Whirlpool Corporation

Maytag Corporation

Noma Outdoor Products Inc.

Douglas A Pohl

Eugene H Schuchert

Richard D Smith, Jr

Forrest F Wing

Kevin Lee Noel

John Phillip Myers

Jose Paulo Remor

Alexandre D Grosse

Troy Michael Anderson

Daniel J Lesko

Darci Cavali

Daniel De Cavalcanti

William James Vestal

Bruno A Boehringer

Derek Lehman

Jane A Albert

Garnett S Helming

Kenton John Widmer

Julia B Burke

Todd Joseph Tunzi

Brent M Burgess

Daniel Chow

Harlin J Trefz

Michael Todd Moore

Christopher L Carpenter

Christopher A Hartnett

James M Grace

Keith A Mosley

Juan F Flores

Virgil R Thompson

Warren F Johnson

Bradley Thomas Hebeler

Larry Edward Dietz

Tim A Bergmann

Roger C Miersen

Daniel T Hergatt

Gloria J Corbin

Robert D Wagher

Charles O Stanford

Dilso Buchner

Akshay Prajapati

Shubhra Gupta

Luis Yahir Macias

Steven Schatz

Shekhar Shetty

William H Lotz

A refrigerator bin system includes a receptacle, at least one rail, and a secondary container. The receptacle has a top side defining a plurality of orifices of varying sizes configured to receive primary containers of varying sizes. The at least one rail is disposed below receptacle. The secondary container is configured to engage the at least one rail for securing and removing the secondary container onto and from the receptacle.

Refrigerator storage system

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet, a first side support, a second side support, a first adapter plate, a second adapter plate, and a water tank. The cabinet defines an internal cavity. The first and second side supports are disposed within the internal cavity, define a drawer receptacle therebetween, and have first and second laterally inward facing surfaces defining first and second longitudinally extending slots, respectively. The first and second longitudinally extending slots are configured to receive drawer rollers. The first and second adapter plates are secured to the first and second laterally inward facing surfaces, respectively, and have third and fourth laterally inward facing surfaces defining third and fourth longitudinally extending slots, respectively. The water tank is disposed within the drawer receptacle and slidably engages the third and fourth longitudinally extending slots such that the water tank is adjustable in a longitudinal direction.

Refrigerator and water storage tank for a refrigerator

A refrigerator includes a liner having an opening defining an inner perimeter therein, a frame coupled with the liner around the inner perimeter and recessed from the opening, and a cover. The cover is coupled with the frame and has a major surface positioned generally flush with a portion the liner surrounding the opening. The cover defines an outer perimeter spaced apart from the inner perimeter of the opening with a portion of the frame at least partially enclosing a channel extending between the outer perimeter of the cover and the inner perimeter of the opening. The assembly further includes at least one light source directed into the channel and illuminating a portion of the frame and an air filter disposed at least partially within the cover positioned behind the major surface.

Apparatus, method, and system for filtering air to and from a refrigerated compartment of a refrigeration appliance

A refrigeration appliance includes an insulated cabinet having a side wall and a machine compartment positioned adjacent the side wall. An aperture is provided through the first side wall to allow air to flow into the machine compartment. An air vent is provided at the exterior surface of the side wall so as to cover the aperture. The air vent having a first set of louvers. A sound barrier is provided at the interior surface of the side wall at the aperture. The sound barrier has a second set of louvers, where the second set of louvers are positioned with respect to the first set of louvers such that there is no mechanical access to components in the machine compartment through the air vent, and such that sounds from within the machine compartment are dampened while still allowing air to flow through the air vent.

Refrigeration appliance having side air intake vent with sound dampening

An apparatus, method, or system for filtered air in an interior compartment of a refrigerator. An opening in a wall of the interior liner of the refrigerator defines a channel framing a removable filter cover that tends to be at or near flush with that wall. The filter is positioned behind the cover. The space between the wall opening and the cover functions to provide both air intake into the filter and access lighting around the filter cover.

