Abstract: A mechanism to control the temperature in the freezer and fresh food compartments of a side-by-side refrigerator includes an elongated support plate mounted in the upper portion of the fresh food compartment. A fresh food thermostat is mounted under the plate adjacent to the mullion separating the compartments and its control shaft is aligned with an opening in the plate. A pinion gear is connected to the shaft and is positioned above the plate. A freezer thermostat is mounted under the plate at a position more remote from the mullion and its control shaft is aligned with an opening in the plate. A pinion gear is connected to the control shaft and is positioned above the plate. A fresh food rack gear is slidingly mounted on the plate remote from the mullion and includes an elongated arm with teeth that engage the fresh food pinion gear. A freezer rack gear is slidingly mounted on the plate close to the mullion and includes an elongated arm with teeth that engage the teeth on the freezer pinion gear.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cabinet and an access door with a front and sides. A door handle includes an elongated base portion extending along one side of the door and an elongated grasping portion overlapping and spaced forward of the door front. A first recess is formed on the door side of the distal edge of the grasping portion of the handle and a second recess is formed on the door side of the handle and spaced from the first recess. An elongated liner of soft feel, wear resistant material is received in the recesses and extends across the grasping portion.

Abstract: A highly flexible electronic control system which is readily reconfigurable or reprogrammable to suit more than one machine, such as more than one laundry appliance. Control parameters are input to the controller over a communications link, which may be an optical communications link. The controller is automatically adaptable to particular ones of a plurality of different machines, for example laundry appliances in the form of a two-speed washer, a one-speed washer, an electric dryer and a gas dryer. The controller determines the particular appliance by applying signals to particular terminals of a connector connected to a machine to be interrogated. Other terminals are monitored to logically recognize the particular appliance. Thereafter, the control system implements functions appropriate to the particular appliance.

Abstract: A socket for a refrigerator lamp has a body with a chamber to receive the base of the lamp. The chamber side wall is threaded to engage the lamp base threads. An inclined ramp between the threads and the bottom of the chamber engages the lamp base to provide a positive stop when the base is completely in the socket. A first terminal in the socket has a contact portion radially inside the ramp to engage the lamp base just before the base engages the ramp. A second terminal in the socket has a resilient arm to engage a contact in the distal end of the base just before the base engages the ramp. A tab in the bottom of the chamber closely underlies the resilient finger to prevent permanent deformation of the finger. An enclosure wall extends out from the open end of the chamber and closely surrounds a lamp inserted in the socket to assure that the user will not touch the lamp base while either electrical terminal engages the base.

Abstract: A refrigerator has a refrigeration control mechanism including a base mounted in the food storage compartment. The base includes a support plate extending generally horizontally side-to-side in the compartment. A pair of thermostats are mounted under opposite end portions of the plate and a lamp is mounted between the thermostats. Each thermostat has an operating handle extending forward of the plate. A bezel is removably mounted to the base and extends along the front of the plate aligned with the thermostats and lamp. The bezel includes two slots which receive the handles and permit sliding movement of the handles to adjust the thermostats. The slots and handles are sized to permit removal of the bezel without removing the handles. A light shield, removably mounted to the base, includes a bottom wall extending under the plate, aligned with the thermostats and lamp, and a frame encompassing the periphery of the bezel. The upper edge of the frame overlaps the upper edge of the bezel.

Abstract: A mechanism to control air flow between the freezer and fresh food compartments of a refrigerator includes an elongated air flow tube and a flow control housing with mating planar surfaces angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the air flow tube. A mating gasket is positioned between the planar surfaces and joined to each with adhesive. An electrical conductor extends through the air flow passageway in the tube and housing and includes a plug of material around the conductor's protective cover. A recess in the housing mounts the plug with an angled surface of the plug filling a matching interruption in the housing's planar surface to prevent air leaks around the conductor. The housing and plug include cooperating dimples which receive a capillary tube extending through the air passage.

