Abstract: A generally cylindrical shaft has a longitudinally extending flat area along its end section. A plastic member mounted on the shaft has a longitudinal bore complimentary in shape to and fitting around the shaft end section. The bore includes a longitudinally extending recess projecting radially outward from the flat area of the shaft. A locking sleeve fits within the bore and around the shaft and includes a generally U-shaped portion received in the recess. The U-shaped portion is discontinuous intermediate its ends, providing first and second longitudinal portions adjacent its ends. A screw passes through the first longitudinal portion and threadedly engages the second longitudinal portion for drawing the portions together.

Abstract: A method of assembling an anti-sweat heater in a refrigerator cabinet having an outer sheet metal shell with side panels and a front face. The front face has a U-shaped portion formed with a groove and first, second and third walls in spaced parallel planes with the third wall bent at a right angle to form a flange having a free terminal edge. An anti-sweat header retainer member is formed from sheet metal and has a body portion, a first end portion having three spaced legs, and a second end portion also having three spaced legs with free termial ends. The center leg of the second end portion has a depending tang portion and each of the side legs of the second end portion have a reverse bend portion open in the direction of the tang portion of the center leg. The anti-sweat heater is placed near a corner in the outer metal shell and the anti-sweat heater retainer member is inserted into the outer wall and the legs of the first end portion of the retainer member are positioned to grip the flange.

Abstract: A refrigerator cabinet has a front flange, which as a gasket on its door seal thereagainst when the door is closed, formed by a plurality of longitudinally spaced sets of rollers of a roll forming machine so that the front flange is at a specific angular relation to a top wall of the refrigerator cabinet when the roll formed part is fabricated into a portion of the refrigerator cabinet. The angular relationship of the flange and the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet is determined at a first fabrication station of a roll formed part, which forms a portion of the refrigerator cabinet after fabrication, by two linear variable differential transformers engaging each of the two adjacent surfaces of the roll formed part that will constitute the front flange and the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet and transmitting signals indicating the angle therebetween to a personal computer.

Abstract: A microwave oven uses a full wave full bridge inverter for supplying energy to a cooking magnetron by way of a power transformer. The inverter is controlled by a microprocessor which acts upon a control circuit having an oscillator. Two feedback loops are provided for controlling the operation of the magnetron. A relatively slow feedback loop uses the microprocessor to adjust inverter operation in order to stabilize the magnetron power output. A relatively fast feedback loop senses current passing through a primary of a power transformer. A signal based on the sensed current is provided to a comparator and compared to a reference. If the signal from the current sensor indicates that the current has become excessive, the comparator generates a shutdown signal which will stop the generation of gating pulses to the transistor switches of the inverter.

Abstract: An improved cooktop mounting arrangement for a range with an upswept lift-up cooktop including a pair of upper pivot members extending from opposite sides of the upswept section of the cooktop, a pair of spaced lower pivot members extending from opposite sides of the cooktop near the intersection of the upswept section and the cooking surface section, and corresponding upper and lower guides supported from the main range body. The upper and lower guides are cooperatively configured to respectively simultaneously guide the upper pivot members through a vertically oriented arcuate path extending downwardly and forwardly and to guide the lower pivot members through a horizontally oriented path extending generally forwardly and upwardly as the cooktop moves from its lowered position to its raised position.

Abstract: A cooking appliance equipped for indoor grilling includes an integrally formed, sheet metal reflector pan interposed between the grill member and the drip pan. The reflector pan has a bottom wall which extends beneath the heating element and four generally upwardly extending side walls to shield the area laterally adjacent the grill area from the radiant energy of the heating element. The reflector pan is configured between its corners to define an air gap between the reflector pan and the adjacent cooktop which provides an air flow path between the area above the cooktop and the area between the drip pan and the reflector pan. When the heating element is energized cooling air is drawn by convection from above the cooktop downwardly through the air gap into the area between the drip pan and the reflector pan and upwardly through narrow slots in the bottom of the reflector pan.

Abstract: A self-cleaning over door latching mechanism is provided with a locking arrangement responsive to the oven cavity temperature, which includes a locking pin moved by a snap action bimetal member mounted in thermal communication with an oven cavity wall. The bimetal member moves the locking pin to a locking position when the temperature sensed by the bimetal rises above the locking temperature. In its locked position the locking pin prevents the opening of the latch until the temperature in the oven cavity falls below the locking temperature. In its locked position the locking pin also actuates a lock switch electrically connected in parallel with a thermal limit switch. The thermal limit switch provides over temperature protection for the cavity when operating in the normal cooking modes. When actuated, the lock switch shunts the limit switch thereby enabling the temperature in the cavity to rise to the self-clean range.

Abstract: An automated method of brazing to join two metal parts together at a joint with a braze alloy. The two parts are moved to a brazing station and maintained in a fixed position. The two metal parts are heated at the joint at a high heat rate to a predetermined temperature which exceeds the temperature that would melt the braze alloy and less than a temperature that would cause degradation of the metal parts. The temperature of the metal parts in close proximity to the joint is detected and when the first predetermined temperature is reached, the heating rate is reduced to a lower heat rate sufficient to keep the braze alloy in a liquidous state. The braze alloy is introduced to the joint between the two metal parts while they are being heated at the lower heat rate to join the two parts together and then the joined two metal parts are removed from the brazing station.

