General Electric Company

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Clemson University

Hokkaido University

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.

Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co., Ltd.

John Keith Besore

Michael F Finch

Jeff Donald Drake

Timothy Dale Worthington

Brent Alden Junge

Eric Kent Watson

Brian Michael Schork

Darin Franks

Natarajan Venkatakrishnan

Michael Thomas Beyerle

Steven Keith Root

Bruce L Ruark

Lucas Bryant Spicer

William Newton

Christopher Edward O'Malley

Darko Ilickovic

Nagaraju Valluri

Alan Joseph Mitchell

Stephanos Kyriacou

John Joseph Roetker

David C Bingham

Timothy Martin Wetzel

Henry Kobraei

Jerry C Martin

Subhash Viswanathan Kollengode

Elizabeth Kurfess

Byron K Guernsey

Mallika Ravindra Patel

Sarah Lynn Kirchoff

Adam Christopher Hofmann

David Scott Dunn

Bagawathkumar Chellappan

Derek Lee Watkins

Martin Mitchell Zentner

Samuel Vincent DuPlessis

Jerrod Aaron Kappler

Joshua Stephen Wiseman

David Joseph Najewicz

Danister Abeygunawardana

Richard DeVos

Joseph Mark Brian

Bradley Nicholas Gilkey

Charles Ray Smith

William Jerome Burke

Lauren Nicole Platts

Jackson Kit Wang

Richard A Stich

Ronald Gary Foster

Chad Michael Helms

Erick Graven

Gregory Michael Thomas

Benson T Taylor, Jr

Michael C Watanabe

Brice Alan Bowley

Derrick Douglas Little

Daniel Ryan Capelle

Adam C Kennedy

George E Stocking

David Duane Warmuth

Clarence W Denham

Pat Napier

Kyle Robert Eden

Om Hari

Michael T Beverle

Robert Lafleur

Christopher Paul Durand

Thomas M Benton

Helen M Denham

Chelsea Rose Miko

Natarajan Vankatakrishnan

Craig Nold

Michael Thomas Bcycrle

Yogesh Kumar Allimalli

Michael Francis Finch

Lucas B Spicer

Samuel Vincent Duplessis

An inventory system for a refrigerator appliance includes an inventory plate which is operably coupled to a load cell and positioned within a chilled chamber. The inventory plate may be a fixed shelf or a portable coaster on which food items may be placed. A controller is configured for monitoring a weight of the food items over time using the load cell and/or a moisture content using a moisture sensor and providing an indication of food quality based at least in part on the weight and/or moisture content of the food items.

Inventory system for a refrigerator appliance

An ice maker includes a mold body with two rows of mold cavities defined in the mold body. The ice maker also includes an ejector assembly having a plurality of ejector pads corresponding to the mold cavities. The ejector pads are movable between a low position proximate to the floor of a corresponding mold cavity and a high position proximate the opening of each corresponding mold cavity. The ejector pads are operable to eject ice from the mold cavities when the ejector assembly moves from the low position to the high position. A related refrigerator appliance is also provided.

Double row barrel ice maker with overhead extraction

A dispensing system for dispensing a precise or controlled volume of fluid to a downstream assembly of an appliance is provided. As one example, the downstream assembly may be an ice making assembly and the appliance may be refrigerator appliance. In one example aspect, a dispensing system includes a housing that defines a chamber. A piston is movable within the chamber. The dispensing system also includes a plurality of valves that may be moved between various positions to move the piston between various positions. When the piston is moved within the chamber, the piston displaces a precise or controlled volume to the downstream assembly.

Precise fill dispensing system for an appliance

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chilled chamber. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at a front portion of the chilled chamber. A plurality of flexible chambers are defined within the door. The refrigerator appliance also includes a sealed system configured for generating chilled air. The sealed system is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of flexible chambers to selectively provide the chilled air to at least one of the plurality of flexible chambers.

Refrigerator appliance with flexible door-in-door compartments

An ice maker includes a mold body. A plurality of mold cavities are defined in the mold body. Each mold cavity extends between a floor and an opening along a longitudinal axis. Each mold cavity is enclosed by at least one sidewall between the floor and the opening. The longitudinal axis of each mold cavity is oriented generally along the vertical direction. The ice maker also includes a heater in thermal communication with the floor of each mold cavity of the plurality of mold cavities. The heater is configured to maintain water within a lower portion of each mold cavity in a liquid state. The ice maker further includes a drain conduit in fluid communication with the mold body and configured to receive a flow of liquid water from the mold cavities. A related refrigerator appliance and related methods are also provided.

Clear barrel ice maker

An ice making assembly for a refrigerator appliance includes a resilient silicone mold and a lifter mechanism positioned below the resilient mold for selectively deforming the mold and raising the ice cubes formed therein. A sweep assembly is positioned over the resilient mold and moves to an extended position after the cubes are raised to discharge the ice cubes at a top of the ice making assembly. A drive mechanism such as a motor drives the lifter mechanism using a cam-follower arrangement and the sweep assembly using a slotted yoke mechanism.