Abstract: A cooktop has a recessed portion surrounding a burner opening. The recessed portion includes bosses with grate supporting surfaces below the upper surface of the cooktop, and dams with vertical inner surfaces. A grate has a rectangular base with a vertical side wall and a bottom edge. The grate is mounted in the recessed portion, aligned with the burner opening, with the base bottom edge resting on the grate supporting surfaces of the bosses and with the grate side wall adjacent the vertical inner surfaces of the dams. The base includes tabs aligned with the dams and extending downwardly to provide greater height at the portions of the side wall aligned with the dams.

Abstract: A storage module assembly for a refrigerator door having an outer shell and an inner liner. The liner includes a rear wall and a pair of side walls forming a recess. The side walls have vertically spaced apart, horizontally aligned pairs of module mounting bosses. Each boss includes top and bottom walls joined by side walls which diverge in the downward direction. Each module includes a bottom wall and side walls positionable adjacent the liner side walls. The module side walls include slots with horizontal portions open to the rear and vertical portions at their opposite ends. The vertical portions have downwardly diverging side walls and receive the bosses in a conforming overfitting manner. A module is mounted in the door by sliding the horizontal portions of the slots over the bosses and then moving the module downward to seat the bosses in the vertical portions.

Abstract: A refrigerator storage drawer system includes a drawer having side walls with upper ledges terminating in downwardly projecting lips. Spaced apart support structures support the lips for sliding movement of the drawer. Each support includes a pair of slide type support bearings spaced apart along the support. The bearings on one side of the drawer closely interfit with the drawer to provide smooth, non-binding operation of the drawer. The bearings on the other side of the drawer provide wide slide bearing surfaces which accommodate tolerance build-up in the system. An additional bearing is positioned on the support structure above the drawer ledge, forward of the rear one of the support bearings and engages the drawer ledge if the drawer tends to tilt downwardly as it is pulled out of the refrigerator.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a refrigerated compartment with an access opening and a door mounted to selectively close the opening. The door includes vertically extending front and side walls. An elongated support member is removably mounted to each side wall by screws which extend through the side walls and are received in elongated stiffening members inside the door. A decorative cover overlies the front wall of the door and is removably secured to each support member. A handle is mounted to the front of the cover by screws which support the handle and cover from one of the support members.

Abstract: A dishwasher rack assembly includes a first elongated rod extending across the rack bottom in one direction and a second elongated rod extending across the rack bottom and crossing the first rod at an angle. A comb includes a base rod overlying the first elongated rod and a finger projecting outward of the base rod. A connector includes a first pair of spaced apart walls forming a first downwardly open recess receiving the rods in a vertical array; a second pair of spaced apart walls forming a second downwardly open recess receiving the second elongated rod; and a third set of spaced apart walls forming a laterally open recess intersecting the first and second recesses and receiving the finger so that the comb can be moved between a position with the finger extending upward and a position with the finger lying parallel to the first and second rods.

Abstract: A microprocesser-based controller for an appliance such as a microwave oven is able to control a number of different models having different cooking characteristics. The user-operable keypanel is unique to each model, and a scanned matrix keyboard on the keypanel is encoded in a manner consistent with conventional scanned matrix keyboard techniques to identify to the controller the particular model. A scanned matrix keyboard includes a set of drive lines and a set of sense lines intersecting the drive lines. In one embodiment disclosed herein, one or more sense lines are added that are uniquely connected to the existing drive lines depending on the particular model being encoded. The added sense lines are read to determine the model. In another embodiment, one or more drive lines are added, similarly connected to existing sense lines depending on the particular model being encoded.

Abstract: A pressure sensitive touch pad system, for example employing variable capacitance touch pads, employs low cost transducers subject to parameter drift and periodically (e.g. once each second) re-calibrates each touch pad. The periodic re-calibration allows a low cost transducer to be used for multi-point operation, as well as for simple on/off operation, such as for function selection. One application is to provide different slew rates for setting a data entry indicator, for example indicating the value of an appliance function.

