Plasticware retainer for use in an automatic dishwasher

A plasticware retainer is provided for holding lightweight articles in a dishwasher rack to prevent them from dislodging during a washing cycle. The retainer includes a net member, a roller assembly, and connectors. A first end of the net member is attached to the roller assembly which removably attaches to the dishwasher rack. The connectors are attached to a second end of the net member to attach the second end of the net member to the rack when the net member is in an extended position over the dishwasher rack to prevent the lightweight articles from dislodging during washing. The net member is retracted into the roller assembly in a window shade fashion to remove the articles in the dishwasher rack and or storage of the plasticware retainer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention generally relates to automatic dishwashers, and more 
specifically, to a retainer for preventing movement of lightweight 
articles in an upper rack of a dishwasher. 
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
A dishwasher generally has upper and lower racks which are slidably mounted 
to tracks fixed to inner sides of the dishwasher. The racks are pulled out 
for easy loading of dishes. Cups, glasses, and other containers are 
normally placed upside down along the racks for washing so that they will 
not fill with water. When the racks are loaded with dishes, the racks are 
pushed back into the dishwasher, the door is closed, and the washing cycle 
is initiated. 
During the washing cycle, high pressure streams of water are upwardly 
projected against the dishes in the racks. In many cases, the force of the 
projecting water is strong enough to dislodge lightweight articles such as 
plastic cups. If dislodged to a right-side up position, the lightweight 
article fills with water. The weight of the water prevents the right-side 
up article from dislodging again to the upside down position to dump the 
water. The water therefore, remains in the article for the entire wash 
cycle and prevents the inside of the article from being properly cleaned. 
When the rack is pulled out and the dishes unloaded, the unclean water can 
spill out of the right-side up article onto clean dishes in the lower rack 
below. 
An additional problem with unrestrained dishes in an automatic dishwasher 
is the melting of plastic articles. Lightweight plastic articles are 
frequently dislodged by the force of the projecting water and come to rest 
near a heating element. The heating element melts or reshapes the plastic 
articles to render them unusable. 
Means for retaining articles in a dishwasher rack during washing are known 
in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,958 discloses an 
enclosure for washing eating utensils in a dishwasher. The enclosure is 
provided with compartments for holding the utensils and hinged rigid 
covers for closing the compartments. A handle is provided to lift the 
enclosure from a horizontal loading position outside the dishwasher to an 
upright washing position in the dishwasher. See also U.S. Pat. No. 
4,058,233 for a related utensil enclosure for a dishwasher having a rigid 
lid. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,830,200, 4,748,993, and 4,732,291 also disclose 
enclosures, having pivotally mounted rigid covers, specifically for 
holding baby bottle parts in a dishwasher. U.S. patent application Ser. 
No. 08/179,486 discloses a retainer having a plurality of rigid panels 
pivotally interconnected to conform to and overlie the articles in the 
dishwasher rack. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,201,826 discloses a restraining net for securing articles 
in a dishwasher. The net includes a rectangular flexible mesh member of a 
dimension generally corresponding to the periphery of the dishwasher rack 
and an elastic flexible border member around the periphery of the mesh 
member. The border member is placed around the exterior of the rack to 
retain the mesh member in a position closing the rack. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,843 also discloses a restraining net for covering a 
dishwasher rack. The net is convex or dome-like in shape with a periphery 
corresponding to a dishwasher rack. The net has a central opening which 
provides an unobstructed passage through the net. Fasteners such as 
S-hooks are provided for fastening the periphery of the net around the 
periphery of the dishwasher rack. The fasteners have one end hooked in an 
aperture of the dishwasher rack and another end hooked in a loop of the 
net. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,019 discloses another restraining net for covering a 
dishwasher rack. The net includes a circular center portion of inelastic 
mesh, an annular band at the periphery of the center portion and of 
bidirectionally elastic open weave, and an elastic edge band at the 
periphery of the annular band. The edge band is placed around the exterior 
of the rack to retain the center and annular portions in a position 
closing the rack. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,206 discloses a net-like article holding device for 
dishwashers. The device includes a stretchable elongated rectangular mesh 
member and rigid connector bars at opposite ends of the mesh member. The 
connector bars are placed on the outside of the dishwasher rack across 
adjacent vertical support wires. The elasticity of the mesh member causes 
the mesh member to stretch across and exert a downward force onto the 
articles in the rack. One version of the device replaces one of the 
connector bars with a retractable roller. When the mesh is not required to 
be stretched across the articles it is rolled up on the roller. 
