BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an upper right perspective view of a drawer-type dishwasher including a lid operating mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention installed beneath a kitchen countertop;
FIG. 2 is an upper right perspective view of the dishwasher of FIG. 1 shown prior to installation;
FIG. 3 is a lower right exploded view of a dishwasher lid and lid operating mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a partial, detailed view of a side section of the dishwasher lid of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5A is a detailed view of the lid operating mechanism of the present invention shown with the dishwasher lid in a raised position;
FIG. 5B is a detailed view of the lid operating mechanism of the present invention shown with the dishwasher lid in a lowered position; and
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a lid alignment aide that ensures proper positioning of the dishwasher lid relative to a drawer of the dishwasher.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a dishwasher constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated at 2. As shown, dishwasher 2 is arranged below a kitchen countertop 6. Also shown below kitchen countertop 6 is cabinetry 8 including a plurality of drawers 9-12, as well as a cabinet door 13. Although the actual dishwasher into which the present invention may be incorporated can vary, the invention is shown in connection with dishwasher 2 depicted as a dual cavity dishwasher having an upper drawer 16 and a lower drawer 18.
In accordance with the embodiment shown, upper drawer 16 includes a front wall 20, a rear wall 21 (see FIG. 6), a bottom wall 22 and opposing side walls 23 and 24 that collectively define an upper washing chamber or tub 28. In a manner known in the art, upper drawer 16 is provided with a handle 29 for accessing washing tub 28. In a manner also known in the art, washing tub 28 includes a dish rack 31 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 an outer housing 40 through a pair of extendible drawer support glides or rails, one of which is indicated at 41. As shown, outer housing 40 includes a top wall 42 and opposing side walls 43 and 44 that collectively define an interior cavity 45 (see FIG. 5A). In addition, upper drawer 16 is provided with a vertically shiftable lid member 50 that is adapted to selectively seal against an upper portion (not separately labeled) of washing tub 28. As will be detailed more fully below, an operating mechanism 75 is employed to raise lid 50 when drawer 16 is withdrawn from interior cavity 45 and lower lid 50 onto washing tub 28 when drawer 16 is shifted into interior cavity 45.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, lid 50 includes a top section 83, a front lip 84, a rear section 85 and opposing side sections 86 and 87. Top section 83 includes a central recess 89 within which is mounted a wash arm (not shown). Towards that end, central recess 89 includes a water inlet section 92 to which is mounted plumbing for delivering washing fluid to the wash arm. In any case, each opposing side section 86, 87 includes a corresponding lower edge 108 and 109. Formed on each lower edge 108, 109 are a plurality of raised sections or camming surfaces. More specifically, lower edge 108 includes first and second camming surfaces 110 and 111, while opposing lower edge 109 includes third and fourth camming surfaces 112 and 113. In addition to camming surfaces 110-113, lower edges 108 and 109 include pairs of recessed sections 120, 121 and 122, 123 respectively. Also shown in these figures, opposing side sections 86 and 87 are provided with arcuate openings 130, 131 and 132, 133 respectively.
At this point, the description of operating mechanism 75 will proceed with describing structure incorporated into side wall 44 of outer housing 40 and it should be understood that corresponding structure is provided in side wall 43. Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, operating mechanism 75 includes first and second lifting sliders 143 and 144 and first and second compression sliders 147 and 148. As shown, lifting sliders 143 and 144 are slidably supported by side wall 44 at openings 153 and 154. Likewise, compression sliders 147 and 148 are slidably supported by side wall 44 at openings 155 and 156. With this arrangement, lifting sliders 143 and 144 and compression sliders 147 and 148 connect lid 50 to outer housing 40 while allowing lid 50 to be shifted between raised and lowered positions as will be detailed more fully below.
In further accordance with the invention, operating mechanism 75 includes a lifting spring 190 that extends between and abuts lifting sliders 143 and 144. Lifting spring 190 is secured to side wall 44 by a tensioning block 192. Tensioning block 192 can be vertically re-positioned along a support 193 so as to set a desired tension in lifting spring 190. In addition to lifting spring 190, operating mechanism 175 includes a compression spring 196 that extends between and acts upon compression sliders 147 and 148. In a manner similar to that described above, compression spring 196 is secured to side wall 44 by a tensioning block 198 that can be selectively, vertically re-positioned along support 193 to establish a desired tension in compression spring 196.
