Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – With movably or flexibly mounted spray or jet applying...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-15
2001-12-04
Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Apparatus
With movably or flexibly mounted spray or jet applying...
C134S176000, C134S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325083
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a washing- or rinsing device for a dish washer.
PRIOR ART
Dish washers, particularly for the domestic sphere, comprise a cuboid rinsing container whose front side is provided with a loading door in order to gain access to the baskets arranged on rails within the dish washer. At least one rinsing arm rotatable around an axis is arranged within the dish washer.
To enable the rinsing arm to rotate within the dish washer, this arm must be designed so as to pass over a circular surface during its movements on a horizontal plane; this circular surface is located within the dish washer housing that is rectangular or quadratic in horizontal section.
Since the baskets are adapted to the dish washer's inner geometry and can be completely loaded with dirty dishes, care must be taken that rinsing liquid or washing liquid is also sufficiently applied to the dishes arranged in the corner area of the baskets so as to ensure that they will be cleaned. As a rule, this is achieved in the prior art in that the rinsing arms comprise nozzles arranged radially outwards and issuing the rinsing liquid or washing liquid at an angle in a radially outward manner. This design nevertheless suffers from the drawback that the jets of rinsing liquid or washing liquid directed against the side of the dish washer wall drain off unused and the total quantity of water needed to clean the dishes is increased.
European patent application 0 559 466 A1 relates to the problem of insufficient application of washing liquid to the corner regions of a dish washer. This problem is solved by four special-purpose rinsing arms arranged such as to apply liquid to specific corner areas of the dish washer more intensively. These four auxiliary rinsing arms each have just a single inner hollow chamber and increase the total water consumption because a large part of the liquid emerging from these auxiliary rinsing arms is aimed directly against the dish washer's inner walls.
German utility model 297 18 777 U1 also relates to the problem of inadequate application of washing liquid to the corners of a dish washer. A main rinsing arm and an auxiliary rinsing arm rotatably attached to the main rinsing arm are used, whereby the auxiliary rinsing arm in each case passes along the wall of the dish washer and is also able to reach the corner areas due to the influence of centrifugal force. The overall water consumption entailed by this proposed solution is still very high because, depending on the dish washer's geometry, the auxiliary rinsing arm passes closely along the inner wall, thus issuing a large quantity of washing liquid in an area in which this liquid cannot be used.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based upon the object of proposing a washing device or rinsing device for a dish washer in which the application of liquid to the corner areas is improved and yet the total water consumption can be kept low.
This object is solved by means of a washing device or rinsing device for a dish washer comprising the features of claim
1
, claim
5
or claim
9
.
The invention is based upon the idea that the washing arm or rinsing arm rotatably supported on an axis comprises two separate chambers, each chamber having at least one inlet aperture and at least one outlet aperture for washing liquid or rinsing liquid. By designing the at least one outlet aperture as a corner spray nozzle in one of the chambers and by being able to apply washing liquid or rinsing liquid thereto only in defined rotary positions of the washing arm or rinsing arm, an additional jet of washing liquid or rinsing liquid can be systematically applied to the corner area of the dish washer without appreciably increasing water consumption.
The generally used terms “rinsing arm” and “rinsing liquid” also comprise alternatively “washing arm” and “washing liquid”.
A corner spray nozzle is defined below as a nozzle whose geometry is designed such that washing liquid can be applied to the dishes arranged in the corner region of a basket.
Preferred embodiments are characterized by the dependent claims.
According to a preferred embodiment, the axis thus comprises a single flow space for rinsing liquid. This has the advantage that the axis can be designed in a simple and inexpensive manner; above all, however, an existing dish-washer rinsing device can be easily retrofitted by using the rinsing arm described here.
The rinsing arm preferably comprises a hub that can be attached on the axis and which supports the rinsing arm; the axis has four bores which are in communication with the flow space. The hub also has four bores that are in flow communication with the second chamber of the rinsing arm and, in defined rotary positions, with the four bores in the axis. This ability to apply liquid to the corner spray nozzles systematically is characterized by a very simple axis design. This also allows existing dish washers to be retrofitted. The pressure build-up of the rinsing liquid in the second chamber of the rinsing arm and the flow through the corner spray nozzles in defined angular regions of the rinsing-arm rotation can also be systematically accomplished by the arrangement of the four bores in the axis.
According to a preferred embodiment, the hub accommodates other bores which are in flow communication with the first chamber and, irrespective of the hub's rotary position relative to the axis, with the flow space of the axis. This measure, which can be implemented in technical terms for example by forming an annular groove on the outer periphery of the axis, or an annular groove on the inner periphery of the hub, ensures that during the rinsing arm's rotary movement, washing liquid is evenly applied to the rinsing-arm outlet apertures which are in communication with the first chamber, whereas during the rinsing arm's rotation, liquid flows through the corner spray nozzles only in those areas in which it is necessary to apply liquid systematically to the corner areas.
According to a preferred embodiment, those outlet apertures of the first chamber of the rinsing arm which are furthest away from the hub are designed such as to issue the washing liquid at an angle in a radially inward manner. This measure ensures that the issued washing liquid is not directed against the walls of the dish washer, thus remaining unused. By interacting with the special-purpose corner spray nozzles, the use of the applied rinsing liquid can be optimized in terms of the dish washer's rinsing function.
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Premark FEG L.L.C.
Stinson Frankie L.
Thompson Hine LLP
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