Device for a dishwasher door

Abstract: This invention relates to a device for a dishwasher comprising a chassis with a treatment chamber (16) for dish, one side wall of the treatment chamber being provided with an opening through which the dish is inserted into and is taken out from the treatment chamber. The opening is normally covered by a door (17) which is pivotally supported at its lower horizontal edge so that the door from its normally closed, vertical position can be turned to a mainly horizontal position. The dishwasher is a so called built-in machine with the door (17) comprising an outer door (18), for example with a panel, whose peripheral parts (19) facing the treatment chamber are placed adjacent the front edge (20) of a cabinet shell surrounding the chassis (21) when the door is in its vertical position. The lower edge of the outer door (18) is during the movement of the door allways situated in front of the vertical plane which is defined by the front edges (20) of the cabinet shell.

Description: This invention relates to a dishwasher said dishwasher comprising a chassis with a treatment chamber for dishes, one side wall of the treatment chamber being provided with an access opening through which an interior of the treatment chamber is accessible to insert dishes therein and remove dishes therefrom, said opening normally being covered by a dishwasher door, said door being turnably supported adjacent a lower horizontal edge such that the door can be moved between a normally closed, vertical position and an open mainly horizontal position,said door having peripheral parts which face the treatment chamber and being adjacent a front edge of a cabinet shell surrounding the chassis when the dishwasher door is in the closed position, the lower edge of the door being turnably supported at first pivot points whereby said door also being supported by second pivot points which are spaced from the first pivot points. Door arrangements of the type mentioned above, see for instance DE-A-2002657 and GB 2235723, are used at almost all types of dishwashers i.e. at floor supported dishwashers and at dishwashers supported by a work top. At floor supported dishwashers i.e. machines being placed on the floor and extending up to the underside of a work top or a kitchen sink it is often desirable to conform the appearance of the door to the surrounding by putting a panel at the outside of the door. Different types of support arrangements have been suggested in order to co-ordinate the pattern of movement of the panel to the movement of the door whereby the lower parts of the panel will enter into the base area situated immediately above the floor, see for instance DE-A-2937369. This does usually not mean any disadvantage since the base area does not have any function when the door is in its open position. At work top dishwashers i.e. small machines which are placed on a kitchen sink or a work top usually there is not the same need to conform the appearance of the machine to the surrounding since the machine usually is regarded as a free standing object which is not linked to the surrounding cabinets. The purpose of this invention is to achieve a new type of dishwasher which with regard to its size is something between a floor supported dishwasher and a work top dishwasher and to create a machine which is built-in at a suitable height in a cabinet shell and which is equipped with an outside panel or the like which corresponds to the surrounding panels. At this type of built-in arrangement it is not possible to use a conventional dishwasher door with exterior panels since the lower part of the door during the opening movement in such a case would abut the front edges of the surrounding cabinet shell and be hindered when beeing moved. Two embodiments of the invention will now be described with referense to the accompanying drawings on which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet with a built in dishwasher according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lower front part of a first embodiment of the invention whereas Fig. 3 is a corresponding section of a second embodiment of the invention. In Figs. 2 and 3 resp. the door is shown in closed position with full lines whereas the dash dotted lines show the door in a horizontal open position. Fig. 1 shows a kitchen sink 10 with associated cabinets 11. The cabinets 11 are as usual shaped as a shell with sidewalls 12 and horizontal plates 13 forming compartments in the cabinet. The opening of the compartments are covered by lids 14. In one of these compartments is a dishwasher 15 of built in type inserted and mounted the mashine being of the medium sized type i.e. having a size which is between a floor supported dishwasher and a work top dishwasher. The front part of the mashine has an opening through which the dish is inserted into and is taken out from a treatment chamber 16 in the mashine the opening normally being covered by a door 17. This door is turnably supported between a vertical and a horizontal position and has an exterior panel 18 corresponding to the surrounding cabinet doors. In its vertical position a peripheral inner edge part 19 of an outer door or a panel 18 comes close to or abuts a front edge 20 of the cabinet shell surrounding the chassis 21 on which the dishwasher is built. The embodiment according to Fig. 2 shows an arrangement in which the panel 18 is connected to the chassis via two link arm mechanisms each consisting a first and a second arm 22 and 23 resp. which are turnably secured in the chassis 21 at 24 and 25 resp. The other end of each arm 22 and 23 is turnably fastened at an angle iron 26 at 27 and 28 resp. placed at the lower edge of the outer door or panel 18. On the outer door or panel 18 an inner door 29 is fixed and this door seals against the chassis of the dishwasher and is a front wall of the treatment chamber 16. The inner door 29 has a curved part 30 which in the vertical position of the door covers an upwardly extending front part 31 of the bottom of the treatment chamber. The inner door 29 has a support means 33 for the wheel provided basket 34 on which the dish is stored and which in its drawn out position rests on the door. At the lower area of the curved part 30 (when the door is in its vertical position) there is a flap 35 extending over the complete width of the dishwasher. The flap is turnably secured by means of lugs 36 which are provided on the inner door. One end of the flap 35 is shaped as a scraping edge 37 to slide on the upwardly extending front part 31 of the bottom of the treatment chamber during the closing motion of the door and on the bottom and on beads or the like which are provided on the bottom at the end of said motion. Thus, an opening is created for the water which under the wash procedure flows downwards on the inner door 29 so that the area under the flap is cleaned. The flap 35 also has a support part 38 which in the horizontal position is a continuation of the support means 33 for the basket 34. When the door is open the flap 35 prevents food scraps and cutlery items from falling down into the area between the inner door and the upwardly extending front part 31 of the bottom of the treatment chamber, the scraping edge 37 when the door is closed cleaning the part 31. By means of the arrangement described above such a pattern of movement of the door 17 is achieved that the panel is admitted to move freely outside the vertical plane which is defined by the front edge 20 of the surrounding cabinet shell whereas the inner door follows this movement and thus does not turn about an fixed axis. According to the embodiment described in fig 3 the door 17 comprises a panel 39 and an inner door 40 which are so connected to each other that they can be displaced with respect to each other. The inner door 40 is in this case turnably secured in the chassis 21 about a horizontal axis at the lower edge of the door by means of two dowels 41, each being fixed at a bracket 42 which is provided at the inner door. At each dowel 41 a toothed wheel 43 is fixed and this wheel is turned during the turning motion of the door. This toothed wheel 43 engages another toothed wheel 44 which is turnably supported in the chassis 21 at 45. The lastmentioned toothed wheel 44 supports an arm 46 which follows the toothed wheel 44 during its turning motion and the outer end of which is turnably secured in a lug 47 arranged at the panel. The lower part 48 of the inner door which is curved in this embodiment and overlaps a curved front part 49 of the bottom 32 of the treatment chamber in the vertical position of the door. The two curved parts are so arranged and placed that the movable part 48 of the door serves as a scraping means for the rigid part 49. When the door is opened the part 48 will prevent that an opening is created between the inner door and the part 49 in which food scraps and cutlery items can fall down. During the opening movement of the door the toothed wheels 43 and 44 are turned and hence the arm 46 whereby the panel 39 will be displaced mainly parallel to the door 40 and also achieve a turning motion with respect to this door. In order to admit this movement the panel 39 and the inner door 40 are connected to each other via a dowel-slot arrangement, not shown, positioned at the upper parts of the door when the door is closed. The lower edge of the panel will however during the turning motion all the time be situated in front of the vertical plane which is defined by the front edge 20 of the surrounding cabinet shell. In order to prevent that a gap of various size is created between the panel 39 and the inner door 40 during the turning motion side walls 50 which are parallel to the side edges of the inner door are arranged on the panel 39. It should be observed that it at the last mentioned arrangement of course is possible with the same function to replace the toothed wheels by toothed segments or the like.

