Whirlpool Corporation

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.

Daryl Lee Reuter

Johnny R Revlett

Diane E Marret

Brian Culley

Mark G Steffenhagen

Guy E Garrison

Jill C Moeller

Jeff J Smale

Brian K Culley

Frank Weston Maglinger

Matthew W Hartmann

Kenneth J Rasche

Steven Edward Tolliver

Richard Bruce Mills

Aidan Carl Kunkle

Jimmy C Gandevia

Matthew W Burdette

Matthew P Deig

An ice dispenser assembly for an ice maker is provided. The ice dispenser assembly includes a dispenser housing defining at least one side wall having a dispenser and an opening in fluid communication with the ice maker. The ice dispenser assembly also includes an ice door covering the opening. The ice door is rotatable between an open position permitting ice from the ice maker to be received through the dispenser and a closed position restricting cooled air from escaping from the ice maker. The ice dispenser assembly also includes rotatable arm coupled to the ice door for rotating the ice door between the open position and the closed position. The rotatable arm extends across the opening between a first end and a second end. The first end includes a cam. The ice dispenser assembly further includes a first torsion spring engaging the cam in the open position and the closed position, wherein a torque of the first torsion spring against the cam is greater in the closed position than the open position.

Ice dispenser assembly for a refrigerator appliance

An appliance may include a cabinet, a door, a mullion, and a damping assembly. The cabinet may define a chamber. The door may be coupled to the cabinet and rotatable between an open position and a closed position to selectively seal the chamber. The mullion may have an inner face and an outer face. The mullion may be rotatably coupled to the door via a hinge defining an axial direction between a first position and a second position. The damping assembly may include a stopper wedge and a mated wedge. The stopper wedge may be fixed to the door. The stopper wedge may have a primary face extending along a nonparallel angle relative to the longitudinal plane. The mated wedge may be fixed to the mullion. The mated wedge may have a receiving face complementary to the primary face of the stopper wedge to engage therewith in the first position.

Appliance having an articulating mullion and damping assembly

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chamber and a door coupled to the cabinet. The door is rotatable between a closed position and an open position to selectively sealingly enclose the chamber. The refrigerator appliance also includes a mullion rotatably coupled to the door via a hinge. The mullion is rotatable between a first position and a second position. The hinge includes a pivot member and a biasing element configured to retain the mullion in the first position and the second position.

Mullion for a refrigerator appliance

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet with a door positioned at the front of the cabinet. The refrigerator appliance also includes a hinge having a hinge bracket coupled to the cabinet. The hinge bracket includes a lateral plate. A pivot pin is received in the lateral plate. The door is rotatably coupled to the pivot plate. A lateral surface of the door is spaced apart from the lateral plate of the hinge bracket along the vertical direction by a height. An adjustable spacer is positioned between the lateral plate of the hinge bracket and the lateral surface of the door to adjust the height. The adjustable spacer includes a rotatable washer and a fixed washer abutting the rotatable washer. The rotatable washer includes a first inclined engagement surface and a second inclined engagement surface. The fixed washer includes a third inclined engagement surface and a fourth inclined engagement surface.

Refrigerator door hinge

A top hinge is provided for a refrigerator cabinet door. A hinge body is formed of plastic having a top surface and a bottom surface. A hinge pin extends substantially perpendicularly from the bottom surface of the hinge body. One or more points of attachment are formed on the hinge body. An axis of twist passes through a center of the hinge pin and an effective center of attachment. At least a first rib and a second rib extend from the bottom surface of the hinge body. The ribs extend along a length of the bottom surface at an oblique angle relative to the axis of twist and diverge from each other by an angle of at least about 60 degrees.

Plastic top hinge for refrigerator

A snap-in rack and pinion stabilizing system for a cabinet drawer including first and second slide assemblies mounted in the cabinet, a rack gear connected to each of the first and second slide assemblies, and spaced mounting brackets connected to the drawer having opposite sides and a bottom edge. The rack and pinion stabilizing system also includes a snap-on pinion gear assembly including a shaft, first and second pinion gears mounted on opposite ends of the shaft, and first and second bearing brackets. The bearing brackets rotatably support the shaft and are arranged to snap-in to latch surfaces on the mounting brackets with the pinion gears engaging the rack gears.

Snap-in bearing rack and pinion system

An air tower is provided for a refrigeration appliance that has a first cooled compartment and a second cooled compartment. The air tower has a diffuser section with a plurality of vent outlets to communicate with the first cooled compartment. A central duct section is defined by walls extending away from the diffuser section. An outlet is located at an end of the central section opposite the diffuser section to communicate with the second cooled compartment. A heat trap compartment is formed along one of the walls defining the central duct section. The heat trap compartment may communicate with a defrost heater.

Air tower with heat trap compartment for top mount freezer refrigerator

A refrigerator with at least one openable door has a hinge at a pivoting edge of the door allowing the door to open about the pivoting edge. A water dispenser, positioned on the door, has a paddle which is moved horizontally by a user to cause water to be dispensed. The paddle engages a toggle that is attached to the dispenser housing, causing the toggle to rotate into engagement with a microswitch. The microswitch is mounted on a user interface control board which communicates with a power supply electronic control board. The power supply control board operates a water dispenser solenoid valve to cause water to flow to the dispenser when the toggle engages the microswitch. An endcap is secured to an edge of the door adjacent to the pivoting edge. A first conduit extends from the water dispenser to an end within the endcap. A second conduit extends from within the cabinet to an end exterior of the cabinet and within the endcap. An end connector is provided to receive the ends of the first and second conduits. The hinge is movable from the pivoting edge of the door to an opposite edge of the door. The second conduit is arranged to exit from either adjacent one corner or adjacent an opposite corner of the cabinet to be adjacent to the pivoting edge. The two conduits are joinable within the endcap at the end connector to form a continuous conduit.

In-door water dispenser with door reversibility

An appliance cabinet with at least one openable door has a hinge at a pivoting edge of the door to allow the door to open about the pivoting edge. An endcap is secured to an edge of the door adjacent to the pivoting edge. A first conduit extends from an in-door apparatus to an end within the endcap. A second conduit extends from within the cabinet to an end exterior of the cabinet and within the endcap. An end connector is provided to receive the ends of the first and second conduits. The hinge is movable from the pivoting edge of the door to an opposite edge of the door. The second conduit is arranged to exit from either adjacent one corner or adjacent an opposite corner of the cabinet to be adjacent to the pivoting edge. In this arrangement, the two conduits are joinable within the endcap at the end connector to form a continuous conduit.

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Evansville, IN, United States of America

Daryl Lee Reuter