Pot and pan washing machine

Details Pot and pan washing machine Pot and pan washing machine

2001-09-06

2004-05-25

Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)

Cleaning and liquid contact with solids

Apparatus

With movable means to cause fluid motion

C134S195000, C134S199000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06739348

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improvements in a pot and pan washing machine. More specifically the present invention relates to improvements within the wash tank portion of a pot and pan washing machine, including an improved pump, improved intake manifold and improved jet nozzles for the wash tank. Additionally, the present invention relates to an improved joint and method for connecting two separate portions of a pot and pan washing machine into a single unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pot and pan washing machines, of the type used in restaurants, institutions and other eating facilities often involve a large wash tank or basin in which water is circulated about the pots and pans to provide a washing action. One such machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,436 issued to Cantrell et al., the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. The machine of Cantrell includes a wash tank with jets located at an elevated position along the rear wall of the wash tank. The tank is filled with water to a level above the position of the jets. Pots and pans are placed in the wash tank, and a pump is activated to draw water from within the wash tank and direct it through the jets to create a jet stream. Each jet directs its jet stream toward the bottom wall of the wash tank, the bottom wall then deflects the jet stream upward and towards the front wall of the tank. The front wall then deflects the upward moving jet stream towards the rear wall of the tank, and the rear wall deflects the jet stream downward and back towards the front wall along the bottom wall. The combination of deflections of the jet stream from the bottom, front and rear walls provides a rolling washing action within the wash tank.
The basic components of the wash tank of the pot and pan washing machine of the prior art are shown in FIG.
1
. Wash tank
10
includes side walls
12
and
14
, rear wall
16
, front wall
18
and bottom wall
19
. A pump can be attached to either side wall; in the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
, pump
50
is attached to right sidewall
14
. An impeller located within pump
50
is driven by electric motor
56
. The impeller draws fluid into pump inlet
52
through an intake port (not shown) located in sidewall
14
. The fluid is then discharged from the pump through pump outlet
54
and into outlet manifold
60
. Outlet manifold
60
includes a ninety degree turn, and several other turns, to direct the fluid across the back side of rear wall
16
and out jet nozzles
20
which are protruding through and extending from rear wall
16
. The intake port associated with pump inlet
52
is covered by perforated intake manifold
30
. Intake manifold
30
includes handle
36
and is removably supported within wash tank
10
for easy cleaning. Intake manifold
30
fits tightly between outer runner
32
and inner runner
34
, each of which extends vertically from bottom wall
19
. Heating element
40
is positioned between intake manifold
30
and sidewall
14
for its protection and to maximize the use of space.
Although the prior art pot and pan washing machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,436 provides an exceptional wash action, many of the components discussed above hinder the overall efficiency and performance of the machine. Several of the components of the prior art machine that hinder performance and efficiency are the pump, the intake manifold and the jet nozzles.
As discussed above, the pump of the prior art draws fluid in through pump inlet
52
in a first direction and then discharges the fluid in a direction perpendicular to the inlet direction. The path of the fluid being discharged from pump
50
must be diverted ninety degrees in a first direction, then upward and sideways across rear wall
16
to reach jet nozzles
20
. Diverting the water path requires a great deal of energy, which significantly reduces the efficiency of the pump. Furthermore, a substantial amount of additional outlet manifold construction is necessary to effect the diversion of the fluid path. This additional manifold construction increases the overall cost of producing the pot and pan washing machine. Thus it is desirable to provide an improved pump for a pot and pan washing machine that streamlines the fluid path of the machine.
Another disadvantage of the pump of the prior art is that motor
56
mounts orthogonal to sidewall
14
. This increases the overall footprint of the machine from side to side. As most pot and pan washing machines are of substantial length due to the use of multiple sink basins, it is of great importance to reduce the overall footprint as much as possible to maximize the use of space in a kitchen. If a pump could be designed to orient the pump motor parallel to the side of the wash tank, the side to side footprint of the machine could be reduced, thereby maximizing usable space within the kitchen.
Additionally, in the event that motor
50
requires servicing, it must be removed axially from the pump. This requires a substantial amount of space to the side of the machine to facilitate the motor removal. Unfortunately, most kitchens have a limited amount of space, and the already large footprint of the pot and pan washing machine significantly restricts the amount of unused space allotted to the side of the machine. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a pump for a pot and pan washing machine which can be removed in a direction parallel to the side wall of the machine, rather than perpendicular thereto. Additionally, it is desirable to provide such a pump, without the need for an intricate manifold arrangement.
Another component of the pot and pan machine that reduces the overall efficiency and performance of the machine is the intake manifold. Intake manifold
30
is designed to be positioned along the side of the wash tank, reducing the usable wash area within the wash tank. Also, because water is being pulled toward the side of the wash tank, pots and pans within the wash tank will tend to migrate toward the intake side. This pot migration is undesirable because it reduces the effect of the wash action of the machine as pots and pans are clumped together along one side.
Furthermore, the prior art intake manifold is not scalable. This is because, generally, the size of the wash tank is increased by increasing the length from side to side of the tank without changing the front to back width which makes up the width of intake manifold
30
. As the size of the wash tank increases, so does the required flow rate of the pump. This results in an increased draw through the intake, thereby increasing the effects of pot migration and increasing the amount of debris collected by the intake manifold. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a scalable intake manifold that reduces the effect of pot migration and that does not result in increased manifold vacuum when the length of the wash tank is increased.
Another drawback of the prior art manifold is related to the purpose of the manifold, which is to prevent debris in the wash tank from reaching the pump. Much of this debris will be drawn towards and collected by the intake vacuum. Thus, intake manifold
30
is removable to allow for routine cleaning of the debris from the manifold. If the manifold is not routinely cleaned, the efficiency and performance of the pot and pan washing machine will be significantly inhibited. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an intake manifold that is essentially self cleaning.
One final component of the prior art machine is the jet nozzle. Jet nozzle
20
protrudes from rear wall
16
of the pot and pan washing machine. Thus, the effectiveness of the jet stream on objects near the rear wall of the machine is greatly reduced since the jet stream directly exiting the nozzle initiates in a position away from the rear wall. Objects near the rear wall will only be impacted by the jet stream after it has been deflected back to the rear wall from the front wall. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a jet nozzle design that will permit the jet stream exiting the nozzle to mor

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