Patent Application
20140145572
This disclosure relates generally to dishwashers, and, more particularly, to support structures that reduce rotation of a door crown.
Dishwashers may have a configuration based on a tub that defines a treating chamber in which items are placed for cleaning and/or drying according to a cycle of operation. A dispensing system may be provided for dispensing a treating chemistry as part of the cycle of operation. A controller may be operably connected with the dispensing system and various other components of the dishwasher to execute the cycle of operation. The cycle of operation may be selected manually by the user or automatically based on one or more conditions determined by the controller.
Support structures that reduce rotation of a door crown are disclosed. An example dishwasher for treating dishes according to a cycle of operation includes a tub defining a treating chamber with an opening, and a door movably mounted to the tub to selectively open and close the opening. The door may include a front panel, a pocket panel coupled to the front panel and defining an opening in the front panel to receive a hand, a crown attached to a top of the front panel, a pocket handle defined in the crown having a first support structure engaging a second support structure of the pocket panel to reduce a rotation of the crown.
In
It should be appreciated that the door 18 may be secured to the lower front edge of the chassis 12 or to the lower front edge of the tub 14 via a hinge assembly (not shown) configured to pivot the door 18. When the door 18 is closed, user access to the treating chamber 16 may be prevented, whereas user access to the treating chamber 16 may be permitted when the door 18 is open.
Dish holders, illustrated in the form of upper and lower dish racks 26, 28, are located within the treating chamber 16 and receive dishes or other items for washing and/or drying. The upper and lower racks 26, 28 may be mounted to dish rack mounts (not shown) via disk rack rails (not shown) for slidable movement in and out of the treating chamber 16 for ease of loading and unloading. Other dish holders may be provided, such as a silverware basket. As used in this disclosure, the term “dish(es)” is intended to be generic to any item, single or plural, that may be treated in the dishwasher 10, including, without limitation, dishes, plates, pots, bowls, pans, glassware, utensils, and silverware.
A spray system is provided for spraying liquid in the treating chamber 16 and is provided in the form of a first lower spray assembly 34, a second lower spray assembly 36, a rotating mid-level spray arm assembly 38, and/or an upper spray arm assembly 40. Upper sprayer 40, mid-level rotatable sprayer 38 and lower rotatable sprayer 34 are located, respectively, above the upper rack 26, beneath the upper rack 26, and beneath the lower rack 28 and are illustrated as rotating spray arms. The second lower spray assembly 36 is illustrated as being located adjacent the lower dish rack 28 toward the rear of the treating chamber 16. The second lower spray assembly 36 is illustrated as including a vertically oriented distribution header or spray manifold 44. Such a spray manifold is set forth in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,513, issued Sep. 29, 2009, and titled “Multiple Wash Zone Dishwasher,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
A recirculation system is provided for recirculating liquid from the treating chamber 16 to the spray system. The recirculation system may include a sump 30 and a pump assembly 31. The sump 30 collects the liquid sprayed in the treating chamber 16 and may be formed by a sloped or recess portion of a bottom wall of the tub 14. The pump assembly 31 may include both a drain pump 32 and a recirculation pump 33. The drain pump 32 may draw liquid from the sump 30 and pump the liquid out of the dishwasher 10 to a household drain line (not shown). The recirculation pump 33 may draw liquid from the sump 30 and the liquid may be simultaneously or selectively pumped through a supply tube 42 to each of the assemblies 34, 36, 38, 40 for selective spraying. While not shown, a liquid supply system may include a water supply conduit coupled with a household water supply for supplying water to the treating chamber 16.
A heating system including a heater 46 may be located within the sump 30 for heating the liquid contained in the sump 30.
A controller 50 may also be included in the dishwasher 10, which may be operably coupled with various components of the dishwasher 10 to implement a cycle of operation. The controller 50 may be located within the door 18 as illustrated, or it may alternatively be located somewhere within the chassis 12. The controller 50 may also be operably coupled with a control panel or user interface 56 for receiving user-selected inputs and communicating information to the user. The user interface 56 may include operational controls such as dials, lights, switches, and displays enabling a user to input commands, such as a cycle of operation, to the controller 50 and receive information. In some examples, the controller 50 and the user interface 56 may be implemented in a crown of the door 18. As used herein, the crown of a door is a member of a door that forms the top portion of the door. Generally, the crown of the door is attached to front and rear panels of the door during assembly/manufacture.
As illustrated schematically in
To allow a user to open and close the door 18, the example crown 100 includes a pocket handle member 106. As shown in the cross-section of
To enable a user to get their hand into the pocket handle 106, the example front panel 102 includes a pocket panel member 108 that defines an opening in the front panel 102 into which they may place their hand. The pocket panel member 108 enables a person to place their fingers into the pocket handle member 106.
When a user pulls on the pocket handle member 106, the crown 100 may rotate relative to the front panel 102. In particular, when the bottom of the pocket handle member 106 substantially corresponds to the bottom edge of the crown 100 (e.g., for aesthetic reasons), pulling on the pocket handle member 106 exerts a rotational force on the crown 100. If the crown 100 rotates relative to the front panel 102, the aesthetics of the door 18 and/or the dishwasher 10 may be diminished, and perceived quality and/or customer satisfaction may be negatively affected. Accordingly, it is desirable to prevent and/or reduce rotation of the crown 100.
To reduce and/or prevent rotation of the crown 100, the pocket handle member 106 includes support structures 110 and 112 that extend downward into corresponding support structures 114 and 116 of the pocket panel member 108. The cross-sectional view of
When a user pulls on the pocket handle member 106, any rotational force applied to the crown 100 will be substantially transferred to the pocket panel member 108 via the support structures 110, 112, 114 and 116. Because a lip 118 (see
To reduce and/or prevent vertical separation of the crown 100 from the front panel 102, the example door 18 of
Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.
