US Patent Issued to Whirlpool on July 14 for "Energy harvesting system using dryer exhaust air to generate electricity" (Michigan Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 14 -- United States Patent no. 12,680,219, issued on July 14, was assigned to Whirlpool Corp. (Benton Harbor, Mich.).

"Energy harvesting system using dryer exhaust air to generate electricity" was invented by Victor Vargas (Stevensville, Mich.) and Brent M. Burgess (Edwardsburg, Mich.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A vented dryer includes a cabinet, a drum, a heater, and an energy harvesting system. The cabinet has an exhaust outlet and a cabinet inlet. The drum is rotatably supported within the cabinet and includes a laundry compartment positioned inside the drum. The heater heats a flow of air that travels through the drum and exits out the exhaust outlet. The energy h...