PATENT ABSTRACT
A composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits includes a dish-drying body, an ozone generator, a cover and a switching element. The cover selectively covers the dishes or allows the vegetables and fruits to be received therein. The switching element is switchable to be electrically connected to the dish-drying body or the ozone generator. The dish-drying body generates hot air to dry the dishes when the switching element is electrically connected to the dish-drying body. The ozone generator generates ozone to clean the vegetables and fruits when the switching element is electrically connected to the ozone generator. With this arrangement, the operation of drying dishes or cleaning vegetables and fruits can be executed as demands. Thus, the utility rate of the machine is increased and the space can be used more effectively. As a result, the cost is reduced and the maintenance is easy.

PATENT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a dish-drying and vegetable-cleaning machine, and in particular to a composite machine capable of generating hot air for drying dishes and ozone for cleaning vegetables and fruits. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0004]    A dish dryer is a common electric appliance used in the kitchen of a house. The dish dryer is used to dry tableware such as bowls, dishes or the like. If the dishes after washing are not dried completely, the water droplets on the surface of the dishes may wet the environment. As a result, bacteria may propagate to generate mildew. Since the dishes are utensils for containing foods, if the dishes are not cleaned, it may be harmful to the human&#39;s body. Thus, the tableware such as bowls and dishes has to be disposed on a dish rack within the dish dryer and the water droplets on the bowls and dishes are dried by hot air, thereby keeping the environment dried and preventing the propagation of bacteria. A common dish dryer includes a machine body, an outer cover for covering the machine body, and a dish rack. A closed space is formed between the outer cover and the machine body for receiving the dishes. An electric heater is provided in the machine body. The hot air generated by the electric heater is circulated in the closed space, whereby the tableware can be sterilized and dried quickly. In this way, clean and sterilized tableware can be used, and the operation of this dish dryer is very convenient. Usually, the tableware is washed in a cleaning trough. As a result, the dish dryer is arranged near the cleaning trough, so that it is convenient for the user to put the washed tableware in the nearby dish dryer for drying. The water droplets collected from the tableware can be drained in the cleaning trough. However, when the dish dryer is not in use, it occupies a lot of space, which is really a problem. 
         [0005]    As for the vegetables, not only the freshness, but also the cleanness is needed. Especially, the vegetables and fruits used for uncooked vegetable salad including leaf vegetables (e.g. parsley, spinach), fruit vegetables (e.g. tomato, cucumber) or fruits (muskmelon, apple), since these vegetables and fruits are eaten uncooked, no sweat dirt, insect eggs or pesticide can remain on the surfaces of the vegetables and fruits. The original way of cleaning the vegetables is as follows: vegetables are first received in a vegetable basket and the vegetable basket is dipped into the water of the cleaning trough, so that the flowing water rinses away the sweat dirt, insect eggs and remaining pesticide on the surfaces of the vegetables. Alternatively, a machine is developed for cleaning vegetables, which includes a body with an open top surface, and a water-stirring tray provided in the bottom of the body. Water is filled in the body and the vegetables and fruits are put in an upper portion of the body. The water-stirring tray is powered to stir the water, whereby the whirling water can clean the vegetables and fruits. However, using the flowing water in the cleaning trough to rinse the vegetables and fruits needs a lot of water, which causes the increase in the cost. On the other hand, the vegetable-cleaning machine has a lot of components and is complicated in structure, which also raises the cost and the subsequent maintenance. 
         [0006]    Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present Inventor proposes a reasonable and novel structure based on his deliberate research and expert experiences. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is to provide a composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits, thereby drying dishes or cleaning vegetables and fruits by ozone. With this arrangement, the utility rate of the machine can be increased, and the space can be used more effectively. Further, the cost can be reduced and the maintenance is easy. 
         [0008]    The present invention provides a composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits, which includes a dish-drying body; an ozone generator mounted in the dish-drying body, the ozone generator having an air-delivering pipe; and a cover selectively covering the dishes or allowing the vegetables and fruits to be received therein, one end of the air-delivering pipe being disposed in the cover. 
         [0009]    The present invention provides a composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits, which includes a dish-drying body; an ozone generator mounted in the dish-drying body, the ozone generator having an air-delivering pipe; a cover selectively covering the dishes or allowing the vegetables and fruits to be received therein, one end of the air-delivering pipe being disposed in the cover; and a switching element fixed in the dish-drying body and switchable to be electrically connected to the dish-drying body or the ozone generator, wherein the dish-drying body generates hot air to dry the dishes when the switching element is electrically connected to the dish-drying body, and the ozone generator generates ozone to clean the vegetables and fruits when the switching element is electrically connected to the ozone generator. 
         [0010]    The present invention provides a composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits, which includes a dish-drying body for allowing the dishes or the vegetables and fruits to be disposed therein; an ozone generator mounted in the dish-drying body, the ozone generator having an air-delivering pipe; and a switching element fixed to the dish-drying body and switchable to be electrically connected to the dish-drying body or the ozone generator, wherein the dish-drying body generates hot air to dry the dishes when the switching element is electrically connected to the dish-drying body, and the ozone generator generates ozone to clean the vegetables and fruits when the switching element is electrically connected to the ozone generator. 
