Whirlpool Corporation

Avnet, Inc.

Larry D Marks

Richard C Stiles

Curtis J Bailey

John M DeBoer

Geoffrey L Dingler

Raymond W Spiegel

Louis L Mastro

William F Bartloff

Lynn D Palmer

Theodore F Jensen

Roger James Bertsch

Ryan Kevin Roth

Andrew James Retsema

Ray W Spiegel

Delbert M Halling

Mastrop Louis L

James L Engle

Dale W Gardell

A dish-cleaning appliance comprising a sink defining a wash chamber with an open top for providing access to the wash chamber. A liquid recirculation system is provided for spraying liquid onto the dish rack to effect the cleaning of any dishes along the rack. The lid is mounted to the sink and is movable to selectively cover the open top of the bowl. A latch is provided to hold the lid in the closed position. The latch comprises a catch and a strike, with the strike having an integrated handle resulting in a small form factor.

In-sink dishwasher with integrated latch

A dish-cleaning appliance comprising a sink having a bowl defining a wash chamber with an open top for providing access to the wash chamber. A liquid recirculation system is provided for spraying liquid onto the dish rack to effect the cleaning of any dishes along the rack. The lid is mounted to the sink and is movable to selectively cover the open top of the bowl. The lid includes a sound absorber and a sound dampener for reducing the transfer of sound from the wash chamber through the lid.

Low-noise in-sink dishwasher

A latch assembly for a dishwasher door having a bolt secured to the door. The bolt has a catch including a ramp surface facing toward the tub. An actuator is slidably connected to the bolt. A switch is secured to the bolt such that movement of the actuator may selectively close the switch. A handle is moveably mounted to the bolt in a position for access from the front surface of the door. A strike plate is connected to the tub and includes a latching portion extending toward the door. The strike plate flexes vertically to deflect up over the latch when the door moves to the closed position. The strike plate may be released from the latch by moving the handle upwardly.

Door latch for a dishwasher

A trim assembly for a dishwasher tub having a U-shaped front flange disposed about a front opening. The front flange has radiused upper corners to minimize material stretching during tub forming. The trim assembly connects to the front flange of the tub and includes a pair of corner trim member, a plurality of straight trim members and a pair of tub trim spacers wherein the trim assembly forms a continuous frame of trim disposed about the peripheral edge of the front flange. The straight trim members frictionally engage the straight edge portions of the tub front flange. The pair of corner trim members snap connect to the tub flange upper corners such that the tub front flange is provided with square upper corners. The pair of bottom trim spacers are disposed at the bottom edges of the side trim members and complete the trim assembly. The bottom trim spacers function to deflect wash liquid running off from the dishwasher door back into the tub and serves as structural spacers in the tub support assembly.

Trim system for a dishwasher tub assembly

A kitchen appliance is provided with a removable, replaceable front panel. The bottom edge of the panel is retained by a resilient retainer strip which fits into a channel member. The remaining edges of the panel are retained in grooves disposed in a door frame and control panel. The retainer strip and channel member are configured to snap-fit together. The retainer strip can easily be removed and reinstalled without the use of tools.

Appliance front panel retainer

An access panel arrangement is provided having one or more decorative panels, a frame for removably receiving those panels within a groove engaging a portion of the panel periphery, and a cover attached to the frame and movable between open positions in which the panels can be removed from the frame and closed positions in which the panels are restrained within the frame. The cover is attached to the frame by a plurality of tab and slot pairs, at least one of which is close fitting and provides lateral alignment of the cover to the frame. These tab and slot pairs are dimensioned to permit relative rotation such that the cover is hingedly connected to the frame in a free-floating manner. Snap fit latches are provided to retain the cover in a closed position, but are sufficiently resilient to release the cover and permit movement to an open position and a closed position in response to hand pressures without the use of tools. The frame also provides a snap fit or interlocking connection for a lower vent panel and is preferably integrally molded from plastic materials.

Plastic access panel for a dishwasher

A spatter shield is provided which is attached to a lower portion of the inner door of a dishwasher at a location above and inside the upper edge of the enclosure tub. This shield includes a flange area for deflecting fluid splashed toward the dishwasher opening back into the tub when the door is closed. A channel is provided which is shielded by the flange area for receiving run-off fluid from the flange area when the door is open and for discharging that run-off into the tub when the door is closed. The shield can extend horizontally along a substantial length of the door and is preferably attached to the door by way of a rib on the door which is received in a toothed slot of the shield. The teeth within the slot permit the rib to be inserted relatively easily but resist withdrawal of the rib. These teeth are preferably co-extruded with the rest of the shield from a plastic composition that is relatively flexible with respect to the material forming rest of the shield.