Each of the aforementioned patents are incorporated herein in their 
entirety by reference. 
It is desirable to provide an effective retainer for preventing movement of 
lightweight articles in an upper rack of a dishwasher during washing. It 
is further desirable to provide a retainer that is inexpensive, simple to 
construct, convenient to stow, accessible, not dependent on a special 
location or orientation of the articles to be cleaned, and compatible with 
a standard dishwasher rack. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a retainer that solves the problem of 
lightweight articles being dislodged from a dishwasher rack by a force of 
upwardly projecting washing liquid during washing. The disadvantages of 
the prior art are overcome by providing a retainer that is easily 
installed and removed and easily stored when not in use. 
According to the invention, there is provided a roller having means for 
mounting to said dishwasher rack and a flexible inelastic generally 
rectangularly-shaped net member. A first end of the net member is attached 
to the roller, and means for attaching a second end of the net member to 
the dishwasher rack is provided. The net member extends over the 
dishwasher rack to retain the lightweight articles in the dishwasher rack 
during washing. 
The retainer of the present invention is easily installed or removed 
because the net member is simply extended and retracted from the roller 
above the dishwasher rack. The retainer can be left on the dishwasher rack 
or easily removed from the dishwasher for storage when not in use. 
Furthermore, because the retainer can be used with a standard dishwasher 
rack and is not attached to the rack, it can be easily added to existing 
dishwashers or replaced if necessary.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A front loading automatic dishwasher 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes a tub 11 
defining a cleaning chamber 12 having a front opening 13. A door 14 is 
hingedly mounted at the bottom of the front opening 13 for pivotal 
movement about a bottom edge, as is conventional. The door 14 moves from a 
vertical closed position (not shown) to a horizontal open position (shown 
in FIG. 1). Supported within the chamber 12 are an upper rack 15 and a 
lower rack 16 for supporting soiled articles 17 for cleaning by the 
dishwasher 10. 
The lower rack 16 is supported within the chamber 12 by suitable tracks and 
is adapted to be rolled out onto the door 14 in its open position for 
loading and unloading. The upper rack 15 is supported within the chamber 
by a pair of conventional telescopic tracks 18. The upper rack 15 is 
movable from a retracted position within the chamber 12 (not shown) and a 
fully extended position overlying the door 14 in its open position (shown 
in FIG. 1) for loading and unloading. 
The racks 15, 16 are generally basket-shaped having a front 19, a back 20, 
opposed sides 21, 22 and a bottom 23. The racks 15, 16 are formed of 
segmental wire-frame construction wherein wire segments are spaced 
sufficiently closely to prevent stored articles 17 from passing 
therethrough, while exposing the articles 17 to an upwardly projecting 
washing liquid for cleaning. Preferably, the front 19, back 20, and sides 
21, 22 include vertically and horizontally extending wire segments, and 
the bottom 23 includes transversely and longitudinally extending wire 
segments. 
As shown in FIG. 1, soiled articles 17 including light weight articles 17 
such as plastic cups are positioned within the upper rack 15. The articles 
17 are placed in the upper rack 15 in an upside down position for cleaning 
by the upwardly projecting washing liquid. A plasticware retainer 24, 
overlies the articles 17 to hold or retain the articles 17 in the upper 
rack 15 against the upwardly projecting washing liquid. As best shown in 
FIGS. 2 and 3, the plasticware retainer 24 comprises a mesh or net member 
25, a retractable roller or roller assembly 26, and connectors 27. 
As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the net member 25 is a generally planar and 
rectangularly-shaped sheet of mesh or netting. The net member 25 has first 
and second ends 28, 29 with a length preferably slightly less than the 
length of the front 19 and back 20 of the dishwasher upper rack 15. Sides 
30a, 30b of the net member 25 have a length preferably equal to or greater 
than the length the sides 21, 22 of the dishwasher upper rack 15. The net 
member 25 has apertures or openings 30 throughout substantially the entire 
area of the rectangularly-shaped net member 25. As best seen in FIG. 2, 
the openings 41 of the preferred embodiment are rectangularly shaped. The 
openings 41 must be of sufficient size so that water, but not the soiled 
articles 17, may freely flow through the retainer 24 during washing and 
rinsing cycles of the dishwasher 10. 
