Tableware rack for dishwasher

Abstract

The invention relates to a dish rack for a dishwasher, comprising a rack body (14) which is mounted such that it can be pulled out from a washing chamber (4) of the dishwasher (1) in a pull-out direction (18) and which provides a dish insert (17) for accommodating dishes (36, 37), the dish insert (17) having a first row of columns (19) and a second row of columns (20), a second row of columns (19) for respectively accommodating dishes (36) placed transversely to the pull-out direction (18), parallel to and spaced apart from the first row of columns (19); each column row (19, 20) has a plurality of columns (21, 22) arranged one after the other in the pull-out direction (18); in each column row (19, 20), adjacent columns (21, 22) are spaced apart from each other, thereby forming each intermediate space (23); two adjacent columns (21) of the first column row (19) and two adjacent columns (22) of the second column row (20) are provided by a common bearing assembly (24); the carrier assembly (24) is arranged on the dishware insert (17) in such a way that the carrier assembly can be rotated at least 90 DEG about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the pull-out direction (18).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a cutlery rack for a dishwasher, comprising a rack body, the rack body being configured to be pulled out from a washing chamber of the dishwasher along a pulling-out direction, and the rack body having a cutlery insert for accommodating cutlery, the cutlery insert having a first column row and a second column row, for respectively accommodating cutlery placed transversely to the pulling-out direction, the second column row being parallel to the first column row and spaced apart from the first column row; each column row having a plurality of columns arranged one after another along the pulling-out direction; in each column row, adjacent columns are spaced apart from each other, thereby forming each intermediate space. Background Art

[0002] Common cutlery racks are well known in the prior art, so there is no need to specifically document them. Therefore, only EP3409182A1 and EP3025628A1 are cited as examples, both of which disclose common cutlery racks.

[0003] A common cutlery rack has a frame-shaped rack body, which has one or more cutlery inserts for accommodating cutlery. The rack body and the cutlery inserts therein are designed to be movable out of or into a washing chamber of a dishwasher along a pull-out direction.

[0004] The columns are arranged in rows to accommodate tableware respectively, and adjacent columns are spaced apart from each other to form an intermediate space. When in normal use, the intermediate space formed between two adjacent columns partially fixes a piece of tableware. In order to stably place a large number of tableware, it is preferred to set two columns, which are arranged adjacent to each other in a direction transverse to the pull-out direction of the tableware rack, and the columns of each row are arranged one after another in the pull-out direction.

[0005] The aforementioned known structure allows the user to easily load a single cutlery onto the cutlery rack. The cutlery is placed between two adjacent uprights of the upright row and positioned transversely, preferably perpendicularly to the pull-out direction of the cutlery rack.

[0006] Although the above design has proven successful in everyday practice, it is not without disadvantages. In particular, the placement of larger cutlery is not stable enough. This problem is particularly prominent in geometrically designed cutlery, as the intermediate space formed between adjacent columns cannot accommodate such cutlery or cannot firmly fix such cutlery. Therefore, such cutlery must be placed in the cutlery insert in the pull-out direction, which hinders the lateral positioning actually required for other cutlery and leads to a limited use of the overall space of the cutlery insert. As a result, the load-bearing capacity of the cutlery holder is not utilized. Summary of the invention

[0007] Therefore, based on the above-mentioned prior art, the object of the present invention is to further develop the design of a cutlery rack of the above-mentioned type so that the user can easily achieve optimal utilization of the cutlery rack's carrying capacity.

[0008] To achieve this goal, the present invention provides a cutlery rack of the type described at the beginning, characterized in that two adjacent columns of the first column row and two adjacent columns of the second column row are provided by a common supporting component, which is arranged on the cutlery insert and can be rotated at least 90° around a rotation axis perpendicular to the pull-out direction.

