Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

General Electric Company

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.

Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co., Ltd.

Bradley Nicholas Gilkey

Charles Benjamin Miller

Louis Anthony Wantland

Gregory Sergeevich Chernov

Robert Lee Lewis, Jr

Brent Alden Junge

Alan Joseph Mitchell

John Keith Besore

Bart Andrew Nuss

Andrew Reinhard Krause

Stephanos Kyriacou

Danister Abeygunawardana

Kyle Andrew Kozinski

Lauren Nicole Platts

Jeffrey Michael Colyer

Ansuraj Seenivasan

Jarvis Ward

Michael C Watanabe

Lokesha Kodigenahalli Chinnappa Reddy

Christopher Francis Bird

Justin Daniel Berger

Sateesh Kumar Kudikala

Alan Lucas

Christian Francis Bird

Santhosh Kandi

A pitcher assembly includes a pitcher including a wall connected to a bottom defining a picture volume. The wall defines an opening at the top edge of the pitcher and a spout is formed at the top edge of the pitcher. A lid is removably fitted to the opening, the lid having a vertical wall extending from the skirt at the spout, and a second wall extending into the spout. The first and second walls cooperate with the spout and the skirt to at least partially block liquid from unintentionally splashing out of the pitcher volume. The lid may also include an energy-absorbing material disposed between a vertically displaceable float body and the lid.

Pitcher assembly for refrigerator appliance

An autofill pitcher assembly having hidden venting is provided. The assembly includes a pitcher wall defining an opening at a top edge of the pitcher and a lid removably received in the opening. The lid includes a top wall, a skirt extending from a bottom surface of the top wall, a gasket disposed on the skirt, and a vent formed in the skirt between the gasket and the bottom surface of the top wall.

Autofill pitcher assembly with hidden venting

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chilled chamber; a dispenser provided on the cabinet, the dispenser defining a dispenser recess, the dispenser including a nozzle for dispensing liquid water or ice; a user input provided on the dispenser; and one or more controllers operably connected with the dispenser, the one or more controllers configured to perform an operation. The operation includes receiving a first input signal apart from the appliance, the first input signal including a first requested volume of liquid; storing the first requested volume of liquid within the dispenser; directing an emission of a notification via the user input in response to storing the first requested volume of liquid; and initiating a dispensing action from the nozzle after directing the emission of the notification.

Liquid dispenser with precise dispensation using a voice assistant

A refrigerator appliance, as disclosed herein, may include a cabinet, a door, a dispensing assembly, an ice-making assembly, and an ice storage bin. The door may define a dispenser recess having a transverse opening extending vertically from a top recess end to a bottom recess end and laterally from a first recess side to a second recess side. The dispensing assembly may be positioned within the dispenser recess and define an ice delivery passage. The ice-making assembly may be attached to the cabinet. The ice storage bin may include a bin body defining a storage cavity. The bin body may be selectively mounted to the door within the dispenser recess to receive ice from the dispensing assembly. The bin body may extend vertically from the top recess end to the bottom recess end and laterally from the first recess side to the second recess side.

Refrigerator appliance having an ice storage bin

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet, a door, and an ice bin. The ice bin may be removably received within a chilled chamber and include a bin body and a non-vertical auger. The bin body may define a storage volume to receive ice therein and a dispenser opening in fluid communication with the storage volume. The non-vertical auger may include a rotation shaft extending along a rotation axis and a cam disposed on the rotation shaft. The ice bin may include a kick plate within the storage volume. The cam on the non-vertical auger may actuate the kick plate.

Refrigerator appliance ice storage bin with a kick plate

A water filter assembly may include a filter body having vertical side walls that defines a cavity within which one or more filter layers may be housed, the filter body further including a plurality of vertical barriers that define a plurality of flow paths that converge on an outlet hole, the vertical barriers further including a plurality of cutouts defining alternative overflow paths permitting water therethrough, and each filter layer including a plurality of vertical barriers that define a plurality of flow paths.

Water filtering and recycling system for ice making appliance

A refrigerator appliance is provided, as provided herein, include a cabinet, a door, and an ice bin. The ice bin may be removably received within a chilled chamber and include a bin body and a non-vertical auger. The bin body may define a storage volume to receive ice therein and a dispenser opening in fluid communication with the storage volume. The non-vertical auger may include a rotation shaft extending along a rotation axis and an auger blade coiled about the rotation shaft. The auger blade may define an expanding radius along the rotation axis from a first blade end to a second blade end.