         [0011]    The present invention has advantageous features as follows. After washing, the water droplets on the dishes are dried by the hot air to keep the environment clean and prevent the propagation of bacteria. When the dish dryer is not in use, it can also generate ozone to clean the vegetables and fruits. Thus, the idle time of the composite machine is reduced, thereby increasing the utility rate and the using the space more effectively. With the strong sterilizing effect of the ozone, the ozone is dissolved in the water to remove the dirt and bacteria remaining on the vegetables and fruits. Thus, it is unnecessary to use a conventional machine of a complicated structure to clean the vegetables and fruits, so that the cost can be reduced and the maintenance is easy. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing the operating state of the present invention in drying dishes; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing the operating state of the present invention in washing vegetables and fruits; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a view showing the introduction of ozone by a plurality of pipes in the present invention; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a view showing the storage of the air-delivering pipe according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The characteristics and technical contents of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit the present invention. 
         [0018]    Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. The present invention provides a composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits, which includes a dish-drying body  10 , an ozone generator  20 , a cover  30 , a switching element  40 , a tableware basket  50  and a switch  60 . 
         [0019]    The dish-drying body  10  includes a base  11 , a circuit board  12 , a hot air generator  13 , a timer  14 , a supporting tray  15 , a drainage valve  16  and a storage portion  17 . The circuit board  12  is fixed in the base  11  and electrically connected to an external power source. The hot air  13  is fixed in the base  11  and electrically connected to the circuit board  12 . The internal components of the hot air generator  13  comprise a heating element  131  and a fan  132  for blowing the heating element  131 . The hot air generator  13  is provided with an air-introducing port  133  located at one side near the fan  132  and an air-exiting port  134  located at one side near the heating element  131 . The surface of the base  11  is provided with a hot air port  111  in communication with the air-exiting port  134 . The timer  14  is exposed to the front surface of the base  11  and electrically connected to the circuit board  12 . The supporting tray  15  is movably received in the base  11 . The drainage valve  16  is provided in the base  11  to correspond to the position of the supporting tray  15 . The storage portion  17  is movably provided in the base  11 . The storage portion  17  comprises a plate  171  and a plurality of posts  172  protruding from the surface of the plate  171 . 
         [0020]    The ozone generator  20  is fixed in the base  11  to correspond to the storage portion  17  and electrically connected to the circuit board  12 . The internal components of the ozone generator  20  comprise an air-delivering pipe  21 , an ultraviolet lamp  22 , and a cylinder  23 . The ozone generator  20  is provided with a venting port  24  located at one side near the ultraviolet lamp  22 . The cylinder  23  is positioned to correspond to the ultraviolet lamp  22  and away from the venting port  24 . One end of the air-delivering pipe  21  is connected to the cylinder  23 . The storage portion  17  is provided with a guiding hole  173  at one side near the cylinder  23 . The other end of the air-delivering pipe  21  penetrates the guiding hole  173  to be wound around the posts  172 , so that a certain length of the air-delivering pipe  21  can be wound around the plate  171 . 
         [0021]    The cover  30  is made of transparent materials and provided on the dish-drying body  10 . The cover  30  has an accommodating space  31 . A lower portion of the periphery of the cover  30  is provided with an insertion hole  32  and a plurality of exhausting holes  33 . The surface of the cover  30  is formed with a handle  34 . The end of the air-delivering pipe  21  away from the cylinder  23  penetrates the insertion hole  32  and is disposed in the accommodating space  31 . 
         [0022]    The switching element  40  is exposed to the front surface of the base  11  and electrically connected to the circuit board  12 . The switching element  40  is switchable to be electrically connected to the dish-drying body  10  and the circuit board  12  or electrically connected to the ozone generator  20  and the circuit board  12 . When the switching element  40  is electrically connected to the dish-drying body  10 , the dish-drying body  10  generates hot air. When the switching element  40  is electrically connected to the ozone generator  20 , the ozone generator  20  generates ozone. 
         [0023]    In addition to be switchable between the above-mentioned target components, the switching element  40  can also restrict the countdown time of the timer  14 . The bottom of a knob of the timer  14  has a cam structure  141 . When the switching element  40  is switched to the dish-drying function, the cam structure  141  can rotate freely without any restriction, and the timer  14  can be set arbitrarily. When the switching element  141  is switched to the ozone-cleaning function, the switching element  40  will restrict the rotation of the cam structure  141 , so that the timer  14  can be only set to a certain value. 
         [0024]    The tableware basket  50  is provided on the dish-drying body  10  and received in the accommodating space  31 . The tableware basket  50  has a plurality of filtering holes  51 . 
         [0025]    The switch  60  is exposed to the front surface of the base  11  and electrically connected to the circuit board  12 . The switch  60  is used to turn on or off the electrical connection between the circuit board  12  and the external power supply. 
