User-Friendly Touch Controls for Home Appliances

Appliances that use more than one cooking mode or have multiple cooking zones or cavities require more controls than their single-mode single-cavity counterparts. The addition of multiple control sets complicates panel appearance and hinders user understanding. A control system is described which can access an unlimited number of functions through a keyboard that uses three dynamically alterable key pads. For ease of use, instructions and prompting are electronically generated and incorporated into the programming sequence.