General Electric Company

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Ronald Gary Foster

Stephanos Kyriacou

Richard DeVos

Choon Jae Ryu

William Newton

Brent Alden Junge

Alan Joseph Mitchell

John Keith Besore

Jeff Donald Drake

Gregory Sergeevich Chernov

Michael F Finch

Natarajan Venkatakrishnan

Thomas E Jenkins

Timothy Dale Worthington

Jianwu Li

Eric Kent Watson

Steven Keith Root

Danister Abeygunawardana

Jordan Andrew Waymeyer

Timothy Ray Jackson

Gregory Scott Carr

Darin Franks

Joel Erik Hitzelberger

Gary Lester Chastine

Russell James Fallon

Michael C Watanabe

Darrell W Shewmaker

David C McCalpin

Carlos A Herrera

Paul Haney

Thomas Charles Zimmer

Trent Daniel Jacobi

Edgardo Torres

Michael Saba

John K Besore

Eric K Watson

Richard Devos

A free-standing appliance may include a cabinet, a water source, an icemaker, an ice bin, a cold water line, and one or more other features. The icemaker may be mounted within the cabinet downstream from the water source to receive water therefrom. The ice bin may be disposed within the cabinet downstream from the icemaker to receive ice therefrom. The cold water line may be mounted to the cabinet and define a cold water outlet downstream from the water source in fluid isolation from the icemaker.

Free-standing ice or beverage dispensing appliance

A temperature controlled delivery appliance and a method of operating the same are provided. The temperature-controlled delivery appliance includes a storage container, a climate control system, a sanitization assembly, and a locking mechanism. The sanitization assembly may include an ultraviolet light assembly or an ozone generator that may be selectively activated after a delivery to sanitize the delivered items. The locking mechanism locks the door of the temperature-controlled delivery appliance to prevent user access during a sanitization cycle, as well as to prevent other unauthorized access.

Temperature-controlled delivery box with sanitization assembly and security features

An ice making system for creating clear ice and an associated method are provided. The ice making system employs a first sealed refrigerant system connected to a heat exchanger. A second sealed refrigerant system is also connected to the heat exchanger for cooling a first refrigerant of the first sealed refrigerant system. A heat exchanger heater is at least partially contained with the heat exchanger for heating the first refrigerant. A pump in the first refrigerant system is activated after heat exchanger heater has warmed the first refrigerant, enabling a cooling cycle to begin. Once sufficient clear ice has been generated, the pump is deactivated.

Ice making system for creating clear ice and associated method

Refrigerator appliances are provided. A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber, and a door rotatably hinged to the cabinet for accessing the fresh food chamber, the door including an inner surface and an outer surface. The refrigerator appliance further includes a compartment defined in the inner surface of the door, the compartment defining an interior chamber and including a compartment door providing access to the interior chamber. The compartment is selectively operable at a first temperature below approximately 32 degrees Fahrenheit and a second temperature above approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Refrigerator appliance with variable temperature compartment

Method and apparatus for ice maker systems are disclosed. One exemplary method comprises the steps of: heating an ice mold body to separate ice formed in the ice mold body from the ice mold body; releasing the separated ice from the ice mold body; and contacting at least a portion of the ice mold body with a heat transfer fluid to cool the ice mold body.

Method and apparatus for harvesting ice in an ice maker system

A refrigerator comprises a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment and one or more power consuming features/functions including a refrigeration system for cooling the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of current state of an associated energy supplying utility. The controller operates the refrigerator in one of plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively schedule, delay, adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the refrigerator in the energy savings mode.

Energy management of household appliances

A quick chill and thaw system includes an air handler mounted in a fresh food compartment of a refrigerator and drawing air from a freezer compartment for rapid chilling of items inside a slide-out pan. The air handler produces convective airflow at temperatures within the pan at temperatures above and below a temperature of the fresh food compartment to achieve both chilling and thawing of items in the pan.

Refrigerator with quick chill and thaw system

A refrigerator cabinet has an outer case with lateral walls and a continuous front flange. A pair of liners are nested in the case and have lateral walls with a front edge positioned rearward of the case front flange. A resilient breaker strip connects the case walls to corresponding liner walls. The strip front wall extends inward from the case flange to a point inward of the liner wall and a side wall extends rearward to overlap the liner wall. A bifurcated edge of the strip receives the case flange. The strip side wall is return bent to form an inner wall engaging the inner surface and a resilient finger engaging the outer surface of the liner wall. A resilient mullion, connecting the adjacent inner lateral walls of the liners, has a front wall extending across the space between the liners and a side wall projecting rearward from each edge of the front wall to overlap the liner lateral wall. Each mullion side wall is return bent to form an inner wall engaging the inner surface and a resilient finger engaging the outer surface of the liner wall.

Refrigerator with improved breaker strip assembly

Hand-held electric drill

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Ronald Gary Foster