Whirlpool Corporation

Electrolux Home Products, Inc.

Edwards Systems Technology, Incorporated, Inc.

Anthony E Jenkins

Wallace J Elston, Iii

Richard A McCoy

Matthew Peter Ebrom

Layne E Heilman

Mark Eugene Glotzbach

Randy A Voss

James P O'Shaughnessy

Michael A Morrell

Patrick J Marciniak

Steven T Baas

Andrian I Kouznetsov

Christopher S Moes

Andrew D Whipple

Bryan Thomas Phillips

Richard L Baker

Matthew J Nibbelink

Gale Richard Horst

Donald E Maynard

Robert William Meyer

Andre O Pires

Gregory Samuel Lieto

Andrea Corda

Phillip A Molloy

Stephen David Krefman

Rodrigo C Castaldo

Randy L Jeffery

Erin M May

Ivo Torres

Lori Burgener

Charles Gascoyne

Rodrigo Panozzi

Justin Woehler

Manjunath Shivamurty

Massimo Banzato

M Reza Ghassemzadeh

Chris Baum

Cristela Siebert

Paul Karl Krueger

Matthew T Wizeman

Wallace J Elston Iii

A refrigerator assembly includes a cabinet defining a storage compartment and a door for providing selective access to the storage compartment. The refrigerator assembly further includes a mullion assembly having a hinge coupled to the door and a flipper mullion pivotally attached to the hinge. The flipper mullion is rotatable between a first position, a second position, and an intermediate position that is intermediate the first and second positions. The mullion assembly further includes a spring configured to bias the flipper mullion toward the first position when the flipper mullion is between the first position and the intermediate position. The spring is further configured to bias the flipper mullion toward the second position when the flipper mullion is between the second position and the intermediate position. The mullion assembly further includes a magnetic assembly configured to bias the flipper mullion toward the second position.

Refrigerator assembly

A power control circuit includes first and second electrical power terminals connected across a source of electrical power. A heating element is connected to the first terminal. A heating element controller is connected in series with the heating element, between the heating element and the second terminal. The controller is configured to control a temperature level of the element, and includes a control input configured to receive a range of temperature settings, and an OFF command for the element. The controller includes an ON/OFF switch to disconnect the element from the second terminal, and a temperature level control switch to intermittently connect/disconnect the element to the second terminal. A jumper wire series-connects the ON/OFF switch to the temperature level control switch. The ON/OFF switch, the jumper wire, the temperature level control switch, and the element are electrically connected in series.

Heating element control circuit

An appliance network comprising a networked appliance and capable of communicating with a consumable such that information related to the consumable is communicated to the networked appliance.

Network for communicating information related to a consumable to an appliance

An appliance network has a network binder accessory to establish a private network among nodes that might be on different networks, using 'one-click'.

Appliance network for a networked appliance with a network binder accessory

An appliance network has a networked appliance configured to perform a food preparation operation on an article and a cooking sensor accessory in communication with the networked appliance and configured to sense a state of at least one of the article, the cooking sensor accessory, and the networked appliance.

Appliance network for a networked appliance and a cooking sensor accessory

A recipe wand reads meal plans and recipes for a recipe book, and with data about the appliance and one or more cycles of operation, sends data about a consumable to the appliance to automatically create and selectively commence a cycle of operation oh the consumable according to the recipe book.

Recipe wand and recipe book for use with a networked appliance

An appliance network has messaging protocol to establish communication between a first networked appliance and a remote user interface.

Appliance network for a networked appliance and a remote user interface

A method of controlling a cooking appliance is disclosed which includes receiving an input corresponding to a staged cooking function, retrieving a preselected parameter set from a data library, the preselected parameter set defining the staged cooking function and including a first heating element behavior parameter and a first temperature parameter, selecting a first heating element behavior from a control library based upon the first heating element behavior parameter, and operating one or more heating elements according to the first heating element behavior and the first temperature parameter. An oven and a tangible, machine-readable medium are also disclosed.

Oven control utilizing data-driven logic

Devices, systems and methods for commissioning a home network and inhibiting unaffiliated wireless communication devices that are physically proximate to each other from forming a wireless network. A wireless communication device may include a transceiver capable of communicating with at least a second device, a non-volatile memory capable of storing a network name, a controller, and a user input acceptance element capable of placing the controller in a network set-up mode. The controller may have a plurality of modes including the network set-up mode, as well as a status indicator for providing an indication of whether the device is operating with one of a parent status and a child status. A method for joining a wireless network may include entering a network set up mode, and scanning for a second device operating with a parent status. If the second device is operating with the parent status, the network name of the second device may be adopted as the network name. However, if there is no second device operating with the parent status, the network name may be established as either a new name or an existing name.

Home network commissioning

An appliance network has a service key accessory to facilitate remote diagnosis and service of an appliance.

Method and apparatus for remote service of an appliance

A network includes a smart coupler having a processor, a memory with software, and a power source to energize the processor and the memory, and an appliance configured to perform an operation on a physical article. The appliance is one that consumes at least some of a resource in performing the operation. The network also includes a source of information about the resource. The smart coupler is in communication with the appliance and the source, and the processor and memory operate to request a change to the operation of the appliance in response to a resource parameter or a request communicated by the source.

Network for changing resource consumption in an appliance

An appliance configured to perform an operation cycle to effect a physical operation on an article, the appliance includes at least one component configured to effect the physical operation, and a cycle engine on the component. The cycle engine can build a cycle structure for the operation cycle to enable the component to perform the physical operation.

Appliance and accessory for controlling a cycle of operation

A method of enabling adaptable demonstrations of a household appliance comprising providing consumer-specific updates to a demonstration software at a location remote from an appliance and downloading the consumer-specific updates to the appliance over an information network in response to a determined characteristic of the consumer or enabling a video conference over multimedia interface during the demonstration.

Method of demonstrating a household appliance

U.S. Ser. No. 2002009312A cooking appliance having an electric resistance heater is connected to a multiple phase external power source and includes a system for compensating for whether the cooktop is connected to 240V split phase system wherein the two phases are 180&#xb0; out of phase with each other or a 208V three phase system which has two phases that are only 120&#xb0; out of phase. In particular, the cooktop includes a system for distinguishing whether the multiple phases of the external power source are 180&#xb0; out of phase such that the electric resistance heater is compensated against whether it is connected to a three phase external power supply.

Nominal voltage identification system for electric resistance

Growing community of inventors

Stevensville, MI, United States of America

Anthony E Jenkins