U.S. patent application number 11/658249 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-11 for dishwasher comprising a variable device for placing objects that are to be washed.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH. Invention is credited to Egbert Classen, Gerhard Egger, Bernd Schessl, Rainer Schutz.
Application Number | 20080302399 11/658249 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35262161 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080302399 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Classen; Egbert ; et
al. |
December 11, 2008 |
Dishwasher Comprising a Variable Device For Placing Objects That
Are to Be Washed
Abstract
A dishwasher includes a device for disposing pieces of
silverware such that objects that are to be washed are, when placed
in the washing receptacle of the dishwasher, disposed in a careful
and easily accessible manner while keeping production costs low.
The dishwasher includes at least one dish basket and a support area
which can be coupled thereto and is used for placing objects that
are to be washed. The support area can be locked onto the dish
basket while being pivotable about an axis into different angles of
inclination. At least one support element is arranged that supports
the support area at different angles of inclination in a point
located at a distance from the axis.
Inventors: |
Classen; Egbert; (Wertingen,
DE) ; Egger; Gerhard; (Altenmunster, DE) ;
Schessl; Bernd; (Dillingen/Donau, DE) ; Schutz;
Rainer; (Neresheim, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate
GmbH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
35262161 |
Appl. No.: |
11/658249 |
Filed: |
July 20, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
July 20, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP05/53515 |
371 Date: |
January 22, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/157 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 15/503
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/157 |
International
Class: |
A47L 15/26 20060101
A47L015/26 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 23, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 035 725.0 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A dishwasher comprising: at least one rinsing container; at
least one crockery basket; and a support surface that can be
secured to the crockery basket in a manner permitting swivelling of
the support surface about an axis into different angles of
inclination, the support surface supporting items placed in the
crockery basket; and at least one support element for supporting
the support surface at a point spaced from the axis at different
angles of inclination.
14. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
element is arranged, preferably detachably, at a selected one of on
the crockery basket and on the support surface at a point spaced
from the axis.
15. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
element has a number of locking stages that engage with the support
surface, enabling the support surface to be supported at different
angles of inclination.
16. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the locking
stages on the support element are designed as grooves that engage
with the support surface according to the angle of inclination and
that retain the support element preferably by means of a clamping
mechanism, in a fixed manner.
17. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
element is produced at least partially from elastic material.
18. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
element is pre-clamped with spring tension against the support
surface.
19. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
element for supporting support surface is adjustable to an
essentially perpendicular position and otherwise to an essentially
horizontal position.
20. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
surface is produced from a meshing, preferably of wires, and has an
essentially horizontal support plane.
21. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
surface can be connected, preferably detachably, by a clamping
connection to the crockery basket.
22. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
surface can be locked in different positions on different wire
meshes of the crockery basket, preferably at different heights on
the crockery basket.
23. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the support
surface is variable in at least one of its length and its
width.
24. The dishwasher according to claim 13, wherein the crockery
basket has a plurality of separate support surfaces, preferably
arranged next to each other, with which at least one support
element is associated.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to a dishwasher with a device for
placing objects that are to be washed, in particular for placing
items of crockery or cutlery
[0002] Normally the objects to be washed are arranged in the
rinsing container of a dishwasher in one or a plurality of crockery
baskets, where they are acted upon with rinsing liquid during the
cleaning process. The crockery baskets of dishwashers of prior art
frequently consist of a wire mesh, and are generally mounted
displaceably on the side walls of the rinsing container so that
they can be removed from the rinsing container of the dishwasher.
One disadvantage of these crockery baskets of prior art consists in
the fact that essentially they have a rigid wire structure which
only permits limited variation possibilities when they are loaded
with objects to be washed.
[0003] Crockery baskets have also been disclosed which are divided
into storage areas with special devices for arranging certain items
of crockery or cutlery. In some crockery baskets the support
surfaces are pivotably fastened so that if necessary they can be
brought into a horizontal position in which they can be loaded with
objects to be washed, or so that they can be brought into a
perpendicular position in order to enlarge the support space in the
crockery basket. These support surfaces of prior art suffer from
the disadvantage that they only offer the choice between use or
folding up of the support area without increasing the variation
possibilities in arranging objects to be washed in the crockery
basket or on the support area.
[0004] Registered design DE 296 18 924 U1 describes a support for
objects to be washed for a dishwasher, which support has a crockery
basket and a support surface that can be coupled thereto, the
support surface capable of being pivoted about a horizontal axis
and locked at different angles of inclination. This device for
placing objects to be washed suffers from the disadvantage that the
mechanism for locking the support surface is relatively expensive
and is therefore associated with high production costs. The high
cost of the mechanism for locking the support surface is due in
particular to the fact that is arranged close to the pivoting axis
of the support surface, where relatively high torques are generated
on a support surface loaded with objects to be washed.
[0005] The object of this invention is to provide a dishwasher with
a device for placing goods to be washed, which dishwasher
eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages and enables the items
of crockery or cutlery to be accommodated economically in the
rinsing container so that they save space and are easily accessible
at low production costs.