Abstract: A capacitive touch pad assembly which provides a touch control panel for an appliance with white touch pad appearance. A thin dielectric substrate has an outer touch electrode of a relatively dark-colored conductive material deposited on its outer surface and a pair of spatially separated inner electrodes formed on the inner surface of the dielectric layer for connecting to the control circuitry. To achieve a light-colored appearance for the touch pads, a layer of relatively light-colored non-conductive decorative material is applied to the outer surface overlaying the electrode to hide its dark color except for a small exposed area of the electrode which defines a symbol relating to the function of the pad. The exposed area may be covered by a second layer of dark conductive material or left exposed. The symbol enables direct human body member contact with the outer electrode.

Abstract: Apparatus to apply brazing flux to a joint between two vertically oriented parts. A reservoir containing liquid brazing flux is in liquid flow communication with a pump capable of metering a fixed amount of flux when actuated. A nozzle in liquid flow communication with the pump has a housing with an outer casing and an inner casing spaced from the outer casing to form a passageway. The inner casing is open at one end to receive the parts to be joined and has two spaced apart opposing side walls with ports in each side wall in liquid flow communication with passageway. The nozzle and parts are moved relative to each other to position the joint between the two parts adjacent the ports in the side walls of the inner casing. Actuation of the pump will deliver the fixed amount of liquid brazing flux to the joint.

Abstract: A pair of packing supports prevents movement during shipment of two shelves, which are slidably supported on vertically spaced shelf supports integral with inner side liners of a refrigerator cabinet. Each packing support, which is formed of corrugated cardboard, for example, has a shelf support portion wedged between two shelf supports on one of the inner side liners to prevent vertical and fore and aft motion of the packing support. Each packing support has a shelf retaining portion formed integral with the shelf support portion and bent at approximately 180.degree. thereto. The shelf retaining portion receives one end of each of the shelves whereby it is compressed so that there is no motion of the packing supports towards each other.

Abstract: A microwave heating system uses a magnetron powered by a full wave full bridge inverter. The magnetron has its power output stabilized against variations which might be caused by fluctuations in the AC input line. The inverter powers the magnetron by way of a power transformer having a primary and a secondary. The current is sensed in the primary in order to change the switching frequency of the inverter. As the current in the primary will depend upon fluctuations in the AC input line voltage, sensing of the current in the primary may be used to sense variations in the voltage of the AC input line. Alternately, current in the secondary of the power transformer may be sensed and used to detect variations in the AC input line voltage. In either case, the sensed variations in AC input line voltage are used to change the inverter frequency.

Abstract: An icemaker including a freezer mold having a plurality of cavities along the longitudinal central axis of the mold in which water is to be frozen to form ice pieces with a crescent shape with a flat side and an arcuate side joined to form two opposite edge portions and having a first half and a second half. An ice piece ejector is rotatable in only one direction and has an axle along the longitudinal central axis of the mold. An ice piece ejector guide is located above the cavities longitudinally along the mold and has a resilent forward portion which is spring biased.

Abstract: An arrangement for providing power to a cooking magnetron uses a ful wave bridge inverter circuit connected to a power transformer. The filament of the magnetron is energized by a secondary winding of the power transformer. The inverter controls the microwave output of the magnetron by duty cycle control. In order to stabilize filament power against variations due to changes in the inverter duty cycle, a saturable reactor is connected in series with the filament. The reactor has a control winding which changes the impedance of the reactor in order to compensate for variations in the power supplied by the power transformer. The control winding of the reactor may be supplied with a voltage dependent upon the magnetron current. Since the magnetron current depends on the duty cycle of the inverter, this voltage may be used to make the impedance of the reactor dependent upon the duty cycle.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for installing an elongated stretchable gasket in a longitudinal channel member including a frame having a rail extending along the channel with the gasket being located between the rail and the channel. The rail has a series of spaced vertical bores normal to the gasket with pins receivable therein and retained for vertical up and down movement within the bores. Force is applied to the pins to move them normal to the gasket in a downward direction to contact the gasket and force the gasket into the longitudinal channel member. In this manner the gasket is forced into the channel member without stretching the gasket longitudinally along the channel member.

Abstract: A refrigerator door has a metallic outer panel and a plastic inner panel with rigid insulating foam therebetween. A track support is attached at a predetermined position to the outer panel. A plurality of tracks is supported by the track support between the inner panel and the foam. Each track has a column of apertures. The inner panel has columns of apertures therein with the number of tracks being at least equal to the number of the columns of apertures in the inner panel. A grommet extends through aligned openings at the top of each track, at the top of each column of apertures in the inner panel, and in the track support to attach the inner panel and the tracks to the track support. A grommet also extends through aligned openings at the bottom of each track and at the bottom of each column of apertures in the inner panel to connect the inner panel and the tracks.

Abstract: A method of demonstrating the advantage in production efficiency of non-synchronous conveyor lines over synchronous conveyor lines. There is provided an elongated diagram illustrating parallel conveyor lines with an equal number of paired, opposed operator work stations in each line, one line representing a synchronous line and the other line representing a non-synchronous line, the non-synchronous line being provided with queue patterns between each work station. There is an electrically controlled work station box between each pair of opposed synchronous and non-synchronous work stations on the mat, each box having a set of "go/no-go" visual indicators. A signal controller is coupled to each of the operating station boxes, the controller being programmed to provide control signals in a random fashion to each of the paired work stations. A plurality of workpieces are provided for each conveyor line.

Abstract: A moving part has material initially applied to it a predetermined distance from its leading edge. Whenever a sensor senses a notch in a flange of the moving part, application of material to the moving part is stopped for a predetermined distance prior to the start of the notch to a predetermined distance beyond the notch. Application of material to the moving part is finally stopped a predetermined distance prior to its trailing edge. Two separate sensors are used to control each of three spray guns for applying the material in the selected areas.