Whirlpool Corporation

Systems and methods for filtering microplastics, lint, and other foreign particulates from water or air streams within laundry appliances, often including self-cleaning or blockage detection mechanisms.

Innovations in the mechanical design, aesthetic features, and integrated functionalities of refrigerator doors, including hinges, handles, internal wiring, and lighting.

Appliances and containers designed for specific cooking methods (e.g., air frying, sous vide), automated food preparation, or temperature-controlled storage and transport to maintain food quality.

Mechanisms for storing, dispensing, and monitoring the delivery of liquid or solid laundry additives (detergents, softeners) into the wash fluid, including diagnostics for ensuring correct operation.

Design of refrigerator interiors with reconfigurable, detachable, or specialized compartments, bins, and accessories to optimize storage, organization, and accessibility of items.

Appliances or modules designed for specific garment care tasks beyond conventional washing and drying, such as steaming, ironing, or autonomous dry-cleaning processes.

Technologies for monitoring the operational status of laundry appliances, identifying abnormal conditions (e.g., pump blockages, motor issues, external noise), and initiating responsive actions or alerts.

Systems for storing, heating, pumping, and precisely dispensing water or cleaning solutions within domestic appliances or cleaning tools. This includes cartridge-based systems, dissolvable cleaning agents, and controlled fluid delivery for optimal cleaning performance.

Use of specialized materials and structures, such as vacuum insulation panels or phase change materials, to improve thermal efficiency and maintain stable temperatures within refrigeration appliances.

Design features and accessories that improve the installation, storage, usability, and overall user experience of household cleaning appliances and manual tools. This includes mounting brackets, ergonomic handles, and integrated storage solutions.

Integration of sensors, cameras, and processing units to monitor internal conditions, manage food inventory, or automate food preparation and preservation tasks within a refrigerator.

Utilizes sensors and intelligent algorithms to detect laundry load characteristics, operational conditions (e.g., imbalance, resonance, dryness), and dynamically adjust washing or drying cycles for optimal performance and efficiency.

Integrated systems within refrigerators for dispensing chilled water, ice, or preparing beverages, often including filtration, storage components, and user interface controls.

Focuses on novel heating elements, power delivery, and thermal management for efficient and controlled aerosol generation. This includes resistive, inductive, and other heating methods, as well as heat distribution and retention.

Blenders, mixers, and cooking appliances featuring intelligent controls, load sensing, or specialized agitation mechanisms to optimize food processing, achieve desired consistency, and enhance performance.

Innovations in vacuum cleaner components and systems for efficiently separating, compacting, and containing collected dust, dirt, or lint. This often involves multi-stage filtration, cyclonic separation, or specialized disposal mechanisms to improve air quality and ease of maintenance.

Integration of heating, cooling, or temperature regulation mechanisms within mixing devices or vessels to maintain specific process temperatures, prevent overheating, or induce thermally-driven reactions.

Equipment designed with interchangeable, attachable, or configurable components, allowing for flexible setup, expansion, or integration of cooking, serving, and storage units.

Systems and mechanisms that allow autonomous cleaning robots or devices to return to a base station for automated tasks such as mop washing, dustbin emptying, fluid replenishment, or cleaning of tool heads without human intervention.

Systems for precisely directing and controlling chilled air within a refrigerator, often creating distinct temperature zones or optimizing cooling efficiency for different compartments.

Systems and devices designed for automated or semi-automated brewing, grinding, and dispensing of beverages, often utilizing capsules, specialized filters, or integrated components for efficiency and user convenience.

Accessories and devices focused on improving the convenience, safety, or cleanliness of food preparation tasks, including specialized cleaning tools, food shaping apparatus, and produce sanitization systems.

Furniture designs that incorporate specialized compartments, locking mechanisms, or automated retrieval systems to secure, organize, or control access to stored items within cabinets, desks, or appliances.

Design principles and connection methods that facilitate the easy assembly, disassembly, reconfiguration, or integration of functional modules and components in furniture systems.

Systems and methods for coordinating and automating the control of electric heating and lighting devices within a broader environment, often involving sensors, communication networks, and user-defined rules.

Integrated systems for automatically dispensing, mixing, and often packaging multiple components to create a final product, frequently incorporating sensors and control for quality, customization, and unattended operation.

Systems and methods for dynamically adjusting light output, distribution, color, or intensity based on environmental conditions, user presence, content, or specific application needs.

Tubes, hoses, or ducts incorporating additional components or features beyond simple fluid conveyance, such as embedded electronics (sensors, heaters), structural reinforcement, or segregated compartments for cable routing.

Mixing apparatus designed for integration directly into a fluid conduit or a continuous process stream, often employing static elements, impellers within a flow path, or multi-component injection for efficient, uninterrupted processing.

Design and material innovations for specific cleaning components or attachments, such as brush rolls, mop pads, scrapers, or multi-functional surface tools. These are often tailored for particular surfaces, debris types, or cleaning tasks to enhance effectiveness.

Systems and methods specifically engineered for removing pollutants and impurities from water sources, ranging from groundwater decontamination to point-of-use filtration, often employing adsorption, membrane, or distillation techniques.

Equipment and techniques specifically designed for effectively mixing and agitating high-viscosity fluids, slurries, or suspensions, often found in industrial, chemical, or battery manufacturing processes where material flow is challenging.

Methods and apparatus for improving the visual fidelity, resolution, or compression efficiency of video signals, often through advanced processing, up-scaling, or neural network-based filters.

Devices and methods that utilize high-speed mechanical action, fluid impact, or cavitation phenomena to intensely mix, disperse, or treat fluids, often for emulsification, particle size reduction, or decontamination.

Design of power driver circuits for electric loads (e.g., LEDs, heating elements) focusing on efficiency, stability, noise reduction, and compensation for component degradation.

Guide rails and associated drive mechanisms, often electric, designed for smooth, controlled, and sometimes automated movement of drawers, shelves, or other movable furniture parts within cabinets or assemblies.