Patents by Inventor Joel Boyer

Joel Boyer 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: 12290225
    Abstract: A dishwasher and method for making and/or using the same utilize one or more walking tubular spray elements that may be used to effectively increase the spray coverage area of the tubular spray elements through rotation and/or movement of the walking tubular spray elements in directions other than about the longitudinal axes thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Bassam Fawaz, Mark W. Wilson, Robert M. Digman, Timothy Martin Wetzel
  • Patent number: 12285144
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may utilize a state machine-based control system and/or beverage container type determination to manage washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman, Dylan Rowe
  • Patent number: 12279737
    Abstract: A wall mounted dishwasher incorporates storage into an exterior door of the dishwasher to facilitate user access to utensils stored in the dishwasher. The exterior door may be hinged and configured to rotate about a substantially vertical axis, and one or more spray devices and/or one or more fluid collection pans may be integrated into the exterior door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman, Bassam Fawaz, Russell Dietrich
  • Patent number: 12274409
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may utilize a through opening air knife to direct a flow of pressurized fluid through an opening in a concentric housing member of a beverage container washing system and onto a beverage container disposed within a wash chamber thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Patent number: 12268346
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, may include a lighting system with a plurality of lights disposed on a housing of the beverage container washing system and configured to be illuminated with various types of animations to convey different types of information to a customer and/or retail establishment employee.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman, Dylan Rowe
  • Patent number: 12268347
    Abstract: A dishwasher and method for operating the same utilize a diverter valve to control via rotation the flow of fluid such as wash fluid or pressurized air to a rotatable conduit supported in the rack of a dishwasher. A valve member may be disposed at a predetermined rotational position about an axis of rotation of the conduit such that a fluid inlet on a rotatable valve body may be rotated to the predetermined rotational position to restrict fluid flow to the conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Robert M. Digman, Joel Boyer
  • Patent number: 12251066
    Abstract: A dishwasher includes in part a controllably-movable sprayer and a controller coupled to the controllably-movable sprayer and configured to control the controllably-movable sprayer to spray fluid onto one or more utensils disposed in a wash tub during a wash cycle. The controller is also configured to control the controllably-movable sprayer to spray fluid onto one or more walls of the wash tub by controllably-redirecting the controllably-movable sprayer to reorient one or more apertures of the sprayer away from the one or more utensils and towards the one or more walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman, Russell Dietrich, Bassam Fawaz
  • Patent number: 12245735
    Abstract: A tubular spray element for a dishwasher is rotatably supported and/or supplied with fluid at an intermediate location along the length of the tubular spray element, such that least one aperture that directs fluid into a wash tub is disposed on each side of the intermediate location. In addition, a tubular spray element drive may be positioned externally from the wash tub and mechanically coupled to the tubular spray element through a shaft seal such that the fluid supply to the tubular spray element can be entirely within the wash tub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Joel Boyer
  • Publication number: 20250072706
    Abstract: A dishwasher may utilize personalized utensil detection to detect the utensils regularly washed by the dishwasher, in part based upon training of a personalized machine learning model used in personalized utensil detection. One or more scanning aids may also be used to provide a common frame of reference when capturing images of utensils used to train the personalized machine learning model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2023
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Inventor: Joel Boyer
  • Patent number: 12239272
    Abstract: A single cavity dishwashing appliance with one or more drawers is disclosed. The drawer may be moveable between a closed position and an open position. A drip shield may be provided to prevent washing fluid from dripping onto the floor or onto the inner components of the dishwashing appliance when the drawer is in the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Robert M. Digman, Eric Scalf, Bassam Fawaz, Joel Boyer, Russell Dietrich
  • Patent number: 12201257
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include multiple concentric housing members supported on a base, and an air knife chamber that supply air from a stationary air supply to an air knife opening on a rotatable one of the concentric housing members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Bassam Fawaz
  • Patent number: 12193625
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include a pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer that may be used to sanitize an interior of a beverage container by extending into an opening of the beverage container and emitting ultraviolet light onto an interior surface of the beverage container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Publication number: 20250000327
    Abstract: A rack-mounted tubular spray element assembly is capable of both rotating and supplying fluid to multiple rack-supported tubular spray elements when the rack is in a washing position that couples the rack-mounted tubular spray element assembly to a wall-supported and electrical motor-driven rotatable drive member and a wall-supported fluid port that is physically separated from the rotatable drive member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2023
    Publication date: January 2, 2025
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Patent number: 12082761
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may utilize a heated wash fluid circulation system to circulate wash fluid retained in a line between a tank and a sprayer to enable fluid that is supplied to the sprayer to be maintained at a suitable temperature for washing and/or sanitizing a beverage container, and in many instances regardless of the amount of time between wash cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Patent number: 12042111
    Abstract: A dishwasher and method utilize a cam-based position sensor that is configured to sense multiple rotational positions for a discretely directable tubular spray element driven by a tubular spray element drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Patent number: 12035865
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include multiple concentric housing members supported on a base, with each having one or more openings that may be selectively aligned through driven movement of at least one of the concentric housing members to provide access to a wash chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Patent number: 12029369
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include a pop-up sprayer that includes multiple nozzles, one of which is oriented to spray wash fluid into an interior of a beverage container and another of which is oriented to spray wash fluid onto an outer lip of the beverage container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
  • Patent number: 12029372
    Abstract: A detergent dispenser may be positioned to dispense detergent into a wash tub of a household appliance. The detergent dispenser may include a detergent cartridge. The detergent cartridge may include a detergent strip having a plurality of detergents. One or more ejection mechanisms may be used to expel the detergent from the detergent strip through an outlet of the detergent cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bassam Fawaz, Robert M. Digman, Joel Boyer, Russell Dietrich
  • Patent number: 12022988
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include multiple concentric housing members supported on a base, and a slip ring configured to supply power to one or more ultraviolet lights of an ultraviolet sanitizing assembly and disposed on a rotatable one of the concentric housing members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Joel Boyer
  • Patent number: 12011132
    Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. Separate entrance and exit openings may be provided in some instances to minimize employee interaction with unwashed customer beverage containers. A spray assembly may be used to spray wash fluid heated to a sanitizing temperature onto beverage containers and an ultraviolet sanitizing assembly may be used to emit ultraviolet light toward beverage containers. The spray assembly may also include a tank with first and second chambers and a cross-over with an inverted conduit fluidly coupling the first and second chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Robert M. Digman, Daniel J. Trice, Joel Boyer, John Kenneth Hooker, Bassam Fawaz