Patents Assigned to SUB-ZERO GROUP, INC.
  • Patent number: 11969092
    Abstract: An adjustable shelf support includes a fastener, a stationary support, and a slidable support. The stationary support includes a first body, a first aperture formed through the first body, and a first plurality of ledges that protrude outward away from the first body. The slidable support includes a second body, a second aperture formed through the second body, and a second plurality of ledges that protrude outward away from the second body. A ledge of the second plurality of ledges is positioned on a ledge of the first plurality of ledges. The fastener is inserted through the second aperture and the first aperture to further mount the slidable support to the stationary support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant David Springer, Michelle Flachs Croce
  • Patent number: 11952195
    Abstract: A drawer includes a drawer base mounted to a housing, a drawer, and a bottom tray. The drawer slides relative to the drawer base and includes a front wall and a receptacle that includes a bottom wall with a front edge and a back edge. The front edge is mounted to the front wall. The bottom wall forms a first funnel that slopes downward from the front edge to the back edge. The bottom tray is mounted to the drawer base below the receptacle not to slide relative to the drawer base. The bottom tray includes a tray wall and a drain aperture wall. The tray wall includes a front edge and a back edge and forms a second funnel that slopes downward from the front edge to the back edge. The drain aperture wall is mounted to the tray wall at a lowest elevation of the second funnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Harold Roth, Thomas Michael Lasecki, Jeffrey Otto Zur
  • Patent number: 11608987
    Abstract: A control knob includes a control rod assembly including a base plate, a control rod, and an electronic circuit board, a display connected to receive an electrical signal from the electronic circuit board and including a display front face that displays a device status, a knob including a knob aperture wall, and a cover mounted between the knob and the base plate and including a cover sidewall that mounts to the base plate, a cover front wall mounted to the cover sidewall to cover an interior of the cover sidewall, and a display aperture wall formed in a portion of the cover sidewall and a portion of the cover front wall. The display aperture wall allows insertion of the display housing. The control rod assembly, the display, and the cover rotate with the knob when the knob is rotated. The display front face is visible through the knob aperture wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Bronson Blum, Alexander R. Krahn, Mark R. Eckert
  • Patent number: 11583136
    Abstract: A griddle includes a griddle plate, a heating element, a frame, and a plurality of nuts. The heating element provides heat to the griddle plate when the griddle is used. The frame includes a plurality of walls, a flange that extends from top edges of the plurality of walls, a plurality of studs mounted to extend upward from the flange, and a bottom wall that extends from bottom edges of the plurality of walls toward an interior of the plurality of walls. The heating element is mounted to the bottom wall. A nut of the plurality of nuts is mounted on each stud of the plurality of studs. A bottom surface of the griddle plate is mounted to abut each nut of the plurality of nuts to define an air gap around a perimeter of the griddle plate between the flange and the bottom surface of the griddle plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Bronson Blum
  • Patent number: 11474612
    Abstract: A controller device is provided that includes an e-field sensor that includes a transmitter electrode formed of a first conductive material, an isolation layer formed of a dielectric material to at least partially cover the transmitter electrode, a first receive electrode formed on the isolation layer of a second conductive material, and a second receive electrode formed on the isolation layer of the second conductive material, wherein the second receive electrode is a mirror image of the first receive electrode on the isolation layer. A gesture performance by a user within a sensing area of the e-field sensor is detected by comparing a received first signal to a received second signal. When an appliance component is responsive to the detected gesture, a control signal is sent to the appliance component indicating that the appliance component perform an action associated with the detected gesture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin M. Hasburgh
  • Patent number: 11459810
    Abstract: A cable recoil device includes a cable recoil device body, a pulley, a pulley yoke, a spring, and a cable. The pulley yoke is mounted to the pulley that is positioned within the cable recoil device body and has a wheel shaped body. The spring is connected to the cable recoil device body and to the pulley yoke. The cable is wound at least partially around a circumference of the wheel shaped body. When the cable recoil device is mounted for use in a device, the first end of the cable is connected to a body of the device and the second end of the cable is connected to a door of the device that moves relative to the body of the device. The spring provides tension on the pulley such that it lengthens when the door is opened and contracts when the door is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Terence Thomas Smith
  • Patent number: 11402145
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes an evaporator, a first fan, a first duct, a second fan, a second duct, and a plate. The first duct is mounted between the evaporator and the first fan. The first fan moves air from the first duct into a first zone. The second fan moves air from the second duct into a second zone. The plate is mounted between the evaporator and the second duct. The plate includes a plate aperture wall that defines a duct aperture formed through the plate. A first aperture of the second duct is adjacent the second fan. A second aperture of the second duct is positioned to encompass the duct aperture. A center of the duct aperture is positioned a distance from a center of the evaporator measured in a first direction. The distance is between 0% and 40% of a total length of the evaporator in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Wohlers, Brant David Springer
  • Patent number: 11296433
    Abstract: A shelf includes a shelf support plate, an insulator formed at least partially of a first electrically insulating material, a first fastener, a second fastener and a shelf brace. The shelf support plate, the first fastener, the second fastener, and the shelf brace are formed at least partially of electrically conductive material. The shelf support plate includes a first aperture wall. The insulator includes second and third aperture walls. The shelf brace includes a brace plate, a shelf hook that extends from the brace plate, and a fourth aperture wall through the shelf brace. The insulator mounts between the shelf support plate and the shelf brace using the first fastener inserted into the first and second aperture walls and the second fastener inserted into the fourth and third aperture walls. The shelf hook connects to an electrical connector to provide current to the shelf brace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith R. Wanta, Alan C. Wood, Sean T. Petersen, Matthew J. McMillin
