Patent Application
20090038656
The present invention relates generally to the field of container devices utilized in a product sanitization process. More particularly, the present invention relates to a small appliance container which is suitable for use in an automatic dishwasher so as to prevent the loss or damage of the appliance during the cleansing process for sanitization.
It is known that dishwashers provide an effective tool for sanitizing many articles other than typical kitchen items. Small articles, such as dental retainers, mouth guards, snore guards, dentures, bleach trays, as well as baby pacifiers, bottle nipples, teething rings and the like are highly susceptible to the development of potentially infectious and injurious bacteria. The high operating temperature and water pressure of an automatic dishwasher provides an attractive and effective means for sanitizing such small articles, provided they can be properly contained to prevent loss or damage during the wash cycle.
Previous attempts have been made to develop various containing devices for cleaning such small articles in a dishwasher. For instance, various basket and other containers designed to house a plurality of small articles for cleaning can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,512,489 (Green, et al.); 4,732,291 (McConnell); 5,305,876 (Brigham); and 5,840,261 (Mönch). While each of these devices have been somewhat effective, they are generally complicated multi-component constructions which are either hingedly connected or otherwise secured together to form an enclosure that is ultimately costly to produce. Moreover, such conventional containers are typically constructed of a rigid wire or plastic material which can easily damage more delicate articles that are not properly secured and become dislodged within the container during the wash cycle.
A more recent attempt at a small appliance container for use in a dishwasher can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,642 (Nelson, et al.). This device includes a mesh bag attached to a rigid closable frame structure which is designed to enclose a plurality of small articles. Here again, however, the bag incorporates a costly and complicated multi-component hinged construction for opening and securing the bag to a rack within the dishwasher. Not only are such multi-component constructions more costly to manufacture, they are more susceptible to failure and damage caused by the dishwasher operation and repeated use thereof.
Still another more recent attempt to design such a small appliance case is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,333 (Pourcho). This patent discloses a small plastic case designed for storing a dental appliance during cleaning within a dishwasher. The case is composed of upper and lower wall sections that are hingedly connected for movement between an open and closed position to allow entry of the article to be cleaned. This device suffers from the same deficiency in that it incorporates a hinged connection which has been known to deteriorate and fail through repeated use over time.
It is therefore evident from the above that there is a distinct need in the art for a small appliance case suitable for use in an automatic dishwasher which can be formed as a simple and cost efficient one-piece moldable unit, and is formed throughout of a soft, pliable, flexible yet durable material which is dishwasher safe and will prevent the potential for loss or damage of articles contained therein. It is further evident that there is a distinct need for such a container which does not rely upon multi-component or hinged construction, and is not susceptible to damage or failure caused by repeated use and exposure to the harsh elements of a dishwasher.
The present invention provides a container of monolithic one-piece construction which is suitable for use within a dishwasher for storing and retaining one or more small articles, such as certain dental appliances or items commonly used by infants and toddlers. The container is integrally molded as a one-piece unit from a soft, pliable, resilient plastic material, such as silicone rubber, which is dishwasher safe and highly durable for repeated use. Although there is no particular required shape of the container, in the preferred embodiment, the container includes a pair of oppositely spaced sidewalls with a connecting wall extending therebetween. Each opposing sidewall includes a plurality of openings extending through to the interior of the container to allow passage of water for cleaning of the article(s) within the container.
A portion of the connecting wall extending between the sidewalls is provided with an elongated slit which extends through to the interior of the container and facilitates the introduction and removal of articles to be cleaned. In order to open the slit to allow passage of an article, inward pressure is applied simultaneously to the connecting wall adjacent each of the opposite ends of the slit. Due to the highly flexible and pliable nature of the material from which the container is formed, such application of pressure adjacent the slit ends causes the slit-defining portions of the connecting wall to spread transversly so as to accommodate passage of the article therethrough. Similarly, upon release of such applied pressure from the container, the resiliency of the container material causes self-closure of the slit opening.
