Whirlpool Corporation

Michael A Ledford

Stephen Zheng

Xiangxu Liu

Owen (XunCai) Zhang

Sayer J Murphy

Meagan K Vandervelde

Heather A Hellmuth

Eric J Vasko

Thomas Dell Spicer

Seth E Bixby

Darryl C Bodine

Anna C Schelling

Stephen D Ostdiek

Jon D Strait

Kyle A Walters

Yu Liu

XunCai Zhang

Eric W Merrow

Gregory R Fulmer

Jun Young Park

James Jeffery

Nicholas Schooley

Jalindar S Dawange

Benjamin D Lowell

Ryan James Van Zoest

Heng Tong Pit

Tarun Sai Yadav Godha

Skylar Rhae Kleindienst

B Shiva

Bharadwaj J

Michelle Flachs Croce

Anup Sudhir Bhavsar

Meagan Kathleen VanderVelde

JunHua Wu

Karthick Kumar Dhanapal

Evan Kristopher Bauer

Owen Zhang

Tony (XinFeng) Huang

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet having a front panel that defines an opening, a drum accessible via the opening and configured for processing laundry, an access panel pivotably coupled to the front panel and operable to pivot between first and second conditions, and a first lint filter pivotably coupled to the front panel and operable to pivot relative to the front panel between a use position and a maintenance position in the second condition of the access panel. The access panel covers the first lint filter in the first condition, and access to the first lint filter is provided in the second condition of the access panel.

Laundry appliance

A microwave hood system is provided. The microwave hood system includes a microwave oven enclosure defining a cooking cavity therein. A cooking component is positioned within the cooking cavity and configured to emit microwaves. The heating system defines a heating cavity therein, wherein the heating system is coupled to the microwave oven enclosure. A heating element is positioned in the heating cavity. The heating cavity reaches a temperature in a range from about 40° C. to about 80° C. when the heating element is in use. A broiler element is positioned within the heating cavity. The heating cavity reaches a temperature in a range from about hundred and 150° C. to about 300° C. when the broiler element is in use. A dual hood system is also coupled to the microwave hood system.

Combination microwave and hood system

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet. A door is operably coupled to the cabinet. A drum is disposed within the cabinet proximate to the door. A lifter is disposed within and operably coupled to the drum. A foreign substrate collector is disposed within the lifter.

Foreign substrate collector for a laundry appliance

A microwave includes an external enclosure having a top surface that defines a cooling air inlet and a cooling air outlet along a front edge thereof. An internal enclosure defines a cooking cavity within the external enclosure. A sidewall of the internal enclosure defines a first air passage, and a top wall of the internal enclosure defines a second air passage. A cooking component area is defined between the internal enclosure and the external enclosure adjacent the sidewall of the internal enclosure. A cooling fan is disposed within the cooking component area. The cooling fan is configured to direct air along a cooling air path from the cooling air inlet, through the cooking component area, through the cooking cavity, and to the cooling air outlet.

A combined ventilation and microwave oven system includes an external enclosure with a top portion defining recirculation vent outlets, a cooling air outlet, and an outside vent outlet, side portions, and a bottom portion defining vent inlets. The vent inlets are in fluid communication with the recirculation vent outlets in a recirculation mode and the outside vent outlet in an outside vent mode. A cooling fan is disposed between the cooking cavity and the first side portion and is configured to direct air through the cooling air inlet and the cooling air outlet. A hood assembly is disposed within the external enclosure and includes at least one first hood fan disposed between the cooking cavity and the first side portion, and a second hood fan disposed between the cooking cavity and the second side portion to direct air through the vent inlets and through an interior of the external enclosure.

A removable fluid pumping and filtration apparatus for a laundry treatment machine is provided. The apparatus includes a handle portion. A filter section is configured to selectively couple to an impeller of the laundry treatment machine, the filter section defining a hollow interior, a lower water opening to allow for the passage of water out of the interior space of the agitator, and an opening about the exterior circumference of the filter section into which a removable filter is selectively attachable. A handle pull locking post is provided within the hollow interior of the apparatus, including a handle pull portion at a top end for gripping against the handle portion and at least one pin at a bottom end configured to selectively lock the apparatus into the base.

Removable fluid pumping and filtration apparatus

A removable fluid pumping and filtration apparatus for a laundry treatment machine is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of selectively attachable and detachable stackable sections, the sections including a handle section and one or more further sections; wherein, when attached together in stacked arrangement to form an agitator, the plurality of sections collectively define: a cylindrical body, a hollow interior of the body, first and second opening about the exterior circumference of the body to define a water flow path into and out of the hollow interior, and placement within the hollow interior for a removable filter along the water flow path, and wherein the handle section including an area to grip onto and rotate the removable fluid pumping and filtration apparatus to facilitate insertion and removal of the agitator.

Pet hair filter

A combined ventilation and microwave oven system includes an external enclosure with a top portion defining recirculation vent outlets, a cooling air inlet, a cooling air outlet, and an outside vent outlet, first and second side portions, and a bottom portion defining a vent inlet. The vent inlet is connected with the recirculation vent outlets and the outside vent outlet via airflow pathways. A hood assembly is disposed within the external enclosure and includes a first hood fan disposed between the cooking cavity and the first side portion and a second hood fan disposed between the cooking cavity and the second side portion. The hood assembly is configured to direct air through the vent inlet and through an interior of the external enclosure. A cooling fan is disposed between the cooking cavity and the second side portion to direct air through the cooling air inlet and the cooling air outlet.

A microwave hood system is provided. The microwave hood system includes a microwave oven enclosure defining a cooking cavity therein. A cooking component is positioned within the cooking cavity and configured to emit microwaves. The heating system defines a heating cavity therein, wherein the heating system is coupled to the microwave oven enclosure. A heating element is positioned in the heating cavity. The heating cavity reaches a temperature in a range from about 40&#xb0; C. to about 80&#xb0; C. when the heating element is in use. A broiler element is positioned within the heating cavity. The heating cavity reaches a temperature in a range from about hundred and 150&#xb0; C. to about 300&#xb0; C. when the broiler element is in use. A dual hood system is also coupled to the microwave hood system.

A combined ventilation hood and microwave oven system () with an overall vertical dimension () is provided, which is smaller than a conventional combined ventilation hood and microwave oven. One or more vent hood fans () are disposed on lateral sides of a microwave coo-king cavity () to draw in exhaust air () through one or more vent inlets () disposed on a bottom surface () and expel the exhaust air () through one or more vent outlets () defined on a surface of an outer wrapper () of the combined system. The low-profile combined ventilation hood and microwave oven system is coupled with a modular heating system () for heating food, which provides both functions within the space typically required by the conventional combined ventilation hood and microwave oven.

Microwave

Growing community of inventors

St. Joseph, MI, United States of America

Michael A Ledford