Whirlpool Corporation

Other

Alexander Joseph Halbleib

Christopher A Jones

Rodney Michael Welch

Erica L Roberts

Jordan M Grider

Donald E Erickson

Roy E Masters

Christopher A Hartnett

Mark J Christensen

K David McAllister

Andrew Adkins

James Mann

Marcus Roland Fischer

Joel Matthew Sells

Anthony B Welsh

Thomas Kessler

Brian P Janke

Arun Rajendran

Stephen L Keres

Joseph M Keres

Wesley P Traylor

Gregory Samuel Lieto

William E Gregory

Dennis Scott Prows

Matthew MacLean

Jason A Green

Michael J Hand, Iii

Barry Steven Hazell

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet. A door is coupled to the cabinet. The door is operable between an opened position and a closed position. An audio interface is disposed on the door. The audio interface includes a microphone for receiving a voice command and a speaker for projecting an audio output. A visual interface is disposed on the door. The visual interface is configured to display a message in response to at least one of the voice command and the audio output. A microcontroller is disposed on the door. The microcontroller is operably coupled to the audio interface and the visual interface. A proximity sensor is configured to communicate sensed information to the microcontroller. The microcontroller is configured to activate at least one of the audio interface and the visual interface in response to the sensed information.

User-interface system for a laundry appliance

A laundry appliance includes a drum for processing laundry. A blower delivers process air through an airflow path that includes the drum. A lint filter is positioned within the airflow path that separates particulate matter from the process air. A lint disposal mechanism removes entrapped lint particles from a surface of the lint filter.

Laundry appliance having a maintenance free lint removal system

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet. A door is coupled to the cabinet. The door is operable between a closed position and an opened position. A microphone assembly is coupled to the door. The microphone assembly is configured to receive a voice command. A microcontroller is coupled to the door. The microcontroller is operably coupled to the microphone assembly and the microcontroller. A proximity sensor is coupled to the microphone assembly. The proximity sensor defines a sensor field that extends outward from the door.

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet having a rotating drum operably positioned therein for processing fabric. At least one transducer is positioned proximate the drum that provides an ultrasonic resonance that is directed into an interior chamber of the drum. The ultrasonic resonance is adapted to be directed into damp fabric being treated within the interior chamber. The ultrasonic resonance serves to modify water trapped within the damp fabric into a substantially gaseous form.

Laundry appliance having an ultrasonic drying mechanism

A method of controlling the clothes dryer includes offering one or more preset dryness levels that may be selected using a programmable dryness level selector to establish a drying cycle. Each of the preset dryness levels may correspond to a stored remaining moisture content. The method additionally includes sensing a remaining moisture content of a load of fabric in the clothes dryer and displaying the remaining moisture content of the load of fabric to a user. The method further includes automatically stopping the clothes dryer using a controller configured to determine when the remaining moisture content of the load of fabric reaches the selected preset dryness level. The one or more preset dryness levels may be customizable by saving a target remaining moisture content for each preset dryness level.

Customer selection of desired remaining moisture in clothing via user interface at machine or portable electronic device

A method of determining the volume of organic material in a composting device includes rotating a mixing paddle in a composting bin that stores the organic material; monitoring the torque from a motor that rotates the mixing paddle as the mixing paddle rotates; and determining the height of the organic material in the composting bin based on the motor torque and the angular displacement of the mixing paddle. The resulting height can be used to determine the volume of the organic material.

Composting device

An apparatus and method towards a laundry treating appliance for drying laundry comprising a rotatable drum at least partially defining a treating chamber and having a front and a rear where at least one conductivity sensor is located within the treating chamber, and a motor rotating the drum tumbles laundry within the treating chamber to ensure contact of the laundry with the conductivity sensor.

Laundry treating appliance with a sensor

An apparatus and method of sensing a motor characteristic signal in a laundry treating appliance having a drum rotated by a motor about a rotational axis, sampling the motor characteristic signal, filtering the motor characteristic signal, and evaluating the filtered motor characteristic signal for the presence of a predetermined condition corresponding to the motor characteristic signal.

Appliance and method for removing noise from a motor characteristic signal in a laundry treating appliance

Growing community of inventors

Saint Joseph, MI, United States of America

Alexander Joseph Halbleib