Whirlpool Corporation

Ryan Michael Post

Michael S Richards

Michael Todd Moore

Chad Jonathan Rotter

Sushanth Purandhar

Victor Henrique Sfoggia Carlotto

Ian M Pavnick

Enrique Corona

David Edwards

Andrew Michael Tenbarge

Daniel Henry Quinlan

Kapil Ayyawar

Rahul Wadke

Umakant Suresh Katu

Gowardhan Parikshit

Lalit Madhukar Suryawanshi

Joseph Gresham, Iv

Adam Thomas Needham

Evan W Kessick

Ian Pavnick

Vincent F Bertolino

A refrigerator shelving system includes a primary shelf, a secondary shelf, hangers, and nests. The hangers movably secure the secondary shelf to the primary shelf. The hangers also position the secondary shelf below the primary shelf. The nests are configured to secure the secondary shelf to the primary shelf in a stowed position. The nests include housings and magnets that are vertically slidable within the housings. The magnets are configured to engage the hangers to maintain the secondary shelf in the stowed position. Vertical positions of the magnets are variable within the housing to compensate for variations in positions of the hangers.

Refrigerator and shelving system for a refrigerator

A hinge bracket assembly includes an appliance wrapper defining a first receiving space extending in a first direction, a second receiving space extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and a third receiving space extending in a third direction oriented at an acute angle relative to the first direction. An anchor plate is engaged with the appliance wrapper and includes a retention member received by the first receiving space, a first flange received by the second receiving space, and a second flange received by the third receiving space. A hinge plate is coupled with the anchor plate and includes a protrusion received by a slot defined by the retention member. The appliance wrapper is positioned between the anchor and hinge plates. A locking arm is selectively engaged with the anchor and hinge plates and is rotatable between an unlocked position and a locked position.

Hinge bracket assembly

Example refrigerators having internal content cameras, and methods of operating the same are disclosed. A disclosed example refrigerator includes a cabinet, an internal compartment disposed within the cabinet, a closing member operatively coupled to the cabinet providing selective access to the internal compartment, two cameras disposed in the compartment and positioned to capture images of different portions of the compartment, two light sources disposed in the compartment, and a controller communicatively coupled with the cameras and light sources and configured to control the light sources to provide two different illuminations for respective ones of the two cameras.

Refrigerators having internal content cameras, and methods of operating the same

A refrigerating appliance includes a cabinet having an inner liner that defines at least one aperture for accessing a refrigerating compartment. A door is operably coupled to the cabinet and is operable between open and closed positions. A plurality of storage surfaces is positioned within the refrigerating compartment. Each storage surface is adapted to receive at least one temporarily stored item. A scanning apparatus is adapted to record data related to the storage surfaces and the at least one temporarily stored item. The scanning apparatus conducts first and second data capturing phases. The secondary data recorded during the second data capturing phase is compared against previous data recorded during the first data capturing phase to create a current inventory manifest. The current inventory manifest is compared with a set of predetermined parameters related to the at least one temporarily stored item to selectively provide an output.

Object recognition system for an appliance and method for managing household inventory of consumables

A hinge bracket assembly includes an anchor plate. A retention member extends perpendicular to the anchor plate. The anchor plate defines a first receiving aperture. A hinge plate is aligned with the anchor plate and includes a hinge arm and a protrusion. The protrusion extends from an edge of the hinge plate opposite the hinge arm. The hinge plate defines a second receiving aperture aligned with the first receiving aperture when the protrusion is received by a space defined by the retention member. A locking arm is rotatable between an unlocked position and a locked position and is configured to be at least partially received by the first and second receiving apertures to couple the anchor plate and the hinge plate.

Hinge bracket

A support assembly includes a support surface configured to selectively transition between a stowed position, a deployed position, and an intermediate position defined between the stowed position and the deployed position. A retention feature is operably coupled to the support surface and is configured to transition the support surface between the stowed position and the deployed position. The retention feature includes a projection about which the support surface pivots to define a pivot axis. A bracket is coupled to the support surface and is configured to distribute a load along the support assembly in the intermediate position and the deployed position.

Support assembly for an appliance

A door ajar detection system is provided. The door ajar detection system may be incorporated in a refrigerator to provide a warning when a door is left in an open position, or to prevent a false door-closed detection. The system utilizes like magnetic poles of magnets positioned opposite to each other to push one or more doors in a refrigerator into a full open position such that a door ajar detection assembly may provide an accurate reading. A latch assembly may be provided to hold the one or more doors in a closed position against the force of the like magnetic poles.

Door ajar detection system

A door-in-door refrigerator includes a door having an inner door and an outer door. When the inner and outer doors are in open positions, food items stored in a main refrigerated compartment are accessible. When the inner and outer doors are in closed positions, the door seals the refrigerated compartment, and food items stored in the main refrigerated compartment are not accessible. When the inner door is in a closed position and the outer door is in an open position, food items stored in a storage structure coupled to the door are accessible. A latch includes a trigger that moves in a direction substantially parallel to a handle. Movement of the trigger shifts the latch between a latched position, in which pulling on the handle causes the inner and outer doors to open, and an unlatched position, in which pulling on the handle causes the outer door to open while the inner door remains closed.

Growing community of inventors

Coloma, MI, United States of America

Ryan Michael Post