Claims: A dishwasher said dishwasher comprising a chassis (21) with a treatment chamber (16) for dishes, one side wall of the treatment chamber being provided with an access opening through which an interior of the treatment chamber is accessible to insert dishes therein and remove dishes therefrom, said opening normally being covered by a dishwasher door (17), said door being turnably supported adjacent a lower horizontal edge such that the door can be moved between a normally closed, vertical position and an open mainly horizontal position,said door having peripheral parts (19) which face the treatment chamber and being adjacent a front edge (20) of a cabinet shell surrounding the chassis (21) when the dishwasher door is in the closed position, the lower edge of the door (18, 39) being turnably supported at first pivot points (28,47) whereby said door also being supported by second pivot points (24,41) which are spaced from the first pivot points (28) caracterized in that the dishwasher is a built-in machine in which the dishwasher door (17) comprises an inner door (29) and an outer door (18,39), said inner door having means (30) for covering a space between the inner door and a front part (31) of the bottom (32) of the treatment chamber when the dishwasher door is in the open position, the first pivot points being situated inside the front edge (20) of the cabinet shell when the dishwasher door is in the closed position whereas the first pivot points are moved outwardly and upwardly relative to the front edge of the cabinet shell when the dishwasher door is moved to the open position. Dishwasher according to claim 1, caracterized in that the outer door (18) is firmly secured to the inner door (29), said inner door facing the treatment chamber when the dishwasher door (17) is in the closed position, each side of the outer door being supported in the chassis (21) by means of a link arm mechanism. Dishwasher according to claim 2, caracterized in that each link arm mechanism comprises two arms (22, 23), a first end of each arm being fastened to the chassis (at 24, 25) while a second end of each arm is fastened to the outer door (at 27, 28). Dishwasher according to claim 1, caracterized in that the covering means (35) is shaped as a flap which is turnably supported at a lower, inner edge of the inner door when the door is in the closed position a part of the flap abutting the bottom (32) of the treatment chamber being shaped as a scraping edge (37).

Inventors: NILSSON NILS STURE, WRANGBERTH JAN STELLAN, NILSSON, NILS STURE, WRANGBERTH, JAN STELLAN
Applicants: ELECTROLUX AB, AKTIEBOLAGET ELECTROLUX
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A47L15
IPC codes: A47L15