         [0026]    Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which is a view showing the operating state of the present invention in drying dishes. The dishes after washing are put in the tableware basket  50 . Then, the cover  30  covers the dish-drying body  10 . The switching element  40  is operated to electrically connect the dish-drying body  10  and the circuit board  12 , and then the countdown time of the timer  14  is set. Since the rotation  141  of the cam structure  141  will not be restricted, the timer  14  can be set arbitrarily, and usually it takes about one hour to dry the dishes. The switch  60  is turned on to electrically connect the circuit board  12  and the external power supply, thereby activating the hot air generator  13 . The heating element  131  heats up the surrounding air, and the fan  132  blows the hot air through the air-exiting port and the hot air port  111  into the accommodating space  31 . The hot air is circulated in the accommodating space  31  to dry the dishes. The wetted air is exhausted through the exhausting holes  33 . After the countdown time of the timer  14  is finished, the hot air generator  13  stops working. The user can watch the drying condition through the transparent cover  30 . If the water droplets on the dishes are not dried completely, the user resets the timer  14  to continue the operation of the hot air generator  13 . When the dishes are dried completely, the user grips the handle  34  to take off the cover  30  and take the dried dishes out of the machine. The water droplets of the dishes will be collected to the supporting tray  15  through the filtering holes  51  and the opened drainage valve  16 . The supporting tray  15  can be drawn out to remove the accumulated water. 
         [0027]    Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is a schematic view showing the operating state of the present invention in cleaning vegetables and fruits. First, the tableware basket  50  is removed from the dish-drying body  10 . The cover  30  is turned upside down to cover the dish-drying body  10 , and fresh water is filled in the accommodating space  31 . The vegetables and fruits to be cleaned are put into the fresh water. The level of the fresh water is not higher than that of the insertion hole  32  and the exhausting holes  33 , thereby avoiding from the overflowing of the water to damage the dish-drying body  10 . The plate  171  is drawn out and the air-delivering pipe  21  is unwound from the posts  172 . One end of the air-delivering pipe  21  penetrates the insertion hole  32  into the water of the accommodating space  31 . The switching element  40  is operated to electrically connect the ozone generator  20  and the circuit board  12 . Since the switching element  40  will restrict the rotation of the cam structure  141 , the timer  14  can be set to a certain value only. Since it would be better to execute the ozone cleaning without exceeding fifteen minutes, the timer  14  is set at most to fifteen minutes. If the timer  14  is originally set to over fifteen minutes, the switching element  40  will be restricted by the cam structure  141 , so that it cannot be switched to the ozone cleaning function. Then, the switch  60  is turned on to electrically connect the circuit board  12  and the external power source, thereby activating the operation of the ozone generator  20 . At this time, the ultraviolet lamp  22  illuminates the surrounding air. With a wavelength in a range of 175 nm to 200 nm, the oxygen molecules in the air will be ionized to form ozone. The formula of ozone is O 3  with a molecular weight of 48, a melting point of 192.7° C., boiling point of −111.9° C. The ozone is slightly dissolvable in the water. The specific weight of ozone is approximately 1.7 times of the air and 1.5 times of the oxygen. The thin ozone has no color and smell and is a nonflammable gas. Low concentration of ozone generates a special smell of grass, while high concentration of ozone exhibits a light blue. In normal temperature between 18° C. and 30° C., ozone will be decomposed into oxygen molecules and oxygen atoms. The chemical property of the oxygen atoms is very active to generate strong sterilizing, deodorizing, and bleaching effects, thereby preventing the propagation of bacteria and mildew. The cylinder  23  drives the ozone into the water through the air-delivering pipe  21 . The air is introduced through the venting hole  24  into the ozone generator  20  to generate more ozone. The ozone is dissolved in the water to remove the sweat dirt, inset eggs and remaining pesticide on the surface of vegetables and fruits. 
         [0028]    Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which shows the introduction of ozone by a plurality of pipes. The composite machine for drying dishes and cleaning vegetables and fruits further includes an auxiliary air-delivering pipe  25 . One end of the auxiliary air-delivering pipe  25  is connected to the cylinder  23 . The other end of the air-delivering pipe  21  is received in the storage portion  17 . In use, the air-delivering pipe  21  extends into the water, and the auxiliary air-delivering pipe  25  extends into the water to be away from the air-delivering pipe  21 . In this way, the amount and range of ozone dissolved in the water can be increased, so that the effect of cleaning vegetables and fruits can be enhanced. 
         [0029]    Please refer to  FIG. 5 , which is a view showing the storage of the air-delivering pipe according to another embodiment of the present invention. The storage portion  17  is fixed in the base  11 . The side wall of the base  11  is provided with a through-hole  135  to correspond to the position of the storage portion  17 . The storage portion  17  is a winding disk. One end of the air-delivering pipe  21  is connected to the cylinder  23 , and the other end thereof is received in the storage portion  17  to penetrate the through-hole  135 . In use, the air-delivering pipe  21  penetrates the through-hole  135  to be drawn out of the storage portion  17 . Then, the air-delivering pipe  21  is inserted into the insertion hole  32  and thus extends into the water. After using, the air-delivering pipe  21  is wounded into the storage portion  17  with its distal end protruding from the through-hole  135  for subsequent use. 
         [0030]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various equivalent variations and modifications can still occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.