公开(公告)号：US20230235946A1

公开(公告)日：2023-07-27

申请号：US18129586

申请日：2023-03-31

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Gustavo Frattini ,  Sarah M. Galea ,  Daniel E. Lottinville ,  Vikas C. Mruthyunjaya ,  Abhay Naik

IPC: F25D23/02 ,  F25C5/20 ,  F25D11/02 ,  F25D23/08

CPC classification number: F25D23/028 ,  F25C5/22 ,  F25D11/02 ,  F25D23/087 ,  F25D2323/021 ,  F25D2323/024 ,  F25D2323/121

Abstract: A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet; a door operably connected to the cabinet, the door having a closed position relative to the cabinet and an opened position relative to the cabinet, and the door transitions from the closed position to the opened position in a non-circular path; a liquid outlet disposed at the cabinet; and a liquid receiver disposed at the door, the liquid receiver configured to receive liquid exiting the liquid outlet when the door is in the closed position but not in the opened position. The refrigerator can further include a gasket adjacent to the liquid receiver and a gasket adjacent to the liquid outlet. When the door is in the closed position, the gasket of the door can cooperate with the gasket of the cabinet to form a sealed channel to seal liquid transfer from the liquid outlet to the liquid receiver for use at the door.

公开(公告)号：US11623413B2

公开(公告)日：2023-04-11

申请号：US17245802

申请日：2021-04-30

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Gregory Edward Bauman ,  Kevin Jay Cox ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Lynne F. Hunter ,  Ryan Daniel Kannegieter ,  Rafael Dutra Nunes ,  Subrata Shannigrahi

IPC: B29C65/02 ,  B29C70/02 ,  B29C70/88 ,  B29K105/08

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an insulation member for an appliance includes the steps of forming a porous bag with a woven fabric, filling the porous bag with insulation materials, heat sealing the porous bag, vibrating the porous bag to define a pillow, compressing the pillow within a mold to define a compressed insulation member, and evacuating the compressed insulation member within an insulated structure to define a vacuum insulated structure.

公开(公告)号：US20220355532A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-10

申请号：US17872208

申请日：2022-07-25

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Eric J. Dherde ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Abhay Naik

IPC: B29C51/10 ,  F25D23/06 ,  F16L59/02 ,  F16L59/065

Abstract: A method of forming a vacuum insulated structure includes providing a structural envelope an insulating cavity defined within the structural envelope. An expanding device is attached to opposing outer walls of the structural envelope and the interior cavity is expanded by pulling the opposing outer walls away from one another to define an expanded state. An insulating material is disposed within the insulating cavity to occupy substantially all of the insulating cavity in the expanded state. Gas is expressed from the insulating cavity to collapse the structural envelope to a final state and a final interior volume that is less than the expanded interior volume. The final state of the structural envelope defines a densified state of the insulating material within the insulating cavity. The vacuum port is then closed to hermetically seal the insulating cavity.

公开(公告)号：US20220347939A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-03

申请号：US17245802

申请日：2021-04-30

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Gregory Edward Bauman ,  Kevin Jay Cox ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Lynne F. Hunter ,  Ryan Daniel Kannegieter ,  Rafael Dutra Nunes ,  Subrata Shannigrahi

IPC: B29C70/02 ,  B29C65/02 ,  B29C70/88

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an insulation member for an appliance includes the steps of forming a porous bag with a woven fabric, filling the porous bag with insulation materials, heat sealing the porous bag, vibrating the porous bag to define a pillow, compressing the pillow within a mold to define a compressed insulation member, and evacuating the compressed insulation member within an insulated structure to define a vacuum insulated structure.

公开(公告)号：US20220299257A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-22

申请号：US17835018

申请日：2022-06-08

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Paul B. Allard ,  Lakshya J. Deka ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Lynne F. Hunter ,  Hua Liu ,  Abhay Naik ,  Eric J. Vasko ,  Jerry M. Visin

IPC: F25D23/08

Abstract: An appliance includes an outer wrapper, an inner liner, a trim breaker having a wrapper channel that receives a wrapper edge of the outer wrapper and a liner channel that receives a liner edge of the inner liner, and an insulation material disposed within an insulating cavity defined therebetween. A multi-component thermal encapsulation material defines pre-mix, application and sealing states. The pre-mix state is defined by the distinct components of the thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper and liner channels and surrounding the wrapper and liner edges, respectively, in the sealing state that defines a hermetic seal between the trim breaker and the outer wrapper and the inner liner.

