Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Clifton Green
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Patent number: 7665227Abstract: A method of revitalizing a fabric comprises directing a flow of air through a chamber while tumbling the fabric to dehydrate the fabric; removing particulates from the air flowing through the chamber; directing a treatment fluid into the chamber and onto the fabric; and tumbling the fabric while at least intermittently contacting the fabric with a low absorbency textured surface. In another embodiment, a method comprises placing the fabric in a chamber having a low absorbency textured surface; extracting fluid from the fabric to dehydrate the fabric; inserting treatment fluid into the chamber to apply the treatment fluid to the fabric; and extracting fluid from the fabric to dehydrate the fabric.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2006Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Tremitchell Wright, Karl D. McAllister, LD Metcalfe, Janice M. Kaeding
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Patent number: 7572097Abstract: An impeller pump including a body and a cover assembled onto the body to form a housing. The body has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and an opening for receiving a rotating drive shaft. An impeller is rotatably positioned in the housing with paddles at a periphery thereof. The impeller includes a sleeve with a central pocket formed therein for receiving a drive shaft, a circumferential support ring, and a plurality of radially extending paddles extending from the circumferential support ring. The body and cover define an annular space circumferentially extending around an interior of the housing for receiving the paddles of the impeller. The cover has a wall portion enlarging the annular space in the housing through a portion of the circumference of the annular space.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2006Date of Patent: August 11, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventor: Laurel B. Jaeger
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Patent number: 7571506Abstract: A method of detecting an item of clothing in the space between a door assembly of a washing machine and an annular gasket interposed between the door assembly and a washing tub of the washing machine. The method further includes taking an action to remove the item of the laundry from the space between the door assembly and the annular gasket.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2007Date of Patent: August 11, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventor: Reinhold Poehler
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Patent number: 7562543Abstract: A laundry system comprises a laundry appliance and a vertical laundry module. The vertical laundry module comprises a backsplash that complements a backsplash on the laundry appliance and has an effective upper surface that is located at substantially the same height as an effective upper surface of the laundry appliance. The backsplash can further comprise a function element that can be a laundry care function or a non-laundry care function.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2005Date of Patent: July 21, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: James William Kendall, Ameresh Babu Viswanathan, Colleen Marie Doyle, Lorraine L. Achterberg
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Patent number: 7555856Abstract: An ironing station comprises a cabinet defining an interior space, an accessible storage area defined within the interior space of the cabinet, an ironing board stowably mounted in the cabinet for movement between a stowed position and a use position and a docking station provided on the top wall of the cabinet for receiving an iron. The ironing board can be at least partially stored within the interior space in the stowed position.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2005Date of Patent: July 7, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Richard A. Sunshine, James William Kendall, Lorraine L. Achterberg, Vicki Lyn Wyatt, Ameresh Babu Viswanathan
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Patent number: 7552545Abstract: A drying rack assembly, for use in a clothes dryer with a rotatable tumbler, is constructed with a perforated tray to support clothing in a stationary manner within the tumbler. A duct is attached to the perforated tray to direct a primary airflow through the perforated tray and to at least a portion of air outlet opening in the tumbler cavity. The duct further includes openings to provide a secondary path by which a portion of the total airflow is allowed to bypass the perforated tray. A movable damper is provided to allow variable bypass airflow. An air outlet cover, attached to the combination of the duct and perforated tray, is adapted to cover the portion of the air outlet opening that does not interface with the duct. The air outlet cover is movable to a second position to enable compact storage. A hanging feature is further provided on the side of the dryer cabinet to provide a convenient storage space.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2005Date of Patent: June 30, 2009Assignee: Maytag CorporationInventors: James F. Crawford, Laurel A. Dillon, Donald E. Erickson, Jeff D. Maddox, Mark A. Tucker
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Patent number: 7554463Abstract: Communicating operational information to a user of an appliance regarding the operational mode of the appliance and the options available for a selected operational mode and the options selected.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2006Date of Patent: June 30, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Sara B. Ulius-Sabel, Eric A. Hill
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Patent number: 7534304Abstract: The invention relates to a non-aqueous washing machine, methods of using the machine, methods of washing, and recycling.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2003Date of Patent: May 19, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Daniel C. Conrad, Tremitchell Wright, Michael T. Dalton, Kurt Estes, Mark B. Kovich, Andrew J. Leitert, Brooke Lindsay-Steel Lau, Cinnamon S. Brown-Green, Holli Krumbein, Kenyata Joi Maki, Joel A. Luckman, Karl David McAllister, Vicki Lyn Wyatt-Smith
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Patent number: 7530133Abstract: A method for spinning clothes in an automatic washing machine comprises determining the size of the fabric load in the washing machine and determining a plaster speed based on the size of the fabric load. A motor gradually increases the rotational speed of the drum to the plaster speed while a balance condition monitor monitors the balanced condition of the fabric load. When the rotational speed of the drum reaches the plaster speed and the load is balanced, the motor rapidly increases the rotational speed of the drum from the plaster speed to an extraction speed. If the load becomes imbalanced at the extraction speed, the rotational speed of the drum is rapidly decreased to a redistribution speed less than the plaster speed to redistribute the load.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2005Date of Patent: May 12, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventor: Kurt J Mitts
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Patent number: 7525262Abstract: An automatic clothes dryer comprises a cabinet in which is rotatably mounted a drum that defines a drying chamber and a motor for rotating the drum. A variable speed blower is mounted within the interior space and is fluidly coupled to the drying chamber for moving air through the drying chamber at varying flow rates to improve the drying of the clothes.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2005Date of Patent: April 28, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventor: James P. Carow
