Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
  • A47L15/42—Details
  • A47L15/50—Racks ; Baskets
  • A47L15/505—Inserts, e.g. for holding baby bottles, stemware or cups

Definitions

• the field of application of the invention relates to dishwashers with baskets to load tableware having at least a wineglass support for a dishwasher basket comprising a first fastening arm, at least an anchoring means connectable to the dishwasher basket and connected to the first fastening arm to keep the relative position between the first fastening arm and the dishwasher basket fixed, and a second fastening arm which, in fastening position, is opposed to the first fastening arm forming a channel to fasten the stem of a wineglass.
• Dishwashers and, in particular, dishwashers for domestic use are usually provided with sprayers to carry out the washing and the rinsing of tableware such as dishes, glasses, cups and cutlery by spraying water under pressure mixed with detergent.
• tableware such as dishes, glasses, cups and cutlery
• Water needs to have sufficient pressure to wash the dishes thoroughly and, as a consequence, the water under pressure sometimes misplaces the articles in the dishwasher.
• the misplacement of some tableware element in the dishwasher may be a problem, since in particular glasses, for example, wineglasses and the like, may tend to be displaced from their position within the dishwasher basket.
• baskets and fastening devices on the market, designed in different shapes for fastening different elements in their position in the dishwasher.
• fastening device to fasten wineglasses
• the fastening device is designed as a cup shelf provided with a plurality of elements adapted to fasten a number of wineglasses at their stem.
• the supporting elements are provided with flexible spring elements adapted to help maintain the wineglasses in their position.
• a potential problem when using spring elements to secure the position of the wineglass stem in the supporting element is that the removal of the stem may be difficult, in particular if the spring elements are not flexible enough.
• the wineglass stem can be fragile and, therefore, the spring elements must be sufficiently flexible so that their removal is easy without taking the risk of breaking the stem.
• the spring elements need to maintain the stem in the desired position, which may be difficult to achieve simultaneously.
• Document DE 9216330 U1 discloses another example of a fastening device to maintain wineglasses in their position in the dishwasher in a similar manner as mentioned before.
• the fastening device is designed as a cup housing and provided with a plurality of supporting elements adapted to support a number of wineglasses.
• a fastening device for wineglasses is known from the document DE 29822086 U1.
• the fastening device comprises a U-shaped element adapted to support the wineglass stem.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a wineglass support for wineglasses that secures the inverted and safe vertical position of glassware in the dishwasher basket, which comprises a first fastening arm, at least an anchoring means connectable to the dishwasher basket and connected to the first fastening arm to keep the relative position between the first fastening arm and the dishwasher basket fixed, and a second fastening arm which, in fastening position, is opposed to the first fastening arm forming a channel to fasten the stem of a wineglass, wherein the channel formed by the first fastening arm and the second fastening arm is provided to fasten more than one wineglass at their stems. It is also possible that more than one second arm is fixed to the same first arm, each of them forming a channel with the first arm and holding at least two wineglasses.
• the wineglass support comprises at least two channels connected at their corresponding first fastening arms to the anchoring means, which can be joined to at least two points of the dishwasher basket.
• the second fastening arm can be moved from a loading position to a fastening position, thereby forming the channel.
• the second arm can be an independent piece that is connected to the first arm when the wineglasses are loaded in the support, and which is fixed forming the fastening channel when it is desired to start the dishwasher or when the dishwasher basket is going to be displaced into the dishwasher cavity.
• this can be fixed directly to the first arm or also to the anchoring element, or it could be even fixed directly to the dishwasher basket so that the fastening channel fastens the stems of the wineglasses strongly enough.
• the second arm as an element fixedly connected to the wineglass support, it is provided that an end of the same is joined to an end of the first fastening arm by means of a hinge connection and the other end of both arms can be connected and disconnected by means of a blocking element.
• This configuration is more advantageous if several second arms of a shorter length are connected to the first arm, since having second arms of a shorter length than the first arm implies that they do not need so much swivelling space when they are opened to the loading position.
• from two to four second fastening arms can be connected to a sole first fastening arm forming from two to four channels. The sum of the length of the second fastening arms will be equal to or smaller than the length of the first fastening arm.
• the fastening arms are opposed to one another in a fixed manner in the fastening position, thereby forming the channel.
• the second arm does not need to be connected to the first one or be blocked so that the wineglasses do not displace inside the channel.
