Dishwasher Rack Tray With Undulated Receptacles for Small Glass Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household dishwashers often struggle to provide adequate support for small spirit glasses and similar containers, especially when they need to be held upside down, due to the increased distance between metal rods in modern rack designs, which compromises stability and washing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher accessory featuring a tray with a grid-like bottom and undulated walls, designed for upright positioning of small containers, coupled to the dish rack via slidable guides, and equipped with handles for ease of use and handling, ensuring stable support and efficient washing and drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the distance between metal rods in the rack is increased to reduce raw material usage and improve washing quality, then material cost and washing efficiency are improved, but the stability and support capability for small glasses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory divides the support function into specialized segments: the tray body provides overall support, while the undulated walls create multiple recesses that segment and individually secure each glass. This segmentation allows the system to maintain stability for small glasses even when the main rack structure has wider rod spacing.
Solution Approach 2:
The accessory acts as an intermediary element between the rack structure and the small glasses. It transfers the support function from the rack to the specialized tray structure, allowing the rack to maintain its optimized rod spacing while still providing stable support for small glasses through the tray's undulated walls and recesses.
2Adaptability or versatility
If drop-down shelves are used to support various dishes, then versatility of dish support is improved, but the stability for small upright containers like spirit glasses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory applies local quality by creating specific structural features (undulated walls with recesses) in specific locations where small glasses need support. This localized structural adaptation provides enhanced stability for small upright containers while maintaining the overall versatility of the rack system for other dish types.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of trying to make small glasses stable on traditional horizontal shelves, the invention inverts the approach by creating upward-facing recesses in the undulated walls that cradle the glasses from below, providing stability through a fundamentally different support mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If a tray with inclined bottom and semicircular recesses is used to support glasses, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the adequacy of support for small dimension glasses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the wall structure by introducing undulations with controlled amplitude and wavelength. This creates multiple recesses of appropriate size for small glasses while maintaining the overall tray geometry and manufacturing process. The parameter changes enable better glass support without requiring complex manufacturing techniques.
Data Source
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AI summary
A dishwasher rack accessory has a body (20) with a grid-like portion (21) for supporting items to be washed, and means for removable coupling to a dishwasher rack. At least one first part (28) of the grid-like portion is substantially flat for defining a first generally horizontal resting plane for items to be washed. The first part (28) of the grid¬ like portion (21) includes two walls (24) shaped for defining a recurrent pattern that comprises an alternation of crests (24a) and valleys (24b). The two shaped walls (24) extend facing each other between two opposite sides of the grid-like portion (21) in such a way that the facing valleys (24b) of the two shaped walls (24) define between them a plurality of receptacles for positioning respective items to be washed.