[0006] These objects are achieved by the dishwasher according to
the invention with the features according to claim 1. Advantageous
further developments of this invention are identified in dependent
claims 2 to 12.
[0007] The dishwasher according to this invention has at least one
rinsing container, at least one crockery basket and a support
surface that can be coupled thereto for placing objects to be
washed. The support surface can be locked on the crockery basket
and thereby swivelled about an axis into different angles of
inclination, at least one support element being arranged which
supports the support surface at a point distant from the axis at
different angles of inclination.
[0008] The advantage of the dishwasher according to the invention
is that the angle of inclination of the support surface in the
crockery basket can be variably adjusted. The support surface can
therefore be adapted according to the height and width of the items
of crockery or cutlery to be arranged on it. Since the angle of
inclination of the support surface is adjustable according to the
space required for the items of crockery or cutlery, the objects to
be washed can be arranged in the crockery basket with a particular
saving in space, which provides optimum use of space in the
crockery basket. Because the support element supports the support
surface at a point distant from its pivoting axis, an expensive
mechanism for absorbing relatively high torques on the pivoting
axis for locking the support surface is superfluous. Because of the
simple structure of the support element, the production costs of
the dishwasher according to this invention are reduced.
[0009] The use of support surfaces which are variable in their
angle of inclination favours more convenient, easily accessible and
safe placing of the items of crockery or cutlery in the crockery
basket, with optimum use of the available storage space. Clear
arrangement of the objects to be washed in certain positions in the
crockery basket can therefore also be achieved and contact between
the items of crockery or cutlery prevented, which favours their
cleaning and prevents damage to the objects to be washed and the
development of noise during the washing operation of the
dishwasher.
[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of this invention the
support element has a number of locking stages which engage with
the support surface, enabling the support surface to be supported
at different angles of inclination. Here the locking stages on the
support element can be designed as grooves which grip the support
surface according to the angle of inclination and keep them fixed,
preferably by means of a clamping mechanism. The design of the
support element, with a number of locking stages, facilitates the
handling of the support mechanism, whilst the clamping mechanism
guarantees secure fixing of the support surface by the support
element.
[0011] In order to bring the support element, with the support
surface, into a fixing connection, the support element can be
suitably adjusted to an essentially perpendicular position.
Alternatively it is possible to detach the support element from the
support surface by adjusting it, for example, to an essentially
horizontal position. It is particularly advantageous for the
support element to be produced at least partially from an elastic
material, thus enabling the support element to be adjusted easily
to the desired positions. Here the support element is preferably
pre-clamped with spring tension against the support surface towards
the connection position, in which case the spring tension can be
generated either by a separate spring mechanism or by the
resilience inherent in the elastic material. Here the support
element may be arranged, preferably detachably, either on the
crockery basket or on the support surface at a point distant from
the pivoting axis of the support surface.
[0012] According to a further preferred embodiment of this
invention the support surface is connected, preferably detachably,
by the clamping connection to the crockery basket. If necessary the
support surface may, for example, be separated entirely from the
crockery basket for the purpose of arranging bulky items of
crockery or cutlery. It is particularly advantageous for the
support surface to have an essentially horizontal support plane and
is produced from a mesh, preferably of wires. Here the
above-mentioned clamping connection between the support element and
the crockery basket can be formed, for example, by suitably bent,
preferably hook-shaped wire ends of the wire mesh. Since the
crockery basket is normally produced from a wire mesh, the
hook-shaped wire ends from the wire mesh of the support surface can
each engage in the wire meshes of the crockery basket.
[0013] This provides the possibility of locking the support surface
in different positions on different wire meshes of the crockery
basket at different heights on the crockery basket. However, the
support surface can also be engaged on any wire mesh lying in the
horizontal support plane of the crockery basket. On the one hand
this enables the vertical position of the support surface to be
adapted to the size of the objects to be washed, arranged on it,
and on the other hand enables allowance to be made to the spare
required for the items of crockery or cutlery to be accommodated in
the vicinity of the support surface.
[0014] A similar advantage can be achieved if the support surface
can be locked optionally in different lateral positions on
different wire meshes of the crockery basket. The support surface
can therefore be arbitrarily displaced in the support plane of the
crockery basket in order to optimise the arrangement of the items
of crockery or cutlery in the crockery basket. In addition, or
alternatively, the support surface itself can be variable in its
length and/or width, thus the length and/or width of the support
surface can be adapted to the items of crockery or cutlery to be
arranged on it or to be accommodated in the crockery basket.
[0015] In a further advantageous embodiment of this invention a
plurality of separate support surfaces, preferably arranged next to
each other, are provided with at least one support element
associated with them. Such an arrangement of separate support
surfaces allows independent adjustment of different angles of
inclination of separate support surfaces, and hence optimum use of
the crockery basket for loading it with objects to be washed. This
also provides the possibility, for example, of sing a plurality of
support surfaces next to each other in the crockery basket, in
order to accommodate a larger quantity of flat items of crockery or
cutlery in the crockery basket, for example.
