Patents by Inventor Ashley Wayne Burt

Ashley Wayne Burt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9709284
    Abstract: A user interface for an appliance is provided for displaying information about multiple operating states of a feature of the appliance within an area for selecting the operative state of the feature. More particularly, a portion of the user interface may be configured both to display a feature's current state and to allow a user to change the state of the feature in the same physical location. A cooktop appliance with features for displaying a selected size, heating element, and/or power density of a cooking zone of the cooktop appliance co-located within an area for selecting the size, heating element, and/or power density of the cooking zone also is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: James Carter Bach, Ashley Wayne Burt
  • Patent number: 9535425
    Abstract: An independent monitoring system and method for measuring the airflow rate in an appliance and determining its sufficiency is provided. An airflow detection system that monitors airflow rate (velocity) in an appliance is separate from the primary appliance control system and can determine whether a sufficient flow of air through air passageways occurs during operation of the appliance. An appliance component or subsystem can be controlled (e.g. activated or deactivated) by the airflow monitoring system based on the detected airflow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: James Carter Bach, Ashley Wayne Burt
  • Publication number: 20160299595
    Abstract: A user interface for an appliance is provided for displaying information about multiple operating states of a feature of the appliance within an area for selecting the operative state of the feature. More particularly, a portion of the user interface may be configured both to display a feature's current state and to allow a user to change the state of the feature in the same physical location. A cooktop appliance with features for displaying a selected size, heating element, and/or power density of a cooking zone of the cooktop appliance co-located within an area for selecting the size, heating element, and/or power density of the cooking zone also is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: James Carter Bach, Ashley Wayne Burt
  • Patent number: 9303878
    Abstract: An appliance includes an oven cavity; a gas burner disposed within the oven cavity; an electrical heating element disposed within the oven cavity; and a controller in operative communication with the gas burner and the electrical heating element, the controller being configured to receive a signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, and to selectively activate at least one of the gas burner and the electrical heating element based upon the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, John Mark Smith
  • Patent number: 9152135
    Abstract: A system and method of remotely interacting with an appliance system are provided. A remote device, such as a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., can initiate communications with an appliance through a communications network. When a remote enablement mode is initiated at the appliance, the remote device can interact with the appliance. For instance, the remote device can initiate operational cycles, activate notifications, perform diagnostic routines, etc. The remote enablement mode can be initiated by a user within the proximity of the appliance using a remote enable interface. The remote enable interface can be a mechanical device, an electromechanical device, and/or a selection through a user interface coupled to the appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jay Andrew Broniak, John P. Ouseph, Ashley Wayne Burt, Kevin Dennis Mazzella
  • Patent number: 8843242
    Abstract: An electromechanically controlled cooking appliance is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ashley Wayne Burt
  • Publication number: 20140070927
    Abstract: A system and method of remotely interacting with an appliance system are provided. A remote device, such as a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., can initiate communications with an appliance through a communications network. When a remote enablement mode is initiated at the appliance, the remote device can interact with the appliance. For instance, the remote device can initiate operational cycles, activate notifications, perform diagnostic routines, etc. The remote enablement mode can be initiated by a user within the proximity of the appliance using a remote enable interface. The remote enable interface can be a mechanical device, an electromechanical device, and/or a selection through a user interface coupled to the appliance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jay Andrew Broniak, John P. Ouseph, Ashley Wayne Burt, Kevin Dennis Mazzella
  • Patent number: 8624430
    Abstract: A standby power system for an appliance having a power input coupled to a main power source includes a power enabling device coupled between the main power source and power input of the appliance, a standby power state sensing device coupled to the power enabling device, and a power restore device coupled to the power enabling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric K. Watson, Steven Keith Root, Jeff Donald Drake, Ashley Wayne Burt, Jeffrey S. Weber, Donald Ganiere
  • Publication number: 20130309958
    Abstract: An independent monitoring system and method for measuring the airflow rate in an appliance and determining its sufficiency is provided. An airflow detection system that monitors airflow rate (velocity) in an appliance is separate from the primary appliance control system and can determine whether a sufficient flow of air through air passageways occurs during operation of the appliance. An appliance component or subsystem can be controlled (e.g. activated or deactivated) by the airflow monitoring system based on the detected airflow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: James Carter Bach, Ashley Wayne Burt
  • Patent number: 8463448
    Abstract: An energy consuming device comprises a power consuming feature/function and a controller operatively connected to the power consuming feature/function. The controller is configured to operate the device including the power consuming feature/function in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode during an associated off-peak demand period of an associated energy supplying utility and an energy savings mode during an associated peak demand period of the associated energy supplying utility. The controller is configured to provide a user a grace period during the associated peak demand period to allow the user to change the operating mode of the power consuming feature/function from the energy savings mode to another operating mode including the normal operating mode thereby allowing additional use of the power consuming feature/function during the associated peak demand period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, Michael F. Finch, Gregory F. Gawron, Mark Davis Johnson, Jeffrey S. Weber
