Abstract:
The device ( 1 ) can be used in particular for the pivotable door of a dishwasher and comprises, in a structure or body ( 2 ) a first dispenser device ( 5, 6 ) for a washing agent, and a second dispenser device ( 4 ) for rinse agent, an electrically controlled actuator device ( 20, 21 ) connected to the first dispenser device ( 5, 6 ) in such a way that when the door is closed, a first excitation of the actuator device ( 20, 21 ) causes substantially only washing agent to be dispensed, and connected to the second dispenser device ( 4 ) by means of a transmission mechanism ( 22, 23 ) which includes a pivotable interconnecting element ( 23 ). The interconnecting element ( 23 ) is able to make the mechanism ( 22, 23 ) inoperative when the door of the dishwasher is opened, and to make it operative after a first excitation of the actuator device ( 20, 21 ) after the door has been closed. One end ( 23   a ) of this interconnecting element ( 23 ) is pivoted directly onto a movable control member ( 18 ) of the second dispenser device ( 4 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an integrated washing agent dispenser, in particular for the pivotable door of a dishwasher. 
   More specifically, the subject of the invention is a dispenser device comprising, within a support body or structure
         a first device for dispensing a washing agent and a second device for dispensing a rinse agent,   an electrically controlled actuator device, coupled to the first dispenser device in such a way that a first commutation of the actuator device after the door has been closed dispenses substantially only the washing agent, and coupled to the second dispenser device by a transmission mechanism which includes a pivotable interconnecting element;   the said interconnecting element being able to make the transmission mechanism inoperative when the door of the machine is opened and to make it operative after a first commutation of the actuator device subsequent to closure of the door.       

   Dispenser devices of this type are known in the art, for example from the documents DE 33 04 037-A and DE 195 35 153-A. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In these prior art devices, the aforesaid interconnecting element of the transmission mechanism is coupled to a movable member controlling the device for dispensing the rinse agent by means of a two-arm lever or rocker extending into the region between the rinse agent dispenser and the washing agent dispenser. In such devices the actuator is essentially constituted by an electromagnet, arranged at the rear part of the integrated dispenser device, behind the receptacle for detergent powder. 
   Prior art devices such as that described above have a relatively complicated transmission mechanism, the size of which limits the space available for the rinse agent receptacle. In addition, the fact that positioning the actuator behind the washing agent receptacle is practically unavoidable means that the integrated device is of considerable size, especially its thickness, in the portion forming the rinse agent dispenser. 
   One object of the present invention is thus to provide an integrated dispenser device which overcomes the limitations described above with regard to prior art devices. 
   This and other objects are achieved according to the invention by providing an integrated dispenser device of the type defined above, characterised in that one end of the said interconnecting element is pivoted directly onto a movable member controlling the second dispenser device. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, provided purely by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an integrated dispenser device according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a rear elevation showing part of the dispenser device of  FIG. 1 , in a first condition; 
       FIGS. 3 to 5  are similar views to that of  FIG. 2 , showing the dispenser device in successive operating conditions, and 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are sections taken on the lines VI-VI and VII-VII respectively of  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In the drawings, and in particular in  FIG. 1 , an integrated dispenser device according to the invention is generally indicated  1  and is intended to be fitted to the inside surface of the front door of a dishwasher. 
   The door of a dishwasher is usually hinged to the body of the machine along its bottom edge and can be opened into a substantially horizontal position (loading position) in order to place utensils needing washing in the washing chamber or to remove them after washing, and a vertical position (working position) in which the door closes the washing chamber, preventing any liquid from escaping during operation. 
   The integrated dispenser device  1  fitted to the door of a dishwasher is therefore also moved in operation between a horizontal loading position, in which it can be filled with detergent and rinse agent, and a vertical working position, in which the device faces into the washing chamber and is operable to dispense detergent and rinse agent, during the wash and rinse cycles respectively. 
   In the present description and in the appended Claims, the terms detergent or washing agent should be understood to mean any type of detergent or soap used in a dishwashing cycle. The term rinse agent should be understood to mean any product that can be used to improve the shine on clean items. 
   The integrated dispenser device  1  includes an elongate body  2  of a plastics material, to be fitted into a corresponding aperture provided in the door of a dishwasher. 
   The body  2  can be made in two parts for example, a main or front portion and an auxiliary or rear portion respectively, both produced by injection moulding and then connected together and heat welded using a hot blade device. 
   With reference to  FIG. 1 , a receptacle  5  for containing a quantity of detergent is formed in the front surface  3  of the body  2  which will face towards the washing chamber of the dishwasher. 
   A lid  6  is pivoted on the body  2 , with a seal  7  fixed to its inside surface, for sealing the detergent receptacle  5  when the lid  6  is in the closed position shown by the broken line in  FIG. 1 . In a manner which is known per se and thus not shown, the lid  6  has an associated spring urging it into its open position, illustrated by a solid line in  FIG. 1 . 