Abstract: A storage module assembly for a refrigerator door having an outer shell and an inner liner, including a rear wall and side walls forming a recess in the liner. Each side walls has a series of vertically spaced apart ribs aligned with corresponding ribs on the facing side wall. The ribs extend outwardly from the liner bottom wall and each rib has a horizontal top wall with an upwardly projecting tab adjacent its distal end. The bottom wall of each rib has a short horizontal portion adjacent the liner rear wall and an upwardly inclined portion adjacent its distal end. The module includes side walls positionable adjacent the liner side walls. A pair of vertically spaced apart, generally horizontally extending rails project outwardly of each module side wall and each rail defines a downwardly opening recess.

Abstract: A slide-out shelf assembly for a refrigerator includes a pair of supports mounted in spaced apart relationship in a refrigerated compartment. Each support includes a top wall and a pair of spaced apart, depending side walls. The lateral edge portions of a shelf structure are mounted for sliding movement on the support top walls between a retracted position fully contained in the refrigerated compartment and an extended position at least partly out of the refrigerated compartment. A latch member is mounted between the side walls of one of the supports and includes a resilient finger having a rest position in which a portion of the finger projects through an opening in one of the support side walls. The corresponding lateral edge portion of the shelf structure interfits with the projecting portion of the latch to releasably retain the shelf in its retracted and its extended positions and to prevent the shelf structure from being moved out of the refrigerator further than its extended position.

Abstract: A forced air convection oven includes a cooking compartment and an air heating chamber adjacent to one wall of the cooking compartment. An air circulating fan and an air heater are mounted in a central section of the chamber. An elongated section of the chamber extends from the fan along the compartment wall and has an uniformly decreasing cross section area. There is an inlet opening in the compartment wall aligned with the fan and a plurality of outlet openings uniformly spaced apart along the compartment wall communicating with the elongated chamber section. Each outlet opening has a cross sectional area equal to the cross section area of the end of the elongated section adjacent to the fan divided by the number of outlet openings.

Abstract: A fabric washing machine includes a container to receive fabrics and washing fluid. An SRM is operatively connected to oscillate and rotate the container. Ribs formed on the center post of the container agitate the fabrics and fluid as the container is oscillated. Just prior to a spin extraction operation the container is oscillated with an asymmetric pattern that travels further in one direction than in the other. To minimize wrapping of the fabrics about the center post the asymmetric pattern is periodically reversed. Also, just prior to the spin operation the motor is operated at a constant torque and the time to accelerate the container from one speed to a higher speed is measured one or more times. The inertia of the load, and thus the size of the fabric load, is calculated from the time measurements. The motor then is operated at a constant torque to accelerate the container from a threshold speed for a predetermined period of time and the final speed of the container is measured.

Abstract: A dishwashing machine includes a wash chamber and spray distribution mechanism to spray fluid over articles in the chamber. A recirculation sump at the bottom of the chamber receives fluid from the chamber and a first pump, driven by a relatively large motor, draws fluid from the sump and discharges it to the spray mechanism. A filter is positioned to remove soil particles from the recirculated fluid and a collection chamber collects filtered soil particles. The collection chamber is connected to a drain through a first one way valve. A drain pump, driven by a relatively small motor, is connected between the lower portion of the recirculation sump and the collection chamber. Another one way valve permits flow from the recirculation sump to the collection chamber while preventing reverse flow.

Abstract: A highly flexible electronic control system which is readily reconfigurable or reprogrammable to suit more than one machine, such as more than one laundry appliance. Control parameters are input to the controller over a communications link, which may be an optical communications link. The controller is automatically adaptable to particular ones of a plurality of different machines, for example laundry appliances in the form of a two-speed washer, a one-speed washer, an electric dryer and a gas dryer. The controller determines the particular appliance by applying signals to particular terminals of a connector connected to a machine to be interrogated. Other terminals are monitored to logically recognize the particular appliance. Thereafter, the control system implements functions appropriate to the particular appliance.