[0009] According to the invention, the cutlery rack has a bearing assembly for bearing adjacent columns in two column rows, that is, at least two adjacent columns of a first column row and at least two adjacent columns of a second column row. Preferably, the bearing assembly carries 2 to 10 columns, in particular 4 to 8 columns, of each of the first and second column rows. The bearing assembly can be rotated by a user by at least 90° about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the pull-out direction, in particular about an axis perpendicular to the receiving plane in which the cutlery insert is located. As a result, the positioning positions of the columns on the bearing assembly relative to the other columns in the two column rows, in particular in the transverse direction, can be set, so that individual gaps are formed in the column rows. These gaps formed in the column rows when the bearing assembly is rotated can be used to accommodate larger tableware placed transversely to the pull-out direction of the cutlery rack. In this way, the tableware loading capacity of the cutlery rack can be better utilized. In particular, compared with the prior art, there is no problem that the larger tableware must be placed in the pull-out direction, which hinders the placement of other tableware transversely to the pull-out direction.

[0010] Thus, the design of the present invention allows the cutlery rack to be more flexible in loading cutlery with a conventional geometric design, while still being able to place the cutlery transversely to the pull-out direction in the conventional manner. For cutlery that is too large to fit within the range of the adjacent uprights, the carrier assembly provided by the present invention can be rotated, thereby creating a gap in the upright row as described above, thereby being able to accommodate larger cutlery.

[0011] According to another feature of the invention, the carrier assembly has an axle pin which engages in a corresponding contour on the side of the cutlery insert. The carrier assembly is mounted on the cutlery insert by means of the axle pin and can rotate. The axle pin should be designed so that the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the pull-out direction, i.e. in the height direction of the dishwasher. In the assembled state, the axle pin interacts with the corresponding contour on the side of the cutlery insert so that the carrier assembly can rotate smoothly during normal use.

[0012] According to another feature of the present invention, the carrier assembly has a locking device, which is designed to fix the carrier assembly in a proper position on the cutlery insert along the direction of the rotation axis. The locking device provided by the present invention ensures that the carrier assembly is accurately and reliably fixed in a proper position on the cutlery insert in the direction of the rotation axis, that is, along the height direction of the dishwasher. This ensures that the carrier assembly is firmly positioned on the cutlery insert during normal use to prevent the carrier assembly from accidentally detaching from the cutlery insert. This ensures the safe use of the cutlery rack, including the carrier assembly arranged thereon.

[0013] According to another feature of the present invention, the carrier assembly has a locking device, which is designed to fix the carrier assembly in a suitable position on the cutlery insert in the rotation direction. The locking device provided by the present invention can effectively prevent the carrier assembly from accidentally rotating in the rotation direction. The locking device fixes the carrier assembly at the relative position of the cutlery insert set by the user. The locking can be performed continuously and steplessly, but it can also be performed in stages. The present invention preferably has at least two rotation positions. In the first rotation position of the carrier assembly, the columns carried by the carrier assembly are arranged along the column row direction of the cutlery insert to form a closed column row. In this position, the cutlery rack can be loaded in the usual way. In the second position of the carrier assembly, the carrier assembly is rotated 90° from the starting position, in which position the columns carried by the carrier assembly are arranged transversely to the pull-out direction, and in this position, the column row is interrupted by the rotating carrier assembly and the resulting gap. In this way, the gap formed in the column row can be used to accommodate larger cutlery in the manner described above. In the two aforementioned rotational positions of the carrier assembly relative to the cutlery insert, the locking device according to the invention preferably locks the carrier assembly relative to the cutlery insert, thereby preventing an unintentional rotation of the carrier assembly in the two possible positions.

[0014] The combination of the latching device and the locking device ensures that the carrier assembly as a whole can be accurately and securely positioned on the cutlery insert in all possible preset rotational positions.

[0015] According to another feature of the invention, the carrier assembly has an annular body which, on the cutlery insert side, carries a plurality of axle pins which are evenly distributed over the circumference of the ring or annular body.

[0016] According to this particularly preferred embodiment, the bearing assembly may have not only one axle pin, but also multiple axle pins, preferably four axle pins. These axle pins are distributed on the annular body of the bearing assembly. The annular body itself may be, for example, ring-shaped, in particular a circle rotationally symmetrical with the axis of rotation of the bearing assembly, and the axle pins may be evenly distributed on the circumference of the annular body. However, the annular body may also have different geometric shapes, i.e. it may not be ring-shaped itself, as long as the axle pins it carries are evenly distributed on the circumference of the annular body perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the bearing assembly. This ensures the firm insertion and uniform force application of the bearing assembly relative to the cutlery insert, thereby making normal operation more convenient. In addition, this preferred embodiment ensures more convenient assembly and disassembly during maintenance.