• the channel has two openings for loading the wineglasses at its ends, being possible to load them through any of them. It is also possible that the second arm is joined at an end to the first arm, leaving a channel with a sole loading opening in such a way that all wineglasses must be loaded through it.
• the channel has at least two fastening means to fasten the wineglasses at theirs stems; i.e. a fastening means per each wineglass so that each stem remains fastened inside the channel by the fastening means. It is provided that there is a plurality of fastening means along the channel so that wineglasses can be loaded where desired, spaced apart from one another to a sufficient extent so that they do not touch each other. This is also useful to take better advantage of the space inside the channel when wineglasses of a different size and shape are loaded.
• the shape of the fastening means can be very varied, for example, the fastening means can be shaped in at least one of the fastening arms.
• the fastening means can be made as a plurality of slots along the first fastening arm, the second fastening arm, or both fastening arms, which fix the position of the stem in the channel when being opposed to one another. Furthermore, the fastening means can be made as protrusions projecting towards the opposed fastening arm. And since there are wineglasses having a delicate stem, it is provided that the fastening means have a dampening element to dampen the contact with the stem of the wineglass so as not to damage it. So, as an example, the fastening means can be made of or coated with a material softer than the glass of the wineglass, even softer than a plastic, e.g. a gum, rubber or the like. The wineglass support can be manufactured with plastic pieces and the fastening means can be coated with or made of rubber or the like.
• the anchoring means can be connected to the dishwasher basket on the dishwasher basket in such a manner that, in fastening position, the wineglasses remain fastened above the dishwasher basket.
• the wineglasses can rest on a supporting or loading base of the dishwasher basket or the anchoring means keeps the fastening arm spaced apart in such a manner that, in anchoring position, anchored to the dishwasher basket, the wineglasses do not touch the supporting base of the dishwasher basket.
• an anchoring means adjustable in length is useful, with which the distance from the channel or the first fastening arm to the supporting base of the dishwasher basket can be increased or reduced and, in this manner, the wineglasses can be put closer or further away with respect to the supporting base.
• the anchoring means can be connected to the dishwasher basket under the dishwasher basket in such a manner that, in fastening position, the wineglasses remain fastened hanging under the dishwasher basket.
• the distance of the anchoring means can be regulated by placing the wineglass support closer to the basket as much as desired and taking advantage of all the available space.
• An additional object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher basket with a wineglass support as described above and which facilitates the positioning of glassware in it.
• the anchoring element can be joined at the perimeter of the dishwasher basket taking advantage of the space of the dishwasher basket in the most efficient manner.
• the wineglass support forms a part fixedly connected to the dishwasher basket and is not demountable.
• the wineglass support is more versatile when it can be mounted in diverse positions in the dishwasher basket, preferably at its perimeter, and the basket is provided to have a wineglass support as the one described mounted on it.
• the basket could be provided with an anchoring means as the one described above and, when desired, the user could mount a fastening arm or channel when it is time to load wineglasses into the dishwasher basket without being necessary to always have the wineglass support of the invention installed in the basket.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher comprising a washing cavity with a loading opening and at least a dishwasher basket to load tableware elements which can be displaced from the inside to the outside of the washing cavity in a direction perpendicular to the loading opening and which has a wineglass support as the one describe above, or which has a basket to which a wineglass support as the one describe above can be mounted to secure the appropriate positioning of the wineglasses.
• Fig. 1 a section of a dishwasher basket with a wineglass support according to a first embodiment of the invention
• Fig. 2 the wineglass support of figure 1 with wineglasses in fastening position
• FIG. 3 the wineglass support of figure 1 with wineglasses in loading position; and Fig. 4 a dishwasher with a wineglass support according to a second embodiment of the invention mounted in a dishwasher basket.
• FIG 1 shows a section of a dishwasher basket 5 made as a grid of metallic rods with a supporting base 6 from which basket walls extend around its perimeter and surrounded by a perimetral element 7 to which a wineglass support 10 is fixed in its fastening position.
• the basket 5 has a guiding rail on the outside of one of its walls, but, on the outside of two of its opposed basket walls, the basket 5 has a guiding rail by which it can slide into and out of the cavity 2 of the dishwasher 1 as it can be seen in figure 4.
• the wineglass support 10 of figure 1 is composed of an anchoring means 13 that keeps the first fastening arm 11 fixed at a fixed distance from the supporting base 6.
