Patents by Inventor Hanks Hu
Hanks Hu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20230392796Abstract: A cooking appliance having a cabinet including an insert within the cabinet to define cooking chamber with an access opening and a door selectively closing/opening the access opening, the cooking appliance comprising at least one of a first cooling flow path through a back wall of the cabinet, over a top wall of the insert, and out a side wall of the cabinet, a second cooling flow path through a bottom wall of the cabinet, along the bottom wall of the cabinet, and out a side wall of the cabinet, and a third cooling flow path through a bottom wall of the cabinet, out a front wall of the cabinet, into the door, out of the door, into a front wall of the cabinet, and out of a side wall of the cabinet.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2023Publication date: December 7, 2023Inventors: ALEXANDER L. CLAYTON, VINCE HUANG, XIANGXU LIU, KEN LEI, HANKS HU, JUAN CHEN, TRACY YU, JACK LI, ROY QIU, SETH HERNDON, DONALD JOHN GILMORE, CRISTIANO VITO PASTORE, DICK GE, PALLAVI MANJREKAR, BRUCE M. WIATRAK, ANDREA FERRISE, BLAKE CARTWRIGHT, RICHARD J. HUGHES, JOEL FLETTY, WYNDHAM F. GARY, JR., JOSHUA G. ABDOO, COLLIN A. STIPE, NICHOLAS BRENN, CASEY L. MCCUAN, CHRISTOPHER L. CARPENTER
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Patent number: 11767983Abstract: An automatic oven having a controller and a sensor assembly for automatically determining a food type for a food item placed in a cooking chamber of the automatic oven, and cooks the automatically determined food item according to a cooking profile selected based on the determined food type, while optionally accommodating a user input on the determining of the food type, and the cooking profile, including an optional degree of doneness.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2021Date of Patent: September 26, 2023Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Alexander L. Clayton, Vince Huang, Xiangxu Liu, Ken Lei, Hanks Hu, Juan Chen, Tracy Yu, Jack Li, Roy Qiu, Seth Herndon, Donald John Gilmore, Cristiano Vito Pastore, Dick Ge, Pallavi Manjrekar, Bruce M. Wiatrak, Andrea Ferrise, Blake Cartwright, Richard J. Hughes, Joel Fletty, Wyndham F. Gary, Jr., Joshua G. Abdoo, Collin A. Stipe, Nicholas Brenn, Casey L. McCuan, Christopher L. Carpenter
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Patent number: 11751295Abstract: An oven includes a plurality of walls, a fan, and a heating element. The plurality of walls defines an internal cavity in which food may be placed for cooking. A first of the plurality of walls defines a plurality of orifices that establishes fluid communication between the internal cavity and a fluid path. The fan is configured to direct air from the fluid path, through the plurality of orifices, and into the internal cavity. The heating element is disposed on the first of the plurality of walls and adjacent to the plurality of orifices. The heating element is configured to heat the air being directed from the fluid path, through the plurality of orifices, and into the internal cavity.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2021Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Hanks Hu, Benny Huang, Youcheng Huang, Ryan Li, Ping Wu
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Publication number: 20220272800Abstract: An oven includes a plurality of walls, a fan, and a heating element. The plurality of walls defines an internal cavity in which food may be placed for cooking. A first of the plurality of walls defines a plurality of orifices that establishes fluid communication between the internal cavity and a fluid path. The fan is configured to direct air from the fluid path, through the plurality of orifices, and into the internal cavity. The heating element is disposed on the first of the plurality of walls and adjacent to the plurality of orifices. The heating element is configured to heat the air being directed from the fluid path, through the plurality of orifices, and into the internal cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2021Publication date: August 25, 2022Inventors: Hanks HU, Benny HUANG, Youcheng HUANG, Ryan LI, Ping WU
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Publication number: 20220178549Abstract: A self-cleaning oven is provided. Responsive to initiating a self-clean operation, a heating plate in a cavity of the oven is powered to increase temperature of the heating plate. Responsive to the heating plate being heated to above a predefined start temperature for a predefined soak period of time, one or more nozzles are directed to introduce water onto the heating plate to generate superheated steam until the heating plate falls below a predefined reboot temperature. The power and watering operations are repeated according to a predefined number of clean cycles specified by the self-clean operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2020Publication date: June 9, 2022Inventors: Ermanno BUZZI, Hanks HU, Ryan LI, Ping WU
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Publication number: 20210392724Abstract: A microwave oven includes a housing defining an interior cavity, a magnetron positioned within the housing and outside of the interior cavity and a micro-wave antenna in electrical communication with the magnetron and positioned adjacent a lower surface of the interior cavity. The microwave oven further includes a heating plate that includes a glass-ceramic substrate defining at least a portion of the lower surface of the interior cavity. The heating plate further includes a resistive-heating coating applied on a portion of the glass-ceramic substrate and defining at least one open micro-wave transmissive path from the micro-wave antenna to the interior cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 14, 2021Publication date: December 16, 2021Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATIONInventors: Hanks Hu, Ping Wu, Ryan Li, Shirley Mao, Tingting Yu, Muhammad Khizar