[0017] According to another feature of the present invention, each axle pin is designed to be elastically swingable in the radial direction of the annular body, and has a locking extension extending in the radial direction of the annular body, for example, outwardly, at a location away from the annular body.

[0018] The pin is designed to be able to swing elastically in the radial direction of the annular body. This allows for easy assembly, in particular because the pin swings to one side when the carrier assembly is inserted into the corresponding contour of the cutlery insert in the normal manner, and returns to the starting position when the annular body reaches its end position. In this end position, the locking extension provided on the side of the pin engages from behind in the corresponding contour of the cutlery insert, thereby ensuring that the carrier assembly is locked on the cutlery insert in the direction of the axis of rotation in the manner already described above. In the final assembled state, the corresponding contour on the side of the cutlery insert is positioned between the annular body and the locking extension for each pin. This ensures that the carrier assembly is securely positioned on the cutlery insert and can also be easily disassembled without tools.

[0019] According to another feature of the invention, the cutlery insert has a supporting ring which interacts with an annular body of the carrier assembly, the axle pins of the carrier assembly resting against the inner circumference of the annular body in the final assembled state.

[0020] According to this preferred embodiment, the contour corresponding to the carrier assembly on the cutlery insert side is formed by a support ring. In the final assembled state, the annular body of the carrier assembly rests against this support ring, and the axle pin on the annular body engages behind the support ring via a locking extension on the axle pin side. On the one hand, the support ring is used to ensure a secure positioning of the carrier assembly, and in addition, the support ring provides a running surface on which the annular body of the carrier assembly can be driven in the normal rotation state.

[0021] According to another feature of the present invention, the support ring has a locking groove on the inner circumference. The locking groove is part of the locking device provided by the present invention and is used to fix the carrier assembly in the rotation direction relative to the cutlery insert.

[0022] According to another feature of the invention, the carrier assembly has a locking extension that interacts with the locking groove of the support ring. The locking extension is also part of the locking device provided by the invention, which interacts with the locking groove of the support ring when in normal use. When the carrier assembly is in the locked position, the locking extension of the carrier assembly engages in the corresponding locking groove of the support ring. This ensures that the position is firmly fixed in the rotational direction.

[0023] According to another feature of the invention, the carrier assembly has two long ribs arranged on the annular body, one longitudinal web carrying two columns of the first column row and the other longitudinal web carrying two columns of the second column row. In the unrotated basic position, the longitudinal webs extend in the direction of the two columns on the side of the cutlery insert. Thus, the column rows carried by the longitudinal webs are arranged in the column row, making it possible to use the column row in a conventional manner.

[0024] According to another feature of the invention, the load-bearing assembly has two transverse webs arranged on the annular body and connected to each other with two longitudinal webs. This forms a rectangular structure or layout consisting of longitudinal webs on one side and transverse webs on the other side. The webs surround the annular body, which is used to rotatably support the load-bearing assembly in the manner described above. In this way, the structure of the load-bearing assembly is very simple, and this simple structure ensures, on the one hand, a secure arrangement of the column and, on the other hand, enables the load-bearing assembly to rotate in the manner described above.

[0025] According to another feature of the invention, the transverse web has a separator on its side facing the column. When in normal use, this separator can provide additional support for the tableware accommodated in the support assembly. Of course, whether to provide such a separator is optional. The transverse web can also be designed without any separator. However, it is preferred to provide a separator because it can ensure that the accommodated tableware only occupies a specific position. When in normal use, an optimized cleaning effect can be achieved. For example, a separator can be used to divide the vacant side of the transverse web into two separate accommodating parts so that the two sides of the separator can be used as contact surfaces for supporting the tableware, such as inclined contact surfaces. The separator can also be arranged eccentrically on the transverse web to form two accommodating parts of different sizes.

