Abstract: A method for operating a horizontal axis washing machine having a tub with a drum rotatably mounted in the tub and configured to hold a fabric load comprises introducing liquid into the drum to wet the fabric load and spinning the drum to distribute the fabric load about the drum prior to the introducing of the liquid.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 9, 2006
Date of Patent:
May 17, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Nyik Siong Wong, Raveendran Vaidhyanathan, Anthony H. Hardaway, Joel A. Luckman
Abstract: A composition is provided comprising emu oil and processed whole fruit. The composition is in a form for either topical application to human skin or for internal ingestion.
Abstract: An appliance includes one or more control boards having control software to control the cycle of operation, and a graphical user interface with one or more instances of a user interface control in communication with the control boards. The appliance also has a binding map for associating the user interface control instances with one or more locator objects or one or more binding objects associated with the locator objects. The locator objects are associated with addressing information used to find renderable data for user interface control instances. The appliance also has a software framework for acquiring the renderable data at runtime by resolving the location of the renderable data from the addressing information and retrieving the renderable data from the location for use by the graphical user interface. With this structure, the software framework dynamically renders the graphical user interface at runtime based on the associations and addressing information in the binding map.
Abstract: An automatic dishwasher comprises a housing defining a wash chamber for holding utensils to be washed, a movable sensor for determining a utensil load within at least one preselected location within the wash chamber, and a controller operably coupled to the movable sensor to control the direction of movement of the movable sensor to determine the presence and size of a utensil load in the at least one preselected location within the wash chamber.
Abstract: A system for mounting a device to a host, such as an appliance, includes elongated, substantially parallel device interfaces for removably mounting the device to the host. The device interfaces can include rails, slots and/or electrical conductors.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 29, 2010
Date of Patent:
May 3, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
James W. Kendall, Richard A. McCoy, Ameresh Viswanathan, John M. Knight, Christopher S. Moes, David A. Weinkauf
Abstract: A dishwasher having a liquid spraying system operable in a first mode to spray a focused stream of liquid within the wash chamber, and operable in a second mode to spray a diffused stream of liquid within the wash chamber.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 6, 2008
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Dennis L. Kehl, Sathish Andrea Sundaram
Abstract: Methods for determining an attribute of a substance in a container in response to an access event. The methods include a method for determining an attribute of a substance including activating the sensor in response to an access event and transmitting, in response to the activating, an output of the sensor providing an indication of an attribute of the contents. The methods also include a method having the steps of associating a sensor having an identifier with the container; and receiving the identifier and an output of the sensor providing an indication of the amount of the contents.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 23, 2008
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Farhad Ashrafzadeh, Ali R. Buendia-Garcia, Richard A. McCoy, Yingqin Yuan
Abstract: In a washing machine comprising a tub, an agitator, and a pressure sensor, a size of a fabric load may be determined and/or an operational water level may be set based on an amount of water supplied to reach a first level in the tub and on variation in an output from the pressure sensor during agitation of the water and fabric load with the water at a second level in the tub.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 31, 2008
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Kathleen M. La Belle, Jenn-Yeu Nieh, Laura C. Oskins, Bennett J. Cook
Abstract: An adapter or an appliance for use with an independently operable consumer electronic device having a user interface. The adapter comprises a holding device forming a device cavity capable of admitting the consumer electronic device in a predetermined orientation. An access opening into the device cavity exposes a portion of the consumer electronic device when the consumer electronic device is in the predetermined orientation. The portion of the consumer electronic device exposed includes at least a portion of the user interface.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 7, 2008
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Douglas D. LeClear, Ruben E. Rothermel, Andrew M. Tenbarge, James W. Kendall, Richard A. McCoy
Abstract: A nebulizer assembly for use in a fabrics revitalizing system having a fabric treatment chamber comprises a fluid reservoir configured to contain a fluid; an air flow channel in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir; a mist generator configured to generate a mist in the fluid reservoir; and a fan in fluid communication with the air flow channel to draw air through the air flow channel and transport the mist to the interior of the fabric treatment chamber. The nebulizer assembly can include a transitional assembly that communicates the nebulizer assembly with the fabric treatment chamber.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 7, 2006
Date of Patent:
April 12, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Karl D. McAllister, Alexander V. Minkin
Abstract: A method for making a cover for a component of a vehicle passenger compartment comprising the steps of molding the cover for the component from a polymeric material, and forming an integrally-formed aesthetic feature in an uninterrupted portion of the cover which simulates a seam between regions of the cover.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 19, 2006
Date of Patent:
April 12, 2011
Assignee:
Leon Plastics, Inc.
