Patents by Inventor Douglas A. Heims

Douglas A. Heims 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: 7121109
    Abstract: A dispenser assembly for a refrigerator includes a fill chamber and a dispenser housing positioned above the fill chamber. The dispenser is fed by a liquid supply line having a first end portion attached to a liquid source, a second end portion and an intermediate portion. The second end portion of the liquid supply line terminates at the dispenser housing above the fill chamber and is provided with a nozzle held in place by a clamp. The clamp is fixedly secured to the liquid supply line and includes a protrusion that engages a wall member on the dispenser housing to properly position the second end of the liquid supply line above the fill chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas A. Heims
  • Patent number: 5971408
    Abstract: A vertically adjustable wheel assembly for movably supporting an appliance cabinet or the like upon a supporting surface includes a housing, a supporting bracket, a wheel unit, an adjusting rod, an adjusting screw and various elongated mounting members. The wheel unit is defined by a pair of spaced rollers that are interconnected by a reduced diametric portion. The wheel unit is rotatably attached to the support bracket by an axle member, while the adjusting rod is also mounted for rotary movement by the support bracket. The support bracket is pivotally mounted to the housing, with both the wheel unit and the adjusting rod being permitted to rotate relative thereto. The adjusting screw extends through a frontal portion of the housing and it is threadably connected to the adjusting rod such that rotation of the screw causes pivoting of the support bracket relative to the housing and movement of the wheel assembly between fully extended and fully retracted positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Sheldon W. Mandel, Douglas A. Heims
  • Patent number: 5820239
    Abstract: A bin for a cabinet is supported by an upper supporting structure for movement between a first position wherein the bin is recessed within the cabinet and a second position wherein the bin is shifted relative to the upper supporting structure in order to access a storage zone of the bin. As the bin is shifted to the second position, at least one projection provided on the bottom of the bin engages a lower supporting structure to relieve stresses on the upper supporting structure. In the preferred embodiment, the bin is mounted in a refrigerator cabinet and a floor of a cabinet liner defines the lower supporting structure. The upper supporting structure is secured to sides of the liner and further engages a ledge integrally formed with the liner. In addition, the bin preferably slides and pivots downwardly upon shifting to the second position in order to maximize the access opening to the storage zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Christenson, Jose G. Avendano, Walter I. Disbennett, Douglas A. Heims
  • Patent number: 5711162
    Abstract: A refrigerator compressor mounting pan arrangement is preferably formed out of a metal plate which is drawn to form a pair of laterally spaced wheel wells that project upwardly from an upper surface of the plate. On the lower surface of the plate, on opposing side of each wheel well, are recessed pocket portions which define enlarged areas against which wheel axles can bear. A plurality of spaced tabs are lanced out of the plate adjacent each pocket such that, when a wheel having an associated axle is positioned in the well the axle bearing against the pockets, the tabs may be readily bent about the axle to retain the axle in a desired load bearing position. A plurality of additional tabs are lanced out of the plate and project upwardly from the upper surface of the plate in order to enable a compressor and a condenser to be readily secured atop the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald L. Wolanin, Douglas A. Heims
  • Patent number: 5567029
    Abstract: A retainer assembly for preventing tall food containers placed on a shelf of a refrigerator door liner from falling off the shelf when the refrigerator door is abruptly opened or closed includes a retainer member in the form of an elongated rod or bar that includes an intermediate portion and bent end sections and a retainer element. Each of the bent end sections includes an out-turned terminal end that is pivotally connected to the dike portion of the inner liner. The retainer element preferably comprises a block that defines various spaced grooves or recesses. The retainer element is attached to a sidewall of the dike portion with the various grooves being spaced vertically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Haenisch, Douglas A. Heims, Warren F. Johnson
  • Patent number: D511534
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence J. Ertz, Douglas A. Heims, David Allen Stauffer