for controlling overall operations of the components of the server 200 and commands or data related to the components of the server 200.

A recipe table according to clothing information may be stored in the memory 220, and the processor 230 may generate recommended course information by using the recipe table stored in the memory 220. For example, the recipe table may include data related to processing for each type and characteristic of clothes (for example, a temperature of wash water, a washing time, a washing strength, a temperature of hot air during drying, a drying time, and a strength of hot air), and the processor 230 may determine an optimal clothing treatment course for clothes selected by the user based on the clothing information and the recipe table stored in the memory 220.

Accordingly, the processor 230 may comprehensively process the clothing information received from the user terminal device 100 to determine an optimal clothing treatment course for each clothing type and generate recommended course information.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram for describing a configuration of the clothing treating device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

The clothing treating device 300 may treat or manage clothes through various processes such as washing, drying, cleaning, and removing wrinkles of clothes. For example, the clothing treating device 300 may include a washing machine, a dryer, a clothing care machine, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 5, the clothing treating device 300 may include a communication interface 310, a memory 320, a processor 330, a driving device 340, an input interface 350, and an output interface 360.

The communication interface 310 may transmit and receive data to and from the server 200. Further, the communication interface 310 may receive a command input from the user terminal device 100 through the server 200. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the communication interface 310 may directly communicate with the user terminal device 100.

The memory 320 may store an operating system for controlling overall operations of the components of the clothing treating device 300 and commands or data related to the components of the clothing treating device 300.

Further, a course list including information regarding clothing treatment courses executable in the clothing treating device 300 may be stored in the memory 320. For example, a course list including information regarding a plurality of clothing treatment courses may be stored in the memory 320, and data or commands for controlling each of the components included in the clothing treating device 300 to execute a clothing treatment course may be stored in the memory 320.

The processor 330 may update the course list in such a way as to include course information included in an update signal for the course list based on the update signal being received through the communication interface 310, and may store the updated course list in the memory 320. For example, the processor 330 may update, based on an update signal including user-customized course information being received from the server 200, the course list in such a way as to include the received user-customized course information, and may store the updated course list in the memory 320. Accordingly, the processor 330 may control, based on a start command for the user-customized course information added to the course list being input, the driving device 340 to perform a treatment operation corresponding to the user-customized course.

The driving device 340 may include a driving source for performing a treatment operation of the clothing treating device 300. For example, the driving device 340 may include devices for enabling the clothing treating devices 300 to perform various clothing treatment operations including the washing process, the dry process, and the clothing care process, such as a motor for rotating a drum of the washing machine, a hot air supply device of the dryer, and a steam supply device of the clothing care machine.

The input interface 350 may receive various user commands and may include a manipulation panel 351. For example, the clothing treating device 300 may receive a user command for controlling the clothing treating device 300 through various input UIs included in the manipulation panel 351. For example, the clothing treating device 300 may receive a request for the course list or a start command for a clothing treatment course included in the course list through the manipulation panel 351. A detailed description of the manipulation panel 351 will be described below with reference to FIG. 11.

The output interface 360 may include at least one of a display 361 or a speaker 362. The clothing treating device 300 may display course information included in the course list through the display 361. In particular, the clothing treating device 300 may display, through the display 361, course name information and course description information included in the user-customized course information, that is, course information edited by a user input. A detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence diagram for describing operations of the user terminal device, the server, and the clothing care machine according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, the user terminal device 100 may transmit, based on clothing information being input (operation S601), the input clothing information to the server 200 (operation S602).

In this case, the user terminal device 100 may display the clothing information input UI for receiving clothing information through the display. The user terminal device 100 may receive various information regarding clothing through the clothing information input UI. For example, the user terminal device 100 may receive clothing information including a material, a type, a color, and drying information of clothes. A detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

The server 200 may generate recommended course information based on the received clothing information (operation S603) and transmit the generated recommended course information to the user terminal device 100 (operation S604).