Inventors:
David A. Scheidmantel, Michael D. Bicard, Nicholas J. Runnals
Abstract: A steam generator having a steam generation tube defining a chamber for receiving water and converting the water to steam, and a heating element wrapped around the tube and having a first portion emitting a greater thermal output than a second portion.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 31, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 5, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Robert J. Pinkowski, Alvaro Vallejo Noriega, Markus Beck, Karl Furderer, Floyd G. Jackson
Abstract: A data acquisition method comprising looking into a memory heap of event structures having condition parameters of at least one of memory pointers, event operators, and arguments; identifying event conditions that evaluate as true by evaluating the condition parameters for the even structures; and generating a notification message when a true condition is found.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 29, 2006
Date of Patent:
April 5, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Richard A. McCoy, Joshua P. Carroll, Matthew P. Ebrom, Daniel M. Putnam, David J. Kmet, Andrew D. Whipple, Patrick J. Glotzbach
Abstract: A cyclone separator assembly comprises a cyclone separator that removes large particles of dirt from a working airstream as it flows through the cyclone separator, and the separated large particles of dirt are deposited into a dirt cup. The cyclone separator assembly further includes a fine particle separation member comprising a plurality of apertures for separating fine particles of dirt from air in the cyclone separator or the dirt cup. The fine particle separation member can be formed in a wall of the cyclone separator, a sidewall of the dirt cup, or in the outlet of the cyclone separator assembly. The cyclone separator assembly can further include a guide plate for creating a direction change in the path of the working airstream to aid in the separation of fine particles of dirt from air passing through the outlet.
Abstract: An automatic clothes dryer comprises a cabinet defining an interior space in which is rotatably mounted a drum that defines a drying chamber, a heater assembly having a heating element for heating air, and a motor for rotating the drum. A blower is mounted within the interior space and is fluidly coupled to the drying chamber for moving heated air through the drying chamber. A first temperature sensor is mounted upstream of the heating element. A second temperature sensor is mounted downstream of the blower. Outputs from the temperature sensors are utilized with one or more methods to determine the air flow characteristics through the dryer.
Abstract: A fabric treatment appliance comprises a steam generator having a chamber configured to hold water; a supply conduit configured to transport water to the steam generator chamber; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature representative of the steam generator chamber at a predetermined water level in the steam generator chamber; and a controller coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to control flow of water through the supply conduit based on the sensed temperature to control the level of water in the steam generator chamber. The disclosure provides methods of water supply control that can employ the temperature sensor.
Abstract: A system comprising a memory heap generated dynamically by useful software and a data acquisition engine. The memory heap comprises a plurality of event structures, each including at least one each of pointers into memory external to the event structure, event operators, and arguments. The data acquisition engine is configured to look into the memory heap, evaluate event conditions as true or false based on the at least one each of the pointers, operators, and arguments, and generate a notification message when a true condition is found.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 29, 2006
Date of Patent:
March 29, 2011
Assignee:
Whirlpool Corporation
Inventors:
Richard A. McCoy, Joshua P. Carroll, Matthew P. Ebrom, Daniel M. Putnam, David J. Kmet, Andrew D. Whipple, Patrick J. Glotzbach