[0026] The present invention also provides a dishwasher having the dish rack of the present invention. The dishwasher configured in this way has the advantages described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Further features and advantages of the invention can be found in the following description based on the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1A purely schematic side view of the dishwasher according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of a cutlery rack according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 2 a schematic perspective view of a portion of the cutlery rack shown;

[0031] Figure 4 Based on Figure 2 Detailed view of the cutlery rack;

[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A more detailed view of the cutlery rack shown;

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the load-bearing assembly of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic perspective view of the load-bearing assembly shown as viewed from below;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic top view of the cutlery rack of the present invention;

[0036] Fig. 9 Schematic perspective views of three embodiments of the load-bearing assembly of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.10 Schematic perspective views of three other embodiments of the load-bearing assembly of the present invention;

[0038] Fig.11 It is a schematic top view of a part of the cutlery rack of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Figure 1 A dishwasher 1 according to the invention is shown in a purely schematic side view. It has a known housing 2 which accommodates a washing container 3. The washing container 3 has a washing chamber 4 for accommodating dishes to be washed.

[0040] The washing chamber 4 is accessible via a loading opening 5. The loading opening can be closed water-tight by a washing chamber door 6 pivotably mounted on the housing 2.

[0041] The dishwasher 1 is provided with a spray device 7 for supplying washing liquid to the washing utensils to be cleaned. The spray device 7 has a plurality of spray arms which are arranged to be rotatable. The embodiment given herein describes two spray arms 8 and 9 .

[0042] In the given embodiment, in order to accommodate tableware, a tableware rack 10, an upper basket 11 or a lower basket 12 is configured. In the height direction, the upper basket 11 is above the lower basket 12, and the tableware rack 10 is above the upper basket 11.

[0043] In order to load dishes into the dish rack 10, the upper basket 11 or the lower basket 12, the user can pull these racks and baskets out of the washing chamber 4 of the dishwasher 1 along the pull-out direction 18. Therefore, the dish rack 10, the upper basket 11 or the lower basket 12 should be arranged so that they can be pulled out of the washing chamber 4 of the dishwasher 1 along the pull-out direction 18.

[0044] like Figures 2 to 11 As shown, the cutlery rack 10 is designed according to the present invention.

[0045] Figure 2 First, a cutlery holder 10 is shown, which has a frame-like frame body 14 . The frame body 14 carries a total of three cutlery inserts 15 , 16 and 17 , wherein a cutlery insert 16 is arranged between two cutlery inserts 15 and 17 transversely to the extension direction 18 .

[0046] Both cutlery inserts 15 and 17 have rows of columns arranged in the pull-out direction 18, namely a first column row 19 and a second column row 20. Figure 2 The example of the cutlery insert 17 is shown. Each column row 19 and 20 has columns 21 and 22 arranged one after another in the pull-out direction 18, and intermediate spaces 23 are formed between adjacent columns 21 and 22.

[0047] The columns 19 and 20 are respectively used to fix the tableware in a known manner, that is, to be positioned transversely to the pull-out direction, such as Figure 8 A knife 36 is shown as an example of cutlery.

[0048] According to the present invention, Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in the comparison of the views of FIG. 1 , at least two (in the embodiment shown, as an example, only five) adjacent columns 21 of the first column row 19 and at least two (in the embodiment shown, as an example, only five) adjacent columns 22 of the second column row 20 are provided by a common support component 24. The support component 24 is arranged on the cutlery insert 17 so that the support component can be rotated 90° around a rotation axis perpendicular to the pull-out direction 18, in particular perpendicular to the plane of the cutlery insert 17. Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 The bearing assembly 24 on the right side is in the normal position, and Figure 5 The carrier component 24 on the left in the center is rotated by 90° relative to the cutlery insert 17 .

[0049] The design of the load-bearing components is particularly Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown in the comparison of FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the bearing assembly 24 has an annular body 25. In the embodiment shown, the annular body 25 has four axle pins 28, which extend downward from the annular body 25 along the height direction 13. The axle pins 28 are arranged on the annular body 25 and can be elastically swung in the radial direction of the annular body.

