Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – With spray or jet supplying and/or applying means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2001-09-18
Coe, Philip R. (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Apparatus
With spray or jet supplying and/or applying means
C134S088000, C312S228000, C312S324000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289908
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to automatic dishwashers, and more particularly to a double dishwasher combination which can also be used to store washed dishes and cutlery.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
Automatic dishwashers are, of course, well known in the art and generally comprise a single cabinet into which dirty dishes and cutlery can be loaded for washing, usually through a front door hinged along the lower edge thereof. Double dishwashers are also known in the art in which two cabinets are employed so that it si possible to wash half a load or to separate, for example, pots and pans from glasses. Attention is directed to U.S. Pat. Des. No. 400,320 issued Oct. 27, 1998 assigned to Fisher & Paykel Limited, who market the product under the tradename “DishDrawer”, which describes a drawer type dishwasher with two drawers mounted vertically one above the other but using a single drive motor and pump. Attention is also directed to U.S. Pat. 5,934,298 issued August 10, 1999 to Singh which describes a combination sink and dishwashing apparatus in which the sink shares a common side wall with each of the two dishwashing cabinets. Each common side wall can be opened to allow a wire basket contained in the cabinet to slide out into the sink to facilitate loading or unloading thereof. A single drive motor may be used to drive the pumps in each dishwasher cabinet and a garbage disposal located in the sink drain. Such units are relatively cumbersome, can only accomodate a single basket or rack and hence have only a very limited capacity which is governed by the size of the sink into which the basket moves, and take up a great deal of kitchen space and they are generally relatively expensive relative to a standard domestic dishwasher. They are also designed as floor level units. Dishwashing units designed to fit into kitchen furniture units are also known, and attention is drawn to U.S. Pat. 4,739,781, which describes a compact, top loading, single unit dishwasher suitable for fitting inside a furniture unit or the like. It will be readily appreciated that top loading dishwashers are relatively difficult to load and unload and have the further disadvantage that they must be removed from their containing unit for access. There is a need, therefore, for an improved double dishwasher which can be used like the “DishDrawer” described above, to either separate types of load, use a half load, or to store dishes in one side while washing in the other side. Such dishwashing units should be front opening and to facilitate use as a storage cupboard should have front opening doors, hinged along one side edge thereof. Preferably, such units should be dimensioned to fit inside existing kitchen cabinets and even more preferably such units should be at eye-level.
OBJECT OF INVENTION
It is an object of the the present invention to provide a double dishwasher unit, which can be fitted into a kitchen cabinet, preferably an eye level cabinet so that one half of the unit can be used to store clean crockery and utensils while the other half is used to store and/or wash a load of dirty dishes and utensils. Preferably, both units are powered by a single pump and motor unit in order to minimize weight and expense.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
By one aspect of this invention there is provided a dishwashing apparatus comprising:
a pair of front opening dishwashing cabinets in side-by side relationship and having a common side wall therebetween, each defining a closed space therewithin and provided with dish supporting means for supporting a plurality of dishes therein, means for spraying said dishes so as to clean the dishes, means to supply water to said means for spraying, and means to drain water from said cabinet; and wherein each said cabinet is provided with a door means pivotally mounted about a vertical axis to an opposed side wall of each said cabinet, and each said door has a resilient sealing means therearound so as to provide a watertight seal around said closed space.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 440320 (1998-10-01), Brace
patent: 635009 (1899-10-01), Atkinson
patent: 2106619 (1938-01-01), Merrill
patent: 2675012 (1954-04-01), Scales
patent: 3288154 (1966-11-01), Jacobs
patent: 3620234 (1971-11-01), Everroad
patent: 3645791 (1972-02-01), Sadwith
patent: 3724636 (1973-04-01), Wright
patent: 4088145 (1978-05-01), Noren
patent: 4134413 (1979-01-01), Noren
patent: 4357176 (1982-11-01), Anthony
patent: 4608780 (1986-09-01), Van Noy
patent: 4739781 (1988-04-01), Casoli
patent: 5755244 (1998-05-01), Sargeant
patent: 5806541 (1998-09-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 5934298 (1999-08-01), Singh
patent: 691286 (1965-07-01), None
President's Choice Magazine, Sep. 1999, pp. 22-24.
Coe Philip R.
Hicks Richard J.
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