Whirlpool Corporation

Kurt Werner

Dale E Mueller

Gerald L Kretchman

R Bruce Sherer

James W Titus

Mark C Celmer

Scott D Slabbekoorn

William K Kangas

Wilbur C Bewley

James R Sawyer

Kathleen M La Belle

Antonio Francesco Chiriatti

Dennis W Hauch

Ennis L Tillman

Gerd Maentele

Pavol Petracek

Eric E Chang

Steven J Flick

Daniel L Fondriest

Richard J Widman

Leo G Krieger

Luke J Wilkins

Brenner Martin Sharp

Gregory L Malchow

Robert A Brenner

Thomas Alan Latack

Keith E Carr

Edward H Getz

Roger D Burdi

Pamela Smith

Thaylen K Leany

Thomas D Kleinmanns

Richard D Riesberg

Linda A Higbee

A method for producing a welded part from two components, where at least one of the components has a hardened surface. The method can include case hardening the surface of one of the components using a salt bath nitriding process and then welding the case hardened first component to the second component by gas metal arc welding (GMAW).

Method for welding a case hardened component

A laundry treating appliance configured to implement a cycle of operation to treat a load of laundry includes a basket defining a treating chamber and rotatable about an axis of rotation, a motor having a rotor and a stator, and a shifter within the interior diameter of the stator and having an energizable clutch coil at least partially enveloped in a magnetically permeable housing and a magnetically permeable slidable drive mechanism radially spaced from the housing and configured to selectively couple the basket with the rotor.

Laundry treating appliance

A pulley has a plastic body having a peripheral seat and a central hub defining a through opening, with teeth extending from the central hub into the through opening. A metal insert is located within the hub and has at least a portion circumscribing the through opening.

Pulley for washing machine

A washing machine with a direct drive system including a tub, a drum rotatably mounted inside the tub, a shaft connected to the drum at a first end for transmission of a driving force of a direct drive motor, a coaxial support connected to a rear portion of the tub and having a first seat for a first bearing supporting a second end of the shaft opposite the drum, a stator secured to the coaxial support and having a plurality of magnetic cores, a rotor including permanent magnets and connected to the shaft, and a second bearing for supporting the shaft between the second end and the first end. The tub is made of polymeric material in which a second seat for said second bearing is co-molded.

Washing machine with a direct drive system

An automatic washing machine comprises a spin tube coupled to the basket and an agitator shaft coupled to an agitator mounted in the basket. A motor coupled to the agitator shaft applies a torque the agitator shaft and thereby the agitator in first and second torque directions. A clutch couples the spin tube to the agitator shaft for cooperative rotation of the basket and the agitator regardless of the rotational direction of the agitator shaft. Because of the dual directionality of the clutch, reversing the motor simultaneously dynamically brakes the basket and the agitator, thereby eliminating the need for a separate friction brake for the basket.

Multiple directional clutch for a washing machine

Multiple directional clutch for washing machine

An automatic clothes washer has a wash basket defining a wash chamber for receiving a clothes load and a clothes mover provided in the wash chamber for reciprocal rotation. The automatic clothes washer performs a laundering of a clothes load by wetting a portion of the clothes load to form a clothes load with both wetted and unwetted articles of clothes. The clothes load is then reoriented by moving at least some of the wetted articles of clothing into at least some of the unwetted articles of clothing.

Method for repositioning articles in a washing machine

An automatic washing machine comprises a wash tub and a wash plate movably mounted within the wash tub for imparting mechanical energy to articles of fabric in the wash tub. The wash plate comprises a base and a blade that extends from the base and terminates in a tip. According to the invention, at least the tip of the blade is formed by an insert. The insert is made from a relatively hard and wear resistant material that is different than the material of the impeller body. As a result, the wear resistance and performance of the impeller is improved without significantly increasing the overall cost of the impeller.

