Voice latching of appliance door

Abstract

The present invention provides an oven appliance and for operation of an oven appliance. The oven appliance and method for operating the oven appliance include features such that the door of the oven appliance may be locked or unlocked using one or more voice commands by a user of the oven appliance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for operating an oven appliance, the method comprising the steps of:
 detecting an input to start a self-clean cycle of the oven appliance;   prompting for a confirmation command to start the self-clean cycle;   determining whether the confirmation command has been received and, if so, then
 locking a door of the oven appliance; 
   starting the self-clean cycle; and   determining whether the self-clean cycle has finished and, if so, then
 unlocking the door of the oven appliance. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the input is a voice command by a user of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the input is use of a control element of the oven appliance by a user of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein prompting for a confirmation command to start the self-clean cycle comprises a verbal prompt by the oven appliance. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of counting a predetermined time t confirm  during the step of determining whether the confirmation command has been received. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the self-clean cycle is finished comprises comparing a time t sc  of operation of the self-clean cycle to a threshold time t thr . 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the self-clean cycle is finished comprises comparing a temperature T sc  of the cooking chamber using a temperature sensor of the oven appliance to a threshold temperature T thr . 
     
     
         8 . A method for operating an oven appliance, the method comprising the steps of:
 detecting an input to activate a door lock of the oven appliance to lock a door of the oven appliance;   prompting for a confirmation command to lock the door;   determining whether the confirmation command to lock the door has been received and, if so, then
 locking the door; 
   detecting an input to activate the door lock to unlock the door;   prompting for a confirmation command to unlock the door; and   determining whether the confirmation command to unlock the door has been received and, if so, then
 unlocking the door. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the input to activate the door lock to lock the door is a voice command by a user of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the input to activate the door lock to unlock the door is a voice command by a user of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein prompting for a confirmation command to lock the door comprises a verbal prompt by the oven appliance. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein prompting for a confirmation command to unlock the door comprises a verbal prompt by the oven appliance. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of counting a predetermined time t confirm  during the step of determining whether the confirmation command to lock the door has been received. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of counting a predetermined time t confirm  during the step of determining whether the confirmation command to unlock the door has been received. 
     
     
         15 . An oven appliance, comprising:
 a cabinet defining an opening at a front portion of the cabinet, the cabinet also defining a cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking;   a door mounted to the cabinet at the opening of the cabinet, the door being selectively adjustable between an open position and a closed position to permit selective access to the cooking chamber through the opening of the cabinet;   a door lock;   a heating element configured to heat the cooking chamber; and   a controller in operative communication with the door lock, the controller configured for
 detecting an input to activate a door lock of the oven appliance to lock a door of the oven appliance; 
 prompting for a confirmation command to lock the door; 
 determining whether the confirmation command to lock the door has been received and, if so, then
 locking the door; 
 
 detecting an input to activate the door lock to unlock the door; 
 prompting for a confirmation command to unlock the door; and 
 determining whether the confirmation command to unlock the door has been received and, if so, then
 unlocking the door. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The oven appliance of  claim 15 , wherein the input to activate the door lock to lock the door is a voice command by a user of the oven appliance to start a self-clean cycle of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         17 . The oven appliance of  claim 16 , wherein the input to activate the door lock to unlock the door is a signal that the self-clean cycle is finished. 
     
     
         18 . The oven appliance of  claim 15 , wherein the input to activate the door lock to lock the door is a voice command by a user of the oven appliance to lock the door. 
     
     
         19 . The oven appliance of  claim 15 , wherein the input to activate the door lock to unlock the door is a voice command by a user of the oven appliance to unlock the door.