The subject matter of the present invention relates generally to a device for servicing dishwasher appliances and more specifically to a device for in-situ removal of the door from an installed dishwasher.
Typically, removal of a dishwasher door requires the hinge arms to disconnect from the door while the hinges stay connected to the tub and spring system. To maintain proper door stiffness in relation to the hinge arms, the hinge arms must stay connected to the door during removal of the door. This requires removal of the entire dishwasher from the cabinet in order to access the spring linkage and remove the door. Removal of the entire dishwasher from the cabinet is undesirable because of e.g., the additional labor involved with removing and reinstalling the appliance in the cabinet and accidental damage to cabinets and floors.
One-piece hinge designs can lower material and labor cost in manufacturing and provide a more robust door hinge system over previous two-piece designs. However, certain one-piece hinges still require removal of the dishwashing appliance from the cabinet in order to remove the dishwasher door.
Accordingly, a need arises for an in-situ door removal device for dishwashing appliances that allows removal of the dishwasher door without requiring removal of the dishwasher from the cabinet.
A dishwasher door hinge assembly and a spring linkage is disclosed that enables the spring linkage to be removed from the hinge while the door remains attached to the hinge system and to the appliance. This allows for in-situ removal of the door from the appliance without requiring the appliance to be removed from the cabinet, giving the benefit of reducing the time required to service the unit. Both the hinge and the spring linkage system have geometry that allow for their separation while the appliance remains mounted in final installed state—such characteristics being referred to herein as in-situ door removal.
In an exemplary dishwashing appliance embodiment, a cabinet defines a wash chamber for the receipt of articles for washing, the cabinet including a pair of opposing side walls, a top wall, and a rear wall. A tub is disposed inside the cabinet configured with a front opening for receipt of a door hinged at its bottom. The door has a pair of one-piece hinges disposed proximate the opposing side walls, each hinge defining a top edge, bottom edge, hinge distal end, and hinge proximal end, the hinge proximal end being removably coupled to the door, the hinge distal end defining an arched cutout extending upward from the bottom edge and terminating near the hinge distal end. Each hinge has a spring linkage including a clevis removably coupled to the cutout, the clevis defining a clevis proximal end and a clevis distal end, the clevis further including a pair of legs positioned on opposing sides of the hinge and extending from the clevis distal end towards the clevis proximal end. A clevis connecting pin is disposed between the pair of legs at the clevis distal end, each clevis leg further including at least one tool bore for complementary receipt of a linkage removal tool.
In another exemplary embodiment, a dishwashing appliance door hinge assembly is disclosed having a pair of one-piece hinges supported near the bottom of a dishwasher door, each hinge defining a top edge, bottom edge, hinge distal end, and hinge proximal end, the hinge proximal end removably coupled to the door, the hinge distal end defining an arched cutout extending upward from the bottom edge and terminating near the hinge distal end. The assembly also has at least one spring linkage, each spring linkage is attached to one of the hinges. Each spring linkage has a clevis removably coupled to the cutout, the clevis defining a clevis proximal end and a clevis distal end. The clevis has a pair of legs positioned on opposing sides of the hinge and extending from the clevis distal end towards the clevis proximal end. A clevis connecting pin is disposed between the pair of legs at the clevis distal end, each clevis leg having at least one tool bore configured for complementary receipt of a linkage removal tool.
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.
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 tub sump portion 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. Although a spray assembly 150 is shown, an upper spray arm assembly may be used as well. Other fluid emitting devices for cleaning articles may be used at the lower, middle, and/or upper positions as well.
The lower and mid-level spray-arm assemblies 144, 148 and the upper spray assembly 150 are in fluid communication with a pump 154 and a main supply conduit 152 for circulating fluids (e.g., wash or rinse) in the tub 104. The main supply conduit 152 is served by a recirculation pump 154 positioned in a machinery compartment 140 located below the tub sump portion 142 (i.e., bottom wall) of the tub 104, as generally recognized in the art. Pump 154 receives fluid from sump 142 to provide a flow to the main supply conduit 152. A heating element 170 can be used to provide heat during e.g., a drying cycle.
Each spray-arm assembly 144, 148 includes an arrangement of discharge ports or orifices for directing washing fluid received from pump 154 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 using fluid from pump 154 provides coverage of dishes and other dishwasher contents with a washing spray. Other configurations of spray assemblies may be used as well.
The middle spray-arm assembly 148 is releasably connected with fluid supply conduit 152 by way of a diverter 200 as further described herein. Specifically, as rack 130 is moved in and out of chamber 106, fluid supply conduit 112 releasably connects or disconnects from diverter 200. Other configurations may also be used.
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 120 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
The hinge distal end 306 is spaced apart along transverse direction T from hinge proximal end 308. The hinge distal end 306 defines an arched cutout 310 extending vertically upward from the bottom edge 304 and terminating near the hinge distal end 306. As shown in
Appliance 100 includes at least one spring linkage, shown as a pair of spring assemblies or spring linkages 312, positioned on each side 128 of cabinet 102. Only one side is shown in
For each side, the spring linkage 312 includes a cable 332 coupled to the clevis proximal end 322 using a conical cable mount 336. The conical cable mount 336 provides a hole of decreasing diameter to secure an end of cable 332. Spring linkage 312 includes a spring 314 removably coupled to a leg 342 of the dishwasher frame 342. A cable eyelet 343 is mounted to the cable 332 and coupled to the spring 314. Spring 314 applies tension to the cable 332, which in turn pulls on hinge 300 using clevis 320.
A clevis connecting pin 328 (
Referring to
Specific features of the arched cutout 310, as shown in
For this exemplary embodiment, the arched cutout 310 is formed such that the clevis connecting pin 328 moves in three linked travel paths for engagement and disengagement with the hinge 300. The first path 370 starts at the enlarged entrance 350 and extends upward in the first angle α direction toward the rear wall 129. The second path 372 extends in a generally traverse direction sufficient distance such that the clevis connecting pin 328 clears the pin retention lip 340. The third path 374 extends downward along second angle β direction toward the rear wall 129. These linked travel paths provide serviceable geometry to retain the clevis pin 328 connection with the hinge 300 during normal door 120 operation while also allowing a linkage removal tool (not shown) to disengage the clevis 320 from the hinge 300 for in-situ door 120 removal. As shown, these three paths are at non-zero angles to each other.
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 languages of the claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170086645 A1 | Mar 2017 | US |