Patents by Inventor Michael A. Funk
Michael A. Funk 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).
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Patent number: 11821631Abstract: A door assembly for a microwave appliance includes a door frame that defines a door plenum and an air inlet. A monitor cradle is positioned toward a front of the door frame for receiving an image monitor. A duct is mounted to the door frame to divide the plenum into a low pressure region and a high pressure region, and an air handler is mounted to the duct to urge a flow of air from the air inlet, through the low pressure region, and into high pressure region. The flow of air cools electronics in the high pressure region before passing through an upper outlet that directs the flow of air along a surface of the image monitor and through a lower outlet that directs the flow of air along a transverse direction below the image monitor.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2020Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: Michael Blackwood, Michael A. Funk
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Patent number: 11821633Abstract: A door assembly for a microwave appliance includes a door frame that defines a door plenum and an air inlet. A monitor cradle is positioned toward a front of the door frame for receiving an image monitor seated on top of or flush with a front of the door frame. A duct is mounted to the door frame to divide the plenum into a low pressure region and a high pressure region, and an air handler urges a flow of air through the door plenum. A trim piece is removably mounted to a top of the door frame and includes a front guide that is spaced apart from the image monitor to define an upper outlet through which the flow of air passes downward along the vertical direction in front of the image monitor.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2020Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.Inventors: Michael A. Funk, Michael Blackwood
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Patent number: 11778702Abstract: A method of operating a microwave appliance includes determining that a vent fan is on, and instructing an air handler within a door of the microwave appliance to operate in response to determining that the vent fan is on.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2021Date of Patent: October 3, 2023Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: Michael Robin Blackwood, Michael A. Funk
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Publication number: 20220295607Abstract: A method of operating a microwave appliance includes determining that a vent fan is on, and instructing an air handler within a door of the microwave appliance to operate in response to determining that the vent fan is on.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2021Publication date: September 15, 2022Inventors: Michael Robin Blackwood, Michael A. Funk
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Publication number: 20220124883Abstract: A method for operating a door assembly of an appliance, the door assembly including a display and being configured for providing selective access to a cavity of the appliance, the method including determining that the door has been shut, determining that an item is present within the cavity, determining that a primary application is displayed on the display, and displaying a control interface over a sub-portion of the application on the display when the application is displayed on the display.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2020Publication date: April 21, 2022Inventors: Jeff Donald Drake, Michael A. Funk, Chen Lu, Yinyin Liang Wright
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Publication number: 20220026073Abstract: A door assembly for a microwave appliance includes a door frame that defines a door plenum and an air inlet. A monitor cradle is positioned toward a front of the door frame for receiving an image monitor. A duct is mounted to the door frame to divide the plenum into a low pressure region and a high pressure region, and an air handler is mounted to the duct to urge a flow of air from the air inlet, through the low pressure region, and into high pressure region. The flow of air cools electronics in the high pressure region before passing through an upper outlet that directs the flow of air along a surface of the image monitor and through a lower outlet that directs the flow of air along a transverse direction below the image monitor.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2020Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Michael Blackwood, Michael A. Funk
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Publication number: 20220026074Abstract: A door assembly for a microwave appliance includes a door frame that defines a door plenum and an air inlet. A monitor cradle is positioned toward a front of the door frame for receiving an image monitor seated on top of or flush with a front of the door frame. A duct is mounted to the door frame to divide the plenum into a low pressure region and a high pressure region, and an air handler urges a flow of air through the door plenum. A trim piece is removably mounted to a top of the door frame and includes a front guide that is spaced apart from the image monitor to define an upper outlet through which the flow of air passes downward along the vertical direction in front of the image monitor.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2020Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Michael A. Funk, Michael Blackwood
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Patent number: 11197353Abstract: A microwave appliance, as provided herein, may include an outer casing, an inner liner, a door, and an air handler. The outer casing may define an air inlet above a cooktop appliance. The outer casing may extend in a lateral direction between a first side end and a second side end. The inner casing may define a cooking chamber. The door may include a peripheral frame and a front window bounded by the peripheral frame. The peripheral frame may define an air outlet downstream from the air inlet and below the front window along the vertical direction. The air handler may be mounted within the outer casing in fluid communication between the air inlet and the air outlet to motivate an airflow therethrough. The air outlet may define an airflow curtain path extending outward from the outer casing in front of the door.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2019Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Stephen Bernard Froelicher, Michael A. Funk
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Patent number: 10945356Abstract: Cooking exhaust systems for use with a cooktop appliance are provided herein. An exhaust system may include a casing, an image monitor, and an air handler. The casing may define an air inlet and an air outlet above the cooktop appliance. The image monitor may be supported on the casing. The air handler may be mounted within the casing in fluid communication between the air inlet and the air outlet to motivate an airflow therethrough. The air outlet may define an airflow curtain path extending outward from the casing in front of the image monitor.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2018Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Michael A. Funk, Stephen Bernard Froelicher
