Patent Application
20090015119
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of dishwashers and, more particularly, to an outer support body for a drawer-type dishwasher.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In general, dishwashers having pull-out drawers supported in a cabinet are known in the art. In some cases the dishwasher may include a single pull-out drawer or washing chamber while, in other cases, the dishwasher can include an upper pull-out drawer forming a first washing chamber for washing dishware and a lower pull-out drawer forming a second washing chamber which can be used to supplement the first washing chamber. In any event, the pull-out drawer(s) is typically mounted to extensible rails that are carried by or mounted to a fully enclosed cabinet. In most instances, the cabinet is positioned under a kitchen countertop adjacent cabinetry or other kitchen appliances.
Manufacturers of home appliances face a highly competitive market. Thus, there is a constant struggle to reduce both the number and complexity of various parts of appliances, as well as lower costs associated with manufacturing. All of the above must be accomplished without detracting from an established level of quality. One method found to reduce both the number of parts and manufacturing costs is to re-evaluate the design of fundamental components of the appliance.
Given that a dishwasher is placed under a kitchen countertop adjacent cabinetry, walls or other appliances, there is simply no longer an absolute need for a fully enclosed cabinet. Accordingly, manufacturers of conventional dishwashers have reduced the number or parts required to construct the cabinet. That is, manufacturers have done away with the enclosed cabinet and developed an assembly which mounts a washing tub on minimal support structure which can be readily positioned under the countertop and then secured to adjacent structure. While this solution is fine for conventional dishwashers, drawer-type dishwashers require additional structure for supporting extensible rails that slidably support one or more drawers. In addition, specific structure must be provided for raising and lowering a lid member that seals about an upper opening of the washing chamber during a washing operation. Moreover, the cabinet must be sufficiently reinforced so as to resist any racking forces that may be developed through loading and shifting of the drawers.
Based on the above, there exists a need for a low cost, easily manufactured outer body arrangement for a drawer-type dishwasher that includes specific structure for supporting a laterally movable washing chamber and a vertically shiftable lid member, while still being able to resist racking forces.
The present invention is directed to an outer support body or frame for a drawer-type dishwasher. In accordance with the invention, the outer support body includes a drip pan having front, rear and opposing side edge portions to which are attached first and second U-shaped brackets. The first U-shaped bracket is attached to the drip pan adjacent the front edge portion and includes first and second leg members that are joined by a first cross member. The second U-shaped bracket is attached to the drip pan adjacent the rear edge portion. The second U-shaped bracket includes third and fourth leg members that are joined by a second cross member.
In order to provide suitable resistance to any racking forces that may develop through operation of the dishwasher, a rear brace is mounted to the support body. Preferably, the rear brace extends between and interconnects the third and fourth leg members at a position spaced from the second cross member. More preferably, the third and fourth leg members are provided with recessed portions, spaced from the second cross member, for receiving the rear brace. That is, the rear brace includes first and second leg sections which are interconnected by an intermediate section, with each of said first and second leg sections being formed so as to nest within a respective recessed portion.
In further accordance with the invention, the outer support body includes a side wall member secured to the first and third leg members and another side wall member secured to the second and fourth leg members. The side wall members serve as mounting structure for additional components, such as drawer support brackets, as well as provide a structural benefit by establishing a shear plane.
In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, the outer support body further includes a front brace that extends between and interconnects the first and second leg members. The front brace is arranged along the first and second leg members at a position spaced from the first cross member. Actually, the front brace is arranged at approximately a mid-point of the first and second leg members so as to define upper and lower drawer receiving portions. A separate drawer or washing chamber is slidably supported in each drawer receiving portion through respective drawer support brackets.
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 that enables a consumer to readily access tub 28 to add or remove items to be washed. In a manner also known in the art, tub 28 includes a dishrack 30 for supporting various objects, such as glassware, utensils and the like, to be exposed to a washing operation.
As will be discussed more fully below, upper drawer 16 is slidably mounted within an outer support body 40 through a pair of extensible drawer support glides or rails, one of which is indicated at 41. In addition, upper drawer 16 is provided with a vertically shiftable lid member (not separately labeled) 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 outer support body 40, the lid member is lowered to seal about tub 28 and, when drawer 16 is withdrawn from support body 40, the lid member is raised so as to enable drawer 16 to be readily withdrawn from outer support body 40 in order to provide unobstructed access to tub 28. However, as the particular manner in which the lid member is raised and/or lowered does not constitute part of the present invention, this aspect of dishwasher 2 will not be detailed further here. Instead, the present invention is particularly directed to the construction of outer support body 40.
With reference to
In order to provide increased structural support to outer support body 40, as well as reduce the transmission of any racking forces that may be generated through operation of shifting upper and lower drawers 16 and 18, outer support body 40 includes a rear brace 120. In further accordance with the invention, rear brace 120 includes first and second leg sections 124 and 125 which are joined by an intermediate section 126. Each leg section 124, 125 terminates in a pair of mounting ears 134, 135 and 137, 138 respectively. In addition to minimizing the transmission of racking forces, rear brace 120 serves as a conduit or channel supporting, for example, utility connections for dishwasher 2. For instance, as best shown in
In addition to rear brace 120, additional structural support is provided by a front brace 154. Front brace 154 includes first and second end sections 158 and 159 that are respectively secured or mounted to first and second leg members 63 and 64. Preferably, front brace 154 is mounted at a midpoint of leg members 63 and 64 so as to divide outer support body 40 into upper and lower drawer receiving cavities 162 and 163. Towards that end, each drawer receiving cavity 162, 163 is provided with a pair of drawer side brackets 164, 165 and 167, 168 respectively. Drawer side brackets 164, 165 and 167, 168 provide mounting structure for extensible support glides or rails, such as rail 41 of
In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, outer support body 40 is further provided with a bottom portion or drip pan 180 having front, rear and opposing side edge portions 184-187. In accordance with one aspect of the invention illustrated in
Outer support body 40 is preferably formed from metal such that leg members 68, 69, 88 and 89 are secured to drip pan 180 through, for example, a welding operation. Drawer side brackets 164, 165 and 167, 168 are directly secured to leg members 63, 64, 83 and 84. As best shown in
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
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. For instance, while the outer support body is illustrated in connection with a multi-compartment dishwasher, it should be noted that the support body could also be employed in connection with a single compartment unit. Also, it should be understood that the drip pan could take on various forms, including being provided as a separate component upon which the dishwasher could rest. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.
