Patent Application
20160113477
The subject matter of the present disclosure relates generally to dishwasher appliance, and more particularly to dispenser mounting assemblies utilized in dishwasher appliances for receiving cleaning agent dispensers.
Dishwasher appliances generally include a tub that defines a wash compartment. Rack assemblies can be mounted within the wash compartment of the tub for receipt of articles for washing. In a typically known dishwasher appliance, spray assemblies within the wash compartment can apply or direct wash fluid towards articles disposed within the rack assemblies in order to clean such articles. Multiple spray assemblies can be provided including e.g., a lower spray arm assembly mounted to the tub at a bottom of the wash compartment, a mid-level spray arm assembly mounted to one of the rack assemblies, and/or an upper spray assembly mounted to the tub at a top of the wash compartment.
To facilitate cleaning of articles in a dishwasher appliance, cleaning agents are utilized. The cleaning agents generally mix with water in the wash compartment to form a fluid which is utilized to clean the articles during dishwasher appliance operation. Cleaning agents include, for example, detergents and rinse agents. In some cases, liquid cleaning agents are utilized, while in other cases, solid cleaning agents may be utilized.
Typically, cleaning agents are stored in reservoirs defined in the doors of dishwasher appliances, and are dispensed from these reservoirs during operation of the dishwasher appliance. However, such arrangement and storage of cleaning agents can be undesirable. For example, many cleaning agents, including many liquid rinse agents, include chemicals which can damage various plastic materials (such as the insulation used in appliance wiring) if contact is maintained for a significant period of time. In the case of appliance wiring insulation damage, arcing and sparking between wires can result.
To maintain the integrity of these plastic materials, solid cleaning agents contained in stand-alone cleaning agent dispensers have been utilized. The cleaning agent dispensers are placed in the dishwasher appliance, with the solid cleaning agents contained therein, for dispensing of the solid cleaning agents therefrom during dishwasher appliance operation. However, current dishwasher appliances make no provision for placement of such cleaning agent dispensers.
Accordingly, improved dishwasher appliances are desired in the art. In particular, dishwasher appliances which provide built in mounting assemblies for receipt of cleaning agent dispensers would be advantageous.
In accordance with one embodiment, a dishwasher appliance configured to receive a cleaning agent dispenser is provided. The dishwasher appliance includes a tub that defines a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing, the tub comprising a plurality of sidewalls. The dishwasher appliance further includes a rack assembly arranged in the wash chamber, and a sump for collecting fluid from the wash chamber. The dishwasher appliance further includes a door movable between a closed position and an open position, the door including an inner wall further defining the wash chamber when the door is in the closed position. The dishwasher appliance further includes a dispenser mounting assembly disposed within the wash chamber, the dispenser mounting assembly configured to receive the cleaning agent dispenser.
In accordance with another embodiment, a dishwasher appliance configured to receive a cleaning agent dispenser is provided. The dishwasher appliance includes a tub that defines a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing, the tub comprising a plurality of sidewalls. The dishwasher appliance further includes a rack assembly arranged in the wash chamber, and a sump for collecting fluid from the wash chamber. The dishwasher appliance further includes a door movable between a closed position and an open position, the door including an inner wall further defining the wash chamber when the door is in the closed position. The dishwasher appliance further includes a dispenser mounting assembly disposed within the wash chamber. The dispenser mounting assembly includes a plurality of clips arranged in an annular array, each of the plurality of clips including a body extending from a surface of the dishwasher appliance and a tab extending generally inwardly from the body relative to the annular array. The body of each of the plurality of clips is angled inwardly relative to the annular array.
In accordance with one embodiment, a dishwasher appliance configured to receive a cleaning agent dispenser is provided. The dishwasher appliance includes a tub that defines a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing, the tub comprising a plurality of sidewalls. The dishwasher appliance further includes a rack assembly arranged in the wash chamber, and a sump for collecting fluid from the wash chamber. The dishwasher appliance further includes a door movable between a closed position and an open position, the door including an inner wall further defining the wash chamber when the door is in the closed position. The dishwasher appliance further includes a dispenser mounting assembly disposed within the wash chamber. The dispenser mounting assembly includes a hoop defining a passage therethrough and a stem extending from the hoop, the stem mounted within the wash chamber.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the term “article” may refer to, but need not be limited to, dishes, pots, pans, silverware, and other cooking utensils and items that can be cleaned in a dishwashing appliance. The term “wash cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during the cleaning process where a dishwashing appliance operates while containing articles to be washed and uses a detergent and water, preferably with agitation, to e.g., remove soil particles including food and other undesirable elements from the articles. The term “rinse cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during the cleaning process in which the dishwashing appliance operates to remove residual soil, detergents, and other undesirable elements that were retained by the articles after completion of the wash cycle. The term “drying cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time in which the dishwashing appliance is operated to dry the articles by removing fluids from the wash chamber. The term “fluid” refers to a liquid used for washing and/or rinsing the articles and is typically made up of water that may include additives such as e.g., detergent or other treatments.
Upper and lower guide rails 124, 126 are mounted on tub side walls 128 and accommodate roller-equipped rack assemblies 130 and 132. Each of the rack assemblies 130, 132 is fabricated into lattice structures including a plurality of elongated members 134 (for clarity of illustration, not all elongated members making up assemblies 130 and 132 are shown in
The dishwasher 100 further includes a lower spray-arm assembly 144 that is rotatably mounted within a lower region 146 of the wash chamber 106 and above a sump 142 so as to rotate in relatively close proximity to rack assembly 132. A mid-level spray-arm assembly 148 is located in an upper region of the wash chamber 106 and may be located in close proximity to upper rack 130. Additionally, an upper spray assembly 150 may be located above the upper rack 130.
