Whirlpool Corporation

Jon D Tromblee

Vincent P Gurubatham

Edward C Peterson

Steven John Kuehl

Guolian Wu

Nihat O Cur

Douglas David Leclear

Andrew Michael Tenbarge

Douglas D LeClear

Jeffery J Anselmino

Carolyn L Slone

Jurgen Pannock

Andy Lynn Derryberry

David Michael Jackson

Michael L Huie

Wayne E Kennedy

An icemaker for a refrigerator having a cabinet with a refrigerated compartment and an unrefrigerated machine compartment includes a body portion formed with an inlet, an outlet and an opening. A flexible mold is positioned in the opening. A water supply is positioned to provide water to the flexible mold. A fluid supply circuit, including a pump mounted in the machine compartment, a first fluid conduit connected between the pump and the inlet, and a second fluid conduit connected to the outlet, provides warm fluid to the body portion. The icemaker forms ice during an ice production cycle and the fluid warmed in the machine compartment is used to partially melt and aid in releasing the ice which is then deposited in a ice storage bin during a harvest cycle.

Refrigerator with an automatic compact fluid operated icemaker

A distributed refrigeration system for a vehicle includes a vapor compression primary cooling circuit and a separate secondary cooling circuit. The secondary cooling circuit utilizes a non-toxic cooling fluid that is pumped to remote locations in the vehicle through designated supply lines. A heat exchanger acting with the primary cooling circuit cools the cooling fluid. A portable main storage compartment is fluidly connectable to the primary or secondary cooling circuits. The portable main cold storage compartment can be expandable. At the remote locations in the vehicle, docking stations permit items to be selectively cooled by the secondary cooling circuit. Both the primary and secondary cooling circuits can operate independently of the vehicle engine.

Distributed refrigeration system for a vehicle

A method and apparatus for operating a dehumidifier in a de-ice mode is provided wherein the dehumidifier has an evaporator coil, a fan operated by a fan motor to cause a flow of ambient air over the evaporator coil, and a compressor operated by a compressor motor to cause a flow of refrigerant to the evaporator coil. A control is provided for detecting a characteristic of the dehumidifier associated with the formation of frost on the evaporator coil. Such characteristic could be the temperature of the evaporator coil, the rate of change of the temperature of the coil, a drop in the amp draw of the compressor motor below a predetermined value or a predetermined rate of downward change in the amp draw of the compressor motor. The control terminates power to the compressor motor after detection of the characteristic, either immediately or after a predetermined time, while continuing operation of the fan to provide the melting. Normal operation is resumed when the characteristic is no longer detected, or after passage of a predetermined amount of time.

Method and apparatus for de-icing dehumidifier

An ir conditioner is provided which includes a full-front evaporator and a U-shaped condenser. Separate air streams for the evaporator and condenser are provided by two axial flow fans driven by one motor. Evaporator air flow is drawn in axially and discharged radially through louvers in the top and both sides of the cabinet. Condenser air flow is drawn in through the sides of the U-shaped condenser and discharged through the rear of the U-shaped condenser.

Compact air conditioner

A sealing arrangement is provided for a dishwasher in which a pump is mounted on a base which can be removed from the dishwasher and a first sealing member is positioned between the base and the sump for removably sealing the base to the sump. A second sealing member is located within the sump for removably sealing an outlet of the pump to an end of a conduit. With such an arrangement the pump base may be mounted to or removed from the sump in a single operation without making any manual fluid connections.

Sealing system for a dishwasher

A dishwasher is provided with a fluid handling system that utilizes two separate sumps and two separate pumps. A first sump receives a portion of the wash liquid from the wash chamber and recirculates the wash liquid by use of a relatively high capacity pump in the first sump. The second sump receives the remainder of the wash liquid and removes both heavier-than-water and lighter-than-water soils before directing this remainder of the wash liquid to the first sump. A relatively low capacity pump in the second sump directs wash liquid and collected soils to an exterior drain.

Fluid handling system for a dishwasher

A power system module is provided for a dishwasher that has a common base upon which is mounted the power system components. A first and second pump, heater, thermostats, overflow sensor and a fill valve are all mounted on the common base. The base member also receives an enclosure thereon which protects the components. A simple securing device in the form of a clip is utilized to hold the enclosure and base in place over a trough forming two separate sumps, one for each of the pumps.

Power system for a dishwasher

An air flow control for a dishwasher is provided in which a spray pump motor has a blower wheel mounted thereon to provide cooling to the spray pump motor. The motor is positioned within an enclosed housing having an air inlet and two air outlets. One of the air outlets is provided with an air passage leading to an exit opening in a sump of the dishwasher. The sump communicates with the wash cavity of the dishwasher through a conduit and, during the wash and rinse portions of a washing cycle receives and retains a predetermined level of wash liquid. The air passage exit opening is positioned at an elevation below the predetermined wash liquid level in the sump so that during the wash and rinse portion of the wash cycle, air will be prevented from moving through the air passage into the wash cavity. However, once the wash liquid level drops below the predetermined level, air will be forced through the wash cavity.

Air flow control for a dishwasher

A soil separator for a dishwasher is provided in which the recirculating wash liquid flow through the dishwasher is divided into two flow streams and the soil separator is positioned in one of the flow streams. A screen blocks passage of large soil particles and directs then into the flow stream leading to the soil separator. An elevated dam in the soil separator blocks passage of lighter-than-water particles and a weir blocks passage of heavier-than-water particles. A V-shaped notch in the weir permits flow from the soil separator to rejoin the other flow stream.

Growing community of inventors

Hagar Township, Berrien County, MI, United States of America

Jon D Tromblee