Dishwasher Cutlery Drawer With Movable Inserts for Tall Crockery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cutlery drawers in dishwashers limit space for larger crockery items below them due to their design, restricting the placement of items like glasses and making handling difficult, while attempts to address this through segmentable designs either reduce cutlery space or risk losing segments.
Innovation Solution
A cutlery drawer with a frame that can be pulled out, featuring horizontally and vertically displaceable inserts, allowing for adjustable height and optimal space utilization without reducing cutlery space, using hooks and guide grooves for easy movement and support, enabling larger items to be placed in the crockery basket below.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cutlery drawer uses a fixed insert design, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the space for larger crockery items below is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be shifted horizontally and vertically to create different space configurations. The insert can be moved to different positions within the frame to accommodate various crockery sizes below, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to different loading requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutlery drawer is divided into separate components: a frame and a movable insert. This segmentation allows the insert to be independently moved or removed, providing flexibility in space arrangement while keeping the overall structure simple and easy to manufacture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If removable segments are used to increase space flexibility, then adaptability improves, but handling becomes more difficult and segments may be lost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely removable segments, the insert is designed to be movable within the frame but not easily detachable. It can be shifted to different positions to create space for larger items, yet remains part of the drawer structure, preventing loss and simplifying handling compared to fully removable segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable insert serves multiple functions: it can be positioned in different locations to accommodate various crockery sizes, it maintains structural integrity as part of the drawer, and it provides consistent cutlery storage space regardless of its position. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between adaptability and ease of operation.
3Volume of moving object
If the insert is moved horizontally to create height gain, then space for larger glasses improves, but the insert width must be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves the problem from a two-dimensional trade-off (width vs. height) to a three-dimensional solution by allowing the insert to move in multiple directions (horizontally and vertically) within the frame. This enables the insert to create vertical space for large items while maintaining sufficient width for cutlery storage, as the insert can be repositioned rather than permanently reduced in size.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cutlery drawer (4) for a dishwasher, comprising a frame (5) extendably mounted in a wash tub (1) and several inserts (10, 20, 30) movably arranged on the frame (5), on which dishes to be washed, in particular cutlery, can be placed. In order to allow larger dishes to be placed in the dish rack (3) located directly below the cutlery drawer (4) without restricting the space available for cutlery or making handling more difficult, at least one of the inserts (10, 20) is arranged to be horizontally displaceable on the frame (5).