Preferably, the net member 25 is made of a plastic material or netting such 
as nylon netting. The net member 25 preferably has sufficient qualities 
related to corrosion resistance to withstand repeated use in a washing 
liquid and to high temperature resistance to withstand temperatures in the 
dishwasher 10 which can reach approximately 140 degrees fahrenheit. The 
net member 25 must have enough flexibility so that it can be rolled and 
unrolled onto the roller 42 of the roller assembly 25 in a window shade 
fashion. The net member 25 is also semi-rigid and/or inelastic so that it 
is extendable generally above the dishwasher upper rack 15 without support 
between the ends 28 and 29 to cover the upper rack 15 and retain the 
articles 17 within the upper rack 15. The net member 25 acts as a lid or 
cover for the upper rack 15. The net member 25 may comprise other 
materials having sufficient qualities relating to corrosion resistance, 
heat resistance, strength, flexibility, and rigidity. 
The net member 25 preferably has a border strip 40 that extends about the 
perimeter of the net at the second end 29 and sides 30a, 30b of the net 
member 25. The border strip 40 preferably is a material that adds rigidity 
to the net member 25. The border strip of the preferred embodiment is 
vinyl and sewn to the net member 25. The border strip 40 preferably 
overlaps the edges of the net member 25. The border strip 40 adds rigidity 
to the net member 25, prevents sharp edges of the net from being exposed, 
and prevents the net member from tearing or unravelling. 
The roller assembly 26 includes a tube or cylinder 31, and mounting means 
32. Within the cylinder 31 is a roller 42 having a spring mechanism for 
winding the net member 25 onto the roller 42. The roller spring mechanism 
is of any suitable design known in the art, such as the type commonly 
employed with window shades and the like. It will be noted that the roller 
42 could alternatively have manual means for winding such as for example a 
crank. The first end 28 of the net member 25 is attached to the roller 42. 
The cylinder 31 includes a slotted opening 33 extending in the axial 
direction so that the net member 25 can be extended and retracted between 
a retracted position (not shown) on the roller mechanism and an extended 
position (shown in FIGS. 1-4) above the dishwasher upper rack 15. The 
cylinder 31 preferably has a length slightly greater than the length of 
the net member first end 28 and less than the length of the upper rack 
front and back 19, 20. The cylinder 31 has a diameter adequate for 
containing the roller 42 with the net member 25 retracted thereon. 
The mounting means 32 removably attaches or connects the roller assembly 26 
to the dishwasher upper rack 15. The preferred mounting means 32 includes 
two flanges 34 integral with the roller assembly cylinder 31. The flanges 
34 are located at opposite ends of the cylinder 31 and include an upper 
portion 35 and a side portion 36. The upper portion 35 extends generally 
horizontally from the cylinder 31 on a side opposite the slotted opening 
33. The side portion 36 extends downwardly from the outer end of the upper 
portion 35. It will be noted that flanges of other geometries or 
quantities could be utilized, however, the flanges of the preferred 
embodiment minimize the potential for interference with various upper rack 
15 configurations. It will also be noted that other mounting means 32 such 
as, for example, straps, hooks, latches, clips, or retainers could be 
utilized. 
The cylinder 31 and flanges 34 can be of any suitable material such as 
galvanized metal. However preferably as many of the components of the 
roller assembly 26 as practical are made of plastic material such as 
polypropylene. When molded of plastic material, the flanges can be 
integrally molded with the cylinder 31. However, it will be noted that the 
components of the roller assembly 26 may include other materials having 
sufficient qualities relating to corrosion resistance, heat resistance, 
strength, and rigidity, such as, for example stainless steel springs. 
The connectors 27 removably attach or connect the second end 29 of the net 
member 25 to the dishwasher upper rack 15 to retain the net member 25 in 
the extended position. The connectors 27 of the preferred embodiment 
include a connecting portion 37 and a hook portion 38 as best seen in FIG. 
