This page is the campaign hub for patent assertions by Whirlpool Corp., which its complaints describe as a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on patents for low-profile microwave hood combination products. The complaints describe those products as two-in-one appliances that fit into the undercabinet hood space above a cooking range and both cook and provide ventilation. They allege that Whirlpool created the product category, that its own products practice the asserted patents, and that each defendant launched a line of copycat products after Whirlpool's product launch.
The patents
Seven patents, each titled Combination Microwave and Hood System, appear in these proceedings, and U.S. Patent 11,079,118, issued August 3, 2021, is asserted in all of them. U.S. Patents 11,979,967, issued May 7, 2024; 12,101,865, issued September 24, 2024; 12,133,317, issued October 29, 2024; and 12,289,819, issued April 29, 2025, are asserted with the '118 patent in No. 2:25-cv-01137 and in Investigation No. 337-TA-1467. U.S. Patents 12,764,837, issued October 13, 2026, and 12,787,131, issued November 3, 2026, are asserted with the '118 patent in the four November 5, 2026 suits. The USPTO copies of the patents list those titles and issue dates, and each complaint says Whirlpool owns the patents by written assignment.
The asserted claims differ by proceeding. The Samsung complaint asserts at least claims 1-5 and 18 of the '118 patent, and the Commission instituted its investigation on claims 1-5 and 18 of the '118 patent, claims 1-5 and 7-23 of the '967 patent, claims 1-21 of the '865 patent, claims 1-8 of the '317 patent, and claims 1-30 of the '819 patent. Each November 5, 2026 complaint asserts at least claim 6 of the '118 patent, claims 1 and 31 of the '837 patent, and claim 1 of the '131 patent.
The Commission investigation
Whirlpool filed its Section 337 complaint, Certain Low-Profile Microwave-Hood Combination Products, on November 18, 2025, and the Commission published notice of its receipt as DN 3857 on November 21, 2025 (90 FR 52695). After a supplement filed December 4, 2025, the Commission ordered on December 17, 2025 that Investigation No. 337-TA-1467 be instituted on the five patents listed above, by notice published December 22, 2025 (90 FR 59866). The notice describes the accused products as "low-profile, microwave oven and ventilation-hood combination products for installation over a cooking range or cooktop." Its sixteen respondents include Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., LG Electronics Inc., LG Electronics USA, Inc., Midea Group Co., Ltd., Midea America Corporation, Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., d/b/a GE Appliances, and Electrolux Consumer Products, Inc., along with eight other companies. The notice says Whirlpool asks for a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders and that the Office of Unfair Import Investigations will not participate as a party.
Each November 5, 2026 complaint alleges, on information and belief, that the defendant has known of the '118 patent since at least the November 18, 2025 filing of that complaint, which it says named the defendant as a party. Each also alleges that the defendant knew of its alleged infringement of at least claim 6 of the '118 patent no later than May 1, 2026, when Whirlpool moved in the Commission proceeding to add allegations of infringement of claim 6 (and other claims); the LG and Midea complaints say that motion was directed at LG and at Midea, respectively.
The Samsung case
Whirlpool Corp. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., No. 2:25-cv-01137 (E.D. Tex.), filed November 18, 2025 in the Marshall Division against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc., pleads five counts, one for each of the '118, '967, '865, '317, and '819 patents. The complaint divides twelve accused Samsung SKUs into two groups and accuses only the second group, which includes SKU ME11A7710DS, under the '118, '967, and '865 patents. Each count alleges, on information and belief, direct infringement, inducement, and willful infringement, and Whirlpool demands a jury trial. The case assignment entry names Judge Rodney Gilstrap and Magistrate Judge Roy S. Payne. The docket shows an order on a motion to stay entered January 8, 2026, status reports filed April 8, July 7, and October 5, 2026, and a stipulation of dismissal filed November 5, 2026.
The November 2026 suits
On November 5, 2026 Whirlpool filed four suits on the '118, '837, and '131 patents. In the District of Delaware, Whirlpool Corp. v. Electrolux Consumer Products, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-01425, accuses SKU GMOS1266AF, which the complaint says, on information and belief, Electrolux sells under the Frigidaire and/or Electrolux brand names, and Whirlpool Corp. v. Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., d/b/a GE Appliances, No. 1:26-cv-01426, accuses SKUs UVM9125STSS, UVM912DYWW, and UVM912DYBB, which that complaint says, on information and belief, Haier sells under the GE brand. In the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas, Whirlpool Corp. v. LG Electronics, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-01001, against LG Electronics, Inc. and LG Electronics USA, Inc., accuses SKUs MVEF1323F and MVEF1337F, and Whirlpool Corp. v. Midea Group Co., Ltd., No. 2:26-cv-01002, against Midea Group Co., Ltd. and Midea America Corp., accuses SKU MMO12S3AST. Each complaint pleads three counts alleging, on information and belief, direct and induced infringement and willfulness, and each demands a jury trial. The Midea docket's assignment entry names Judge Rodney Gilstrap and Magistrate Judge Roy S. Payne.
The proceedings
The table lists each proceeding by court or Commission number, with the status its docket or the Federal Register shows through November 6, 2026. Patents appear by their last three digits; the full numbers are above.
| No. | Forum | Filed | Opposing parties | Whirlpool patents | Status on the record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 337-TA-1467 (DN 3857) | ITC | November 18, 2025 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., LG Electronics Inc., LG Electronics USA, Inc., Midea Group Co., Ltd., Midea America Corporation, Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., d/b/a GE Appliances, Electrolux Consumer Products, Inc., and eight other respondents | '118, '967, '865, '317, '819 | Instituted December 17, 2025, by notice published December 22, 2025. The November 5, 2026 complaints say Whirlpool moved on May 1, 2026 to add allegations of infringement of claim 6 (and other claims) of the '118 patent. |
| 2:25-cv-01137 | E.D. Tex. | November 18, 2025 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc. | '118, '967, '865, '317, '819 | Assigned to Judge Rodney Gilstrap and Magistrate Judge Roy S. Payne. Order on a motion to stay entered January 8, 2026; status reports filed April 8, July 7, and October 5, 2026; stipulation of dismissal filed November 5, 2026. |
| 1:26-cv-01425 | D. Del. | November 5, 2026 | Electrolux Consumer Products, Inc. | '118, '837, '131 | Complaint, Rule 7.1 disclosure, patent report, and summons issued, all November 5, 2026. |
| 1:26-cv-01426 | D. Del. | November 5, 2026 | Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., d/b/a GE Appliances | '118, '837, '131 | Complaint, Rule 7.1 disclosure, patent report, and summons issued, all November 5, 2026. |
| 2:26-cv-01001 | E.D. Tex. | November 5, 2026 | LG Electronics, Inc. and LG Electronics USA, Inc. | '118, '837, '131 | Complaint, disclosure statement, summons issued, and case assignment entry, all November 5, 2026. |
| 2:26-cv-01002 | E.D. Tex. | November 5, 2026 | Midea Group Co., Ltd. and Midea America Corp. | '118, '837, '131 | Assigned to Judge Rodney Gilstrap and referred to Magistrate Judge Roy S. Payne; complaint, disclosure statement, and summons issued, all November 5, 2026. |
What to watch next
Watch for an order on the November 5, 2026 stipulation of dismissal in No. 2:25-cv-01137, for service on the defendants in the four November 5, 2026 suits and their answers or Rule 12 motions, for judge assignments in the two Delaware cases, and for further Commission notices in Investigation No. 337-TA-1467. Any of these matters can end at any time, including by settlement or voluntary dismissal.