Patents by Inventor Vern Neal

Vern Neal 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).

  • Publication number: 20200278121
    Abstract: One or more cooking elements of a cooking appliance may be controlled during the preheat phase of an oven self-clean cycle to dynamically control a rate of temperature rise to reach a target temperature setpoint at a predetermined time in the oven self-clean cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventor: Vern A. Neal
  • Patent number: 10739011
    Abstract: A system for inhibiting and providing access to appliance control knobs includes a support structure for mounting individual control knobs or groups thereof, and an actuator assembly for extending and retracting control knobs either individually or collectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Felix Conde Zelocuatecatl, John Hooker, Vern A. Neal, Nathan E. Nelson, Daniel J. Trice
  • Patent number: 10739009
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a gas burner head with one or more rotating burners. The gas burner head may include an outer burner and an inner burner rotating about an axis. Multiple gas burner heads may be rotatably interconnected. Rotating one or more burners within one or more gas burner heads may allow a variety of burner characteristics and/or patterns. One or more gas burner heads may be used in a variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Mark W. Wilson, Vern Neal
  • Patent number: 10724735
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a gas burner head with one or more rotating burners. The gas burner head may include an outer burner and an inner burner rotating about an axis. Multiple gas burner heads may be rotatably interconnected. Rotating one or more burners within one or more gas burner heads may allow a variety of burner characteristics and/or patterns. One or more gas burner heads may be used in a variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Mark W. Wilson, Vern Neal
  • Patent number: 10718526
    Abstract: An illumination system for a cooking appliance is capable of illuminating generally downwardly onto the cooktop burners of the cooking appliance using multiple illumination schemes. One illumination scheme may be used to indicate which cooktop burner is controlled by a particular burner control that a user is interacting with prior to activation of the cooktop burner, e.g., to indicate to a user that a burner control that the user has touched or is otherwise proximate to controls a particular cooktop burner. Another illumination scheme may be used to indicate which cooktop burner is being adjusted when a user is adjusting a particular burner control, e.g., to indicate to a user that a burner control that the user is currently manipulating is changing the output of a particular cooktop burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Vern A. Neal, Mark W. Wilson, Daniel Joseph Trice
  • Patent number: 10634362
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes a cooking compartment with an oven bottom. The oven bottom includes a cooking surface. A cooking member may include the cooking surface. The cooking member may extend from the cooking compartment to the heating compartment. A bottom cover of the oven bottom may include a carrier and the cooking member. The oven bottom with cooking surface may be used in a variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Vern Neal
  • Patent number: 10608432
    Abstract: The specification discloses methods and systems managing the power provided to the components of an appliance by providing a processor and concomitant data memory and a data table stored in memory listing a nominal power consumption for each of a plurality of electrical components of the appliance. The processor is configured to monitor the components to determine which components are being energized based upon the status of their respective inputs and outputs; and adjust the power provided to at least one of said components based upon a predetermined criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Vern A. Neal
  • Publication number: 20200088411
    Abstract: A system for inhibiting and providing access to appliance control knobs includes a support structure for mounting individual control knobs or groups thereof, and an actuator assembly for extending and retracting control knobs either individually or collectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Felix Conde Zelocuatecatl, John Hooker, Vern A. Neal, Nathan E. Nelson, Daniel J. Trice
  • Publication number: 20200092958
    Abstract: An optical sensor is used in a cooling system of a cooking appliance to sense rotation of the cooling fan. For example, in one aspect a cooking appliance is disclosed as including a housing with a cooking enclosure and cooling passage for venting heat generated within the cooking enclosure; a cooling fan in fluid communication with the cooling passage in order to provide a directed airflow within the cooling passage; and an optical sensor to sense rotation of the cooling fan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Vern A. Neal, John Hooker, Daniel J. Trice
  • Publication number: 20190305553
    Abstract: The specification discloses methods and systems managing the power provided to the components of an appliance by providing a processor and concomitant data memory and a data table stored in memory listing a nominal power consumption for each of a plurality of electrical components of the appliance. The processor is configured to monitor the components to determine which components are being energized based upon the status of their respective inputs and outputs; and adjust the power provided to at least one of said components based upon a predetermined criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventor: Vern A. Neal
  • Publication number: 20190301745
    Abstract: An illumination system for a cooking appliance is capable of illuminating generally downwardly onto the cooktop burners of the cooking appliance using multiple illumination schemes. One illumination scheme may be used to indicate which cooktop burner is controlled by a particular burner control that a user is interacting with prior to activation of the cooktop burner, e.g., to indicate to a user that a burner control that the user has touched or is otherwise proximate to controls a particular cooktop burner. Another illumination scheme may be used to indicate which cooktop burner is being adjusted when a user is adjusting a particular burner control, e.g., to indicate to a user that a burner control that the user is currently manipulating is changing the output of a particular cooktop burner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Vern A. Neal, Mark W. Wilson, Daniel Joseph Trice
  • Publication number: 20190186734
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a gas burner head with one or more rotating burners. The gas burner head may include an outer burner and an inner burner rotating about an axis. Multiple gas burner heads may be rotateably interconnected. Rotating one or more burners within one or more gas burner heads may allow a variety of burner characteristics and or patterns. One or more gas burner heads may be used in a variety of applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Mark W. Wilson, Vern Neal
  • Publication number: 20190186751
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a gas burner head with one or more rotating burners. The gas burner head may include an outer burner and an inner burner rotating about an axis. Multiple gas burner heads may be rotateably interconnected. Rotating one or more burners within one or more gas burner heads may allow a variety of burner characteristics and/or patterns. One or more gas burner heads may be used in a variety of applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Richard W. Cowan, Mark W. Wilson, Vern Neal
  • Publication number: 20180003390
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes a cooking compartment with an oven bottom. The oven bottom includes a cooking surface. A cooking member may include the cooking surface. The cooking member may extend from the cooking compartment to the heating compartment. A bottom cover of the oven bottom may include a carrier and the cooking member. The oven bottom with cooking surface may be used in a variety of applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Daniel J. Trice, Vern Neal
  • Publication number: 20150056911
    Abstract: A system is provided for determining whether a damper controlling the flow of make-up air into a kitchen is properly functioning when the kitchen ventilation system is operating. When the kitchen ventilation system is activated, a notification can be provided to a user of the kitchen whereby the user will know whether the damper is open such that make-up air is available for replacing air drawn out of the kitchen by the ventilation system. The notification device can be conveniently positioned in the kitchen so that the user can readily check for proper damper operation when the ventilation system is operating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sherry Payne Brockman, Vern A. Neal, Erin Rae Kirkpatrick