  • Patent number: 11255535
    Abstract: A knob assembly includes a knob, a light assembly, a light socket, and a receptacle. The light assembly includes a light diffuser, a light source, and a light connector prong. Light from the light source is transmitted through the light diffuser. The light connector prong is electrically connected to the light source to provide power to the light source when the knob is rotated. The light socket includes a socket housing, a light connector aperture wall, an electrical connector aperture wall, and an internal conductor. The light connector prong is mounted within the light connector aperture wall. A power connector prong connectable to a power source is mounted within the electrical connector aperture wall. The connector housing of the receptacle is configured to house the light socket. The light connector prong is inserted into the light connector aperture wall through a first wall of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark R. Eckert, Alexander R. Krahn, Bronson Blum
  • Patent number: 11221175
    Abstract: A liner hanger includes a body wall, a first hook wall, a second hook wall, a brace wall, and an abutment wall. The body wall includes a first face and a second face. The second face is on an opposite side of the body wall relative to the first face. The first hook wall is mounted to the first face of the body wall to form a first hook channel. The second hook wall is mounted to the second face of the body wall to form a second hook channel. The brace wall includes a first end and a second end. The second end is on an opposite end of the brace wall relative to the first end. The first end is mounted to the first face of the body wall. The abutment wall is mounted to the second end of the brace wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Kari Ann Bardouche, Sean T. Petersen, Hans Vanden Berg
  • Patent number: 11091958
    Abstract: A shelf electrical signal connector is provided that includes a ladder connector and a shelf connector. The ladder connector mounts to a ladder of a shelving system and includes a spring-loaded contact pin formed of an electrically conductive material and electrically connected to a first wire configured to carry an electrical signal. The shelf connector mounts to a shelf bracket and includes a contact pad formed of an electrically conductive material that is connected to a second wire. The contact pad abuts and rests on the spring-loaded contact pin to electrically connect the first wire to the second wire when the shelf bracket is mounted to the ladder of the shelving system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: SUB-ZERO GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Keith R. Wanta, Colin M. Hasburgh, Sean T. Petersen
  • Patent number: 11047615
    Abstract: A shelf includes a floor plate, a cam plate, and a first pin joint plate. The cam plate extends away from an upper surface of the floor plate. A top edge of the cam plate is opposite a bottom edge of the cam plate that is mounted to the upper surface and has a concave shape that curves inward toward the upper surface. The first pin joint plate is mounted to the floor plate to extend away from a lower surface of the floor plate. The first pin joint plate is configured to mate with a second pin joint plate mounted to a first wall. The top edge of the cam plate is positioned to abut a tab mounted to the second wall when the floor plate is rotated toward the second wall. The upper surface faces the second wall when the floor plate is rotated toward the second wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: SUB-ZERO GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Paul V. Sikir, Philip Francis Hottmann
  • Patent number: 11035531
    Abstract: A shelf light assembly is provided that includes a trim configured to mount to a shelf, a light assembly including a plurality of lights, a first end cap housing, and a second end cap housing. The light assembly is mounted to the trim. The first end cap housing is mounted to the trim on a first side of the light assembly. The second end cap housing is mounted to the trim on a second side of the light assembly. The first side is opposite the second side. The first end cap housing is attached to the first side of the light assembly. An expansion gap is located between the second end cap housing and the second side of the light assembly to support movement of the light assembly relative to the second end cap housing longitudinally along the trim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith R. Wanta, Alan C. Wood, Sean T. Petersen, Matthias J. Wallner, Georg J. Spießl, Manfredi Signorino
  • Patent number: 11022329
    Abstract: A controller adjusts a humidity level within an enclosed space. When it is determined to cool the enclosed space, a compressor speed and a compressor run time are determined for a compressor. When it is determined to increase a humidity of the enclosed space, the compressor speed is decreased relative to the compressor speed determined for the compressor, the compressor run time is increased relative to the compressor run time determined for the compressor, a fan is turned on to direct air through an evaporator and into the enclosed space, and a flow of refrigerant is controlled through a coil of the evaporator based on the decreased compressor speed and the increased compressor run time. When it is determined to stop cooling, the compressor is turned off. The fan is turned off when it is determined to end an increase humidity state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: SUB-ZERO GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Randy Wayne Hurlebaus, Brent Records Keller
  • Patent number: D883768
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: SUB-ZERO GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Curtis Leroy Cruver, IV, William Cesare Cesaroni
  • Patent number: D924660
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: SUB-ZERO GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Bronson Blum, Terrence Hoffmann, Curtis Leroy Cruver, IV
  • Patent number: D968905
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis Leroy Cruver, IV, Stephen Andrew Derfiny
  • Patent number: D985629
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant David Springer, Chad Alan Wohlrab, Curtis Leroy Cruver, IV, Stephen Andrew Derfiny
  • Patent number: D1023077
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis Leroy Cruver, IV, Stephen Andrew Derfiny
  • Patent number: D1024724
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Bronson Blum, Terrence Hoffmann, Curtis Leroy Cruver, IV