   A rocker  8  is mounted for rotation on the front portion of the body  2 , adjacent the receptacle  5 , its two arms ending in hook members  9  operable to engage corresponding retaining members  10  provided in the lid  6  for holding it in its closed position. 
   The rocker  8  is mounted for rotation on a shaft  11  which passes through the body  2 , projecting from the back of it, as seen for example in  FIG. 2 . 
   A dispenser for a rinse agent, generally indicated  4 , is incorporated into the body  2  next to the detergent dispenser device  5 ,  6 . In the embodiment shown by way of example, this device includes an essentially cylindrical seat  12 , formed in the front portion of the body  2 , with a rotatable dispenser device, generally indicated  13 , arranged therein. 
   In the embodiment shown by way of example (see  FIG. 6  in particular) the rinse agent dispenser  4  includes a dispenser chamber  14  with a delivery aperture  16  formed in its bottom surface  15  with an associated movable shutter  17 . This shutter  17  is essentially tubular in shape, with a closed lower end which forms the shutter itself. A control rod  18  is force fitted into the tubular shutter, the upper end  18   a  thereof protruding upwardly into the rear portion of the body  2  of the integrated dispenser device, as shown for example in  FIG. 2 . 
   With reference once more to  FIG. 6 , the aperture  16  opens into an underlying duct  19  intended for conveying the rinse agent into the washing chamber of the dishwasher (see also  FIG. 1 ). 
   On the rear of the body  2  of the dispenser device  1  (see  FIG. 2 ), an electromagnetic actuator or electromagnet  20  is mounted in the area between the detergent receptacle  5  and the rinse agent dispenser  4 , with a movable core  21  projecting from the bottom. 
   The lower end  21   a  of the core  21  is operatively coupled to a lever carried  22  by the shaft  11 . 
   The distal end of the lever  22  has a shaped formation  22   a  with an upper projection  22   b  from which a stop projection  22   c  projects transversely (in the direction of the observer in  FIG. 2 ) (see also  FIG. 6 ), the function of which will be described later. In its lower portion, the formation  22   a  has a recess or cavity  22   d , the bottom wall of which is indicated  22   e . The upper, or upwardly facing portion of this wall  22   e  has a vertically elongate through aperture  22   f.    
   With reference to  FIGS. 2 to 7 , an interconnecting element linking the lever  22  and the control member  18  of the shutter  17  of the rinse agent dispenser  4  is generally indicated  23 . In the embodiment illustrated, the interconnecting element  23  is in the shape of a right-angled triangle. This shape is not compulsory however. 
   At the substantially right-angled tip of the element  23 , an arm  23   a  projects from the surface thereof facing the body of the dispenser device  1  and is snap engaged in a passage  18   b  in a shaped formation  18   c  on the rod  18 , near its end  18   a  (see  FIGS. 6 and 7 ). 
   The shaped formation  18   c  has opposite terminal extensions  18   d  and  18   e , slidably engaged in respective grooves  24  and  25  in the body  2  in such a way that the rod  18  can translate parallel to its longitudinal axis but is prevented from rotating about this axis. 
   The transverse passage  18   d  in the formation  18   a  on the rod  18  is such that when the projection or arm  23   a  of the interconnecting element  23  is held therein it is able to oscillate both about the longitudinal axis of the rod  18  and about a transverse axis, indicated A-A in  FIG. 7 . 
   With reference to  FIGS. 2 to 5 , the longer side forming the right angle of the interconnecting element  23  has a rientrant portion  23   b  whereby it rests against the stop projection  22   c  on the lever  22  under the force of gravity. 
   With reference to  FIG. 2 , it will be noted that the centre of gravity of the interconnecting element  23 , indicated G, is spaced by a distance d from the vertical plane B-B containing the axis about which the interconnecting element  23  pivots about the control rod  18  of the rinse aid device dispenser  4 . The interconnecting element  23  therefore tends naturally to pivot, anticlockwise as viewed looking at  FIG. 2 , and bear against the stop  22   c  on the control arm  22 . 
   A transverse projection or pin, indicated  26  in  FIGS. 2 to 6 , extends from the surface of the element  23  facing the body  2  of the integrated dispenser  1 , at the corner formed by the longer side and the hypotenuse. 
   In the operating condition shown in  FIG. 2  (dishwasher door closed but actuator not yet excited following this closure), the feeler pin  26  on the interconnecting element  23  bears against the outer surface of the control lever  22 , outside the recess  22   d  and the adjacent through aperture  22   f  (see  FIGS. 2 and 6 ). 
   The dispenser device described above operates substantially in the manner which will be described next with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 6 . 