Refrigerator appliance having a removable ice storage bin

A plumbing system for an ice maker may include a supply line extending to a dispense point and a dispense valve coupled to the supply line. An ice maker is coupled to the recirculation line, and a pump is also coupled to the recirculation line. The pump is operable to recirculate liquid through the ice maker via the recirculation line. The plumbing system also include features for draining water from the recirculation line.

Drained plumbing system for an ice maker

A refrigerator appliance having an ice making assembly is provided herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, an icemaker attached to the cabinet, an ice bin, a support tray, a fluid filter, a liquid storage volume, and a fluid pump. The ice bin may define a bin outlet at a bottom end. The support tray may be positioned below the bin outlet to receive water therefrom. The support tray may define an inclined groove extending downward toward a tray outlet. The fluid filter may be positioned below the support tray. A filter inlet may be positioned downstream from the tray outlet. A filter outlet may be positioned below the filter inlet along the vertical direction. The liquid storage volume may be positioned below the filter outlet and downstream therefrom. The fluid pump may be positioned in fluid communication between the liquid storage volume and the icemaker.

Refrigerator appliance having an ice making assembly

A refrigerator appliance and ice bin assembly therefor are provided herein. The ice bin may include a bin body, an ice sweep, a sweep gear, and a drive gear. The bin body may define a storage volume to receive ice therein. The ice sweep may be positioned below the storage volume. The sweep gear may be rotatable about a sweep axis. The drive gear may be positioned in mechanical communication with the sweep gear. The drive gear may be rotatable about a drive axis, the drive axis extending along a non-parallel angle relative to the sweep axis.

Refrigerator appliance and ice bin having a gear assembly therein

An ice dispensing assembly is provided that can be mounted within an appliance, such as a refrigerator appliance. The ice dispensing assembly includes an ice dispenser crusher mechanism having features that facilitate dispensing and crushing of ice. The construction of dispenser crusher mechanism provides a horizontal axis motor coupling with a vertical axis agitator and crusher for dispensing and crushing ice.

Ice dispenser and crusher for a refrigerator appliance

A refrigerator appliance is generally provided herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, an icebox liner, an icemaker, an ice bin, and a circulation duct. The cabinet may define a one or more chilled chambers. The icebox liner may be attached to the cabinet. The icebox liner may define a sub-compartment in which the icemaker may be mounted. The ice bin may define a storage volume within the sub-compartment to receive ice from the icemaker. The circulation duct may extend within the sub-compartment in conductive thermal communication with the icemaker. The circulation duct may define an air passage in fluid communication with one of the chilled chambers and fluid isolation from the storage volume.

Refrigerator appliance

A refrigerator appliance having a defrost chamber is provided herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a defrost drawer housing, and a pair of electromagnetic electrodes. The defrost drawer housing may be mounted within the chilled chamber and define the defrost chamber for the receipt of a food item. The pair of electromagnetic electrodes may be spaced apart along a vertical direction within the drawer housing. Each electromagnetic electrode may include a first heating ring and a second heating ring that is larger than the first heating ring. Each electromagnetic electrode may also include a conductive path and an electrical restrictor element. The conductive path may extend between the first heating ring and the second heating ring. The electrical restrictor element may be coupled to the conductive path and selectively permit a current therethrough.

Refrigerator appliance having a defrost chamber

A refrigerator appliance and a method for operating a water heating assembly of the same are provided. The method includes operating a heating element of the water heating assembly to generate heated water. To dispense the heated water, an air valve of the water heating assembly is closed and an air pump of the water heating assembly is worked. In such a manner, heated water can be dispensed accurately and/or precisely.

Water heater assembly for a refrigerator appliance and a method for operating the same

Refrigerator appliances for use with single serve dispensers, and methods for operating refrigerator appliances, are provided. A refrigerator appliance includes a dispensing assembly. The dispensing assembly includes an outlet conduit configured for flowing a liquid therefrom, the outlet conduit disposed in the dispenser recess, a housing for supporting the single serve dispenser, the housing disposed in the dispenser recess, and a flow control device upstream of and in fluid communication with the outlet conduit, the flow control device outputting liquid at a generally constant pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Bradley Nicholas Gilkey