Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Gregory Leon Hutchison

Jonathan D Nelson

Timothy David Gantt

Randal Scott Williamson

Brian M Langness

Alan George Constance

Lane Thomas Butler

Gary Allen Elder

Jonathan Andrew Wharton

Timothy Scott Shaffer

Craig Iung-Pei Tsai

Christopher Bryan Rissler

Neil Kent McDonald

Patrick Cox

Mogan Sukumaran

Saravanan Rajamanickam

A method for insulating a gas-fueled water heater includes providing a tank for storage of water for heating and a combustion chamber adjacent to the tank. The method includes providing a compressed foam barrier circumferentially around the tank. Further, the method includes positioning a covering around the tank from a top end to a bottom end, the covering extending over the compressed foam barrier. Moreover, the method includes decompressing the compressed foam barrier such that an outer diameter of the foam barrier expands up to and seals against the covering so as to separate an internal volume defined between an outer surface of the tank and the covering into a first section and a second section. Then, the method includes injecting a foam material into the first section so as to provide a foam barrier around at least a portion of an outer surface of the tank.

Gas-fueled water heater appliance having a foam barrier

A gas fueled water heater appliance may include a tank for storage of water, a chamber wall, a gas burner, a gas conduit, a support post, and a guide bracket. The chamber wall may define a combustion chamber and a conduit hole. The gas burner may be positioned adjacent to the tank and within the combustion chamber. The gas conduit may extend from the gas burner and through the conduit hole. The support post may be fixed to the gas burner within the combustion chamber. The guide bracket may be mounted within the combustion chamber and define a mounting point. The guide bracket may be in selective engagement with the support post at the mounting point. The guide bracket may include a pair of lateral arms extending outward from the mounting point toward the chamber wall to guide the support post to the mounting point.

Gas fueled water heater appliance having one or more burner mounting features

A water heater appliance includes a tank extending along a vertical direction between a top end wall and a bottom end wall and a dip tube extending from an inlet end to an outlet end. The inlet end of the dip tube is coupled to a cold water inlet in the top end wall of the tank. The outlet end of the dip tube may be positioned in a bottom corner of the tank and/or positioned at an outer perimeter of the bottom end wall.

Water heater with optimized dip tube

A water heater appliance is provided that includes a control panel assembly that has features that facilitate mounting of a control panel of the control panel assembly to a curved surface of the water heater appliance. For instance, the curved surface may be an outer surface of a wrapper or a shroud of the water heater appliance. Particularly, the control panel assembly includes features that permit mounting of the control panel assembly to surfaces of variable radii. Moreover, the control panel assembly includes features that facilitate access to the electrical components of the control panel during assembly and servicing of the control panel assembly. Specifically, the control panel assembly includes features that allow the control panel to hinge downward to permit easy access to the electrical components during assembly and service.

Common control panel for water heaters

A water heater appliance is provided that includes features for removing water from a junction box of the water heater appliance. More particularly, a water heater is provided that includes a draining feature that drains or removes water that has seeped or leaked into a junction box that is at least partially encased in an insulation material. In one exemplary aspect, the drain feature includes a drain conduit connected to an outlet defined by the junction box. The drain conduit may drain the water from the junction box to a number of suitable locations. For instance, the water may be drained to a dedicated drain port or a cavity defined in part by an access panel removably mounted to a casing of the water heater appliance.

Drain feature for a junction box of a water heater

A water heater appliance is provided that includes features that facilitate centering a tank within a casing of the water heater while also diminishing heat loss through the bottom of the water heater. More particularly, a water heater is provided that includes a bottom cover that has an integral centering feature that facilitates centering of the tank within the casing. A method for assembling a water heater appliance is also provided.

Water heater with self-centering bottom cover

A water heater tank has several components formed of a one-piece seamless construction. The water heater tank includes a cylindrical wall with inner and outer surfaces. A helical condenser channel may be formed in the outer surface of the cylindrical wall. The water heater includes a cold water inlet. A cold water channel may be formed in the inner surface of the cylindrical wall in fluid communication with the cold water inlet and the interior volume of the tank.

Integrated water heater

A sealed refrigeration system and appliance are provided. The sealed refrigeration system may include a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and a check valve assembly. The compressor may be operable to compress refrigerant, while the condenser may be disposed in downstream fluid communication with the compressor to condense refrigerant received from the compressor. The evaporator may be disposed in fluid communication between the condenser and the compressor. The check valve assembly may be disposed in fluid communication between at least two components of the sealed refrigeration system. The check valve assembly may include a valve body defining a circuit inlet, a circuit outlet, and a charge port. The circuit outlet may be downstream from the circuit inlet to direct refrigerant therefrom. The charge port may be between the circuit inlet and the circuit outlet to receive refrigerant therethrough.

Sealed refrigeration system and appliance

A wiper for a maintenance station of an imaging device, including a foundational body that attaches to the maintenance station and a blade on top of the foundational body for scraping fluid and debris from a printhead of the imaging device, the blade being formed of a flexible material having two terminal sections and a central section defining a longitudinal extent of the blade, wherein each of the two terminal sections connects to the foundational body with a thicker expanse of the flexible material compared to the central section that connects to the body with a thinner expanse of the flexible material.

Variable force wiper for maintenance station of imaging device

A wiper for a maintenance station of an imaging device includes a foundational body and a flexible blade. The body rigidly attaches to the maintenance station. The blade attaches to the body. The blade scrapes fluid and debris from a printhead during use. The blade comprises a flexible material having terminal sections intervened by a central section. Each terminal section connects to the body with a thicker expanse of flexible material, whereas the central section connects to the body with a thinner expanse. The connection provides the terminal sections with a higher wiping force and a shorter effective beam length for wiping an encapsulant of the printhead and gives while the central section a lower wiping force and a longer effective beam length for wiping a nozzle plate of the printhead. The embodiments note curved surfaces with variable radiuses where the expanses of flexible material connect to the body.

A maintenance station for servicing a printhead mounted on a carrier includes mechanisms that separate a wiping function from a capping function. The maintenance station includes a housing mounting a maintenance sled that is movable between a wiping position and a capping position. The capping position follows the wiping position along a direction of travel by the carrier when it enters the maintenance station. As the carrier enters the maintenance station, a latch pivotably mounted to the maintenance sled selectively locks the maintenance sled in the wiping position without engaging the capping position based on a stop position of the carrier upon initial entrance into the maintenance area.

Growing community of inventors

Shelbyville, KY, United States of America

Gregory Leon Hutchison