Patent Application
20140014144
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of dishwashers and, more particularly, to the mounting of a dispenser assembly on an inner liner of a dishwasher.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is common in the art of dishwashers to provide a detergent dispenser for use in the dispersion of a rinse aid and/or washing detergent for a washing operation. One known arrangement provides a dispenser mounted to the inner door liner of the dishwasher. With this configuration, the dispenser is conveniently located in a horizontal configuration for filling purposes and a vertical configuration for dispensing operations.
Certainly, there are various ways to design a detergent dispenser of this type. For instance, it is known to form the dispenser from two parts, i.e., a top plate portion and a rear plate portion, which are welded together. Screws are driven into the rear plate through a gasket to sealingly attach the dispenser to the inner door liner of the dishwasher. In such an arrangement, the screws need to be driven tight enough to avoid leaving a cosmetic gap between the dispenser and the door liner which is not appealing. In addition, the gap can trap water and food soil which can leave streaks down the door following a washing cycle. On the other hand, if the screws are driven in too tight, the attachment can pull the two parts of the dispenser apart, resulting in the potential for leakage. As electrical wiring is often routed through a dishwasher door and certain washing fluids, including rinse aid, can attack wire insulation, it is important for the dispenser construction and mounting be configured to address these concerns. Despite known prior designs, a dispenser mounting arrangement which assures the long term integrity, provides enhanced aesthetics and maintains a superior degree of cleanliness for the overall dispenser would be a welcomed enhancement.
In general, the invention is directed to a dishwasher including a tub defining a washing chamber within which kitchenware is adapted to be supported for a washing operation. More particularly, the invention is directed to the mounting of a rinse aid and/or detergent dispenser assembly to an inner panel or liner which defines, at least in part, the washing chamber of the dishwasher.
In accordance with the invention, the detergent dispenser is formed from two main components, i.e., a top plate portion which is exposed to the washing chamber and a rear plate portion. The top and rear plate portions are assembled together, preferably by hot welding plastic top and rear plate portions together. The rear plate portion is formed with flange portions which seat upon a mounting ledge portion of the inner liner. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mounting ledge portion of the inner liner is recessed relative to a main panel portion of the inner liner, with the rear plate portion extending into the body of the door. Mechanical fasteners, such as screws, are employed to mount the dispenser assembly to the inner liner, with the mechanical fasteners extending freely through clearance holes provided in the rear plate portion and being secured, such as by threading, to bosses of the top plate portion, thereby avoiding stress on any fastener bosses in the rear plate portion that could cause cracking leading to rinse aid or other leaks.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a primary seal is provided between the inner liner and the rear plate portion of the dispenser assembly. In addition, a second gasket is arranged between the rear plate portion and the inner liner. In one embodiment, a face seal, through which the mechanical fasteners extend, is interposed between the mounting ledge portion of the inner liner and the rear plate portion of the dispenser assembly. In another embodiment, a radial gasket arrangement is positioned between an outer periphery of the rear plate portion and the inner liner.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the top plate portion of the dispenser assembly is provided with a peripheral trim member. In accordance with one embodiment, the peripheral trim member is constituted by a flexible skirt defined by a thin flange section extending outwardly at an angle from a periphery of the top plate portion, with the flexible skirt being connected to the top plate portion through a living hinge. In another embodiment, the trim member is constituted by a separate, preferably elastomeric component which snaps or is otherwise attached about the top plate portion. In either version, the trim member extends along the inner liner and covers any gap between the inner liner and the dispenser assembly.
The various aspects of the invention combine synergistically to provide long term sealing and assure an overall aesthetic mounting arrangement for the dispenser assembly. In any case, additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.
With initial reference to
Disposed within washing chamber 14 is a pump and filtration assembly generally indicated at 50. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in this figure, pump and filtration assembly 50 includes a radially extending strainer 56 and a removable filter unit 58. Extending about a substantial portion of pump and filtration assembly 50, at a position raised above bottom wall 8, is a heating element 59. Heating element 59 preferably takes the form of a sheathed, electric resistance-type heating element. In a manner known in the art, pump and filtration assembly 50 is adapted to recirculate washing fluid to at least a lower wash arm 65 having spaced nozzles (not labeled), a conduit 70 which leads to an upper spray arm (not shown) and, in the embodiment shown, an auxiliary, fluid distribution or spray unit 72 having a manifold 75 which distributes washing fluid to a series of rotatable spray heads 78.
