Dishwasher Cutlery Tray Layout for Easy Unloading and Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutlery trays for dishwashers do not facilitate easy unloading and thorough cleaning of cutlery items, lacking user-friendly surfaces and efficient arrangements for item placement.
Innovation Solution
A cutlery tray module with a bottom surface featuring elongated indentations and transversely arranged holding elements, providing space for easy gripping and unloading, and a smooth surface for user safety, along with adjustable and customizable design for improved cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cutlery items are arranged vertically in traditional cutlery baskets, then space utilization is improved, but unloading becomes difficult and cleaning is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from vertical arrangement to horizontal arrangement of cutlery items on a substantially flat bottom surface. This dimensional change allows cutlery to be placed horizontally rather than vertically, making the items more accessible and easier to unload while maintaining space utilization through the flat tray design.
2Ease of operation
If cutlery items are placed horizontally on a flat surface, then unloading ease is improved, but cleaning effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom surface is segmented into multiple zones: a substantially flat area for horizontal cutlery placement and at least one elongated indentation providing a third dimension. This segmentation allows different areas to serve different functions - the flat area for easy unloading and the indentation for thorough cleaning, thus resolving the contradiction between unloading ease and cleaning effectiveness.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional cutlery basket designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but user experience deteriorates due to difficult unloading and inadequate cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is segmented into a simple flat bottom surface and elongated indentations. This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity as the overall structure remains a single tray component, while the indentations add functional complexity to improve user experience by enabling both easy unloading and thorough cleaning.
4Productivity
If cutlery items are arranged to maximize space utilization, then productivity is improved, but accessibility for unloading worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a substantially flat bottom surface with horizontal arrangement to maximize space utilization, and introduces elongated indentations that provide a third dimension for improved accessibility. The flat surface allows dense packing while the indentations create accessible zones for easy grasping and unloading.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cutlery tray module (1) for a dishwasher, said cutlery tray module (1) comprising a bottom surface (2), adapted for substantially horizontal reception of cutlery items. The bottom surface (2) comprising a plurality of cutlery holding elements (3), adapted to hold said cutlery items, and at least one elongated indentation (4), having a longitudinal extension in a direction D. At least a number of said cutlery holding elements (3) are arranged such that said cutlery holding elements (3) are adapted to hold said cutlery items essentially transversely, with respect to said direction D, and across said elongated indentation (4). The present invention further relates to a dishwasher comprising at least one cutlery tray module (1).