Communications: electrical – Systems – Selsyn type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-14
2001-12-04
Crosland, Donnie L. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Systems
Selsyn type
C340S315000, C340S315000, C340S315000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06326884
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a method of transmitting data between a small electric appliance such as an electric hair cutting apparatus, an electric toothbrush or a household appliance, and a supplementary electric appliance connectible therewith such as a charging, cleaning or diagnostic device, as well as to appliances suitably configured for this purpose.
From DE 196 12 089 A1 a shaving apparatus or an apparatus cooperating therewith is known having a microcontroller and an indicating device for indicating current operating conditions, which apparatus can be set to a particular output mode in which specific items of information stored in the microcontroller and relating to the use history of the shaving apparatus or the co-operating apparatus can be called up. Activation of the separate output mode is effected, for example, in that a special power supply unit applies different voltages in a predetermined time-related sequence to the power supply connection of the shaving apparatus or the cooperating apparatus. Output of the stored information items is either by means of the existing indicating device or through a separate interface.
From DE 196 06 719 C2 an electric shaver having a controller is known, which is able to issue a signal indicative of the need to clean the shaver, as well as a cleaning device for a shaver which functions at the same time as a holder for the shaver. When the shaver rests in the cleaning device, the controller can be connected with the cleaning device via the power contact of the shaver such as to enable a signal transmission between the shaver and the cleaning device. To prevent the cleaning device from unnecessarily performing a cleaning cycle each time it holds the shaver, the cleaning device is activated only when the controller supplies a corresponding signal to the cleaning device. Details concerning methods or circuit arrangements suitable for signal transmission are not given.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a particularly simple method of transmitting data between a small electric appliance and a supplementary electric appliance connectible therewith, as well as to provide appliances equipped with the suitable circuit configuration.
This object is accomplished in the method of the present invention in that the supplementary appliance delivers to a power supply connection of the small electric appliance an electric current, an electric voltage or an electric and/or magnetic field which is modulated with a corresponding data signal by the small electric appliance or by the supplementary appliance, depending on the desired direction of data transmission. Demodulation takes place in the receiving appliance. A small electric appliance having a power supply socket receives the current or the voltage preferably through the power supply socket, while in a small electric appliance operated by primary battery the battery contacts are utilized for this purpose. In a small electric appliance operated by secondary battery and absent any other externally accessible connections, in particular an inductive energy transmission would be an obvious choice known in the art. Therefore, in all cases referred to, no additional connection for data transmission is required on the small electric appliance.
Data transmission may also take place when the small electric appliance is not in operation. In a small electric appliance having a rechargeable battery, data may be transmitted as by modulating the charging current or the charging voltage, that is, during the recharging cycle. In a method affording particular ease of implementation, modulation is effected by turning the current, the voltage or the field on and off. It will be understood, of course, that any other known method of data transmission may also be employed.
A small electric appliance configured in accordance with the present invention includes a power supply connection through which current from a supplementary appliance can be supplied over a line, to which the supplementary appliance can apply a voltage, or to which the supplementary appliance can apply an electric and/or magnetic field. Correspondingly, a supplementary appliance configured in accordance with the present invention, such as a diagnostic or cleaning device, is configured such as to be able to supply to the small electric appliance a current, a voltage or a field which are of a magnitude sufficient for data transmission. As an added feature, the supplementary appliance may also find application as a supplier of current or voltage and/or as a charging device for the small electric appliance.
In cases in which the small electric appliance includes an indicating device, the present invention has the advantage of dispensing with the need for an indicating device on the supplementary appliance, because any data needing to be displayed is transmitted to the small electric appliance for output on its indicating device. Conversely, data stored in the small electric appliance, such as the number or the duration of past uses and/or the associated charging conditions of a storage battery built in the small electric appliance, can be transmitted to the supplementary appliance to be displayed there on a larger indicating device with greater clarity than would be possible on the indicating device of the small electric appliance.
However, data transmission is also understood to include the transmission of control instructions by means of which specific functions of the small electric appliance can be activated by the supplementary appliance. For example, in cases in which the small electric appliance is an electric shaver and the supplementary appliance is a shaver cleaning device as described in DE 44 02 236 C2, the cleaning device is in a position to turn the shaver on and off at the appropriate moment during the cleaning cycle. Because the shaver is held “upside down” in this cleaning device, the cleaning device is able to issue a control instruction for switching the indicating device of the shaver to the effect that the information output is equally shown as turned “upside down” instead of “in the proper position”, enabling it to be read with ease.
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Michael Arzberger et al., “Das Stromnetz als Kommunikationsmedium”, Funkschau, Jun. 20, 1996, p. 70-73.
Braun GmbH
Crosland Donnie L.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
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