Patents Assigned to Kohler Co.
  • Patent number: 12192691
    Abstract: An assembly including a speaker and a stand. The speaker including a speaker housing, speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce and audio output, and a rechargeable power source operable to power the speaker components. The stand being operable to support the speaker, the stand including a stand housing and a stand electrical circuit connectable to an external power source. The speaker and the stand are operable to perform a charging operation, the charging operation including the speaker supported on the stand and power supplied to the rechargeable power source. During the charging operation, the speaker components are operable to produce the audio output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Kenneth Scott Hanna, Michael James Soetaert, Keith Scott Ruh, William Clement Kuru, Gregory de Swarte
  • Patent number: 12178366
    Abstract: A walk in bath includes a shell, a door, and a seal member. The shell defines a bathing area and includes a wall with an opening therein. The door is moveable relative to the wall between a closed position, in which the door engages the opening, and an open position allowing ingress into and egress from the bathing area through the opening. The seal member is located between the wall and the door in the closed position to seal a gap therebetween to prohibit water from leaking from the bathing area through the gap. The seal member includes a first end, a second end, and an intermediate hollow section extending between the first and second ends. Each of the first and second ends is closed to prevent water from entering into the seal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventor: Ravikanth Manchiraju
  • Patent number: 12170865
    Abstract: A showerhead assembly includes a waterway assembly and a wireless speaker configured to be removably coupled to the waterway assembly. The waterway assembly includes a back plate and a face plate coupled to the back plate. The back plate includes an inlet. The face plate is coupled to the back plate and defines a plurality of outlets. The face plate also defines a through-hole that extends through the waterway assembly. The wireless speaker is configured to be disposed within the through-hole when coupled to the waterway assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventors: Zhiyu Liu, Rafael Rexach
  • Patent number: 12168864
    Abstract: A toilet having a one piece structure, a flush valve, and a seal. The structure includes a base having a fluid channel in fluid communication with a bowl; a tank having an internal compartment; a wall disposed between the tank and the base, the wall having an opening fluidly connecting the internal compartment and the fluid channel; and a retaining structure in the internal compartment. The flush valve has a valve body including an inner wall, which is disposed in the opening and extends from a first end in fluid communication with the internal compartment to a second end in fluid communication with the fluid channel, and a locking flange extending radially outward from the inner wall, the locking flange being retained between the retaining structure and the wall in a locking position. The seal is disposed between the locking flange and one of the wall or the retaining structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Daniel N. Halloran, Tony L. Lambert
  • Patent number: 12168862
    Abstract: A faucet mounting assembly for a faucet includes a conical nut and a receiving clip. The conical nut is coupled to a nozzle. The receiving clip is coupled to an inner surface of the faucet and is configured to receive the conical nut within. The receiving clip includes a substantially annular base, one or more tabs and a slot. The one or more tabs including fixed ends fixed to the substantially annular base and free ends opposite the fixed ends and bounded by the slot. The one or more tabs are configured to flex radially between a non-flexed position and a flexed position. The one or more tabs flex into the flexed position when the conical nut is repositioned in and out of engagement with the receiving clip and return to the non-flexed position when the conical nut is seated within the receiving clip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Perry D. Erickson, Jacob Frye, Ryan Leichty, Si He, Tonggang Pan, Luke Tian
  • Patent number: 12168865
    Abstract: An air drive system for a toilet includes a compression cylinder including an air space, a fluid space, a base orifice adjoining the fluid space, and an outlet orifice adjoining the air space, and an air drive passage configured to carry pressurized air to the toilet. The flow of water increases the fluid space of the compression cylinder or increases an air pressure associated with the air space of the compression cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: William Kuru, Clayton Garrels, Jeremiah Rauwerdink
  • Patent number: 12163325
    Abstract: A toilet includes a bowl with a sump and a trapway connecting the sump to an outlet of the toilet. The trapway has a zeta shape and is configured to induce a siphon which provides pressure to suction waste water from the bowl during a flush cycle. A trapway supply conduit is connected to the trapway in a tangential orientation to an upleg region of the trapway. The trapway supply conduit supplies water to the trapway, which follows a contour of the inner surface of the trapway supply conduit and continues in the same direction into the upleg region of the trapway by relying on a fluid flow to follow the curve of a convex surface placed proximate to the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Clayton C. Garrels, Jeremiah J. Rauwerdink, Randal S. Graskamp
  • Patent number: 12163321
    Abstract: A universal canister flush valve having a valve body configured to be fixed relative to a toilet tank and having a hollow wall defining an internal flow passage; a guide post coupled to and extending away from the valve body; a float fitted about and configured to slide relative to the guide post between a closed position and an open position, the float having an open top; and an extender that selectively couples to the open top in a first position, in which a first end of the extender is received in and coupled to the open top, and in a second position, in which a second end of the extender is received in and coupled to the open top, wherein the extender and float define a first overflow height in the first position and define a second overflow height in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Andrew L. Smith, Billy Jack Ahola, Donald G. Bogenschuetz, Lawrence E. Duwell, Peter W. Swart, Jeffrey T. Laundre, Bradley Strasser, Matthew Krebs, Douglas E. Bogard, Daniel N. Halloran, Scott R. Krebs, Edward F. Malis, Jr., Randy O. Mesun, Eric Derner, Stewart Anthony Schaal
  • Patent number: 12163322