   It is assumed that the door of the dishwasher is initially open, that a quantity of detergent powder is placed in the receptacle  5  and that the associated lid is then closed and clipped to the rocker  8 . It is also assumed that a plurality of doses remains in the rinse agent dispenser. 
   With the dishwasher door open, gravity causes the interconnecting element  23  to be positioned in such a way that the feeler pin or projection  26  is disengaged from the terminal shaped formation  22   a  on the control lever  22 . 
   When the dishwasher door is closed, the dispenser device  1  moves into the position illustrated in  FIG. 2 : gravity causes the interconnecting element  23  to bear against the stop  22   c , with its feeler pin  26  against the side surface of the control lever  22  outside the recess  22   e  and the through hole  22   f.    
   Once the dishwasher is started, when it is time for the detergent in the receptacle  5  to be delivered into the washing chamber, the control unit of the appliance excites the electromagnetic actuator  20  for a first time. The core  21  thereof is “sucked” upwards, causing the control lever  22  and the associated shaft  11  to pivot from the position shown in  FIG. 2  to the position shown in  FIG. 3 . This pivoting of the shaft  11  causes a corresponding pivoting of the rocker  8  resulting in the lid  6  being released and, under the action of the associated resilient means, moving into the position shown in  FIG. 1 , thereby opening the receptacle  5  and allowing the detergent contained therein to fall into the washing chamber. 
   With reference to the passage from  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 3 , it should be observed that, thanks to the effect of gravity, the interconnecting element  23  remains in contact with the stop  22   c  on the control lever  22 , as a result of the rotation of this lever  22 , the pin  26  on the interconnecting element  23  “drops” into and engages the recess  22   d  in the terminal formation  22   a  on the lever  22 . 
   As soon as the electromagnetic actuator  20  is de-energized, the device moves from the condition shown in  FIG. 3  to that shown in  FIG. 4 . With reference to this last drawing, the movable core  21  of the electromagnetic actuator  20  moves back into its initial position, thereby returning the lever  22  and the shaft  11  to their starting positions. The rotation of the lever  22  from the position of  FIG. 3  to that of  FIG. 4  causes the feeler pin  26  of the interconnecting element  23  to be positioned facing the aperture  22   f  in the terminal formation  22   a  of the lever  22  and to drop by gravity into this aperture. Since the pin  26  is held in the aperture  22   f , the interconnecting element  23  remains spaced from the stop projection  22   c.    
   As the wash cycle continues, when it is time to release a dose of rinse agent, the control unit of the appliance excites the electromagnetic actuator  20  for a second time, causing the dispenser device  1  to move from the condition shown in  FIG. 4  to that shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   The control lever  22  rotates anti-clockwise, and after rotating freely at first the lower edge of the aperture  22   f  encounters the feeler pin  26 , moving it and the entire interconnecting element  23  upwards, causing a corresponding upward movement of the control rod  18  associated with the shutter  17 . This shift causes the end portion of the shutter  17  to move away from the associated aperture or seat  16 , allowing the rinse agent to flow from the dispenser chamber  14  into the delivery duct  19 . 
   Once the rinse agent has been dispensed, the electromagnetic actuator  20  is again de-energized and the dispenser device  1  as a whole returns to the condition shown in  FIG. 4 . As the wash cycle continues, it is possible to dispense additional doses of rinse agent, by re-energizing the electromagnetic actuator  20  and causing the dispenser device  1  to move once again from the condition of  FIG. 4  to that shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   On completion of the wash cycle, when the door of the dishwasher is opened, the interconnecting element  23  disengages again under the effect of gravity from the shaped terminal formation  22   a  of the control lever  22 . 
   When the door is re-closed, operation resumes in the manner described above. 
   It is clear from the aforesaid operating description that if the door of the dishwasher is opened and then closed again during a wash cycle, the dispenser device  1  still returns to the condition shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   It should also be noted that the control lever  22  and the interconnecting element  23  together form a transmission mechanism linking the electromagnetic actuator  20  and the rinse agent dispenser  4 , and that this mechanism becomes inoperative when the door of the appliance is opened, returning to its operating condition after the actuator device is first excited upon closing the door and then remaining inoperative for as long as the door remains closed. 
   In the arrangement according to the present invention, the electromagnetic actuator  20  is conveniently arranged between the receptacle  5  for the detergent or washing agent and the rinse agent dispenser  4 . This makes it possible to reduce the depth of the dispenser device  1  as a whole in the area of the detergent receptacle  5 . In addition, the transmission mechanism between the electromagnetic actuator  20  and the rinse agent dispenser  4  is made simpler, since it has no two-arm lever, such as those of the prior art devices. 
   Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining unchanged, embodiments and manufacturing details can vary widely from those described and illustrated purely by way of non-limitative example, without departing thereby from the scope of the invention as claimed in the appended Claims.