Fisher & Paykel Limited

Graeme Colin Fuller

Gerald David Duncan

Simon Denzil Brown

Richard George Arthur Butler

Keith Brookes Spong

An apparatus assists a user to move a door between closed and open states. The apparatus includes a permanent magnet provided on the door. An electromagnet is located on the door frame adjacent thereto when the door is closed and is energizable to provide a magnetic field which reinforces the permanent magnetic field or to provide a magnetic field in opposition to the permanent magnetic field. A detector detects the state of the door and an interface detects the presence of a user. A controller receives input from the detector and the interface and energizes the electromagnet to provide a reinforcing magnetic field if a user is attempting to open the door and provides an opposing magnetic field to the permanent magnetic field if the door is closed and the user is attempting to open the door.

Door opening and closing system

A status indicator ( ) for a transparent ceramic glass cook top is disclosed which is able to display a range of colors. Typically such indications are used with red or smoked glass cooktops and are limited to red. The present invention is positioned directly underneath the transparent glass ( ) which has an opaque layer ( ) on the underside and wherein a portion ( ) of the opaque layer has been removed thereby allowing the light source ( ) to be visible directly above said cook top. The indicator may be used for a range of functions, including indicating the element is on and also that the heating region is too hot to be safely touched.

Cook top status indicator

A transformerless non-switched mode power supply for use with whiteware appliances having a water heating element. A high power voltage dropping resistor is used in series with a rectifier and a switching device phase controls the mains half waves to produce a variable voltage direct current supply for an appliance motor. The voltage dropping resistor is formed by the water heater element and the DC supply voltage is controlled by the appliance controller to vary the motor torque as required.

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South Dunedin, New Zealand

Graeme Colin Fuller