In order to secure the container within the dishwasher and properly position it for maximum flow of water therethrough, the container includes an integrally molded retaining eyelet, the opening in which is conveniently sized to easily slide onto one of the many positioning tines or pins of any standard dishwasher rack. Preferably, the opening in the eyelet has a diameter which approximates or is slightly less than the diameter of the pin to which it is secured so that the eyelet will frictionally engage the pin and prevent dislodgement therefrom.
With use of such a soft, pliable plastic material, the ease of use and durability of the container is significantly enhanced. There are no multiple parts or frangible hinged joints in the product. Opening the container is as simple as applying light pressure adjacent the ends of the slit, and the resiliency of the material causes self-closure of the container upon release of such pressure. For more personalized use, individualized containers may be color coded for each member of a family.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:
Referring to
While there is no particular shape or size required for container 1, in the embodiment shown, container 1 has a generally clamshell configuration, defined by a pair of oppositely spaced sidewalls 3 and 5 with a connecting wall 7 extending therebetween. The connecting wall 7 extends around and forms the perimeter of container 1 between sidewalls 3 and 5, and includes a front wall portion 9 and a rear wall portion 11. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, container 1 is also shown as being of relatively small compass in relation to most conventional dishwasher baskets. As shown, container 1 is contemplated as having major dimensions from front to rear of approximately 2.75 inches; from sided to side of about 3.0 inches; and a height between sidewalls 2 and 5 of about 1.5 inches. While the thickness of the material may vary depending on the material hardness value utilized, in the preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that the container walls be about 0.08-0.10 inches thick for optimal structural integrity and operation. Although container 1 can be larger or smaller without departing from the invention herein, maintaining container 1 of somewhat smaller compass is believed to have the advantage of allowing for more personalized use of the container, as well as avoiding the possibility of commingled articles becoming damaged during a wash cycle.
Each opposing sidewall 3 and 5 includes a plurality of spaced openings 13 and 15, respectively, which allow passage of water for cleaning of the article(s) within the container during a wash cycle. As shown best in
In order to secure the container 1 within a dishwasher and properly position it for maximum flow of water therethrough, the container 1 includes an integrally molded retaining eyelet 19, the opening 21 in which is conveniently sized to easily slide onto one of the many positioning tines or pins of any standard dishwasher rack (not shown). As shown best in
With particular reference to
With particular reference to
As noted above, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the use of silicone rubber as the container material is contemplated because it is extremely flexible, pliable and resilient which, as is evident from the above, is highly beneficial to the intended operation of the present invention. Moreover, silicone rubber is also known for its superior durability at extreme temperatures, such as for use in a dishwasher, and is a readily moldable plastic material. It has been found that the use of silicone rubber having Durometer hardness value falling within the approximate range of 10 to 90 duro Shore A is acceptable for use in the present invention, but in a preferred embodiment, the hardness value of the silicone rubber for optimal conditions falls more preferably in the range of 65 to 75 duro Shore A.
Although the use of silicone rubber is deemed preferable, it will be understood that the use of other materials is also conceivable, provided such materials are flexible, pliable and sufficiently resilient to facilitate performance of the present invention for its intended purpose. For instance, it is contemplated that other thermoset rubber materials, such as ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), Nitrile, etc., having an approximate Durometer hardness value range from 10 to 90 duro Shore A would also be suitable for use in the present invention. Also, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) materials from 30 duro Shore A to 40 duro Shore D, or thermoplastic urethane (TPU) materials from 50 duro Shore A to 80 duro Shore D may be capable of providing the flexibility and resiliency to adequately function with the present invention.
With the use of such a soft, pliable and resilient plastic material, the ease of use and durability of the container is significantly enhanced. There are no multiple parts or frangible hinged joints in the product. Opening the container is as simple as applying light pressure adjacent the ends 25 and 27 of the slit 23, and the resiliency of the material causes self-closure of the container 1 upon release of such pressure. For more personalized use, it is contemplated that individualized containers may be color coded for each member of a family.
It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention which comprises the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claims.