The recommended course information may be generated for a clothing treatment course for treating and managing clothes in an optimal way according to characteristics of the clothes in consideration of various parameters such as a material, a type, a color, and dryness of the clothes.

The user terminal device 100 may provide the recommended course information to the user (operation S605). For example, the user terminal device 100 may provide a recommended course information UI through the display 151. A detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to FIG. 9.

The user terminal device 100 may generate, based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input (operation S606), user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information (operation S607).

In this case, the user terminal device 100 may edit the recommended course information based on edit information input by the user. For example, the user may edit the recommended course information by modifying the course name information provided in the recommended course information or by additionally inputting the course description information.

Accordingly, the user-customized course information in which needs of individual users are specifically reflected may be generated by the user freely editing and modifying the recommended course information.

A detailed description of an operation of generating the user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information according to the edit information input by the user will be described below with reference to FIG. 9.

The user terminal device 100 may transmit the generated user-customized course information to the server 200 (operation S608).

The server 200 may confirm a clothing treating device for executing the user-customized course based on the received user-customized course information (operation S609), and transmit an update signal including the user-customized course information to the confirmed clothing treating device (operation S610).

For example, the user-customized course information may include identification information of the clothing treating device for executing the course. In case that the user-customized course information includes identification information of the washing machine, the dryer, and the clothing care machine, the server 200 may transmit the update signal including the user-customized course information to each of the washing machine, the dryer, and the clothing care machine. In a case that the user-customized course information includes identification information of only one or two types of clothing treating devices among the washing machine, the dryer, and the clothing care machine, the server 200 may transmit the update signal only to the clothing treating devices included in the user-customized course information.

The clothing treating device 300 may update the course list in such a way as to include the user-customized course information (operation S611) based on the user-customized course information being received, and may store the updated course list (operation S612).

Accordingly, the clothing treating device 300 may provide the updated course list through the display 361 based on a request for the course list being input. Further, the clothing treating device 300 may perform a treatment operation corresponding to the user-customized course based on a control signal for executing the user-customized course being received. A detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to FIG. 15.

FIG. 7 illustrates a UI for providing a user-customized course.

Referring to FIG. 7, the user terminal device 100 may display a UI 710 for providing user-customized course information stored in the memory. In this case, user-customized course information for each of a plurality of clothes may be provided, and user-customized course UIs 711 and 712 for the respective clothes may be displayed. The user-customized course UIs 711 and 712 may display clothing information (for example, fabric information, clothing type, and color information). Further, the user-customized course UIs 711 and 712 may display course name information set by the user. Accordingly, the user may easily identify each course information with the course name set by the user.

The user terminal device 100 may provide various information to the user in addition to a user-customized course by displaying a recipe recommendation UI 720 for recommending course information for various clothing types and a UI 730 for providing information that the user may use beneficially in daily life.

The UI 710 for providing user-customized course information may include an add new course icon 713 for generating new user-customized course information. The user terminal device 100 may provide a UI for receiving clothing information required to generate new course information based on a new course addition command being received through the add new course icon 713.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a UI for receiving clothing information.

Referring to FIG. 8, the user terminal device 100 may receive clothing information through various clothing information input UIs 810, 820, and 830. The user terminal device 100 may directly receive clothing characteristics such as a material and a color of clothes. However, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the user terminal device 100 may receive information regarding a more familiar classification for clothing types (casual, business, uniform, denim, and the like) or lifestyle (exercise, travel, camping, hiking, or the like) related to activities enjoyed by the user. In addition, the user terminal device 100 may display more subdivided categories for each input information to receive detailed clothing information.

For example, referring to FIG. 8, categories of “business”, “denim”, “exercise”, “travel”, and “relax at home” are selected by the user (810 and 820), and accordingly, the UI 830 for displaying subdivided categories for each category may be displayed. In case that the category “exercise” is selected from among the plurality of selected categories (831), subdivided categories (832) related to “exercise” may be displayed. In case that the user selects “hiking”, the user terminal device 100 may transmit clothing information corresponding to the user input to the server 200 in order to receive recommended course information regarding hiking outfits.