公开(公告)号：US11433590B2

公开(公告)日：2022-09-06

申请号：US17128265

申请日：2020-12-21

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Eric J. Dherde ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Abhay Naik

IPC: B29L31/00 ,  B29C51/10 ,  F25D23/06 ,  F16L59/02 ,  F16L59/065

Abstract: An insulated structural cabinet for an appliance includes outer walls that are attached together to define a structural envelope that is operable from an expanded state that includes an expanded interior volume of the interior cavity, to a final state that includes a contracted interior volume of the interior cavity, wherein the contracted interior volume is less than the expanded interior volume. An insulating material disposed throughout the interior cavity in the expanded state. Operation of the structural envelope to the final state densifies the insulating material. Operation of the structural envelope to the final state is performed by a vacuum pump that expresses air from the interior cavity. The structural envelope is also operable from a performed state to the expanded state via an expanding device, and subsequently operable from the expanded state to the final state.

公开(公告)号：US20220161181A1

公开(公告)日：2022-05-26

申请号：US17592165

申请日：2022-02-03

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Gustavo Frattini ,  Ashish Nigam

IPC: B01D53/04 ,  F17C3/08 ,  F25D23/06 ,  H01J7/18 ,  B01J20/04 ,  B01J20/06 ,  B01J20/28

Abstract: A vacuum insulated compartment includes an outer wrapper and an inner liner that is sealed to the outer wrapper. A cavity is defined therebetween. The cavity includes a negative pressure. An insulation material is disposed in the cavity. A getter assembly is disposed in the cavity and includes a primary getter material that is deposited on a plate. A cover layer is deposited over the primary getter material on the plate. A vessel is nested within the primary getter material. A secondary getter material is disposed within the vessel. A protective enclosure is disposed around the getter assembly.

公开(公告)号：US20210341214A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-04

申请号：US17370694

申请日：2021-07-08

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Abhay Naik ,  Subrata Shannigrahi ,  Gustavo Frattini

IPC: F25D23/06 ,  B01D46/00

Abstract: An outer wrapper that defines a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and first and second side walls and includes an inner liner. A trim breaker seals the outer wrapper to the inner liner to define an insulation space. A single vacuum port is disposed on each of the top wall, the bottom wall, and the first and second side walls. A plurality of vacuum ports is disposed on the rear wall. An insulative material is disposed between the outer wrapper and the inner liner. A filter media is disposed proximate each vacuum port such that air can be drawn from the insulation space past the filter media and through each vacuum port.

公开(公告)号：US11029077B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US16308965

申请日：2017-02-28

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Paul B. Allard ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Hua Liu

IPC: F25D23/02 ,  B32B7/12 ,  B32B15/082 ,  B32B37/12 ,  F16L59/065

Abstract: A method of forming an insulated door panel includes folding side flanges of a metallic sheet to define side edges of a structural outer panel that extend from a front panel. A gap is defined between each set of adjacent side edges. Interior blocks are secured to an interior of the structural outer panel proximate each gap to define adhesive cavities. Exterior blocks are positioned at an exterior surface of the structural outer panel at each gap to further define the adhesive cavities. An adhesive is disposed within each adhesive cavity and is contained therein by the interior and exterior blocks. The adhesive is cured to a solid sealing member that adheres the interior blocks to the interior surface of the structural outer panel to form a sealed structural panel. The exterior blocks are removed and each solid sealing member defines a hermetic seal at each gap.

公开(公告)号：US20210025539A1

公开(公告)日：2021-01-28

申请号：US17064853

申请日：2020-10-07

Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Inventor： Paul B. Allard ,  Mohamed Alshourbagy ,  Lakshya J. Deka ,  Eric J. Dherde ,  Gustavo Frattini ,  Alberto R. Gomes ,  Lynne F. Hunter ,  Giulia Marinello ,  Abhay Naik ,  Sanjesh Kumar Pathak ,  Jerry M. Visin

IPC: F16L59/065 ,  F25D23/06 ,  F25D23/08

Abstract: An appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall. At least one metallic inner liner has liner walls and a liner backwall, wherein the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner are coupled together at a trim breaker to define a structural cabinet having a hermetically sealed interior cavity defined between the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner. The trim breaker defines a front face of the structural cabinet. At least one trim breaker conduit extends through the wrapper and liner backwalls wherein the trim breaker conduit defines a conduit through the structural cabinet, and wherein the structural cabinet is hermetically sealed at the trim breaker conduit.