Patents by Inventor Manfredi Signorino

Manfredi Signorino 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: 9885463
    Abstract: A refrigerating or freezing apparatus comprising an interior and a lighting device for illuminating the interior is presented. The lighting device includes in one embodiment a light-emitting element and a reflecting surface, in the direction of which the light-emitting element emits a light beam and by which the light beam is reflected in the direction of the interior. The lighting device further includes a drive device controlled by a control unit to adjust the light-emitting element with respect to the reflecting surface and thereby vary at least one of the radiating position and radiating direction of the light beam emitted by the light-emitting element relative to the reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Johann Sckenkl, Manfredi Signorino
  • Patent number: 9861248
    Abstract: A sensor and a method of manufacture of a sensor includes a light interface portion comprising first and second walls, where a cavity is provided between the first and second walls, and where the first wall is configured such that at least a portion of light is totally reflected at the first wall when the sensor-external medium is water, and at least a portion of light is coupled out when the sensor-external medium is air, and a portion of light is coupled out and a further portion of light is totally reflected by the first wall when the sensor-external medium comprises foam. Light that is reflected by the first wall is directed toward a second wall, and reflected at the second wall to be directed to a light receiving element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino, Johannes Baumer, Georg Wilhelm
  • Publication number: 20170363347
    Abstract: A domestic cooling appliance includes a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space. The shelf assembly includes a shelf panel and a pair of left and right metal support brackets disposed adjacent one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel and extend between front and rear edges of the shelf panel. Each support bracket includes at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to an inner rear wall of the cabinet and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of support brackets where at least a first coupling member of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket for engaging the shelf panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino, Georg Spiessl, Georg Wilhelm, Benjamin Schemela
  • Publication number: 20170086322
    Abstract: A shelf assembly for a refrigerator or freezer includes a receiving plate for receiving objects, a holding arrangement which is joined to the receiving plate to form a structural unit and by means of which the shelf assembly can be mounted in a cooling or freezing space of the refrigerator or freezer on delimiting walls of the cooling or freezing space, and an electrical consumer such as a lighting module. The holding arrangement has a holding element which is arranged in the region of a side edge of the receiving plate, extends along the side edge and is made at least in part of an electrically conducting metal material. The shelf assembly forms a power supply path via the metal material where the power supply path includes an electrically conducting element that extends into a cutout in the holding element and in electrically conducting contact with the holding element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino, Georg Spiessl, Georg Wilhelm
  • Publication number: 20170082353
    Abstract: A domestic cooling appliance includes a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space. The shelf assembly includes a shelf panel and a pair of left and right support brackets disposed adjacent one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel and extend between front and rear edges of the shelf panel. Each support bracket includes at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to an inner rear wall of the cabinet and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of support brackets where at least one of the one or more coupling members is configured with a first pocket, where the shelf panel engages the first pocket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino, Georg Spiessl, Georg Wilhelm, Benjamin Schemela
  • Publication number: 20170023232
    Abstract: An electrical household appliance includes an appliance body having a body interior, into which a shelf for storing objects is inserted, and an illumination device having a light source, and a light-directing structure which couples one portion of the light generated by the light source into a narrow side of the shelf, and directs another portion of the light generated by the light source into the body interior.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Manfredi Signorino, Johann Schenkl, Martin Brabec
  • Publication number: 20160258616
    Abstract: A luminaire for installation in an electrical household appliance, e.g. a washing machine, includes, in one embodiment, two light-emitting diodes mounted on a circuit board, an elongated luminaire housing having a light exit area, which is formed by a light-permeable piece of the housing wall, in an area of a first longitudinal end of the luminaire housing, and also a light-conducting body having a light-conducting tube which extends inside the luminaire housing and which conducts, towards the light exit area, light which is given off by the light-emitting diodes. In one embodiment, a metalizing layer provided on the inner peripheral face of the light-conducting tube rests, in heat-transmitting contact with one or more conductive traces, on the upper side of the circuit board. In addition to its light-conducting function, the light-conducting tube thus fulfils a function for discharging heat from the circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventors: Martin Brabec, Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino
  • Publication number: 20160258672
    Abstract: A refrigeration or freezing cabinet includes a cabinet corpus having an interior space configured for storing goods to be chilled or frozen, and a cabinet door which is attached to the cabinet corpus so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis of pivoting. In one embodiment, there is arranged or formed, on the inside of the door, a pair of rib members which extend vertically at a distance from one another and support one or more door shelving elements. In this embodiment, there is attached to one of the rib members of the pair, which rib member is located closer to the axis of pivoting, an illuminating strip designed with a plurality of lighting elements arranged vertically one above another. The illuminating strip is attached to that lateral face of the rib member in question which faces towards the interior space of the refrigerator when the door is open.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventors: Albert Dirnberger, Manfredi Signorino
  • Publication number: 20160223460
    Abstract: A sensor and a method of manufacture of a sensor includes a light interface portion comprising first and second walls, where a cavity is provided between the first and second walls, and where the first wall is configured such that at least a portion of light is totally reflected at the first wall when the sensor-external medium is water, and at least a portion of light is coupled out when the sensor-external medium is air, and a portion of light is coupled out and a further portion of light is totally reflected by the first wall when the sensor-external medium comprises foam. Light that is reflected by the first wall is directed toward a second wall, and reflected at the second wall to be directed to a light receiving element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino, Johannes Baumer, Georg Wilhelm
  • Publication number: 20160138782