Basically, the structure of dishwasher 2 described to this point is known in the art and does not form part of the present invention such that this description is simply provided for the sake of completeness. As also widely known in the art, dishwasher 2 is adapted to perform a washing operation with a user selecting desired operation parameters through a user interface 85. That is, upon shutting door 20 to seal washing chamber 14 and initiating the start of the washing operation through a controller 90, the operation of pump and filtration assembly 50 and heating element 59 are regulated by controller 90 in order to direct heated washing fluid upon kitchenware placed on at least rack 18. During select portions of the washing operation, dispenser assembly 28 will open in order to add rinse aid and/or detergent to the washing fluid for cleansing purposes. Also, if tough stains are expected and the user selects a tough scrubbing washing operation, a portion of the washing fluid from pump and filtration assembly 50 will be directed to auxiliary spray unit 72 during a predetermined stage of the washing operation in order to provide a high pressure, intense washing action in at least a rear portion or intensified wash zone of rack 18.
Again, this general operation of dishwasher 2 is known in the art and the detailed description thereof is only being provided for the sake of completeness. Of particular importance in connection with the present invention is the construction and mounting of dispenser assembly 28. With particular reference to
In accordance with the invention, various configurations can be taken for inner liner 24. In the embodiment depicted, inner liner 24 includes a main body portion 161 that leads to a down-turned or in-turned portion 163 followed by a mounting flange portion 167. As clearly shown in these figures, top plate portion 105 and rear plate portion 108 are interengaged, particularly with upstanding mounting legs 144 and 145 of rear plate portion 108 extending between respective ones of mounting legs 119 and 120, as well as bosses 123 and 124. As indicated above, the most preferred form of the invention has top plate portion 105 and rear plate portion 108 hot welded together such that upstanding mounting legs 144 and 145 are welded to respective ones of mounting legs 119, 120 and bosses 123, 124.
As shown, dispenser assembly 28 is positioned on inner liner 24 such that at least support legs 139 and 140 of rear plate portion 108 rest upon mounting flange portion 167 while main body 135 of rear plate portion 108 projects or extends through inner liner 24. At the same time, support legs 115 and 116 of top plate portion 105 rest upon main body portion 161 of inner liner 24. Once positioned in this fashion, dispenser assembly 28 is secured to inner liner 24 with a primary seal 180 located on one side of mounting flange portion 167. More specifically, a plurality of mechanical fasteners 184, each of which includes a head 186, a washer 187 and a shaft 189, are employed to fix dispenser assembly 28 to inner liner 24. In particular, each mechanical fastener 184 extends through primary seal 180 and mounting flange portion 167 of inner liner. In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention as shown in
At this point, certain particular aspects of the present invention should be noted. That is, first of all, mechanical fasteners 184, such as screws, are employed to mount dispenser assembly 28 to inner liner 24, with mechanical fasteners 184 extending freely through the clearance holes or bores 155 established in bosses 148 and 149 of rear plate portion 108, while being secured, such as by threading, to the bosses 123 and 124 of the top plate portion 105, thereby avoiding stress on bosses 148 and 149 of rear plate portion 108. This arrangement advantageously devoids the stress on the parts of rear plate portion 108 which could cause cracking and lead to rinse aid or other leaks. Second, it is important to note the positioning of the secondary face seal 192 between rear plate portion 108 and inner liner 24. In this embodiment, face seal 192, through which the mechanical fasteners 184 extend, is interposed between the mounting flange or ledge portion 167 of inner liner 24 and rear plate portion 108 of dispenser assembly 28. Therefore, in addition to specifically avoiding having mechanical fasteners 184 secured directly to rear plate portion 108 but instead having mechanical fasteners 184 sandwich rear plate portion 108 between top plate portion 105 and inner liner 24, the dual seal arrangement of primary seal 180 and face seal 192 effectively prevents any leakage rinse aid or detergent into the space between outer panel 22 and inner liner 24 of door 20 which may contain electrical components and wiring.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, it should be recognized that inner liner 24 will likely not be perfectly flat such that gaps can exist between support legs 115 and 116 of top plate portion 105 of dispenser assembly 28 and inner liner 24. These gaps can generally range in the order of 1-2 mm. Certainly, these gaps are not considered to be aesthetically pleasing, but also water and food soil can seep into or become lodged between these components and then drip out once door 20 is closed, thereby leaving unsightly streaks on inner liner 24 which would be readily apparent upon re-opening door 20. However, in accordance with the present invention, it is desired to provide a trim member about top plate portion 105 to cover any such gaps.
The various aspects of the invention as set forth above can be accomplished in numerous ways without departing from the invention.
The embodiment of
Although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Certainly, it should be recognized that the objects of the invention can be carried out in various different ways. In particular, it should be recognized that either one of the face seal or the radial seal can be used with either trim member. In fact, although considered somewhat redundant, both the face and radial seals could be used together and in combination with either trim member. In addition, although described with reference to a dishwasher having a pivoting door to seal off the frontal opening of a tub, the invention could also be employed in connection with a drawer dishwasher, such as by mounting the dispenser assembly to the inner tub liner. In any case, in general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.
