Whirlpool Corporation

Gustavo Frattini

Abhay Naik

Paul B Allard

Lynne F Hunter

Eric J Dherde

Lakshya J Deka

Jerry M Visin

Alberto Regio Gomes

Hua Liu

Subrata Shannigrahi

Sanjesh Kumar Pathak

Giulia Marinello

Mohamed Alshourbagy

Dustin Michael Miller

Karen J Querfurth

Sunil S Ekshinge

Eric J Vasko

Daniel Lottinville

Vikas C Mruthyunjaya

Rafael Dutra Nunes

Jeffrey P Beckner

Ashish Nigam

Sarah Galea

Kevin J Cox

Gregory Edward Bauman

Berhanu Allo

Michael A Fiori

Ryan Daniel Kannegieter

Anna Jedralski

A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet; a door operably connected to the cabinet, the door having a closed position relative to the cabinet and an opened position relative to the cabinet, and the door transitions from the closed position to the opened position in a non-circular path; a liquid outlet disposed at the cabinet; and a liquid receiver disposed at the door, the liquid receiver configured to receive liquid exiting the liquid outlet when the door is in the closed position but not in the opened position. The refrigerator can further include a gasket adjacent to the liquid receiver and a gasket adjacent to the liquid outlet. When the door is in the closed position, the gasket of the door can cooperate with the gasket of the cabinet to form a sealed channel to seal liquid transfer from the liquid outlet to the liquid receiver for use at the door.

Water routing from cabinet to door of a refrigerator with articulated hinge

An appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall. At least one metallic inner liner has liner walls and a liner backwall, wherein the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner are coupled together at a trim breaker to define a structural cabinet having a hermetically sealed interior cavity defined between the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner. The trim breaker defines a front face of the structural cabinet. At least one trim breaker conduit extends through the wrapper and liner backwalls wherein the trim breaker conduit defines a conduit through the structural cabinet, and wherein the structural cabinet is hermetically sealed at the trim breaker conduit.

Structural cabinet for an appliance incorporating unitary metallic boxes

An appliance includes an outer wrapper, an inner liner, a trim breaker having a wrapper channel that receives a wrapper edge of the outer wrapper and a liner channel that receives a liner edge of the inner liner, and an insulation material disposed within an insulating cavity defined therebetween. A multi-component thermal encapsulation material defines pre-mix, application and sealing states. The pre-mix state is defined by the distinct components of the thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper and liner channels and surrounding the wrapper and liner edges, respectively, in the sealing state that defines a hermetic seal between the trim breaker and the outer wrapper and the inner liner.

Encapsulation system for a thermal bridge breaker-to-metal liner

A method of forming a refrigerator cabinet includes a step where an external wrapper that defines a rear surface is provided. The rear surface of the external wrapper is deep-drawn to form a machine compartment that defines a top wall, a bottom wall, and an interior wall. An inner liner is positioned within the external wrapper such that a gap is defined between the inner liner and the interior wall of the machine compartment. A vacuum is drawn within the gap.

Machine compartment for a vacuum insulated structure

A method of forming a vacuum insulated structure includes providing a structural envelope an insulating cavity defined within the structural envelope. An expanding device is attached to opposing outer walls of the structural envelope and the interior cavity is expanded by pulling the opposing outer walls away from one another to define an expanded state. An insulating material is disposed within the insulating cavity to occupy substantially all of the insulating cavity in the expanded state. Gas is expressed from the insulating cavity to collapse the structural envelope to a final state and a final interior volume that is less than the expanded interior volume. The final state of the structural envelope defines a densified state of the insulating material within the insulating cavity. The vacuum port is then closed to hermetically seal the insulating cavity.

Method for forming a vacuum insulated structure

A method of forming an insulated door panel includes folding side flanges of a metallic sheet to define side edges of a structural outer panel that extend from a front panel. A gap is defined between each set of adjacent side edges. Interior blocks are secured to an interior of the structural outer panel proximate each gap to define adhesive cavities. Exterior blocks are positioned at an exterior surface of the structural outer panel at each gap to further define the adhesive cavities. An adhesive is disposed within each adhesive cavity and is contained therein by the interior and exterior blocks. The adhesive is cured to a solid sealing member that adheres the interior blocks to the interior surface of the structural outer panel to form a sealed structural panel. The exterior blocks are removed and each solid sealing member defines a hermetic seal at each gap.

Method for rapid encapsulation of a corner gap defined within a corner of a door panel for an appliance

An appliance includes an outer wrapper and an inner liner that form a structural cabinet having an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An elliptical insulation port is defined within the outer wrapper, wherein the elliptical insulation port is configured to allow passage of a cylindrical insulation conduit when the insulation conduit is positioned at an oblique angle relative to the structural cabinet. An insulation material is disposed within the insulating cavity. A sealing cap covers the elliptical insulation port, wherein the sealing cap includes a protrusion that extends at least partially into the insulating cavity.

Filling ports for insulated structures incorporated within an appliance

A method for manufacturing an insulation member for a vacuum insulated structure includes the steps of forming a bag that has an opening using a single layer porous fabric, filling the bag with insulation materials via the opening, sealing the opening of the bag, and vibrating the bag to evenly distribute, de-aerate, and densify the insulation material to form a pillow. The method further includes the steps of compressing the pillow within a mold to define a compressed insulation member, and evacuating the compressed insulation member within an insulated structure to define a vacuum insulated structure.

Method for manufacturing a compressed insulation panel for a vacuum insulated structure

A filling system for a vacuum insulated structure is provided having a powder processor including a hopper having an inner hopper wall and an outer hopper wall. The filling system also includes a vacuum insulated structure having a liner positioned inside a wrapper, a trim breaker coupling an outer liner edge and an outer wrapper edge to form a shell defining an internal cavity with at least one gas permeable feature positioned in the internal cavity configured to help apply a vacuum. A loading port is positioned on a surface of the shell. The powder processor loads the shell with a heated and at least partially degassed vacuum insulation material through the loading port while a vacuum is applied to the shell through the at least one gas permeable feature.

Processing of core material in a vacuum insulated structure

A vacuum insulated compartment includes an outer wrapper and an inner liner that is sealed to the outer wrapper. A cavity is defined therebetween. The cavity includes a negative pressure. An insulation material is disposed in the cavity. A getter assembly is disposed in the cavity and includes a primary getter material that is deposited on a plate. A cover layer is deposited over the primary getter material on the plate. A vessel is nested within the primary getter material. A secondary getter material is disposed within the vessel. A protective enclosure is disposed around the getter assembly.

Getter activation under vacuum

An operable panel for an appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having a perimetrical wrapper edge that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, an inner liner and a plurality of corner brackets disposed proximate the perimetrical wrapper edge. Each corner bracket cooperates with the perimetrical wrapper edge to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is adhered to the metallic outer wrapper and the corner brackets at the perimetrical breaker channel and having a liner channel that receives a portion of the inner liner. The trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An insulation material is disposed within an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.

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St. Joseph, MI, United States of America

Gustavo Frattini