Abstract: An air filter system for refrigerators includes an economically and easily manufactured housing having a replaceable air filter supported within the housing, and a releasable connector associated with the housing permits the housing of the air filter system to be readily and easily removed from the refrigerator, to permit the easy replacement of the air filter.

Abstract: A multiple height package retainer for a refrigerator door and a method for adjusting an adjustable height package retainer for a refrigerator door includes a shelf body and a retainer member. The retainer member may have a first position and a second position for holding packages of varying height.

Abstract: A microwave apparatus and system that monitors the amount of food products within a cavity and adjust the microwave power provided to the cavity. The apparatus and system uses a product sensor system and a movement sensor system to accurately determine the product load in the microwave cavity. A computer controller, based on the product load information provided by the product sensor system and the movement sensor system, operates to adjust the amount of power provide to the microwave cavities by the microwave transmitters.

Abstract: A bearing system for mounting a rotating shaft includes a bearing assembly and a bearing mounting structure. The bearing assembly has an inner race which contacts the rotating shaft, an outer race, and bearing elements positioned therebetween. The outer race has an exterior surface with an outer dimension. The bearing mounting structure has a region for affixing it to an external structure in which the bearing system is to function. An internal surface of the bearing mounting structure defines a bearing cavity in which the bearing assembly is to be disposed. The internal surface engages the exterior surface of the outer race. The retention force exerted by the internal surface on the outer surface is determined by the design of the inner surface of the bearing mounting structure that defines the bearing cavity. The internal surface has cut-outs, or scallops, extending axially (with respect to the shaft) along the internal surface.

Abstract: A microwave apparatus includes a coaxial feed connected to a microwave waveguide and extended into a rotating antenna applicator in a microwave cavity, wherein a gap between the ceiling of the microwave cavity and the top of the rotating antenna applicator as well as between the coaxial feed and the rotating antenna applicator is present to facilitate the rotation of the antenna applicator. The presence of these gaps permit radial leakage, uncontrolled excitation of modes and occasional arcing. An annular knob is provided proximate the coaxial feed and attached to the top of the rotating antenna applicator to suppress radial leakage, uncontrolled excitations and arcing in the microwave cavity.

Abstract: An oven comprises a cooking chamber, first and second energy sources, a cooling fan, and a controller. The first energy source provides radiation heating in the cooking chamber, and the first energy source has a low mass for rapid heating. The second energy source provides convection heating in the cooking chamber, and the second energy source has a high mass heating element and a convection fan for moving air through the cooking chamber during convection heating. The cooling fan moves cooling air over the first energy source. The controller energizes the first and second energy sources during at least initial convection heating so that the first energy source rapidly heats the cooking chamber in order to facilitate the initial convection heating and to eliminate the need to pre-heat the cooking chamber.

Abstract: A clothes dryer has a plurality of high energy lamps. The high energy lamps are mounted so as to emit high energy radiation toward a drying chamber. A blower is arranged to move air to the plurality of high energy lamps so as cool the high energy lamps. The air that cools the high energy lamps is delivered to the drying chamber. The plurality of high energy lamps is operated to emit ultraviolet energy for sanitizing the articles in the drying chamber and to emit infrared energy for drying the articles in the drying chamber.

Abstract: A browning grill is arranged for use in a high power density radiant oven. The oven includes a cooking enclosure having a ceiling and a floor, upper radiant energy sources located near the ceiling, and lower radiant energy sources located near the floor. The browning grill has a grilling surface and a debris collector. The grilling surface has a plurality of grill tines. The grilling surface is located between the upper and lower radiant energy sources, and the grilling surface establishes a cooking plane to the upper radiant energy sources. The debris collector catches food debris from food being grilled on the grilling surface. The debris collector is located between the grilling surface and the lower radiant energy sources, and the debris collector is arranged to permit heating of the cooking plane by the lower radiant energy sources.

Abstract: A refrigerator has a refrigerator cabinet and a refrigerator door. The refrigerator door is arranged to open and close with respect to the refrigerator cabinet. A storage compartment is associated with either the refrigerator cabinet or the refrigerator door, and a container door cooperates with the compartment to form a container. First and second hinge members are on the container door, and third and fourth hinge members are on the compartment. The first and third hinge members form a first hinge and the second and fourth hinge members form a second hinge between the container door and the compartment. Ribs are on the container door adjacent to, and on either side of, the first and second hinge members. The ribs contact the compartment adjacent to the third and fourth hinge members in order to permit the container door to move quietly into opened and closed positions with respect to the compartment.

Abstract: A compact oven assembly has a housing and a high power density, low mass heating element. The housing defines a cooking cavity and a slot which permits access to the cooking cavity. The high power density, low mass heating element is supported by the housing above the cooking cavity. The compact oven assembly may include a food support which is arranged so that, when the food support is inserted into the cooking cavity through the slot, the slot of the housing is substantially closed off. The compact oven may also include a switch operated by the food support when the food support is inserted into the cooking cavity through the slot in order to energize the high power density, low mass heating element. Each high power density heating element has a formed parabolic reflector located above it and opposite to the cooking plane. Accordingly, the energy from the high power density heating elements is directed toward the cooking plane.