FIG. 9 illustrates recommended course information generated according to input clothing information and a UI for editing the recommended course information.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the recommended course information and the UI for editing the recommended course information. FIG. 9 illustrates a recommended course information UI 910 displayed through the user terminal device 100 by receiving recommended course information related to clothing treatment for hiking outfits from the server 200 based on clothing information related to “hiking outfits.”

Referring to FIG. 9, the recommended course information UI 910 may include course name information 920, an icon 930 for inputting a start command for a course, a UI 940 for displaying detailed information regarding a clothing treatment process, and an icon 950 for inputting a save command for course information.

Further, the user terminal device 100 may also provide an editing UI capable of editing information on the recommended course information UI. For example, the user may change the course name information 920 by inputting an editing command or additionally input course description information 941 and 942 for each clothing treating device (washing machine or AirDresser). In this way, user-customized course information may be generated based on the user inputting the save command after the course name information and the course description information are edited in the recommended course information. That is, the user-customized course information may be generated in such a way as to include the course name information and course description information according to the editing command, based on data included in the recommended course information.

In this case, the course description information input for each clothing treating device may be provided through the display based on the course being executed in each clothing treating device. A detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 10 illustrates an operation in which user-customized course information generated by the user terminal device is transmitted to the plurality of clothing care machines.

Referring to FIG. 10, the user terminal device 100 may transmit user-customized course information to the server 200, and the server 200 may transmit an update signal including the user-customized course information to each of the clothing treating devices 300-1 and 300-3 for executing the user-customized course. For example, when the user-customized course information includes information regarding the washing machine 300-1 and the clothing care machine 300-3, the server 200 may transmit the update signal to each of the washing machine 300-1 and the clothing care machine 300-3.

Each of the clothing treating devices 300-1 and 300-3 may update the course list in such a way as to include the user-customized course information included in the update signal based on the update signal being received and may store the updated course list in the memory. Further, each of the clothing treating devices 300-1 and 300-3 may display reception notifications 1011 and 1012 for the update signal and received user-customized course information 1021 and 1022 through the display. For example, the clothing treating devices 300-1 and 300-3 may display course name information and a total required time for the course, and accordingly, may notify the user that the user-customized course has been updated.

FIG. 11 illustrates the display and the manipulation panel of the clothing treating device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

The manipulation panel 351 may include an order change icon 1120, a menu 1130 for requesting course information, a smart control menu 1140, a start/pause icon 1150, and a power icon 1160.

As an example of the disclosure, the clothing treating device 300 may display course information through the display 361 based on an input being received through the menu 1130 for requesting course information. In case that user-customized course information 1110 is displayed, the display 361 may display course name information and a required time for the course. In one embodiment, course description information may also be displayed. The user may browse other course information included in the course list through the order change icon 1120.

In addition or alternatively, the clothing treating device 300 may control the driving device to start a clothing treatment course corresponding to the course information displayed on the display 361 based on a start command being received through the start/pause icon 1150.

Also, the clothing treating device 300 may turn on/off a smart control function through the smart control menu 1140. In case that the smart control function is in an on state, the clothing treating device 300 may control the driving device to start the clothing treatment course based on the start command being received from the user terminal device 100 through the communication interface even in the absence of the start command input through the manipulation panel 351.

FIG. 12 illustrates a UI for receiving a start command for executing a user-customized course through the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12, the user terminal device 100 may display a course information UI 1210, and the course information UI 1210 may include a reserve icon 1220 and a start icon 1230. The user may input a reservation command through the reserve icon 1220 to transmit, to the clothing treating device 300, a control signal to automatically execute a clothing treatment course after a set time, or may input a start command through the start icon 1230 to transmit a control signal to immediately execute a clothing treatment course.

FIG. 13 illustrates an operation of each clothing care machine based on a user-customized course being executed.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of executing a user-customized course using the washing machine 300-1 and the clothing care machine 300-3. The washing machine 300-1 and the clothing care machine 300-3 may display user-customized course information 1310 and 1320 on the displays, respectively, and perform a treatment operation for executing the course based on a control command for executing the user-customized course being received.

