Dishwasher with superposed baskets

Abstract: Dishwasher with superposed baskets, wherein the bottom of the upper basket (2) is divided into a plurality of areas (8,8') arranged on different levels, and wherein the upper sprinkling assembly (6) comprises a supporting structure (9) which supports and feeds with water a plurality of sprinklers (10,10',11 and 11') arranged on different levels.

Description: The present invention relates to a dishwasher with superposed baskets, wherein the bottom of the upper basket is divided into two or more areas arranged on different levels. It is known that the quantity of dishes which can be washed by a dishwasher in a washing cycle depends, besides on the size of the washing space, on the adaptability of the interior to the kind and the size of the dishes to be washed. As a matter of fact, if the clearance of a basket is too low, there is the risk that particularly large dishes could not be placed in the basket. On the other hand, if the clearance is too high, there is the disadvantage that a considerable part of this space is not occupied by dishes and therefore is wasted. DE-4.228.954 and EP-0.372.342 disclose dishwashers wherein the height of the guides on which the upper basket slides is adjustable, thereby allowing the division of the washing space into two sections having different and variable heights. This arrangement has the disadvantage that the user must adjust from time to time the sliding plane of the upper basket according to the kind and the size of the dishes to be washed. US-A-3.181.924, US-A-3.269.548 and GB-A-1.181.133 disclose dishwashers wherein the bottom of the upper basket is divided into areas arranged on different levels to provide greater adaptability to the different sizes and kinds of dishes. However these prior art machines always provide a single sprinkler for washing the dishes located at different levels, whereby the force of the water jets hitting the dishes is not uniform due to the different distances. This results in a different washing effectiveness and non-uniform cleaning of the dishes. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher with superposed baskets which allows to exploit at best the interior of the washing space, without the need of adjusting from time to time the sliding plane of the upper basket, while maintaining a good washing effectiveness regardless of the position of the dishes. Said object is obtained by means of a dishwasher with superposed baskets, wherein the bottom of the upper basket is divided into two or more areas arranged on different levels and the upper sprinkling assembly comprises a supporting structure which supports and feeds with water a plurality of sprinklers arranged on different levels. The advantages and the features of the dishwasher according to the present invention will be clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 is a front view of the interior of the dishwasher according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of the upper sprinkling assembly inside the dishwasher. Referring to Fig. 1, there is seen that the dishwasher according to the present invention contains inside its washing space 1 an upper basket 2 and a lower basket 3, both sliding on two parallel guides 4, 4' and 5, 5'. The upper basket 2 is placed over an upper sprinkling assembly 6 and the lower basket 3 is placed over a lower sprinkler 7. The profile of the bottom of the upper basket 2 is advantageously shaped so as to divide such bottom into two areas 8,8' arranged side by side on different levels. Referring now to Fig. 2, there is seen that, in order to uniformly sprinkle both areas 8, 8' of the upper basket 2, the upper sprinkling assembly 6 comprises a supporting structure 9 which supports and feeds with water a pair of sprinklers 10, 10' and a pair of sprinklers 11, 11'. Sprinklers 11, 11' are arranged on a higher level with respect to sprinklers 10, 10' so as to be close to area 8' of basket 2 same as sprinklers 10, 10' are close to area 8. Therefore, with these arrangements four kinds of dishes 12, 12', 12" and 12"', each having a different overall height, can be inserted into the dishwasher, without wasting useful space. It is clear that other kinds of dishes having a lower overall height can always be inserted instead of these four kinds of dishes. It is also clear that, in another embodiment of the present invention, the height of guides 4, 4' of the upper basket 2 can be adjusted, so as to obtain an even more efficient exploitation of the washing space 1.

Claims: Dishwasher with superposed baskets, wherein the bottom of the upper basket (2) is divided in a plurality of areas (8,8') arranged on different levels, characterized in that it includes an upper sprinkling assembly (6) comprising a supporting structure (9) which supports and feeds with water a plurality of sprinklers (10, 10', 11, 11') arranged on different levels. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the height of the sliding guides (4, 4') of the upper basket (2) can be adjusted.

Inventors: BERTAZZONI ROBERTO, BERTAZZONI, ROBERTO
Applicants: SMEG SPA, SMEG S.P.A.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A47L15
IPC codes: A47L15