  • Publication number: 20120312806
    Abstract: An appliance and method for enabling a consumer to easily override a low energy mode of an appliance to enable a feature or function of the appliance not typically available in the low energy mode. When an appliance or device is in an energy savings mode, multiple consumer requests for a given feature or function within a prescribed period of time can operate to override the energy savings mode and permit operation of the feature and/or function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, Michael Francis Finch, Robert Lafleur
  • Patent number: 8190302
    Abstract: A system for reducing peak power usage in a cooking appliance having an oven cavity therein is provided. The system includes at least one power consuming unit with at least two separately controllable elements, a user adjustable electromechanical switching device for controlling energization of the at least one power consuming unit, a control configured to receive and process a utility state signal indicative of the current state of an associated utility; and an element switching device responsive to the control and configured to selectively enable and disable energization of one of the elements in response to the utility state signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, Brian M. Steurer, Mark Davis Johnson
  • Publication number: 20110290781
    Abstract: An appliance includes an oven cavity; a gas burner disposed within the oven cavity; an electrical heating element disposed within the oven cavity; and a controller in operative communication with the gas burner and the electrical heating element, the controller being configured to receive a signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, and to selectively activate at least one of the gas burner and the electrical heating element based upon the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, John Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20110214660
    Abstract: A system for monitoring a cooling fan having one or more fans blade and utilized in an appliance having a heating element. Such a system generally includes an electric switch actuated by a magnetic field of a magnet mounted on a rotary member of the cooling fan. The electric switch can be located proximate to the magnet, such that the magnet rotates past the electric switch to actuate the electric switch via the magnetic field at a switching frequency with each rotation of the rotary member. Such a system can include a circuit responsive to an electrical signal from the electric switch. The circuit can generates a signal indicative of the status of the cooling fan, based on the switching frequency of the electric switch. Such a signal can prevent overheating of the heating elements in case of a failure of the cooling fan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Inventors: Timothy Andrew GILLESPIE, Ashley Wayne Burt, Gregory Francis Gawron, Gregory Owen Miller, Paul E. Newsom, Daniel Joseph Trice
  • Publication number: 20110148390
    Abstract: An energy consuming device comprises a power consuming feature/function and a controller operatively connected to the power consuming feature/function. The controller is configured to operate the device including the power consuming feature/function in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode during an associated off-peak demand period of an associated energy supplying utility and an energy savings mode during an associated peak demand period of the associated energy supplying utility. The controller is configured to provide a user a grace period during the associated peak demand period to allow the user to change the operating mode of the power consuming feature/function from the energy savings mode to another operating mode including the normal operating mode thereby allowing additional use of the power consuming feature/function during the associated peak demand period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, Michael F. Finch, Gregory F. Gawron, Mark Davis Johnson, Jeffrey S. Weber
  • Publication number: 20110115296
    Abstract: A standby power system for an appliance having a power input coupled to a main power source includes a power enabling device coupled between the main power source and power input of the appliance, a standby power state sensing device coupled to the power enabling device, and a power restore device coupled to the power enabling device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventors: Eric K. Watson, Steven Keith Root, Jeff Donald Drake, Ashley Wayne Burt, Jeffrey S. Weber, Donald Ganiere
  • Publication number: 20110114627
    Abstract: An electromechanically controlled cooking appliance is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventor: Ashley Wayne Burt
  • Publication number: 20110071696
    Abstract: A system for reducing peak power usage in a cooking appliance having an oven cavity therein is provided. The system includes at least one power consuming unit with at least two separately controllable elements, a user adjustable electromechanical switching device for controlling energization of the at least one power consuming unit, a control configured to receive and process a utility state signal indicative of the current state of an associated utility; and an element switching device responsive to the control and configured to selectively enable and disable energization of one of the elements in response to the utility state signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Inventors: Ashley Wayne Burt, Brian M. Steurer, Mark Davis Johnson
  • Publication number: 20100092625
    Abstract: A cooking appliance comprises one or more power consuming features/functions including at least one of a cooking cavity having a heating element and a cooking surface having a surface heating element. A controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of current state of an associated energy supplying utility. The controller operates the cooking appliance in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively delay, adjust and disable at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the cooking appliance in the energy savings mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Michael F. Finch, John K. Besore, Timothy Dale Worthington, Brian M. Steurer, Derrick Douglas Little, Ashley Wayne Burt, Patrick Ryan Cox, Craig Nold, Jeff Donald Drake, Jeremy Joseph Ryan, Darin Franks, Steven Keith Root, Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, Eric Watson, Jeffrey S. Weber