Patents by Inventor Daniel N. Toma

Daniel N. Toma 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: 4817297
    Abstract: A fabric dryer support structure serves multiple functions and facilitates dryer assembly. The dryer includes a drum, a panel supporting the open front end of the drum and a housing having front panel spaced from the open end of the drum. A unitary intermediate member bridges between the front panel and the drum, with an opening in the intermediate member in register with an access opening in the front panel and the open front end of the drum. A rim on the intermediate member is closely aligned with the front edge of the drum. The intermediate member also supports a filter in alignment with part of the drum opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Daniel N. Toma, Thomas P. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 4817298
    Abstract: A fabric dryer includes an improved blower assembly, incorporating a tangential blower wheel and a blower housing formed by parts which serve additional functions in the dryer housing. The blower wheel is mounted forward of and the blower motor is mounted rearward of the panel supporting the front of the dryer drum. A member bridging between the front wall of the dryer housing and the front of the drum includes an elongated wall extending between and engaging the drum support panel and the housing front wall to form the blower housing and exit conduit for air leaving the blower housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Daniel N. Toma
  • Patent number: 4640105
    Abstract: This invention relates to centrifuging machines, and more particularly to vertical axis washing machines, wherein improved vibration-isolating devices are provided to prevent unbalance-caused vibrations of the movable mass from being transmitted to the support structure of the machine to the extent that damage to or "walking" of the machine may occur.A suspension system is provided for suspending the movable mass above the machine support structure. The suspension system is formed by a plurality of circumferentially spaced spring members supported at the lower ends to the support structure. The springs are connected at their upper ends to a support member. The suspension system for supporting the movable mass on the support member includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced links which extend in the general direction of the vertical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1987
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gerald J. Kushner, Daniel N. Toma
  • Patent number: 4637231
    Abstract: This invention relates to automatic clothes washing machines, and more particularly to an improved structure in such machines for affecting the washing of very small loads of clothing in a high detergent concentration. The clothes washing machine has wash, rinse and spin extraction operations including an outer imperforate tub, an agitator, a first basket within the tub, a second smaller basket disposed within the first basket and positioned on the agitator for movement therewith. There is also a water supply for feeding water into the machine, drive system for operating the agitator to effect washing of clothes and for rotating the basket to centrifugally extract water from the clothes. Water is allowed to flow from the basket to the tub and may be recirculated from the tub into the baskets. The improvement is a controlled recirculation system wherein only a predetermined volume of water is transferred from the outer tub to the small basket by the recirculation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1987
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Stephen L. McMillan, Alvin Akers, Daniel N. Toma
  • Patent number: 4325234
    Abstract: An adjustable agitation system for an automatic washing machine, a drive shaft oscillatable about a first axis and an agitator oscillatable about a second axis. First and second drive members are mounted for oscillation with the drive shaft and agitator and form a plurality of selectively engageable finger and slot arrangements for oscillating the agitator through a selected one of a plurality of arcs in response to oscillation of the drive shaft through a predetermined arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1982
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Daniel N. Toma