Whirlpool Corporation

Dexter Axle Company

Eric Joseph Schuh

Joel Matthew Sells

Benjamin E Alexander

Matthew Peter Ebrom

Sithaarth T Subramaniyam

Neomar Giacomini

Samuel Neil Lievore

Mark Nave

Ankit Awasthi

Darryl C Bodine

Timothy E Heater

Randell Lee Jeffery

Sugosh Venkataraman

Miguel F Thimann

Barry E Tuller

Antony Mark Rappette

Jordan Robert Fountain

Mark Eugene Glotzbach

Kristopher Lee Delgado

David H Chen

Brian N Radford

Mihir Ponkshe

Ajay Ram Narayana Pillai

Michael Earl Gatt

Shivayogi Annigeri

Udayakumar Arumugam

Guilherme Martinhon

Hubcap

A retrofit auxiliary device that supports operations of at least one cleaning appliance. The retrofit auxiliary device including at least one fluid channel and a device controller. The device controller being communicatively coupled to the at least one cleaning appliance to monitor or control the operation of the at least one cleaning appliance, and a user display.

Retrofit auxiliary device for supporting operations of a cleaning appliance

A household appliance includes a housing; a treating chamber located within the housing and having an access opening; a closure element movable relative to the access opening between opened and closed positions to selectively provide access to the treating chamber through the access opening; a controller associated with the housing and implementing a treating cycle on at least one item in the treating chamber; and a human-machine interface. The HMI includes a first portion associated with the housing and a second portion associated with the closure element. The first portion includes non-touch sensitive indicia. The second portion includes an electrically conductive layer having a touch-sensitive area corresponding to the indicia of the first portion and is arranged to be in register with a corresponding selection area when the closure element is in the closed position.

Household appliance closure element with touch interface

A retrofit auxiliary device for supporting washing operations in various makes and models of multiple household appliances is described wherein the retrofit auxiliary device can monitor appliance health, regulate appliance function, and send the user useful data. Each of the multiple household appliances has a water line and a power line operably coupled to an appliance controller with at least one pre-programmed cycle of operation.

Retrofittable bulk dispensing system for household appliances

A retrofit auxiliary device for distributing cleaning resources to a household cleaning appliance having a treating chamber is described wherein the device can connect to various household cleaning appliances of different makes and models and can learn the flow of water and detergent during various stages of operation and then perform the dispensing itself.

Learning dispensing system for water inlet hose

A retrofit auxiliary laundry device for supporting laundry operations in various makes and models of household appliances is described wherein the device can monitor appliance health, regulate appliance function, and send the user useful data.

A retrofit auxiliary laundry device for supporting laundry operations in various makes and models of laundry treating appliances is described wherein the device can monitor appliance health, regulate appliance function, and send the user useful data.

A knob assembly includes a repositionable knob having an outer surface and an inner surface defining an interior, light-transmissive indicia provided on the knob and viewable from the outer surface, at least one light source located relative to the repositionable knob and emitting light into the interior of the knob to backlight the light-transmissive indicia, a position sensor providing a position output indicative of the position of the repositionable knob, and a controller configured to receive the position output and control the at least one light source to maintain a predetermined backlighting of the indicia.

Knob assemblies with encoder controlled illumination

A console assembly for an appliance has a console shell having a front surface with integrated light reflector cups, and a printed circuit board (PCB) mounted to the console shell and having light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting light into at least some of the integrated light reflector cups.

Console assembly with integrated light reflector cups

A method for locking out a portion of a touch screen interface in response to an inadvertent touch comprises steps to detect multiple touches on the portion of the touch screen interface; determine that the multiple touches are incompatible; initiate a lockout time period in response to the determination and reinitiate the lockout time period in response to a subsequent touch during the lockout time period.

Method to lockout a touch screen interface

Growing community of inventors

Stevensville, MI, United States of America

Eric Joseph Schuh