• the second fastening arm 12 is positioned opposed to the first fastening arm 1 1 and fixed to the first fastening arm 1 1 at its ends by means of two blocking elements 16. Thereby, a channel 14 is formed between the first fastening arm 1 1 and the second fastening arm 12 defining the fastening position of the wineglass support 10.
• first fastening arm 1 1 there is a plurality of fastening means 17 facing the channel 14 where the stem 21 of the wineglasses 20 remains held and, when the second fastening arm 12 is fixed to the first fastening arm 1 1 , they retain the wineglasses 20 at their stems 21 in such a manner that they cannot displace along the channel 14 either longitudinally or in the stem direction.
• a dampening element 18 of a material softer than the material of the fastening arms 1 1 , 12 and softer than the glass of the stem 21 placed on the internal face of both fastening arms 11 and 12.
• the dampening element 18 can be divided into several pieces arranged in the position of the fastening means 17.
• the anchoring means 13 is fixed to the perimetral element 7 of the basket 5 by means of a clamp 131 that surrounds it at least partially exerting pressure to avoid a relative movement.
• the anchoring means 13 is telescopic to facilitate the loading of wineglasses into the wineglass support 10.
• the anchoring means 13 can be displaced to a loading position in which the first fastening arm 1 1 is placed closer to the supporting base 6 and, in this manner, the opening of the wineglasses can rest on the loading base 6 and the stem 21 against the first fastening arm 1 1 in one of the fastening means 17.
• the second arm 12 is fixed to the first arm 1 1 by its blocking elements 16, the stems 21 remaining fixed in the channel 14.
• the telescopic length of the anchoring means 13 is extended, thereby lifting the wineglasses 20 sufficiently to separate them from the loading base 6.
• the wineglass support 10 is demountable and can be removed from the basket 5 in an easy manner by loosing the clamps 131 of the anchoring means 13. It is also possible to leave it anchored to the basket 5 and move it to its resting position when there are no wineglasses secured in it.
• the wineglass support 10 can be brought to a resting position by rotating the anchoring means 13 by means of a rotation element 132 arranged on the area close to the clamp 131. This allows bending the anchoring means 13 around a perpendicular axis extending through the rotation element 132 in such a manner that the fastening arms 1 1 and 12 remain in a lower position.
• Figure 2 shows the wineglass support 10 of figure 1 in fastening position and separate from the dishwasher basket 5.
• the clamp 131 of the anchoring means 13 is open and the wineglasses 20 are secured by their stems 21 in the channel 14 formed between the fastening arms 11 and 12.
• the stems 21 are held in the channel 14 fixed by the slot-shaped fastening means 17 in the first fastening arm 1 1 and the fastening means 17 is coated with rubber forming the dampening element 18.
• the second fastening arm 12 is fixed to the first fastening arm 1 1 with two blocking elements 16 on both ends of them. It is also possible to add a blocking element in any point of the fastening arms to keep the pressure of the channel on the stems. This can be achieved with a blocking element in a demountable clip-like manner between the arms and fixable in a gap between two wineglasses.
• Figure 3 shows the wineglass support 10 of figure 1 in loading position and separate from the basket 5, which is identical to that of figure 2 except for that, at one of the ends of the fastening arms 11 and 12, there is a connecting point between both of them in the manner of a hinge connection 15 and, at the other end, there is a blocking element 16 for closing the arms 11 , 12.
• figure 4 shows a dishwasher 1 with the loading door 4 being opened and showing the opening 3 of the cavity 2 from which the upper basket 5 extends.
• a wineglass support 10' of another embodiment of the invention is fixed to the lower part of the upper basket 5.
• the wineglass support 10' is joined to the basket 5 at its lower part under the supporting base 6. Therefore, the wineglasses 20 remain hanging from the channel 14 of the wineglass support 10' on the outside under the upper basket 5.
• the wineglass support 10' has a plurality of first fastening arms 1 1 and second fastening arms 12 forming up to six channels 14 into which the stems 21 of the wineglasses 20 can be inserted.
• the distance of the support 10' with respect to the supporting base 6 of the basket 5 can be reduced to leave the least space possible and take as much advantage as possible of the capacity of the cavity 2.
• the fastening arms 1 1 and 12 can maintain a fixed distance between them and comprise a fixing means of the stems 21 in the manner of lugs projecting into the channel 14 from both fastening arms 1 1 , 12 made in one piece with the dampening element 18 of a material that dampens the pressure exerted against the stems 21 of the wineglasses 20.

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• Washing And Drying Of Tableware (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=59982431

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2016
  • 2016-10-05 ES ES201631289A patent/ES2662704B1/es active Active
• 2017
  • 2017-09-20 EP EP17777390.0A patent/EP3522768A1/en active Pending
  • 2017-09-20 WO PCT/IB2017/055690 patent/WO2018065845A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (4)

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