[0050] Each axle pin 28 has a latching extension 29 which extends away from the annular body and outwards in the radial direction of the annular body 25. In the final assembled state, the annular body 25 and the axle pins 28 arranged thereon respectively abut against corresponding contours of the cutlery insert 17.

[0051] The corresponding contour of the cutlery insert 17 is formed by the support ring 33, such as Fig.11 . In the final assembly state, the annular body 25 of the carrier assembly 24 abuts against the corresponding support ring 33 of the cutlery insert 17. The shaft pin 28 abuts against the inner circumference of the support ring 33, and the locking extension 29 on the shaft pin side is embedded under the support ring 33. In this way, in the final assembly state, the support ring 33 is located between the annular body 25 of the carrier assembly 24 and the locking extension 29 of the corresponding shaft pin 28. Therefore, it can be ensured that the carrier assembly 24 is firmly clamped on the cutlery insert 17, and the carrier assembly 24 is firmly positioned on the cutlery insert 17 in the direction of the rotation axis.

[0052] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown in the comparison of the embodiment of the present invention, the load-bearing assembly 24 also has a longitudinal web 26 and a transverse web 27. The longitudinal web 26 and the transverse web 27 are both arranged on the annular body 25, and in the given embodiment, a spacer web is arranged therebetween. The transverse web 27 is connected to the longitudinal web 26, so that a rectangular structure is formed by the longitudinal web 26 on one side and the transverse web 27 on the other side.

[0053] In the embodiment shown, the longitudinal webs 26 carry on their upper sides the uprights 21 and 22 provided by the bearing assembly 24. Optionally, the transverse webs 27 may be provided with separators 35.

[0054] A locking device 33 is provided to fix the position of the carrier assembly 24 in the rotational direction. Figure 7 and Fig.11 As shown in the comparison of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the locking device has a locking extension 31 on the carrier side and a locking groove 34 on the cutlery insert side. Depending on the rotational position of the carrier 24, the locking extension 31 interacts with one of the four locking grooves 34. In the locked state, the locking extension 31 engages in the corresponding locking groove 34 to prevent the carrier 24 from accidentally rotating relative to the cutlery insert 17.

[0055] The carrier assembly 24 can rotate relative to the cutlery insert 17, as described above. Figure 5 The carrier assembly 24 can be turned from the normal position to the rotated position and vice versa. In the normal position of the carrier assembly 24, the column row can be loaded with tableware in a conventional manner, in which case the tableware is placed transversely to the pull-out direction 18, such as Figure 8 As shown in the tool 36 in FIG.

[0056] When the carrier assembly 24 is in the rotated position, the columns 21 and 22 provided by the carrier assembly 24 are arranged in a direction transverse to the column rows 19 and 20 and thus also transverse to the extension direction 18. When the carrier assembly 24 is in this position, the two column rows 19 and 20 are interrupted in the region of the carrier assembly, so that both column rows 19 and 20 have corresponding gaps. In this way, larger tableware, such as Figure 8 As shown in the kitchen spoon 37.

[0057] To ensure that larger tableware can be positioned on the carrier assembly 24 in the rotated position, the carrier assembly 24 can be optionally equipped with a separator 35 as described above. Different embodiments can be envisioned for the optional separator 35, such as based on different embodiments. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 In this case, the separator 35 is mainly used to divide the free side of the transverse web into separate receiving parts, thereby providing a contact surface for the tableware 37 to be supported.

[0058] From the above description, it can be seen that the design structure provided by the present invention can realize more flexible and optimized loading of the cutlery rack 10. This is because, through the rotatable arrangement of the carrying assembly 24 provided by the present invention, it is possible to place larger cutlery in the cutlery rack 10 transversely to the pulling direction 18, thereby eliminating the need for Figure 8 As shown in the example in , larger cutlery is placed along the pull-out direction 18. Its advantage is that it does not hinder the lateral placement of other cutlery, so that even in normal use, the load capacity of the cutlery rack 10 can be optimally utilized.