In this case, the washing machine 300-1 corresponding to the first treatment in the user-customized course may display the user-customized course information 1310 including course name information, a required time for the course, and course description information. Here, the displayed course name information is set by an editing command from the user, and the course description information is a description related to the washing machine input by the user based on the course being executed.

After the course using the washing machine is completed, the clothing care machine 300-3 corresponding to the second treatment in the user-customized course may display the user-customized course information 1320 including course name information, a required time for the course, and course description information. Similarly, the displayed course name information is set by an editing command from the user, and the course description information is a description related to the clothing care machine input by the user based on the course being executed.

FIG. 14 illustrates an operation of transmitting user-customized course information generated by the user terminal device to the plurality of clothing treating devices.

The server 200 may transmit recommended course information to the user terminal device 100 (operation S1401), and the user terminal device 100 may provide the received recommended course information (operation S1402).

Here, the recommended course information may be a clothing treatment course using the washing machine 300-1, the dryer 300-2, and the clothing care machine 300-3. In this case, the user terminal device 100 may receive an editing command for each clothing treating device 300.

The user terminal device 100 may receive a first editing command for the washing machine 300-1, a second editing command for the dryer 300-2, and a third editing command for the clothing care machine 300-3 (operation S1403). Then, the user terminal device 100 may edit the recommended course information according to the editing commands to generate user-customized course information (operation S1404), and may transmit the generated user-customized course information to the server 200 (operation S1405).

The server 200 may confirm clothing treating devices for executing the user-customized course based on the received user-customized course information (operation S1406). In this case, the server 200 may confirm that the clothing treating devices for executing the user-customized course are the washing machine 300-1, the dryer 300-2, and the clothing care machine 300-3.

The server 200 may transmit a first update signal to the washing machine (operation S1407), transmit a second update signal to the dryer 300-2 (operation S1408), and transmit a third update signal to the clothing care machine 300-3 (operation S1409) based on the confirmation result.

Accordingly, each of the clothing treating devices 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3 may receive the update signal to update and store the course list in such a way as to include the user-customized course information edited according to the editing command corresponding to each clothing treating device.

FIG. 15 illustrates a sequence diagram for describing an operation of receiving a start command for executing a user-customized course through the user terminal device and transmitting a control signal for controlling the clothing treating device.

The user terminal device 100 may transmit, based on a start command for executing a user-customized course being input (operation S1501), the start command to the server 200 (operation S1502).

The server 200 may confirm a clothing treating device for executing the user-customized course based on user-customized course information for which the start command is input (operation S1503). The server 200 may transmit a control signal for executing the user-customized course to the confirmed clothing treating device 300 (operation S1504).

The clothing treating device 300 may display course name information and course description information of the user-customized course based on the control signal being received (operation S1505) and may perform a treatment operation corresponding to the user-customized course (operation S1506).

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart for describing a control method of the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 16, the control method of the user terminal device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes transmitting clothing information to the server based on the clothing information being input (operation S1610), receiving recommended course information generated based on the clothing information from the server (operation S1620), generating user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information according to a user input based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input (operation S1630), and transmitting the user-customized course information to the server (operation S1640).

First, the user terminal device may transmit the clothing information to the server based on the clothing information being input (operation S1610). Here, the user terminal device may display the clothing information input UI for receiving clothing information through the display. The clothing information may include at least one of a material, a type, a color, or dryness of clothes.

Then, the user terminal device may receive the recommended course information generated based on the clothing information from the server (operation S1620).

Next, the user terminal device may generate the user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information according to the user input based on the editing command for the recommended course information being input (operation S1630).

In this case, the user terminal device may generate the user-customized course information in such a way as to include course name information and course description information according to the editing command.

Then, the user terminal device may transmit the user-customized course information to the server (operation S1640).