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Patent number: 7513132Abstract: The invention relates to a non-aqueous washing machine, methods of using the machine, methods of washing, and recycling and modular components and subsystems thereof.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2004Date of Patent: April 7, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Tremitchell L. Wright, Daniel C. Conrad, Stephen David Krefman, Joel A. Luckman, Richard A. Sunshine, Andrew Leitert
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Patent number: 7513004Abstract: A method for fluid recovery in a semi-aqueous wash process including the steps of receiving semi-aqueous wash liquor from a wash container; pretreating the semi-aqueous wash liquor and separating it into aqueous-rich working fluid phase and non-aqueous working fluid phase, treating the aqueous-rich working fluid phase to remove remaining non-aqueous working fluid, and treating the non-aqueous-rich working fluid phase for recovery and reuse.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2005Date of Patent: April 7, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Joel A. Luckman, Tremitchell L. Wright
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Patent number: 7506525Abstract: An automatic washing machine comprises a wash tub and a wash plate movably mounted within the wash tub for imparting mechanical energy to articles of fabric in the wash tub. The wash plate comprises a base and a blade that extends from the base and terminates in a tip. According to the invention, at least the tip of the blade is formed by an insert. The insert is made from a relatively hard and wear resistant material that is different than the material of the impeller body. As a result, the wear resistance and performance of the impeller is improved without significantly increasing the overall cost of the impeller.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2005Date of Patent: March 24, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Kathleen M. La Belle, Kurt Werner
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Patent number: 7497877Abstract: An improved solvent cleaning process of cleaning a non-aqueous solvent used in a dry cleaning process for fabrics including consecutive wash cycles for washing respective fabrics batches, including a basic solvent refining cycle and a first advanced solvent refining cycle, the basic solvent refining cycle including a step of separating solvent into a first solvent fraction and a second solvent fraction which is less clean than the first fraction, wherein the basic and first advanced solvent refining cycles are independently effected when solvent to be cleaned fulfils a respective predetermined condition.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2003Date of Patent: March 3, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Machial Goedhart, Joel Luckman, Hank Robert Reinhoudt, Jan Hendrik Verbeek, Vicki Lyn Wyatt-Smith, Brian W. May, Mark B. Kovich, Tremitchell Wright, Daniel C. Conrad
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Patent number: 7475574Abstract: A washing machine comprises a tank for loading washing fluid and items to be washed and a control adapted to carry out a predetermined washing program. The washing machine comprises a first electrode electrically insulated from the washing fluid and a sensor connected to the first electrode for detecting a value of a sensor formed by the first electrode and by the washing fluid acting as a second electrode, the value being fed to the control in order to control and/or adjust the washing program.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2004Date of Patent: January 13, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Dieter Grimm, Robert Huettner
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Patent number: 7475495Abstract: The current invention relates to a clothes dryer having a dryness sensing device and method of use comprising at least two electrically conductive sensor bars placed closely together but not touching one another so that articles in the dryer can contact two of the sensor bars at the same time. At least one sensor bar is electrically connected to an electrical current source and at least one sensor bar is electrically connected to an electrical ground. A microcontroller is electrically connected between the electrical current source and the electrical ground so as to be capable of measuring the voltage across the sensor bars when the sensor bars are contacted by the articles being dried. The microcontroller is configured so as to determine the dryness of the articles by calculating the electrical resistance of the articles by using the value of the voltage across the sensor bars and the value of the current through the sensor bars.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2005Date of Patent: January 13, 2009Assignee: Maytag CorporationInventors: Howell H. Chiles, Timothy E. White
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Patent number: 7475572Abstract: A washing machine has a power cable, a structural frame, a tub supported by the frame and a damping system interposed between the tub and the frame. An immobilizing rod interposed between the tub and the frame in order to prevent the tub from moving during the transport of the machine. The immobilizing or security rod includes a hook portion for engaging the power cable in order to prevent the user from connecting the power cable to a power source before the immobilizing rod is removed.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2004Date of Patent: January 13, 2009Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Andreas Lappoehn, Walter Dunst
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Patent number: 7462203Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of disposing waste from an in-home dry cleaning machine using a disposable containment system.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2003Date of Patent: December 9, 2008Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Francesca Goldoni, Kees Van Kralingen, Dennis Stephen Murphy, Michael Orchowski, Pieter E M Overdevest
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Patent number: 7454927Abstract: A method and an apparatus for recovering non-aqueous wash fluid and rinse fluid from a non-aqueous fabric laundering process. The method includes removing particulates, separating the rinse fluid from the wash fluid, removing dissolved soils, and removing insoluble soils.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2004Date of Patent: November 25, 2008Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Joel A. Luckman, Tremitchell L. Wright
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Patent number: 7444840Abstract: A garment refreshing appliance comprising: an enclosure for receiving at least one garment to be refreshed, a support positioned in said enclosure to receive and suspend said garment in said enclosure, an air moving device arranged to circulate a flow of air within said enclosure, and an air duct associated with said air moving device to direct said circulating flow of air within said enclosure, said air duct having a plurality of flow directing vanes associated therewith to direct said recirculating flow of air against said garment.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2003Date of Patent: November 4, 2008Assignee: Whirlpool CorporationInventors: Floyd G. Jackson, James C. Perso, Robert J. Pinkowski, Viktor N. Kopyrin