Whirlpool Corporation

Alberto Regio Gomes

Lynne F Hunter

Abhay Naik

Andrew David Litch

Sanjesh Kumar Pathak

Paul B Allard

Giulia Marinello

Guolian Wu

Gustavo Frattini

Peter Richmond

Eric J Dherde

Lakshya J Deka

Jerry M Visin

Stephen L Keres

Steven John Kuehl

Dustin Michael Miller

Mohamed Alshourbagy

Tushar Kulkarni

Lorraine Joan Westlake

Nihat O Cur

Farhad Ashrafzadeh

Karen J Querfurth

Joseph M Keres

Ali R Buendia-Garcia

Andrew Michael Tenbarge

Sunil S Ekshinge

Sanket Vivek Phalak

Manjunathraddi Navalgund

Yen-Hsi Lin

Narendra Ashok Kapure

Rafael Dutra Nunes

Koteswara Rao Gochika

Rahul Subhash Chhajed

Jacob Charles Ickes

Vishal B Chauhan

Mandar Gopalkrushna Kulkarni

Luiz Antonio D Lopes

Mansi Katkar

Ali R Buendia Garcia

Arpit Vijay

Luciana Wasnievski Da Silva

Anup R Shedage

Julia B Burke

Daniel Chow

Vikas C Mruthyunjaya

Raffaele Paganini

Devidas Balu Raskar

Berhanu Allo

Jose Guizoni, Jr

Raffale Paganini

Stephen J Kuehl

An appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall. At least one metallic inner liner has liner walls and a liner backwall, wherein the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner are coupled together at a trim breaker to define a structural cabinet having a hermetically sealed interior cavity defined between the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner. The trim breaker defines a front face of the structural cabinet. At least one trim breaker conduit extends through the wrapper and liner backwalls wherein the trim breaker conduit defines a conduit through the structural cabinet, and wherein the structural cabinet is hermetically sealed at the trim breaker conduit.

Structural cabinet for an appliance incorporating unitary metallic boxes

A refrigerator includes a wall covering assembly having a top wall spaced-apart from a top wall of a liner, and a rear wall spaced-apart from a rear wall of the liner. The wall covering assembly includes a pattern of ports for providing outwardly directed cooled air to the refrigerator cabinet from a duct assembly. The duct assembly is configured to deliver cooled air through the ventilated portion of the wall covering assembly and also deliver cooled air to a front portion of the refrigerator cabinet via a downwardly directed air curtain. The air curtain disrupts the outward flow of air from the ventilated portion of the wall covering assembly before the cooled air reaches a gasket assembly disposed around the refrigerator doors. Angled venting slots disposed on the wall covering assembly direct air towards inner surfaces of the doors without disruption from the air curtain.

Wall covering assembly with ventilation pattern and air curtain system

An insulation composition for an appliance is disclosed. The insulation composition includes a plurality of porous walled hollow glass microspheres. The porous walled hollow glass microspheres include a wall defining an interior cavity and an outer surface. The wall may further define a plurality of interconnected pores. The pores may be sized in a range of about 10-300 nm (100-3,000 Å) and fluidly couple an exterior space with the interior cavity.

Core material for vacuum insulation structures including porous walled hollow glass microspheres

A modular refrigerator system includes a modular cabinet and a machine housing. The modular cabinet comprises at least two sections that are secured to each other and collectively define an internal cavity configured to receive perishable foodstuffs or other items that may need to be refrigerated. The machine housing defines a machine compartment having a refrigeration circuit disposed therein. The refrigeration circuit has an evaporator and a condenser. The machine housing is secured to the modular cabinet and has an interface that establishes fluid communication with the internal cavity of the modular cabinet.

Refrigerator system with modular structure

A method of measuring pressure includes the steps of (1) providing a vacuum cabinet with a storage compartment and an insulating space, and three temperature sensors; (2) sensing a first temperature level of an interior wall of the storage compartment; (3) sensing an ambient temperature level within the storage compartment; (4) sensing a second temperature level of an exterior wall of the storage compartment; (5) calculating an overall heat transfer coefficient (Q) using the ambient temperature level, the first temperature level, and a convective heat transfer coefficient for the interior wall of the storage compartment; (6) calculating a temperature differential between the second and first temperature levels; (7) determining a conductivity level (K) using the temperature differential, the overall heat transfer coefficient (Q) and a thickness of the insulating space; and (8) determining a pressure level (P) within the insulating space using the conductivity level (K).

Vacuum insulated appliance with pressure monitoring

A refrigeration unit includes a cabinet and a first evaporator assembly. The first evaporator assembly is operable between an uninstalled condition and an installed condition. In the uninstalled condition, the first evaporator assembly is not assembled with the cabinet. In the installed condition, the first evaporator assembly is assembled with the cabinet. The first evaporator assembly includes a first evaporator, a first suction line connected to the first evaporator at a first suction line joint, and a first capillary tube connected to the first evaporator at a first capillary tube joint. The first suction line joint and the first capillary tube joint of the first evaporator assembly are leak testable in the uninstalled condition of the first evaporator assembly.

Refrigeration unit and method of assembling

An appliance includes an outer wrapper and an inner liner placed within the outer wrapper and spaced apart from the outer wrapper to define an insulating space. A trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper to define a structural cabinet. The trim breaker defines a front face of the cabinet. The trim breaker defines a gas conduit disposed within a wall of the structural cabinet proximate the insulating space. The gas conduit is adapted to define selective communication between the insulating space and an exterior of the structural cabinet. An insulating material is disposed within the insulating space, wherein the gas conduit is substantially free of the insulating material.

Vacuum generating system for an appliance incorporating a vacuum insulated structure

A method of assembling a refrigeration unit includes inserting a machine compartment assembly, including a base plate and a compressor coupled to the base plate, into a machine compartment of the refrigeration unit, mounting a control box of the refrigeration unit to a side panel, and coupling the side panel to the refrigeration unit, such that the side panel conceals a lateral side of the machine compartment and the control box is laterally-inboard of the side panel.

An operable panel for an appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having a perimetrical wrapper edge that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, an inner liner and a plurality of corner brackets disposed proximate the perimetrical wrapper edge. Each corner bracket cooperates with the perimetrical wrapper edge to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is adhered to the metallic outer wrapper and the corner brackets at the perimetrical breaker channel and having a liner channel that receives a portion of the inner liner. The trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An insulation material is disposed within an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.

Structural panel for an appliance having stamped components and method therefor

Growing community of inventors

St. Joseph, MI, United States of America

Alberto Regio Gomes