Wash plate for an automatic clothes washer

A method of washing clothes in an automatic washer having an imperforate wash tub, a perforate wash basket disposed within the tub and rotatable about a vertical axis and a bottom plate disposed within the lower portion of the wash basket and mounted for wobbling motion. The method of operation of the washer includes loading the clothes into the wash basket, adding water and detergent into the tub for forming wash liquid, recirculating the wash liquid over the clothes while driving the bottom plate in a nutating movement. Nutating movement describes the movement of the bottom plate wherein the bottom plate is slowly rotated within the wash basket while being driven in a rapid wobbling motion. In this fashion, the clothes are repeatedly moved under a spray pattern of wash liquid while being jostled and flexed for achieving he desired excellent soil removal.

Method of washing in a verticle axis washer

A method of rinsing in an automatic washer having an imperforate wash tub, a perforate wash basket disposed within the tub and rotatable about a vertical axis and a bottom plate disposed within the lower portion of the wash basket and mounted for wobbling motion. The method of rinsing includes adding rinse liquid into the wash basket and recirculating the rinse liquid over the clothes items while driving the bottom plate in a nutating movement. Nutating movement describes the movement of the bottom plate wherein the bottom plate is slowly rotated within the wash basket while being driven in a rapid wobbling motion. In this fashion, the clothes are repeatedly moved under a spray pattern of rinse liquid while being jostled and flexed for achieving the desired excellent detergent and soil removal during rinse. In a second embodiment, the step of slowly rotating the wash basket for moving the clothes under a spray pattern of rinse liquid is combined with a step of wobbling the bottom plate for agitating the clothes while spraying rinse liquid onto the clothes items.

Method of rinsing in a vertical axis washer

An automatic washer having an imperforate wash tub, a perforate wash basket disposed within the tub and rotatable about a vertical axis and a bottom plate disposed within the lower portion of the wash basket and mounted for wobbling motion. A motor is selectively interconnected with the basket and bottom plate for rotating the basket and the bottom plate together and for wobbling the bottom plate relative to the wash basket while the basket is held stationary such that the clothes items are agitated within the wash basket. A controlled rotation device is provided for driving the bottom plate in a wobbling motion while rotating the bottom plate, at a reduced rate, within the bottom of the wash basket. In a second embodiment, the wobble plate is supported and constrained to be driven in a wobbling motion while experiencing no rotation within the basket. A liquid level control system is also provided for supplying an optimum quantity of wash liquid into the tub wherein the clothes items within the wash basket are washed in an out-of-water wash process rather than being submerged. A recirculation system operates to pump wash liquid from a sump, disposed in the bottom of the tub, through a recirculation line and onto and through the clothes disposed within basket.

Vertical axis washer

A lint collecting device, particularly suited for use in a clothes dryer has an access opening through a front wall of the dryer above the horizontal access of the dryer and laterally offset and spaced from a vertical line passing through the access. The lint collecting device includes a lint screen held horizontally in a lint collecting zone formed in an air duct within the dryer cabinet and a viewing window is provided in the air duct and the dryer cabinet to render a portion of the lint screen visible from the exterior of the cabinet. A light source may be provided for illuminating a portion of the lint screen.

Lint collecting device

A vacuum cleaner is provided that is alternatively operable as a stand alone, upright vacuum cleaner and as a canister vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle assembly having a beater brush, a suction fan and a motor that drives both the beater brush and suction fan. A dirt tube assembly includes a first air flow passageway that directs dirt from the nozzle assembly to a dirt box and also includes a second air flow passageway that directs dirt from the nozzle assembly to a handle. The handle includes an air flow passageway that is coupled to the second air flow passageway in the dirt tube assembly. The handle is alternatively interconnectable with a cap for sealing the handle air flow passageway to operate the vacuum cleaner as a stand alone, upright vacuum cleaner wherein dirt is directed from the nozzle by the nozzle suction fan through the first air flow passageway to the dirt box. The handle is also interconnectable with a hose assembly coupled to a canister unit having a suction fan driven by a motor such that dirt is directed by canister suction fan from the nozzle assembly through the second air flow passageway to the hose assembly and a canister dirt receptacle to operate the vacuum cleaner as a canister vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner may also be operated in a clean out mode to automatically clean out the dirt box. Further, when operated as a canister vacuum cleaner, the nozzle suction fan and canister suction fan operate together to provide improved cleaning action.

Combination stand alone and canister vacuum cleaner

Growing community of inventors

Saint Joseph, MI, United States of America

Kurt Werner