Ice making assembly for a refrigerator appliance

A refrigerator appliance is provided having a fresh food chamber, a convertible chamber, and a freezer chamber. A fan urges a flow of cooled air from an evaporator chamber into a freezer supply duct and a secondary supply duct. A damper housing defines an inlet in fluid communication with the secondary supply duct, a first outlet in fluid communication with the convertible chamber, and a second outlet in fluid communication with the fresh food chamber. A rotary damper is mounted within the damper housing and is selectively rotated to block the flow of cooling air or to supply the flow of cooling air to one or both of the convertible chamber and the fresh food chamber.

Refrigerator appliance with a rotary damper assembly

A refrigerator appliance and methods of operation are provided herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a storage bin, a lid, an ozone passage, an air conduit, an air handler, and an ozone filter. The storage bin may include a plurality of walls defining a storage volume. The lid may be positioned on the storage bin to selectively cover the storage volume in a closed position. The ozone passage may be defined through at least one of the plurality of walls in fluid communication with the storage volume. The air conduit may be disposed in selective fluid communication with the ozone passage. The air handler may be disposed in fluid communication with the air conduit to direct ozone through the ozone passage. The ozone filter may be disposed in fluid communication with the air conduit to filter ozone passing from the storage volume through the air conduit.

Refrigerator appliance and methods of operation

A refrigerator appliance with a freezer chamber divided into multiple compartments and features for selectively adjusting the temperature within one of the compartments while maintaining the temperature within the other compartment(s). The refrigerator can include evaporator including a first evaporator section and a second evaporator section, the first evaporator section positioned in a first evaporator chamber and the second evaporator section positioned in a second evaporator chamber. An evaporator shutoff valve is positioned along at least one of the first or second evaporator sections for selectively allowing fluid communication therebetween.

Refrigerator appliance with a convertible freezer compartment

An ice maker includes a mold cavity. The mold cavity extends between a floor and an opening along a longitudinal axis. A first arm and a second arm are connected to opposite sides of an ejector pad and extend upward from the ejector pad. The ejector pad is movable via the first and second arms between a low position and a high position and can eject ice from the mold cavity when the ejector pad moves from the low position to the high position. A related refrigerator appliance is also provided.

Barrel ice maker

A refrigerator appliance including a drawer assembly is included herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, as well as a door attached to the cabinet movable between a closed position and an open position. The drawer assembly may be disposed within the chilled chamber. Moreover, the drawer assembly may include a drawer frame and a forward panel, as described herein.

Refrigerator appliances including a drawer assembly

A refrigerator appliance is provided including a freezer chamber divided into a first compartment and a second compartment by a removable mullion. A first evaporator cover is positioned within the first compartment to define a first evaporator chamber and a second evaporator cover is positioned within the second compartment to define a second evaporator chamber. A crossover duct is defined in the mullion for providing fluid communication between the first evaporator chamber and the second evaporator chamber.

Refrigerator appliance with dual freezer compartments

A refrigerator appliance is provided including a freezer chamber divided into a first compartment and a second compartment by a removable mullion. An evaporator is positioned within an evaporator chamber and a diverter assembly is configured for selectively directing cooled air from the evaporator chamber into the freezer chamber. The diverter assembly includes a diverter housing defining a plenum chamber and a damper pivotally mounted within the plenum chamber for selectively directing the cooled air through a first outlet into the first compartment and a second outlet into the second compartment. Diverter assembly may further include a fan for urging cooled air through the plenum chamber.

A refrigerator appliance is provided including a freezer chamber divided into a first compartment and a second compartment by a removable mullion. A refrigeration system includes a single evaporator coil having a first evaporator section in series with a second evaporator section. The first evaporator section is positioned in the first freezer compartment to maintain the temperature in that compartment at a fixed, low temperature (e.g., 0&#xb0; F.). The second evaporator section is positioned in the second freezer compartment which is a 'convertible' compartment capable of maintaining temperatures between the freezer and fresh food compartment temperatures (e.g., between about 0&#xb0; F. and 37&#xb0; F.).

A refrigerator appliance having a defrost chamber is provided herein. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a defrost drawer housing, and a pair of electromagnetic electrodes. The defrost drawer housing may be mounted within the chilled chamber and define the defrost chamber for the receipt of a food item. The pair of electromagnetic electrodes may be spaced apart along a vertical direction within the drawer housing. Each electromagnetic electrode may include a first heating ring and a second heating ring that is larger than the first heating ring. Each electromagnetic electrode may also include a conductive path and an electrical restrictor element. The conductive path may extend between the first heating ring and the second heating ring. The electrical restrictor element may be coupled to the conductive path and selectively permit a current therethrough.

Refrigerator appliance having a defrost chamber

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Prospect, KY, United States of America

John Keith Besore