3. At least a portion of the connecting portion 37 is substantially 
parallel to and overlaps the net portion 25 and border strip 40 adjacent 
the second end 29 wherein the connecting portion 37 is fastened to the net 
portion 25. The connectors 27 are preferably a plastic material such as 
polypropylene and fastened to the net member 25 by rivets 39. The rivets 
39 extend through the connecting portion 37 and the border strip 40. It 
will be noted that the connectors 27 can be fastened to the net member 25 
by other fastening means known in the art. The hook portion 38 of the 
connector 27 extends downwardly and inwardly from an outer end of the 
connecting portion 37 and is adapted for hooking a horizontal segment of 
the upper rack 15. It will be noted that other embodiments of the 
connectors could be utilized such as for example spring clips, swiveled 
hooks, straps, and snaps. 
Preferably, three connectors 27 are fastened adjacent to the second end 28 
of the net member 25, with one connector 27 generally adjacent each side 
29, 30 of the net member 25 and one generally spaced equally therebetween. 
It will be noted, however that other quantities of connectors could be 
utilized. The connectors 27 are preferably made of plastic, however, the 
connectors 27 may comprise other materials having sufficient qualities 
relating to corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and strength. 
As best seen in FIG. 1, the soiled articles 17 are placed in the dishwasher 
racks 15, 16. When the articles 17 are loaded, if the retainer 24 is not 
already attached to the upper rack 15, the retainer 24 is taken from 
storage. The roller assembly 26 of the retainer 24 is positioned along and 
parallel to the inside of the back 20 of the upper rack 15 such that a 
horizontal wire segment of the upper rack back 20 is within the flanges 34 
of the roller assembly 26. The retainer 24 is released and the flanges 34 
attach the retainer 24 to the upper rack 15. The second end 29 of the net 
portion 25 is grasped and pulled such that the net portion 25 extends from 
the retracted position in which it was stored in the roller assembly 26 to 
an extended position over the upper rack 15. Once the net portion extends 
to the upper rack front 19, the connectors 27 are placed about a 
horizontal wire segment of the upper rack front 19. In this position (FIG. 
3), the hook portion 38 of the connectors 27 engage the horizontal wire 
segment of the upper rack front 19 to connect the second end 29 of the net 
portion 25 to the upper rack 15. The retainer 24 is preferably of such 
size and shape to cover substantially the entire dishwasher upper rack 15. 
The retainer 24 closes off the top of the upper rack 15 so that the net 
member 25 is generally above the articles located in the upper rack 15. 
When installed the net member 25 remains generally planar and generally 
closes off the top of the upper rack 15 in a lid or cover like manner. The 
racks 15, 16 are pushed into the cleaning chamber 12, the door 14 is 
closed, and the washing cycle is initiated. 
During the washing cycle the retainer 24 has sufficient weight and rigidity 
to retain the articles 17 in the upper rack 15 against the upwardly 
projecting washing liquid and prevent them from dislodging. After the 
washing cycle is completed, the door 14 is opened, and the upper rack 15 
is pulled out. After removing the connectors 27 from the upper rack front 
19, the net member 25 is pulled outwardly slightly to initiate the roller 
assembly 26 and roll the net member 25 onto the roller assembly 26 in a 
window shade fashion. The clean articles can be unloaded when the net 
member is in the retracted position. Once the articles are removed, the 
retainer 24 can remain attached to the upper rack 15 until it is again 
required or it can be removed for storage by simply lifting upwardly to 
remove the flanges 34 from the horizontal wire segment of the upper rack 
back 20. When desired, the retainer 24 can be reinstalled in the above 
described manner. 
Because of the size and shape of the retainer 24, it is not necessary to 
orient the retainer 24 in the above described direction. The retainer 24 
can also be installed such that the roller assembly 26 is parallel to the 
upper rack sides 21, 22 as shown in FIG. 4. This versatility in mounting 
allows the retainer 24 to be quickly installed with a minimum of attention 
to orientation. In addition, this allows the articles 17 to be placed in 
the upper rack 15 without regard to location. 
Although a particular embodiment of a retainer for holding lightweight 
articles in a dishwasher has been described in detail, it will be 
understood that the invention is not limited correspondingly in scope, but 
includes all changes and modifications coming within the spirit and terms 
of the claims appended hereto.