Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Techtronic Power Tools Technology Limited

Randy S McDonald

Troy Charles Thorson

Jeffrey Scott Holly

Jeffrey Charles Hessenberger

Christopher Berg

Dale Borchardt

Joel C Bragg

Jeffrey J Krieger

Michael K Hintz

Kenyon A Hapke

Jarod Michael Sulik

Michael Osvatic

Jonathan H Olson

Adrian J Tengler

Jay A Goddard

Brian A Stelloh

Mark R Heckenkamp

Joseph M Finney

An appliance latch receives a strike when the appliance lid is closed and provides an electrically activated lock holding the lid closed during portions of the wash cycle that might present a hazard. The strike presents two different surfaces to the latch, the first to activate a lock mechanism and the second to activate an anti-tamper switch before the appliance may be actuated thereby reducing the risk of tampering.

Tamper resistant appliance latch

An appliance lid lock mechanism provides a lock pin that may be extended into or withdrawn out of a lock cavity that receives a strike attached to the appliance lid interacting with the lock pin when the lid is closed. The lock pin communicates with the electric actuator on the opposite side of the lock pin from the lock pin's entry into the lock cavity by means of sidebars passing to the side of the lock cavity. The lock bar and sidebars are substantially coplanar with an actuation axis to prevent passage of liquid along these elements between the lock pin and the actuator.

Contamination resistant appliance latch

A latch system provides a latch striker including a flexible arm that can navigate a hook on the latch striker through an aperture in a corresponding latch mechanism. The aperture provides a tortuous passageway through which a hook on the latch striker must pass to activate an internal switch allowing operation of the appliance.

Appliance latch striker

A seal assembly for a wax motor or the like provides an elastomeric seal, fitting against an actuator shaft that may slide through the elastomeric seal, where the elastomeric seal has mold flash regions that are displaced from the contact area between the shaft and the elastomeric seal significantly increasing elastomeric seal life.

Wax-motor with high cycle life

A flexible, electrically insulating insert fits in a slit of a split loom tube to substantially increase the electrical path length between cables contained within the split loom tubing and the outside environment to provide improved electrical resistance therebetween.

Loom assembly providing improved electrical isolation

A latch for a washing machine or other appliance provides two interengaging elements on a lid and housing each having a magnet oriented for mutual repulsion. Proper repulsion of the magnets is necessary to signal that the lid is properly closed such as may be used to determine if the appliance may be locked and safely operated, for example, in a clothes spinning mode.

Lid lock with magnetic anti-tamper feature

A router includes a base, a motor housing supported by the base for movement along a first axis, and an adjustment mechanism having a shaft, with a thread portion, connected to the motor housing for rotation about a second axis. The adjustment mechanism also includes a unitarily formed lock mechanism supported by the base. The lock mechanism includes a thread-engaging member that, when engaged with the thread portion, causes small changes to the position of the housing relative to the base in response to rotation of the shaft. The lock mechanism is movable between an engaged position, in which the thread-engaging member engages the thread portion, and a disengaged position, in which the thread-engaging member disengages the thread portion and the housing is freely movable relative to the base to provide course adjustment of the position of the housing relative to the base.

Router

A transportation-robust bi-stable latch mechanism preserves low actuation forces by means of an auxiliary mechanism blocking the effects of shock forces during transportation.

Low power consumption lock for appliance latch

A power tool, such as, for example a router. In some aspects, a router includes a base, a motor housing supported by the base, a motor supported by the motor housing, and a hand grip forming at least a portion of one of the base and the housing and being contoured to fit a hand of an operator. The one of the base and the housing may be grasped by the operator when the operator grasps the hand grip to control movement of the router on the work piece surface. In other aspects, a router includes a base, a motor housing supported by and movable relative to the base, and a motor supported by the motor housing. The base is contoured to fit a hand of an operator and includes at least one of a slot or a ridge to provide improved gripping for an operator.

A router includes a base for supporting the router on a work piece surface, a motor housing coupled to the base for movement along a first axis relative to the base, a motor supported by the housing and operable to drive a tool element, and a cantilevered shaft rotatable about a second axis and oriented substantially parallel with the first axis and offset from the first axis. The shaft includes a first end supported by the motor housing, a second end, and a threaded portion between the first and second ends. The threaded portion is engaged with the base. Rotation of the shaft about the second axis causes movement of the housing relative to the base along the first axis.

A power tool, such as, for example a router. In some aspects, a router includes a base, a housing and a hand grip attachable to one of the base and the housing, and the hand grip may be contoured to fit a hand of an operator and may be at least partially formed of an elastomeric material. In some aspects, a router includes a housing and a hand grip connected to the housing. In some aspects, a router is operable above a workpiece and under a table. In some aspects, a router includes a base, a motor housing and an adjustment mechanism supported by at least one of the base and the motor housing for adjusting the position of the motor housing relative to the base. In some aspects, a case for a router includes a base plate operable to support a router with a bit attached to the router.

Growing community of inventors

Sussex, WI, United States of America

Randy S McDonald