Each spray-arm assembly 144, 148 includes an arrangement of discharge ports or orifices for directing fluid onto dishes or other articles located in rack assemblies 130 and 132. The arrangement of the discharge ports in spray-arm assemblies 144, 148 provides a rotational force by virtue of washing fluid flowing through the discharge ports. The resultant rotation of the spray-arm assemblies 144, 148 and the operation of spray assembly 150 provides coverage of dishes and other dishwasher contents with a washing spray. Other configurations of spray assemblies may be used as well.
The lower and mid-level spray-arm assemblies 144, 148 and the upper spray assembly 150 are part of a fluid circulation assembly 152 for circulating water and dishwasher fluid in the tub 104. Fluid circulation assembly 152 may further include a circulation conduit 154 which supplies the fluid to the lower and mid-level spray-arm assemblies 144, 148 and the upper spray assembly 150. The conduit 154 may, for example, be in fluid communication with the sump 142 such that fluid can flow from the sump 142 into the conduit 154 as required.
As mentioned, dishwasher assembly 100 further includes sump 142, which may be provided in lower region 146 below, for example, lower spray-arm assembly 144. Sump 142 generally collects fluid from the wash chamber 106 for circulation within the tub 104, such as back into the wash chamber 106 through fluid circulation assembly 152, as well as drainage from the tub 104 and dishwasher appliance 100 in general. Drainage may occur, for example, through a drain conduit 158 which is provided for draining fluid from the sump 142. The conduit 158 may, for example, be in fluid communication with the sump 142 such that fluid can flow from the sump 142 into the conduit 158 as required. Drain conduit 158 may flow the fluid from the sump 142 to, for example, external plumbing or another suitable drainage location.
A flood float cover 160 may be disposed within the wash chamber 106, and may generally cover a flood float (not shown). The flood float prevents excess fluid from flowing into the dishwasher appliance, as is generally understood. The flood float and cover 160 may generally be disposed in lower region 146.
The dishwasher 100 is further equipped with a controller 137 to regulate operation of the dishwasher 100. The controller may include one or more memory devices and one or more microprocessors, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with a cleaning cycle. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor.
The controller 137 may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout dishwasher 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 137 may be located within a control panel area 121 of door 118 as shown in
It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular style, model, or configuration of dishwasher. The exemplary embodiment depicted in
As mentioned, cleaning agent dispensers 180 may be utilized in dishwasher appliances 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. A cleaning agent dispenser 180 is a stand-alone housing for a cleaning agent (not shown), which may be a detergent or rinse agent. Typically, the cleaning agent utilized with a cleaning agent dispenser 180 is a solid cleaning agent, such as in tablet form, as shown. The cleaning agent dispenser 180 contains the cleaning agent therein. Dispensers 180 are illustrated in
As further mentioned, it is desirable for dishwasher appliances 100 to provide built in mounting assemblies for receipt of cleaning agent dispensers 180. Accordingly, and referring now to
Referring now to
For example, each clip 210 may include a body 212 and a tab 214. The body 212 may extend from a surface of the dishwasher appliance 100. In exemplary embodiments, as illustrated, the surface may be the inner wall 120 of the door 118. Alternatively, however, the surface may be a sidewall 128 or any other suitable surface within and/or defining wash chamber 106. Further, in exemplary embodiments, each body 212 and clip 210 in general may be integral with the surface from which the body 212 extends. Alternatively, however, the clips 210 may be separate components which are fastened to the surface from which the bodies 212 extend.
The tab 214 of each clip 210, which in exemplary embodiments is integral with the body 212 of the associated clip 210, may extend generally inwardly from the associated body 212 relative to the peripheral array. By extending inwardly, a tab 214 generally faces and extends towards other clips 210 of the array of clips 210, as illustrated. Further, in exemplary embodiments, the body 212 of each clip 210 is angled inwardly relative to the peripheral array. By being angled inwardly, a body generally extends towards other clips 210 of the array of clips 210 as it extends from the surface, as illustrated.
In exemplary embodiments as shown, a dispenser mounting assembly 200 in accordance with these embodiments may further be generally positioned within a pocket 220 that is defined in the surface from which the clips 210 extend. Pocket 220 is generally a depression defined in the surface, from which the clips 210 may extend. As shown, the body 212 of each clip 210 may extend from the surface in the pocket 220.
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the inner surface 234 may include an upper portion 236, a lower portion 237 and a step portion 238 extending between the upper portion 236 and the lower portion 237. Step portion 238 may be generally transverse to the upper and lower portions 236, 237. Upper portion 236 may, for example, have a greater diameter or width than lower portion 237, and step portion 238 may bridge this size difference. Further, when a dispenser 180 is received in a mounting assembly 200 in accordance with these embodiments, a portion of the dispenser 180 may be seated on the step portion 238. Accordingly, step portion 238 may further secure the dispenser 180 within the hoop 230.
A dispenser mounting assembly 200 in accordance with these embodiments may further include a stem 240, which may extend from the associated hoop 230. Stem 240 may in exemplary embodiments be integral with the associated hoop 230. Stem 240 may be mounted within the wash chamber 106, and may thus mount the dispenser mounting assembly 200 within the wash chamber 106.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In other embodiments, as illustrated in
In other embodiments, as illustrated in
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