[0016] This invention is explained in greater detail in the
following with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows a
perspective representation of a part from the crockery basket with
a support surface for placing objects to be washed for a dishwasher
according to this invention in a preferred embodiment.
[0017] The drawing shows in detail a part of a crockery basket 1,
which is used for placing objects to be washed and is mounted in
the rinsing container (not shown) of a dishwasher according to the
invention. A support surface 2, with an essentially straight
support plane, is arranged on crockery basket 1, on which surface
items of crockery or cutlery, in particular cups or glasses, can be
placed. Both crockery basket 1 and support surface 2 are produced
from wire meshing which consists of a number of wire meshes 5, 6,
8, and is coated with plastic to prevent damage to the objects to
be washed and the formation of rust on the wire meshing.
[0018] In the exemplary embodiment of this invention shown in the
drawing support surface 2 is arranged detachably on crockery basket
1 via a clamping connection. For this purpose wire ends 7 of the
wire meshing of support surface 2 are of hook-shaped design and
engage detachably in a wire mesh 8 of crockery basket 1. This
enables support surface 2 to be separated, if necessary, or even as
a whole, from the crockery basket in order to accommodate bulky
items of crockery or cutlery in the crockery basket, for example.
The clamping connection 7 between crockery basket 1 and support
surface 2 is designed so that support surface 2 is pivotably
mounted about an axis A, wire mesh 8 of crockery basket 1, on which
support surface 2 is hooked, at the same time forming pivoting axis
A of support surface 2.
[0019] Support surface 2 may therefore be arranged on different
wire meshes 5 of crockery basket 1 at different heights on crockery
basket 1. However, support surface 2 may also be arranged on
different wire meshes 8 in the horizontal support plane of crockery
basket 1. Therefore the vertical position of support surface 2 can
be adapted to the size of the objects to be washed, arranged
thereon, on the one hand, and allowance can be made for the space
required for the items of crockery or cutlery to be accommodated in
the crockery basket or in the vicinity of support surface 2 on the
other.
[0020] On crockery basket 1 is arranged a support element 3 which
supports support surface 2 at a point distant from axis A. Support
element 3 has a number of locking stages 4 which engage on a wire
mesh 6 of support surface 2, enabling support surface 2 to be
supported at different angles of inclination. In the exemplary
embodiment shown in the drawing support element 3 is arranged on a
wire mesh of crockery basket 1 so that support surface 2 is
supported on its side opposite pivoting axis A by support element 3
by support element 3 at the desired angle of inclination.
Alternatively support element 3 may also be arranged on support
surface 2 and retain support surface 2 at different angles of
inclination in a supporting manner on crockery basket 1. Support
element 3 is produced from an elastic material so that it can
easily be adjusted in its position. Support element 3 is here
pre-clamped with spring tension against the support surface towards
the connection position, the spring tension being generated by the
elasticity of the material of support element 3.
[0021] Locking stages 4 on support element 3 are each designed as
grooves, for example, which at least partially enclose wire mesh 6
of support surface 2 (not shown), and therefore retain it in a
fixed manner. The enclosing device (e.g. grooves) is not shown in
the drawing, and only locking stages 4 in support element 3 are
shown. In order to make the fixing connection between support
element 3 and support surface 2, support element 3 is located in an
essentially perpendicular position, as shown in the drawing. In
order to separate support element 3 from support surface 2, support
element 3 is bent against its pre-tension from engagement with wire
mesh 6 of support surface 2.
[0022] This invention provides the advantage that the angle of
inclination of support surfaces 2 in crockery basket 1 is variably
adjustable. On the one hand support surface 2 can be adapted
according to the space required for the items of crockery and
cutlery to be arranged on it, and on the other the objects to be
washed can be arranged in the crockery basket with a considerable
saving of space. Because support element 3 supports support surface
2 at a point distant from its pivoting axis A of support surface 2,
support element 3 is only subjected to a relatively low load, which
allows simple design of support element 3 and hence lower
production costs.
[0023] In a crockery basket 1 a plurality of support surfaces 2
arranged next to each other may also be provided with which at
least one support element 3 is associated. Stable fixing of support
surface 2 at a certain angle of inclination is obtained if each
support surface is supported over two support elements 3 arranged
on the lateral ends of support surface 2. The arrangement of
separate support surfaces 2 in crockery basket 1 allows independent
adjustment of different angles of inclination of separate support
surfaces 2, and hence optimum use of the crockery basket when
loading with objects to be washed.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0024] 1 Crockery basket [0025] 2 Support surface [0026] 3 Support
element [0027] 4 Locking stages on support element 3 [0028] 5 Wire
meshes of crockery basket 1 [0029] 6 Wire meshes of support surface
2 [0030] 7 Hook-shaped wire ends of wire meshes 6 [0031] 8 Wire
meshes in the plane of support of crockery basket 1 [0032] A
Pivoting axis of support element 3
* * * * *