    Abstract: A refrigerating or freezing apparatus comprising an interior and a lighting device for illuminating the interior is presented. The lighting device includes in one embodiment a light-emitting element and a reflecting surface, in the direction of which the light-emitting element emits a light beam and by which the light beam is reflected in the direction of the interior. The lighting device further includes a drive device controlled by a control unit to adjust the light-emitting element with respect to the reflecting surface and thereby vary at least one of the radiating position and radiating direction of the light beam emitted by the light-emitting element relative to the reflecting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventors: Johann Sckenkl, Manfredi Signorino
  • Patent number: 9274012
    Abstract: A sensor device to measure a force or pressure in a washing handling apparatus includes a light source, a light receiver, a light-reflecting surface that reflects light emitted by the light source toward the light receiver, and one or more spring elements that biases the light-reflecting surface into a predefined initial position with respect to the light source and the light receiver where the light-reflecting surface is disposed to be displaceable with respect to the light source and the light receiver in response to application of an external force or pressure against a resetting force of the one or more spring elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Johannes Baumer, Michael Sorgenfrei, Manfredi Signorino
  • Publication number: 20160047966
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electrical household appliance, namely a refrigeration and/or freezer device or a stove, comprising at least one luminous plate (24) illuminating an interior of the appliance, and a light source device (30) feeding light into at least one narrow side of the luminous plate. According to the invention, the light source device includes at least one light-emitting diode (32) and a lens optics, which collects at least a major portion of the light emitted by the light-emitting diode, directing the light to at least one narrow side of the luminous plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Applicant: EMZ-HANAUER GMBH & CO. KGAA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Manfredi Signorino, Martin Brabec
  • Publication number: 20150308725
    Abstract: An ice-making device for a refrigerator or freezer comprises: an ice-making tray having an upper side, a lower side, a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction of said tray, wherein said ice-making tray is mounted so as to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation which is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tray; a collecting container arranged underneath the ice-making tray for catching ice which falls out of said ice-making tray when the latter is in an emptying rotational position; a wall structure which, when the ice-making tray is in an ice-making rotational position, delimits a first air duct which runs underneath said ice-making tray and is open towards the underside of said tray, wherein said first air duct runs in the longitudinal direction of the tray and extends over substantially the entire length of the ice-making tray, wherein the wall structure has at least one wall element which, when the ice-making tray is in the ice-making rotational position, projects into a falling tr
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Volker Friedmann, Holger Jendrusch, Stefan Rapp, Matthias Wiest, Bernd Brabenec, Mario Kaiser, Hans Gerd Keller, Karl-Friedrich Laible, Peter Lienhart, Ulrich Demi, Albert Dirnberger, Josef Bauriedl, Georg Spiessl, Manfredi Signorino
  • Publication number: 20150042220
    Abstract: A sensor device to measure a force or pressure in a washing handling apparatus includes a light source, a light receiver, a light-reflecting surface that reflects light emitted by the light source toward the light receiver, and one or more spring elements that biases the light-reflecting surface into a predefined initial position with respect to the light source and the light receiver where the light-reflecting surface is disposed to be displaceable with respect to the light source and the light receiver in response to application of an external force or pressure against a resetting force of the one or more spring elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Johannes Baumer, Michael Sorgenfrei, Manfredi Signorino
  • Patent number: 8888929
    Abstract: A device to capture the relative position of a component (14) of which the position can change relative to a reference component (12) of a washing handling device (10), in particular a washing machine or drier, includes at least one light source (34, 38, 42), at least one light receiver (36, 40, 44), a light-reflecting surface (50, 52), which reflects light which the light source (34, 38, 42) emits to the light receiver (36, 40, 44). The device is designed to capture the present relative position of the changeable-position component (14) relative to the reference component (12), according to the reflected light which the light receiver (36, 40, 44) captures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KgaA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Johannes Baumer, Michael Sorgenfrei, Manfredi Signorino
  • Patent number: 8648321
    Abstract: An optical sensor for use in a washing machine or dishwasher comprises a housing, a light-emitting element, a light-receiving element and a light-conducting structure, which is made from a transparent material, having a light entry point, a first reflection surface, a second reflection surface and a light exit point. A light measurement path runs from the light-emitting element, via the light entry point, the first reflection surface, the second reflection surface and the light exit point, to the light-receiving element wherein the light undergoes total reflection on the first reflection surface and on the second reflection surface and where a light beam that runs from the first reflection surface to the second reflection surface has a cross-sectional area of not less than 0.9 mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkel, Martin Brabec, Manfredi Signorino
  • Publication number: 20120073613
    Abstract: A device to capture the relative position of a component (14) of which the position can change relative to a reference component (12) of a washing handling device (10), in particular a washing machine or drier, includes at least one light source (34, 38, 42), at least one light receiver (36, 40, 44), a light-reflecting surface (50, 52), which reflects light which the light source (34, 38, 42) emits to the light receiver (36, 40, 44). The device is designed to capture the present relative position of the changeable-position component (14) relative to the reference component (12), according to the reflected light which the light receiver (36, 40, 44) captures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: emz-Hanuaer GmbH & Co. KgaA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Johannes Baumer, Michael Sorgenfrei, Manfredi Signorino
  • Publication number: 20120001099
    Abstract: An optical sensor for use in a washing machine or dishwasher comprises a housing, a light-emitting element, a light-receiving element and a light-conducting structure, which is made from a transparent material, having a light entry point, a first reflection surface, a second reflection surface and a light exit point. The light-emitting element, the light-receiving element and the light-conducting structure define a light measurement path that runs, in this sequence, from the light-emitting element, via the light entry point, the first reflection surface, the second reflection surface and the light exit point, to the light-receiving element. In this case, on a section located between the first and the second reflection surface, the light measurement path runs outside the housing. The light that reaches the light-receiving element, along the light measurement path, from the light-emitting element undergoes total reflection on the first reflection surface and on the second reflection surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2010
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Johann Schenkl, Martin Brabec, Manfredi Signorino