Dishwasher Cutlery Basket With Variable Clearance for Larger Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dishwasher cutlery baskets are unable to accommodate larger cutlery items, leading to inefficient space utilization and suboptimal cleaning and drying results, as they are designed for standard cutlery dimensions only.
Innovation Solution
A cutlery basket with sections of varying clearance heights, potentially sloping or curved, allowing for angled storage that accommodates larger items while optimizing space usage, improving water drainage and stability, and featuring a separate spray device for efficient washing liquor application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the cutlery basket is designed with uniform clearance height for standard cutlery, then standard cutlery can be held properly, but larger cutlery items cannot be accommodated
Solution Approach 1:
The floor area of the cutlery basket is designed with sections having different clearance heights relative to the side edges. This local variation in clearance height allows the basket to accommodate both standard cutlery in lower clearance sections and larger cutlery items in higher clearance sections, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of varying clearance height uniformly across the entire basket, the invention introduces dimensional variation only in specific sections adjacent to the side edges. This partial dimensional change achieves the goal of accommodating larger items while maintaining uniformity in the central area, balancing adaptability with structural simplicity
2Productivity
If cutlery items are stored horizontally in a conventional basket, then space utilization is limited, but water drainage during drying is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The floor area is designed with sections that slope or curve relative to the horizontal plane, creating local variations in surface orientation. These angled sections facilitate water drainage during the drying process while the overall basket structure maintains optimal space utilization in the washing compartment
Solution Approach 2:
The floor area incorporates curved or sloping sections instead of a completely flat horizontal surface. This curvature enables water to drain more effectively from cutlery items during drying, improving drying efficiency without significantly compromising the space utilization of the basket
3Ease of operation
If the cutlery basket floor area is made completely horizontal, then structural simplicity is maintained, but water drainage and drying performance are poor
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than making the entire floor area complex with slopes and curves, the invention applies geometric variations only to specific sections adjacent to the side edges. The central section remains relatively simple, thus improving drying performance through local geometric modifications without significantly increasing overall device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient washing and drying of larger cutlery items while maximizing space utilization in the dishwasher, enhancing stability and reducing energy consumption during the drying process.
Implementation Method 1
Because of the 'angled' storage of the cutlery items the draining-off of water during the drying process of the cutlery items is improved
Data Source
AI summary
A dishwasher including a washing compartment, and at least one cutlery basket arranged in the washing compartment, wherein the at least one cutlery basket holds items of cutlery horizontally, wherein at least some sections of the cutlery basket have different clearance heights.