In still further accordance with the invention, each lifting slider 143, 144 includes a corresponding lifting spring support 204, 205. As shown, lifting spring 190 abuts lifting spring supports 204, 205 to urge lifting sliders 143, 144 upward to raise lid 50. Each lifting slider 143, 144 also includes a corresponding lifting roller 208, 209 which supports lower edge portion 109 of lid 50. Certainly, without a corresponding opposing force, lifting sliders 143 and 144 would maintain lid 50 in a constant raised position. In contrast, compression sliders 147, 148 include compression spring supports 234 and 235 which are acted upon by compression spring 196 to counteract the force applied by lifting spring 190. In a manner similar to that described above, compression sliders 147 and 148 are provided with corresponding compression rollers 240 and 241 which are positioned in arcuate openings 132 and 133 respectively. As will be discussed more fully below, compression rollers 240 and 241 travel within arcuate openings 132 and 133 as lid 50 transitions between the raised and lowered positions.
Of course, it is important to establish proper positioning of lid 50 in order to ensure a proper seal. Towards that end, operating mechanism 75 includes an alignment aide 249 best shown in FIG. 6. Alignment aide 249 includes an aligning element 256 having a first portion 259 that mounts to rear section 85 of lid 50. First portion 259 includes a pair of locating pins 270 and 271, as well as a central opening 272. Locating pins 270 and 271 extend through receiving apertures 278 and 279 formed in rear section 85 of lid 50. A second portion 283 of alignment element 256 is secured to first portion 259. Second portion 283 is preferably formed from a resilient material and includes a central tab 285 that extends through central opening 272 and on through a corresponding opening 286 formed in rear section 85 of lid 50. Once assembled, aligning element 256 establishes a protrusion, or localized raised portion, on rear section 85. Aligning element 256 is designed to nest within an aligning member 296 provided on rear wall 21 of drawer 16. Aligning member 296 includes a socket 300 having a shape designed to receive protrusion 288. With this arrangement, as drawer 16 is inserted into outer housing 40, aligning member 296 mates with aligning element 256 to ensure that lid 50 is properly positioned above washing tub 28.
Having described a preferred construction of operating mechanism 75, reference will now be made to FIGS. 2-5B in describing a preferred method of operation. In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, lid 50 is typically biased to the raised position as represented in FIG. 5A. That is, until drawer 16 is inserted into outer housing 40, lifting spring 190 acts upon lifting spring supports 204 and 205 to ensure that lifting sliders 143 and 144 are in the raised position. In a manner that will be described more fully below, as drawer 16 is inserted into outer housing 40 and engages lid 50 through alignment aide 249, the combined force exerted by drawer 16 and compression spring 196 forces lid 50 onto washing tub 28 to establish an effective seal.
In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, as drawer 16 is guided into outer housing 40, rear wall 21 contacts rear section 85 of lid 50. More specifically, as drawer 16 contacts lid 50, aligning member 296 and aligning element 256 interengage to ensure proper alignment. At this point, lid 50 becomes constrained against rear wall 21 of drawer 16 such that, as drawer 16 moves further aft in outer housing 40, so does lid 50. In any event, as drawer 16 continues to move into outer housing 40 towards a fully retracted position, the horizontal displacement of drawer 16 forces lower edges 108 and 109 of lid 50 to travel along lifting rollers 208 and 209. Likewise, compression rollers 240 and 241 travel within arcuate slots or openings 132 and 143. As lid 50 nears the fully closed or retracted position, raised portions 112 and 113 force lifting sliders downward against the tension provided by lifting spring 190, thereby causing a vertical translation in lid 50.
Once lid 50 has sufficiently translated vertically and a seal is established between top section 84 and washing tub 28, lifting sliders 143 and 144 force lifting spring 190 downward to a point at which a pre-load in spring 190 is overcome, allowing compression spring 196 to shift compression sliders 147 and 148 downward to a final position. The travel in lifting sliders 143 and 144, as well as compression sliders 147 and 148, acts as tolerance accumulators for the overall operating mechanism 75. It should also be noted that, as lid 50 travels along lifting rollers 208 and 209, a detent portion (not separately labeled) provided on lower sections 108 and 109 is reached. Once the detent point is reached, horizontal forces on the system are reversed. In other words, once the detent is passed, drawer 16 no longer requires a force to push it closed, rather drawer 16 will automatically shift to the fully closed position and seat upon drawer 16.
At this point it should be understood that the present invention provides a simple and cost effective operating mechanism that efficiently transitions a lid of a drawer-type dishwasher between open and closed positions. More specifically, the present invention establishes an easy to install, low maintenance activating system designed to have a prolonged service life for the dishwasher. Although described with reference to a preferred embodiment 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. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.
Patent Application
20080035189
