Patent Application
20070119483
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of dishwashers and, more particularly, to a utility link that interconnects a washing chamber to a outer housing of a drawer-type dishwasher.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In general, dishwashers having pull-out drawers supported in cabinets are known in the art. The dishwasher may include a single, pull-out drawer or wash tub or, in some cases, the dishwasher will include an upper, pull-out drawer forming a first wash tub for washing dishware and a lower pull-out drawer forming a second wash tub that can be selectively operated to supplement the first wash tub. In any event, known drawer-type wash tubs are mounted on extensible rails that are carried by a surrounding cabinet. Typically, the cabinet is positioned under a kitchen countertop, adjacent to cabinetry or other kitchen appliances.
In order to allow the wash tub to be withdrawn from the cabinet, any utility connections, such as water or electrical lines, between the wash tub and the cabinet must either be flexible or sufficiently long to facilitate the loading and unloading of dishware. Simply making the lines long enough to provide sufficient length to withdraw the wash chamber has also not proven effective. Long lines and hoses often become tangled or snagged on the interior structure of the cabinet. In addition, a flexible line cannot be so large as to droop, as the line can interfere or snag on internal structure of the appliance. Over time, repeated snags will create a risk of tearing or cracking the lines/hoses and breaking the connections.
Still, in order to increase the overall utility of drawer-type dishwashers, the extensible wash tub must be able to extend out completely from the cabinet. For instance, loading and unloading of large kitchenware, such as mixing bowls, baking pans and the like, can be very difficult if access to the wash tub is limited. Therefore, there exists a need for a utility connection that permits full extension of a wash tub of a drawer-type dishwasher. More specifically, there exists a need for a utility connection that allows full extension of the wash tub, while assuring that the utility connection does not snag on or interfere with other structure of the dishwasher.
The present invention is directed to a drawer-type dishwasher including an outer housing or frame provided with at least rear and opposing side walls, a drawer including front, rear, bottom and opposing side walls that collectively define a wash chamber or tub, and a lid for selectively closing the wash chamber. The wash tub is shiftable between a first position wherein the wash chamber resides totally within the frame and a second position wherein the wash chamber extends from the frame to facilitate the loading and unloading of dishware. In a similar manner, the lid is shiftable between a first position wherein the lid covers the wash chamber when the wash chamber is in the outer housing and a second position wherein the lid is raised above the wash chamber when the wash chamber is withdrawn from the outer housing.
In accordance with the invention, the wash chamber is connected to utilities, such as a household drain and/or electricity through at least one utility link. The utility link is formed with multiple, flexible loops that enable the wash chamber to shift between the first and second positions while, at the same time, maintaining a connection to the utilities. In accordance with one embodiment, the utility link is constituted by a drain hose. In another embodiment, the utility link is constituted by an electrical cable. In a still further embodiment, both the drain hose and electrical cable are combined. Regardless of the particular embodiment, the utility link is supported by a carrier. The carrier is preferably constituted by a flexible, yet partially rigid support structure that is connected at one end to the frame or outer housing and at another end to the wash chamber. The carrier supports the utility link as the wash chamber is shifted into and out of the frame, thereby assuring that the utility link will not snag the frame or otherwise interfere with a full range of movement of the wash chamber.
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
In accordance with the embodiment shown, upper drawer 16 includes a front wall 20, a rear wall 21, a bottom wall 22 and opposing side walls 23 and 24 that collectively define an upper wash chamber or tub 28. In a manner known in the art, upper drawer 16 is provided with a handle 29 for accessing an interior of tub 28. In a manner also known in the art, tub 28 includes a dish rack 30 for supporting various objects, such as glassware, utensils and the like, to be exposed to a washing operation. Upper drawer 16 is slidably mounted within a frame 40 through a pair of extendible drawer support glides or rails, one of which is indicated at 41. The details of frame 40 do not constitute part of the present invention and therefore will not be discussed further here other than to note that frame 40 preferably constitutes an open latticework.
In addition, upper drawer 16 is provided with a vertically shiftable lid member 44 that is adapted to selectively seal against an upper portion (not separately labeled) of tub 28. That is, when upper drawer 16 is inserted into frame 40, lid member 44 is lowered to seal about tub 28 and, when drawer 16 is withdrawn from frame 40, lid member 44 is caused to be raised so as to enable drawer 16 to be withdrawn from frame 40 and provide access to tub 28. As the particular manner in which lid member 44 is raised or lowered is not part of the present invention, this aspect of dishwasher 2 will not be detailed further here.
In a similar manner, lower drawer 18 includes a front wall 50, a rear wall (not shown), a bottom wall 52 and opposing side walls 53 and 54 that collectively define a lower wash chamber or tub 58. Lower drawer 18 is provided with a handle 59 that enables a consumer to readily access tub 58, with lower drawer 18 being slidably mounted within frame 40 through a pair of extensible drawer glides or rails (not shown). In addition, lower drawer 18 is provided with a shiftable lid member 64 which lowers to selectively seal lower drawer 18 when lower drawer 18 is inserted into frame 40, and is raised when lower drawer 18 is to be withdrawn from frame 40.
Each drawer 16 and 18 includes an associated pump system (not shown) that delivers washing fluid to wash arms supported in wash chambers 28 and 58. Actually, the pump systems create a recirculating flow of washing fluid that is directed upon dishware and the like arranged in tub 28 and/or 58 during a washing operation. The entire pump and filtration system is not part of the present invention and therefore will not be discussed further. However, additional details of the pump and filtration system can be found in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/785,027, entitled “Dishwasher Pump and Filtration System” filed on Feb. 25, 2004 which is incorporated herein by reference. In general, the above description is provided for the sake of completeness as the present invention is particularly directed to a utility link 70 that connects, for example, wash chamber or tub 28 with a household drain line and/or electrical mains.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention illustrated in
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention as shown in
As best shown in
In accordance with the invention, semi-rigid support 161 includes a first end 163 fixedly secured to flexible joint 154 and extending to a second end 164 through an intermediate or support section 166. Intermediate or support section 166 is secured to second loop section 90 and/or 134 of electrical cable 74 and drain hose 104 through the use of, for example, cable ties, clamps or the like. In this manner, when drawer 16 is in a retracted position as shown in
Also shown in
Based on the above, it should be readily understood that the utility link 70 of the present invention provides a viable and flexible connection between a wash chamber of a drawer-type dishwasher and household utilities, for example, electrical and drain connections. Furthermore, utility link 70, 70′ and utility link carrier 144 enable drawer 16 of the wash chamber to be fully withdrawn from frame 40 such that rear wall 21 can extend well beyond countertop 6 so as to enable a consumer to easily insert large kitchenware, such as baking pans and the like, while still maintaining the necessary utility connections.
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. For instance, while described in connection with upper drawer 16, a corresponding utility link arrangement is also employed in connection with lower drawer 18. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.