Abstract: A refrigerator door supports a shelf which has a shelf front. The shelf is arranged to support a package to be retained, and the shelf has first, second, third, and fourth holes. A wire is arranged to be inserted into the first and third holes so that the wire has a first height with respect to the shelf, and the wire is arranged to be inserted into the second and fourth holes so that the wire has a second height with respect to the shelf. The first and second heights are different so that the wire and the shelf front are able to retain packages of different heights.

Abstract: An enclosure has a door, a cabinet, an aligning pin attached to the cabinet, and a door hinge removably attached to the cabinet. The door hinge is arranged to receive the aligning pin so as to positively align the door hinge on the cabinet, and the door hinge is arranged to mount the door in opened and closed positions to the cabinet. The aligning pin may be directionally biased in order to mate with a directionally biased recess in the door hinge. The aligning pin may be a pair of pins to mate with a correspondingly pair of recesses in the door hinge.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for changing an automatic cooking program in an electric oven is disclosed. A parameter of the cooking program, such as cooking time, is automatically altered in response to a property of the electricity supplying the oven, such as line voltage. The method and apparatus are particularly well suited for use in ovens utilizing halogen tungsten lamps as sources of heat.

Abstract: An apparatus for cooling a quartz halogen lamp is disclosed. Each lamp socket, used for connecting terminals of a quartz halogen lamp to an electrical supply, is mounted to a convector. Heat is conducted away from the terminals to the convector where the heat is then transferred by forced convection to the atmosphere. Alternatively, the convector can be mounted directly to one or more of the terminals. Cooling of the quartz halogen lamp terminals is achieved without passing cooling air directly past the quartz halogen lamp, thereby avoiding problems associated with contamination of the quartz halogen lamp that can lead to premature failure of the quartz halogen lamp.

Abstract: An orthogonal electromagnetic seal for an oven that heats items through the use of microwave energy is set forth. The oven has a cavity in which the items are to be placed, an opening to the cavity, and peripheral surfaces that surround the opening to the cavity. One of the peripheral surfaces is orthogonal to the other peripheral surfaces. The electromagnetic seal includes a choke panel, a plurality of tabs, and a choke ring. The choke panel is aligned with and has generally the same shape as the opening. The plurality of tabs extend from a periphery of the choke panel. A first set of the plurality of tabs is generally parallel to the orthogonal peripheral surface. The remaining tabs are parallel with the other peripheral surfaces. Each of the plurality of tabs is positioned between the associated peripheral surface and the choke ring. A choke cavity adjacent to each peripheral surface is defined by the choke ring, the choke panel, and the adjacent peripheral surface.

Abstract: A cooktop has a burner box. A porcelain wall is arranged to be removably fitted to the burner box so as form a burner box housing. The wall has a plurality of holes. Each porcelain bowl receives a corresponding heating element and has a basin which protrudes through a corresponding hole. A bowl shield is provided for each of the porcelains bowls such that each of the bowl shields is formed substantially around a corresponding basin. A plurality of controls control the heating elements. A temperature limit control deactivates at least one of the controls in the event of an over temperature condition.

Abstract: Apparatus for detecting a characteristic of a product undergoing heating senses a parameter of reflected light from the product and determines a point at which the sensed parameter reaches a certain level to detect the characteristic.

Abstract: A bearing system for mounting a rotating shaft includes a bearing assembly and a bearing mounting structure. The bearing assembly has an inner race which contacts the rotating shaft, an outer race, and bearing elements positioned therebetween. The outer race has an exterior surface with an outer dimension. The bearing mounting structure has a region for affixing it to an external structure in which the bearing system is to function. An internal surface of the bearing mounting structure defines a bearing cavity in which the bearing assembly is to be disposed. The internal surface engages the exterior surface of the outer race. The retention force exerted by the internal surface on the outer surface is determined by the design of the inner surface of the bearing mounting structure that defines the bearing cavity. The internal surface has cut-outs, or scallops, extending axially (with respect to the shaft) along the internal surface.

Abstract: A pass through oven system using a microwave oven with doors and a conveyor belt passing through the oven cavity. A sensor system detects the food item on the conveyor belt and identifies the food item. A controller in response to the sensor system moves the conveyor so that the food item is positioned within the cavity of the microwave oven, automatically engages the oven for a preset duration depending upon the identity of the food item and then moves the conveyor to remove the food item from the cavity.

Abstract: An oven with high power radiant cooking elements which are capable of operating at different intensities is disclosed for cooking food quickly with infrared radiation. The conduction of this infrared radiant energy varies substantially from food to food. Accordingly, the user of the oven must develop a unique data base or recipe for each food. A recipe consists of a number of stages each of which defines the output intensity of each cooking element for a period of time. A method is disclosed for the real time development of a recipe by varying the intensity of the cooking elements during the cooking cycle, optimizing the developed recipe to reduce the number of stages, storing the optimized recipe in memory and retrieving the optimized stored recipe for future use.