The present disclosure relates generally to a dishwasher and more particularly to an adjustable dish rack for a dishwasher.
A dishwasher is a domestic appliance into which dishes and other cooking and eating wares (e.g., plates, bowls, glasses, flatware, pots, pans, bowls, etcetera) are placed to be washed. A dishwasher includes a number of dishwasher racks which support such wares.
According to one aspect, a dishwasher includes a tub defining a washing chamber and a rack positioned in the chamber. The rack has a first guide rail and a second guide rail that is parallel to the first guide rail. A first clip is positioned on the first guide rail. The first clip is positionable between (i) a locked position in which the first clip is prevented from sliding along the first guide rail, and (ii) an unlocked position in which the first clip is permitted to slide along the first guide rail. A second clip is positioned on the second guide rail. A retaining wire has a first end that is secured to the first clip and a second end that is secured to the second clip.
Movement of the first clip along the first guide rail causes corresponding movement of the second clip along the second guide rail.
The rack may also include a frame having a number of wire tines secured thereto to define dish supports. The first guide rail and the second guide rail may be positioned in the frame.
A roller assembly may be positioned in the dishwasher between the tub and the rack. The roller assembly includes a number of rollers that roll along a roller-support rail. Movement of the number of rollers along the rail allows a front edge of the rack to move into and out of the tub. The guide rails of the rack may be positioned generally parallel to the roller-support rail of the roller assembly.
The first clip of the rack may include a pair of finger handles, each of which has a first end which engages the first guide rail and a second end extending upwardly from the first guide rail. When the second ends of the finger handles are urged toward one another, the first ends of the finger handles are urged away from one another thereby positioning the first clip in the unlocked position in which the first clip is permitted to slide along the first guide rail.
The first guide rail may include a guide wire. The first clip may have a slot into which the guide wire is received.
According to another aspect, a dishwasher rack includes a frame having a number of wire tines secured thereto to define dish supports. The dishwasher rack also includes a first guide rail secured to the frame and a second guide rail secured to the frame. The second guide rail is arranged in an orientation that is parallel to the first guide rail. A first clip may be positioned on the first guide rail. The first clip may be positionable between (i) a locked position in which the first clip is prevented from sliding along the first guide rail, and (ii) an unlocked position in which the first clip is permitted to slide along the first guide rail. A second clip is positioned on the second guide rail. A retaining wire has a first end that is secured to the first clip and a second end that is secured to the second clip.
Movement of the first clip along the first guide rail causes corresponding movement of the second clip along the second guide rail.
The first clip may include a pair of finger handles, each of which has a first end that engages the first guide rail and a second end extending upwardly from the first guide rail. When the second ends of the finger handles are urged toward one another the first ends of the finger handles are urged away from one another thereby positioning the first clip in the unlocked position in which the first clip is permitted to slide along the first guide rail.
The first guide rail may include a guide wire. The first clip may include a slot into which the guide wire is received.
According to another aspect, a dishwasher rack includes a frame having a number of wire tines secured thereto to define dish supports. A first guide rail is secured to the frame. A second guide rail is also secured to the frame and arranged in an orientation that is parallel to the first guide rail. The rack also includes a plurality of retainer assemblies, each of which has (i) a first clip positioned on the first guide rail, (ii) a second clip positioned on the second guide rail, and (iii) a retaining wire having a first end that is secured to the first clip and a second end that is secured to the second clip.
The first clip of each of the plurality of retainer assemblies is positionable between (i) a locked position in which the first clip is prevented from sliding along the first guide rail, and (ii) an unlocked position in which the first clip is permitted to slide along the first guide rail.
The first clip of each of the plurality of retainer assemblies includes a pair of finger handles, each of which has a first end which engages the first guide rail and a second end extending upwardly from the first guide rail. When the second ends of the finger handles are urged toward one another, the first ends of the finger handles are urged away from one another and out of contact with the first guide rail.
The first guide rail includes a guide wire. The first clip of each of the plurality of retainer assemblies includes a slot into which the guide wire is received.
The detailed description particularly refers to the following figures, in which:
While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Referring now to
A door 24 is hinged to the lower front edge of the tub 12. The door 24 permits access to the tub 12 to load and unload the dishwasher 10. The door 24 also seals the front of the dishwasher 10 during a wash cycle. A control panel 26 is located at the top of the door 24. The control panel 26 includes a number of controls 28, such as buttons and knobs, that are used to control operation of the dishwasher 10. A handle 30 is also included in the control panel 26. The handle 30 is operable by a user to unlatch the door 24 so that it may be opened by a user.
Referring now to
The dishwasher rack 32 also has an adjustable bowl support assembly 40 for positioning and supporting a number of bowls 42 (shown in phantom) of various shapes and sizes. The bowl support assembly 40 includes a pair of parallel guide rails 44, 46 which extend in the general front-to-back direction of the dishwasher rack 32 (i.e., in the direction which extends from the front 48 of the rack 32 to its rear 50). In such a way, the guide rails 44, 46 are arranged generally parallel to the rails 22 of the dishwasher's roller assemblies 18 and hence extend in the front-to-back direction of dishwasher 10.
As shown in
As shown in
The body 60 of the clip 54 also includes a hole 72 into which an end of the retaining wire 58 is positioned, with the other end of the retaining wire 58 being received into a hole 74 defined in the follower clip 56 (see
A slot 78 is formed in the bottom of the body 60 of the clip 54 (see
As demonstrated in
Once positioned in the desired position along the guide rail 44, the user may return the clip 54 to its locked position by simply letting go of the finger handles 62. By doing so, the bias of the finger handles 62 urges the lower ends 70 of the handles 62 toward one another (and hence the grip pads 66 away from one another) thereby returning the clip 54 to its locked position in which the lower ends 70 of the handles 62 engage the guide rail 44 (as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment of
It should also be appreciated that the dishwasher rack 32 may be embodied as one of the non-removable dishwasher racks within the dishwasher 10. In such a way, a component of the roller assemblies 18 (e.g., the rollers 20 or the rails 22) may be secured to the frame 34 of the dishwasher rack 32. Alternatively, the dishwasher rack 32 may be embodied as a removable module that may be selectively installed and uninstalled from the dishwasher 10. For example, the dishwasher 10 may be embodied with a non-removable dishwasher rack or frame that accepts numerous different removable modules, including the dishwasher rack 32.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.
There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the apparatus, system, and method described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the apparatus, system, and method of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the apparatus, system, and method that incorporate one or more of the features of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20100116759 A1 | May 2010 | US |