A height-adjustable shelving system for an appliance includes an appliance having a plurality of walls that define an interior cavity. The appliance has an electrical system that extends into at least one of the walls of the appliance. A shelf is selectively disposed within the cavity and includes a lighting fixture. A shelf support system in communication with the electrical system includes at least one rotatable body operable between a plurality of support positions, the at least one rotatable body removably receiving and supporting the shelf, wherein each of the support positions of the rotatable body corresponds to a different shelf height. The removable engagement between the shelf and the rotatable body in any of the plurality of support positions places the lighting fixture in communication with the electrical system.

Shelf height adjusting flippers having an integrated electrical contact

A refrigerator includes a multiple slide crisper system. More specifically, a universal crisper pan and support frame for a refrigerator can be used with various, distinct glide arrangements, including friction, roller or ball bearing glides. For frictional sliding movement, crisper pan side walls slide directly upon molded inner rails on the frame. With the roller system, various rollers are fitted to a rear portion of the crisper pan through the use of pins, while commensurate rollers are mounted at front portions of the frame. When using ball bearing glides for a precision slide support, the glides are preferably mounted to the support frame at an acute angle to the axis of travel of the friction and roller glide systems.

Versatile refrigerator crisper system

A side-by-side refrigerator includes a cabinet defining fresh food and freezer compartments, each having upper and lower sections which vary in width and volume along with corresponding fresh food and freezer doors that vary in width. The fresh food and freezer compartments are spaced by an offset mullion assembly against which the doors seal. The offset mullion assembly includes a first longitudinal member, a second longitudinal member, a brace having first and second legs and a laterally extending portion and a cosmetic cover. The offset mullion assembly provides strength to the cabinet while providing an aesthetically pleasing and uniform sealing surface for the fresh food and freezer doors.

Refrigerator with multi-piece mullion having stepped offset

A side-by-side refrigerator includes a cabinet defining fresh food and freezer compartments, with each compartment having upper and lower sections which vary in width and volume and corresponding fresh food and freezer doors that vary in width. The fresh food and freezer compartments are spaced by a mullion against which the doors seal. The mullion is bowed such that the longitudinal curvature of the mullion compensates for thermal bowing of the fresh food and freezer doors, thereby assuring a proper seal between the mullion and the fresh food and freezer doors.

Refrigerator with bowed mullion

A refrigerator cabinet includes a shell having first and second laterally spaced, upstanding side walls that are interconnected by a top wall, each of the walls includes an in-turned front edge portion defining a liner receiving cavity. The shell further includes a mullion bar, which partitions the shell into first and second liner cavities, and a base member. Both the mullion bar and base member have respective liner receiving portions. With this arrangement, first and second liners are adapted to be inserted into their respective cavities and flexed such that three sides are inserted into the liner receiving cavities, while the remaining side is positioned against a land of the mullion bar or base member. Once in place, the liners are secured through a mullion bar cover and a base member cover. This construction combines the benefits of a front-load process with that of a flex-load process, lowering assembly time without the need to reinforce the liner.

Refrigerator cabinet assembly

An upper hinge assembly for pivotally mounting a door to a refrigerator cabinet includes an aligning plate fixedly secured atop a hinge plate to the cabinet. Once the hinge and aligning plates are factory set in position, with tight tolerances between fasteners and holes in the aligning plate, the aligning plate is separately fixed to the hinge plate. The hinge plate can be subsequently detached from the cabinet, with the aligning plate remaining affixed to the hinge plate, and then reattached in a manner which enables the desired factory preset position to be reestablished, thereby assuring that a seal between the door and the cabinet can be effectively maintained.

Upper hinge assembly for refrigerator door

A side-by-side refrigerator includes fresh food and freezer compartments, each having upper and lower sections which vary in width and volume. Doors, each having corresponding upper and lower sections that vary in width, are provided to selectively seal the fresh food and freezer compartments respectively. Each door includes an outer lateral portion pivotally mounted to the side-by-side refrigerator about a substantially vertical axis and an inner lateral portion defined by laterally offset sections that form the varying width portions. In accordance with the invention, a door brace member is provided at the laterally offset sections. The door brace member includes first and second substantially vertical portions interconnected by a lateral portion that is shaped to conform to and reinforce the laterally offset sections of the door to increase the overall structural integrity of the door.

Door brace for a refrigerator cabinet assembly having varying width compartment doors

Growing community of inventors

Benttendorf, IA, United States of America

Douglas A Pohl