    Abstract: A toilet having a one piece structure, a flush valve, and a seal. The structure includes a base having a fluid channel in fluid communication with a bowl; a tank having an internal compartment; a wall disposed between the tank and the base, the wall having an opening fluidly connecting the internal compartment and the fluid channel; and a retaining structure in the internal compartment. The flush valve has a valve body including an inner wall, which is disposed in the opening and extends from a first end in fluid communication with the internal compartment to a second end in fluid communication with the fluid channel, and a locking flange extending radially outward from the inner wall, the locking flange being retained between the retaining structure and the wall in a locking position. The seal is disposed between the locking flange and one of the wall or the retaining structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Daniel N. Halloran, Tony L. Lambert
  • Patent number: 12157129
    Abstract: A showerhead includes a flow device and a flow distribution member. The flow device is configured to produce a substantially laminar fluid stream. The flow distribution member is coupled to the flow device and is spaced apart from the flow device. The flow distribution member is configured to receive the substantially laminar fluid stream from the flow device and to produce a distributed fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventors: Michael J. Soetaert, James J. Barczynski, Paul B. Georgeson, Todd W. Leonhard
  • Publication number: 20240393061
    Abstract: A heat exchanger for a shower environment includes a panel having an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of flow channels. The panel is disposed within the shower environment. The plurality of flow channels fluidly couples the inlet with the outlet. The panel is configured to condense steam to heat a fluid flowing through the plurality of flow channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2024
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Applicant: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: William Kalk, William Kuru
  • Patent number: 12152378
    Abstract: A method for making a sink with a supporting structure including providing a sink including at least one basin and a rim extending outwardly from at least one side of the at least one basin, and coupling a support structure in the form of at least one channel to an underside of the at least one side of the rim using a tool. The tool includes a channel support configured to receive one channel of the at least one channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Jason R. Miller, Brian Siehr, Theodore Nikolai, Joseph Bolden
  • Patent number: 12152381
    Abstract: A toilet assembly includes a flush engine having a bowl, a sump at a lower portion of the bowl, and a trapway extending from the sump. The toilet assembly further includes a first polymeric layer at least partially surrounding the flush engine, the first polymeric layer comprising a foam. The toilet assembly further includes a second polymeric layer provided on the first polymeric layer, the second polymeric layer comprising resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Mark W. Schibur, Clayton C. Garrels, Jeremiah J. Rauwerdink
  • Patent number: 12146603
    Abstract: A faucet includes a base and a spout. The base is configured to be coupled to a mounting surface. The spout is rotatably coupled to the base. The spout includes a plurality of magnetic joints each including a different number of magnetic members, and a plurality of conduits rotatably coupled to each other by a magnetic joint of the plurality of magnetic joints. The spout extends from the base to a free end configured to discharge a fluid. The plurality of magnetic joints are arranged such that the number of magnetic members on each magnetic joint progressively increases from the free end to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Chanseol Chung, Linghua Chen
  • Publication number: 20240374086
    Abstract: A shower receptor includes a base having a floor surface configured for a user to stand on. The floor surface includes a first portion having a first coefficient of friction and a second portion having a second coefficient of friction. The first portion is an etched area of the floor surface that defines a surface texture having a depth. The second portion is an unetched area of the floor surface. The first coefficient of friction of the first portion has a first value when the first portion is wet and the second coefficient of friction of the second portion has a second value when the second portion is wet. The first value is higher than the second value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2024
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Applicant: Kohler Co.
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Stout
  • Patent number: 12139899
    Abstract: A tankless toilet includes a bowl, a trapway, and a jet. The bowl includes a rim at an upper portion of the bowl and a sump at a lower portion of the bowl. The trapway extends from the sump to a drain. The jet includes a main channel configured to receive a supply of water from a supply conduit, and a plurality of distribution channels configured to introduce water received from the main channel to at least one of the sump and the trapway. The jet is configured to receive the supply of water from the supply conduit at a first flow rate and induce a flow from the supply of water into the trapway at a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate to prime a siphon within the trapway. The second flow rate is greater than the first flow rate prior to priming the siphon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Sudip Mukerji, Michael J. Luettgen, William Kalk, Randy Mesun, Jeff Laundre, Jeremy Rauwerdink, John Esche, Keith Muellenbach, Clayton Garrels
  • Patent number: 12137850
    Abstract: A shower system includes shower frame, a plurality of nozzles, and a shower seat. The shower frame includes a plurality of substantially coplanar frame segments forming at least part of a perimeter of the shower frame. The plurality of nozzles are distributed across the plurality of substantially coplanar frame segments and configured to spray water inward from the perimeter of shower frame. The shower seat is pivotally connected to the shower frame and configured to pivot between a seated position in which the shower seat is substantially perpendicular to the shower frame and a standing position in which is substantially parallel to the shower frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Chanseol Muraoka, Lun Cheak Tan, Ka Ming Larry Yuen
  • Patent number: 12135535
    Abstract: A system of household appliances is configured to provide services according to user identity. The system includes a first appliance, a server or other network device, and a second appliance. The first appliance is configured to collect sensor data associated with an identity of a user. The server or other network device is configured to receive the sensor data from the first appliance and analyze the sensor data to determine the identity of the user. The second appliance is configured to provide a device function to the user based on the identity determined from the sensor data collected by the first appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Jonathan D. Bradley, Marwan Estiban, Rafael Rexach, Nicole Allis
  • Patent number: D1051299
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventor: Drew Johnson
  • Patent number: D1051307
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: KOHLER CO.
    Inventors: Stephen J. Bowen, Xinyao Liu