{"id":50678,"date":"2014-08-04T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2014-08-04T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/?p=50678"},"modified":"2014-10-28T14:25:20","modified_gmt":"2014-10-28T18:25:20","slug":"whirlpools-patent-applications-from-spherical-ice-dispensers-to-steam-cooking-ovens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipwatchdog.com\/2014\/08\/04\/whirlpools-patent-applications-from-spherical-ice-dispensers-to-steam-cooking-ovens\/id=50678\/","title":{"rendered":"Whirlpool\u2019s Patent Applications: From Spherical Ice Dispensers to Steam Cooking Ovens"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Whirlpool Corporation of Benton Charter Township, MI, is a company which has become synonymous with the American market for consumer home appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators or laundry machines. The company announced a 9.6 percent drop in sales outside of the United States during the second quarter of 2014<\/a><\/strong>, reducing the corporation\u2019s sales forecast for the entire year. However, Whirlpool may be trying to counteract its poor global sales by acquiring the Indesit Company<\/a><\/strong>, an Italy-based manufacturer and distributor of home appliances. Whirlpool is still at the forefront of innovation in the field of home appliances, which its recent unveiling of an in-home 10-minute dry cleaning appliance<\/a><\/strong> proves. Recently, the corporation has partnered with researchers from Purdue University to convert a 1920s Indiana home into a net-zero energy residence<\/a><\/strong>, creating as much energy as it consumes within a year.<\/p>\n Whirlpool\u2019s devoted focus to household appliances of many kinds makes it a very visible corporation among American consumers and a good choice for IPWatchdog\u2019s Companies We Follow series.<\/p>\n Publication of a patent application does not mean that a patent will be issued for the technology, but looking through them, we have our best chances of learning about a company\u2019s most recent research and development goals. To judge from what we saw today, Whirlpool is very hard at work creating improvements to the various ice making assemblies manufactured for the company\u2019s refrigerators or other appliances. We were also intrigued by one patent application which may protect a cooking method for a home oven that provides for the steam cooking of fish and vegetables.<\/p>\n A company\u2019s patent portfolio expresses that entity\u2019s true strength in intellectual properties, and some novel additions have been made to Whirlpool\u2019s holdings in recent weeks. We\u2019ve shared a couple of recently issued patents below which protect improved dishwasher assemblies, including one which can aid a dishwasher\u2019s spray arm when an object is blocking its normal operating path. Another patent protects a removable beverage rack for a refrigerator that can store a variety of bottled or canned drinks in many configurations. We also noticed a couple of patented inventions related to communication networks for home appliances.<\/p>\n [Companies-1]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whirlpool\u2019s Patent Applications: From Spherical Ice Dispensers to Steam Cooking Ovens\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Whirlpool Corporation maintains a strict focus on the development and manufacture of home appliances that many other companies fail to match. This company owns a multitude of brands that produce a diverse range of dishwashers, refrigerators and more, such as Maytag, Amana, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air along with the corporation\u2019s flagship Whirlpool products. The patent applications assigned to this entity which have been published recently by the USPTO represent some truly unique advancements that may pique the interests of our readers.<\/p>\n