[0059] Reference symbol

[0060] 1 Dishwasher

[0061] 2 Housing

[0062] 3 Washing container

[0063] 4 Washing room

[0064] 5 Loading port

[0065] 6 Washing room door

[0066] 7 Spraying device

[0067] 8 Spray arms

[0068] 9 Spray arms

[0069] 10 Cutlery rack

[0070] 11 Layup

[0071] 12 Layup

[0072] 13 Vertical

[0073] 14 frame

[0074] 15 Cutlery Inserts

[0075] 16 Cutlery Inserts

[0076] 17 Cutlery Inserts

[0077] 18 Pull-out direction

[0078] 19 First column row

[0079] 20 Second column row

[0080] 21 Column

[0081] 22 Column

[0082] 23 In-between Space

[0083] 24 Load bearing components

[0084] 25 Ring

[0085] 26 Longitudinal web

[0086] 27 Transverse web

[0087] 28 Axis pin

[0088] 29 Lock extension

[0089] 30 Locking device

[0090] 31 Locking extension

[0091] 32 Locking device

[0092] 33 Support ring

[0093] 34 Locking slot

[0094] 35 separator

[0095] 36 Knives

[0096] 37 Kitchen Spoon

Claims

1. A cutlery rack for a dishwasher, comprising a rack body (14), the rack body being arranged to be pulled out from a washing chamber (4) of the dishwasher (1) along a pulling-out direction (18), and the rack body having a cutlery insert (17) for accommodating cutlery (36, 37), the cutlery insert (17) having a first column row (19) and a second column row (20), for respectively accommodating cutlery (36) placed transversely to the pulling-out direction (18), the second column row being parallel to the first column row (19) and spaced apart from the first column row (19); each column row (19, 20) having a plurality of columns (21, 22) arranged one after another along the pulling-out direction (18); in each column row (19, 20), adjacent columns (21, 22) are spaced apart from each other, thereby forming each intermediate space (23), Features Two adjacent columns (21) of the first column row (19) and two adjacent columns (22) of the second column row (20) are provided by a common support component (24), which is arranged on the cutlery insert (17) and can be rotated at least 90° around a rotation axis perpendicular to the pull-out direction (18).

2. The cutlery rack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier component (24) has an axle pin (28) which engages in a corresponding contour on the cutlery insert side.

3. The cutlery rack according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that: The carrier component (24) has a locking device (30) which is designed to fix the carrier component (24) at a suitable position on the cutlery insert (17) in the direction of the rotation axis.

4. A cutlery holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The support component (24) has a locking device (32) which is designed to fix the support component (24) on the cutlery insert (15) in a rotational direction.

5. The cutlery holder according to any one of the preceding claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The support component (24) has an annular body (25) which has, on the cutlery insert side, a plurality of axle pins (28) evenly distributed on the circumference of the annular body (25).

6. The cutlery rack according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each axle pin (28) is designed to be able to swing elastically in the radial direction of the annular body (25), and has a locking extension (29) extending in the radial direction of the annular body (25), especially extending outward, at a position away from the annular body.

7. A cutlery holder according to any one of the preceding claims 2 to 6, characterized in that The cutlery insert (17) has a support ring (33) which interacts with the annular body (25) of the carrier component (24) and on whose inner circumference the axle pin (28) of the carrier component (24) abuts in the final assembled state.

8. The cutlery rack according to claim 7, characterized in that: The support ring (33) has a locking groove (34) on its inner circumference.

9. The cutlery rack according to claim 8, characterized in that: The carrier assembly (24) has a latching extension (31) which interacts with a latching groove (34) of the support ring (33).

10. A cutlery holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The bearing assembly (24) has two longitudinal webs (26) arranged on the annular body (25), wherein one longitudinal web (26) carries two columns (21) of a first column row (19), and the other longitudinal web (26) carries two columns (22) of a second column row (20).

11. The cutlery rack according to claim 10, characterized in that: The load-bearing assembly (24) has two transverse webs (27) arranged on the annular body (25) and connected to each other with the two longitudinal webs (26).

12. The cutlery rack according to claim 11, characterized in that: The transverse web (27) carries a separator (35) on its side facing the uprights (21, 22).

13. A dishwasher having a cutlery rack according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 12.

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