Spatter shield for dishwasher door

Dishwasher front panel

A wire harness protector for use in an appliance. The wire harness protector consists of two members. A first member is secured to the door so as to pivot therewith. A second member is also secured to the door but remains stationary when the door is pivoted. Thus, when the door is pivoted, the second member is fixed relative to the door support structure and the first member pivots with the door. Both the first member and the second member include conduits which are aligned with the hinge axis of the door. Each of the first and second members forms an enclosure for enclosing and routing the wire harness. The conduits are formed by U-shaped channels and covers therefor. The covers are held in place by means of locking snaps. The entire first and second members may each be formed in a single integral molding process from a thermosplastic material such as a fire retardant polypropylene. In an alternative embodiment, the first member may be formed of a shallow U-shaped channel and the wire harness may be secured inside the channel by means of adhesive tape so that the wires are secured in predetermined positions within the U-shaped channel.

Wire harness protector and pivotable door assembly including same

Dishwasher dispensing structure consisting of a reservoir for storing a supply of additive and having an outlet opening to the wash chamber, a cover movably mounted relative to the reservoir between a) a closed position wherein the cover prevents escape of additive from the reservoir outlet into the wash chamber and b) an open position permitting the reservoir outlet to be in communication with the wash chamber, a trigger mounted movably to the dishwasher between a cover block position and a cover release position, with structure on the trigger for maintaining the cover in the closed position with the trigger in its blocked position and releasing the cover to its open position with the trigger in its cover release position, a cover release member, structure driven by the timer mechanism for moving the cover release member through a first prescribed path in response to operation of the timer mechanism as the dishwasing apparatus is cycled and moving the cover release member in a first direction through a portion of the path during one portion of the operating cycle and moving the cover release member to retrace the path portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction during another portion of the cycle, trigger moving structure on the cover release member mounted for movement in a third path as the cover release member moves through the one portion of the operating cycle and in a fourth path that substantially retraces the third path as the cover release member moves in the another portion of the operating cycle.

Mechanically actuated additive dispenser for dishwasher

A dishwashing apparatus having a wash chamber, a timer, an additive reservoir and a dispenser for selectively closing and opening the reservoir. The improvement is a follower for moving in a prescribed path as the timer mechanism is cycled an actuating member consisting of first and second relatively movable parts connected to the follower and dispenser and causing the dispenser to move from its closed to its open state as the timer operates during one portion of a cycle and movement of the actuating member in a first path portion in a first direction and for causing the dispenser to move in a second path portion that substantially retraces the first path portion in a direction opposite to the first direction during another portion of an operating cycle, structure for biasably holding the actuating member parts together in operative position and for permitting one actuating member part to be moved relative to the other against a force imparted by the holding structure to a separated position as the one actuating member part is moved in one of the first and second path portions, structure for blocking movement of the one actuating member part in the one path portion, and cooperating structure on the one actuating member part and follower to permit adjustable fixing of the relative positions of the follower and one actuating member part as the one actuating member part is blocked moving in the second path portion and the follower is moved during a cycle.

Two part actuating member for an additive dispenser on a dishwasher

Dishwasher dispensing structure consisting of a reservoir for storing a supply of additive and having an outlet, a cover mounted for movement relative to the reservoir between (a) a closed position and (b) an open position, a trigger mounted movably between a cover block position and a cover release position for selectively maintaining the cover in its closed position and releasing the cover to its open position, a cover release member movable by the timer mechanism through a first prescribed path in response to operation of the timer mechanism in a first direction through a portion of the path during one portion of the operating cycle and to retrace the path portion in a second, opposite direction during another portion of the cycle, trigger moving structure movable in a third path as the cover release member moves through the one portion of the cycle and in a fourth path that substantially retraces the third path as the cover release member moves in the another portion of the cycle, and cooperating structure on the trigger moving structure and trigger for (a) moving the trigger from its cover block position to its cover release position as the trigger moving structure moves in the fourth path and (b) allowing the trigger moving structure to move relative to the trigger in its blocked position without moving the trigger from its blocked position as the trigger moving structure moves in the third path.

According to the invention, structure is provided for interconnecting a timer mechanism and dispensing structure associated with a dishwashing apparatus. The timer mechanism has a cam with an associated follower with a free end that is engageable with a portion of an actuating member. In the operating cycle, motion is transmitted from the follower through the actuating member. In a given cycle, the actuating member and follower move in a prescribed path in one direction and retrace the path in a direction opposite to the one direction. Structure is provided to block the actuating member at its extreme position of travel in the one direction and to progressively adjustably interconnect the follower and actuating member as they are moved relative to each other. By so doing, the cam follower can be moved through its path by a manual control knob and engaged with the actuating member, that is blocked at its extreme position of travel in the one direction.

Growing community of inventors

St. Joseph Township, MI, United States of America

Larry D Marks