Dishwashers typically have upper and lower racks for holding objects to be washed. Rotatable spray arms are provided in the chamber for spraying water onto the objects for cleaning. Often times, one of the spray arms is positioned between the upper and lower racks, with a wash tube extending between the spray arm and the water manifold in the back wall of the washing chamber. The wash tube is connected to the upper rack and is adapted to dock to and undock from the water manifold, such that the wash tube and spray arm move with the rack between the extended loading position substantially outside of the wash chamber and the retracted wash position within the wash chamber.
The docking of the wash tube with the water manifold presents several problems in the prior art. First, the wash tube must be aligned with the manifold opening to allow for proper docking. While a tapered end on the wash tube has somewhat reduced the docking alignment problem, the flat or planer end of the wash tube still creates alignment problems.
Secondly, the flat end of the wash tube defines an opening or inlet which is in a plane parallel to the water flow in the water manifold. Thus, the flow of water from the manifold into the wash tube is not efficient. Also, the water in the wash tube is not at optimal pressure.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved wash tube for a dishwasher which overcomes the problems of the prior art.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a bullet ended wash tube to provide improved coupling of the wash tube with the water manifold in the rear of the dishwasher.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a wash tube having a first end which couples with the manifold, wherein the first end includes a cup for directing water from the manifold into the wash tube.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a wash tube having a first end with a downwardly oriented inlet.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved dishwasher wash tube which increases the water pressure from the water manifold to the spray arm.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved dishwasher wash tube which bottoms out on the rear inner surface of the water manifold without restricting the flow of water into the wash tube.
These and other objectives will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
An improved wash tube is provided for a dishwasher having a wash chamber and a rack movable between an extended loading position substantially out of the wash chamber and a retracted cleaning position within the wash chamber. The dishwasher has a water manifold in a rear wall of the wash chamber. The wash tube is mounted to the rack, and extends between the water manifold and a rotatable spray arm for spraying water onto objects to be cleaned. The tube has an elongated body with a first end adapted to releasably dock with the water manifold, and a second end adapted to be mounted to the spray arm. The first end has a bullet-shape so as to provide increased tolerances for the docking or coupling of the wash tube with the water manifold. The bullet end includes a downwardly oriented opening so as to define a cup which directs water from the manifold into the wash tube at a reduced velocity and increased pressure. The bullet ended wash tube may engage the rear wall of the water manifold without obstructing the inlet opening which is oriented in a plane perpendicular to the flow of water through the manifold.
The improved wash tube of the present invention is generally designated in the drawings by the reference numeral 10. The wash tube 10 has a body 12 with opposite first and second ends 14, 16, respectively.
The first end 14 of the wash tube 10 terminates in a curved, bullet shaped cap 18, as best seen in
As seen in
In
The second end 16 of the wash tube 10 includes a downwardly oriented water outlet 28, as best seen in
The body 12 of the wash tube 10 is adapted to be mounted or hung from the upper dishwasher rack (not shown) by means of a clip 34. The body 12 also includes a flexible bellows-type portion to provide flexibility to the body 12 and enhance docking with the manifold 24. Alignment tabs 38, 40 are shown on the body 12 and generally are provided to facilitate the manufacturing process for the wash tube 10. The body 12 is curved along its central portion to accommodate a step down area in the upper rack for holding larger objects.
The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3415259 | Noren et al. | Dec 1968 | A |
4064887 | Geiger et al. | Dec 1977 | A |
4179307 | Cau et al. | Dec 1979 | A |
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6431188 | Laszczewski et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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019705548 | Aug 1998 | DE |
0 401 767 | Dec 1990 | EP |
0 829 221 | Mar 1998 | EP |
0 864 291 | Sep 1998 | EP |
0 872 208 | Oct 1998 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040000331 A1 | Jan 2004 | US |