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Publication number: 20210262670Abstract: An automatic oven having a controller and a sensor assembly for automatically determining a food type for a food item placed in a cooking chamber of the automatic oven, and cooks the automatically determined food item according to a cooking profile selected based on the determined food type, while optionally accommodating a user input on the determining of the food type, and the cooking profile, including an optional degree of doneness.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2021Publication date: August 26, 2021Inventors: ALEXANDER L. CLAYTON, VINCE HUANG, XIANGXU LIU, KEN LEI, HANKS HU, JUAN CHEN, TRACY YU, JACK LI, ROY QIU, SETH HERNDON, DONALD JOHN GILMORE, CRISTIANO VITO PASTORE, DICK GE, PALLAVI MANJREKAR, BRUCE M. WIATRAK, ANDREA FERRISE, BLAKE CARTWRIGHT, RICHARD J. HUGHES, JOEL FLETTY, WYNDHAM F. GARY, Jr., JOSHUA G. ABDOO, COLLIN A. STIPE, NICHOLAS BRENN, CASEY L. MCCUAN, CHRISTOPHER L. CARPENTER
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Patent number: 11047578Abstract: An automatic oven having a controller and a sensor assembly for automatically determining a food type for a food item placed in a cooking chamber of the automatic oven, and cooks the automatically determined food item according to a cooking profile selected based on the determined food type, while optionally accommodating a user input on the determining of the food type, and the cooking profile, including an optional degree of doneness.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2019Date of Patent: June 29, 2021Inventors: Alexander L. Clayton, Vince Huang, Xiangxu Li, Ken Lei, Hanks Hu, Juan Chen, Tracy Yu, Jack Li, Roy Qiu, Seth Herndon, Donald John Gilmore, Cristiano Vito Pastore, Dick Ge, Pallavi Manjrekar, Bruce M. Wiatrak, Andrea Ferrise, Blake Cartwright, Richard J. Hughes, Joel Fletty, Wyndham F. Gary, Jr., Joshua G. Abdoo, Collin A. Stipe, Nicholas Brenn, Casey L. McCuan, Christopher L. Carpenter
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Patent number: 10834789Abstract: An electronic door opening system for an appliance is provided. The door opening system includes a resilient member having a pin that moves in a linear direction to urge an appliance door open. The door opening system further includes a toothed gear member configured to engage with the resilient member. The gear member may be driven by a motor to move the resilient member to urge the door from a closed position to an open position. Accordingly, upon receipt of a door opening command received from a user interface, the motor drives the gear to engage with the resilient member and open the door. The door opening mechanism includes components that are free from contact with other systems of the appliance. For example, in a microwave oven, the door opening system components may be free from contact with a door latch and an interlock switch system.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2017Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Hanks Hu, Winner Wang, Hui Wu, Rongcan Yu
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Publication number: 20200217512Abstract: An automatic oven having a controller and a sensor assembly for automatically determining a food type for a food item placed in a cooking chamber of the automatic oven, and cooks the automatically determined food item according to a cooking profile selected based on the determined food type, while optionally accommodating a user input on the determining of the food type, and the cooking profile, including an optional degree of doneness.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 4, 2019Publication date: July 9, 2020Inventors: ALEXANDER L. CLAYTON, VINCE HUANG, XIANGXU LI, KEN LEI, HANKS HU, JUAN CHEN, TRACY YU, JACK LI, ROY QIU, SETH HERNDON, DONALD JOHN GILMORE, CRISTIANO VITO PASTORE, DICK GE, PALLAVI MANJREKAR, BRUCE M. WIATRAK, ANDREA FERRISE, BLAKE CARTWRIGHT, RICHARD J. HUGHES, JOEL FLETTY, WYNDHAM F. GARY, JR., JOSHUA G. ABDOO, COLLIN A. STIPE, NICHOLAS BRENN, CASEY L. MCCUAN, CHRISTOPHER L. CARPENTER
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Publication number: 20190191498Abstract: An electronic door opening system for an appliance is provided. The door opening system includes a resilient member having a pin that moves in a linear direction to urge an appliance door open. The door opening system further includes a toothed gear member configured to engage with the resilient member. The gear member may be driven by a motor to move the resilient member to urge the door from a closed position to an open position. Accordingly, upon receipt of a door opening command received from a user interface, the motor drives the gear to engage with the resilient member and open the door. The door opening mechanism includes components that are free from contact with other systems of the appliance. For example, in a microwave oven, the door opening system components may be free from contact with a door latch and an interlock switch system.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2017Publication date: June 20, 2019Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATIONInventors: Hanks Hu, Winner Wang, Hui Wu, Rongcan Yu