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Publication number: 20210037619Abstract: A microwave appliance, as provided herein, may include an outer casing, an inner liner, a door, and an air handler. The outer casing may define an air inlet above a cooktop appliance. The outer casing may extend in a lateral direction between a first side end and a second side end. The inner casing may define a cooking chamber. The door may include a peripheral frame and a front window bounded by the peripheral frame. The peripheral frame may define an air outlet downstream from the air inlet and below the front window along the vertical direction. The air handler may be mounted within the outer casing in fluid communication between the air inlet and the air outlet to motivate an airflow therethrough. The air outlet may define an airflow curtain path extending outward from the outer casing in front of the door.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 1, 2019Publication date: February 4, 2021Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Stephen Bernard Froelicher, Michael A. Funk
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Patent number: 10830454Abstract: A ventilation system for a cooktop appliance comprising a cooktop surface. The ventilation system defines a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction. The ventilation system includes a casing positioned above and spaced apart from the cooktop appliance along the vertical direction with an image monitor supported on the casing at a front end of the casing. The ventilation system is selectively configurable to provide fluid communication from an air inlet to one of a recirculation outlet, a first exhaust outlet, and a second exhaust outlet without removing or rearranging an air handler of the ventilation system.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2018Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Michael A. Funk
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Patent number: 10808943Abstract: A cooking engagement system includes a cooktop appliance and an interactive assembly positioned above the cooktop appliance. The interactive assembly includes an image monitor that presents various images and information to a user, e.g., recipes, and a capacitive touch sensor that senses touches on an imaging surface of the image monitor. When the capacitive touch sensor senses a capacitance level below a threshold indicative of contamination on the imaging surface, a controller communicatively coupled thereto activates an air handler to move or motivate an airflow across or about the image monitor. In this way, the image monitor may be cooled and condensation is prevented from forming on the imaging surface of the image monitor.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2018Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Michael A. Funk
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Publication number: 20200056790Abstract: A cooking engagement system includes a cooktop appliance and an interactive assembly positioned above the cooktop appliance. The interactive assembly includes an image monitor that presents various images and information to a user, e.g., recipes, and a capacitive touch sensor that senses touches on an imaging surface of the image monitor. When the capacitive touch sensor senses a capacitance level below a threshold indicative of contamination on the imaging surface, a controller communicatively coupled thereto activates an air handler to move or motivate an airflow across or about the image monitor. In this way, the image monitor may be cooled and condensation is prevented from forming on the imaging surface of the image monitor.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2018Publication date: February 20, 2020Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Michael A. Funk
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Publication number: 20190380230Abstract: Cooking exhaust systems for use with a cooktop appliance are provided herein. An exhaust system may include a casing, an image monitor, and an air handler. The casing may define an air inlet and an air outlet above the cooktop appliance. The image monitor may be supported on the casing. The air handler may be mounted within the casing in fluid communication between the air inlet and the air outlet to motivate an airflow therethrough. The air outlet may define an airflow curtain path extending outward from the casing in front of the image monitor.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2018Publication date: December 12, 2019Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Michael A. Funk, Stephen Bernard Froelicher
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Publication number: 20190368746Abstract: A ventilation system for a cooktop appliance comprising a cooktop surface. The ventilation system defines a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction. The ventilation system includes a casing positioned above and spaced apart from the cooktop appliance along the vertical direction with an image monitor supported on the casing at a front end of the casing. The ventilation system is selectively configurable to provide fluid communication from an air inlet to one of a recirculation outlet, a first exhaust outlet, and a second exhaust outlet without removing or rearranging an air handler of the ventilation system.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2018Publication date: December 5, 2019Inventors: James Lee Armstrong, Michael A. Funk
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Patent number: 9615007Abstract: A camera assembly for an oven appliance including an attachment mechanism, an arm, and a camera is provided. The attachment mechanism is configured for attachment to a handle of an oven appliance door. The arm extends from the attachment mechanism to the camera, and attaches to at least one of the camera or a housing, if provided. The camera records or transmits images of the oven cavity to, e.g., a user device allowing a user to monitor a doneness of any food items positioned within the oven appliance.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2015Date of Patent: April 4, 2017Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.Inventors: Robert Charles Pfaffinger, Jr., Michael A. Funk, Rebekah Leigh Tyler
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Publication number: 20160366314Abstract: A camera assembly for an oven appliance including an attachment mechanism, an arm, and a camera is provided. The attachment mechanism is configured for attachment to a handle of an oven appliance door. The arm extends from the attachment mechanism to the camera, and attaches to at least one of the camera or a housing, if provided. The camera records or transmits images of the oven cavity to, e.g., a user device allowing a user to monitor a doneness of any food items positioned within the oven appliance.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2015Publication date: December 15, 2016Inventors: Robert Charles Pfaffinger, JR., Michael A. Funk, Rebekah Leigh Tyler