The user terminal device may transmit the user-customized course information to the clothing treating device to provide the course name information and the course description information included in the user-customized course information through the clothing treating device.

Further, the user terminal device may transmit, to the clothing treating device, a control signal for performing control to perform a treatment operation corresponding to the user-customized course based on a start command for executing the user-customized course being input.

The user terminal device may store a course list including a plurality of clothing treatment courses, update the course list in such a way as to include generated user-customized course information based on the user-customized course information being generated, and store the updated course list.

In this case, the user terminal device may transmit editing information according to a user input to the server based on an editing command for the stored course list being input.

Although the embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described hereinabove, the disclosure is not limited to the abovementioned specific embodiments, but may be variously modified by those skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims. These modifications should also be understood to fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A user terminal device comprising: an input interface;a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device; anda processor operatively connected with the input interface and the communication interface,wherein the processor is configured to:based on clothing information being input through the input interface, control the communication interface to transmit the clothing information to a server, andreceive, from the server through the communication interface, recommended course information generated based on the clothing information,generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information based on an editing command being input to the input interface, andcontrol the communication interface to transmit the user-customized course information to the server,wherein the user-customized course information comprises course name information and course description information, based on the editing command.

2. The user terminal device of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store a course list comprising a plurality of clothing treatment courses, and wherein the processor is further configured to update the course list to comprise the generated user-customized course information, and store the updated course list in the memory.

3. The user terminal device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to control the communication interface to transmit, to the server, editing information based on the editing command being input to the input interface.

4. The user terminal device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the communication interface to transmit, to a clothing treating device, the user-customized course information.

5. The user terminal device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to control the communication interface to transmit, to the clothing treating device, a control signal to perform a processing operation corresponding to a user-customized course, based on a start command for executing the user-customized course being input to the input interface.

6. The user terminal device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein the processor is further configured to control the display to display a user interface for receiving the clothing information.

7. The user terminal device of claim 1, wherein the clothing information comprises at least one of a material, a type, a color, or dryness of clothes.

8. A control method of a user terminal device, the control method comprising: based on clothing information being input to the user terminal device, transmitting the clothing information to a server;receiving, from the server, recommended course information that is generated by the server based on the clothing information;based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input, generating user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information; andtransmitting the user-customized course information to the server,wherein the generating the user-customized course information comprises generating the user-customized course information that comprises course name information and course description information based on the editing command.

9. The control method of claim 8, further comprising: storing a course list comprising a plurality of clothing treatment courses;updating the course list to comprise the generated user-customized course information; andstoring the updated course list.

10. The control method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting, to the server, editing information based on an editing command for the stored course list being input.

11. The control method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting, to a clothing treating device, the user-customized course information comprising the course name information and the course description information.

12. The control method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting, to the clothing treating device, a control signal to perform a processing operation corresponding to a user-customized course, based on a start command for executing the user-customized course being input.

13. The control method of claim 8, further comprising displaying a user interface for receiving the clothing information on a display.

14. The control method of claim 8, wherein the clothing information comprises at least one of a material, a type, a color, or dryness of clothes.

15. A clothing treating system comprising: a user terminal device;a server configured to generate recommended course information based on clothing information received from the user terminal device; anda clothing treating device configured to: perform at least one of a washing process, a drying process, or a clothing care process, andstore an executable course list,wherein the user terminal device is configured to, based on the clothing information being input to the user terminal device, transmit the clothing information to the server,wherein the server is further configured to transmit, to the user terminal device, the recommended course information generated based on the received clothing information,wherein the user terminal device is further configured to: based on an editing command for the recommended course information being input to the user terminal device, generate user-customized course information by editing the recommended course information, andtransmit the user-customized course information to the server,wherein the server is further configured to: confirm a clothing treating device for executing the user-customized course based on the received user-customized course information, andtransmit, to the confirmed clothing treating device, an update signal comprising the user-customized course information, andwherein the clothing treating device is further configured to: update the course list to comprise the user-customized course information, andstore the updated course list.