Abstract:
Dirty eating utensils and other forms of silverware are placed into a dishwasher basket that is at least partially submerged in water that is kept in a soaker basket. The soaker basket is characterized by a water holder portion and a hanger portion such that the hanger portion positions and supports the water holder portion inside a sink basin. Preferably, the hanger portion hangs over a sink divider of a double sink such that it is easy to fill the soaker basket with water from a sink&#39;s faucet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Dishwashers have become a common household appliance, and numerous improvements to the design of silverware baskets for holding silverware (flatware) and other utensils have been developed over the years. A common problem with silverware, particularly forks, is that dried-in food does not adequately hydrate and soften during dishwasher cycles. Food that is not removed during the wash and rinse cycles of a dishwasher becomes baked onto the eating utensils during the drying cycle and must then be soaked, and sometimes even scrubbed, to remove food particles. 
         [0002]    Silverware basket designs have changed over the years to improve water flow to utensils and to improve separation of utensils during operation of a dishwasher, but the problem that has not been addressed is that people place dirty utensils into a silverware basket hours, sometimes days, before running a load. Because dirty utensils placed in a silverware basket sit in a relatively dry environment for a long time, food particles thoroughly dry to the utensils before they are washed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention is a soaker basket that is preferably mounted to the center divider of a double kitchen sink. The soaker basket is filled with water, and a silverware basket is inserted into the soaker basket so a user can drop dirty utensils into the silverware basket. The utensils should be inserted dirty side down, obviously, such that food particles are submerged in the water held by the soaker basket. Because thoroughly softened food particles easily wash away during the wash cycle of a dishwasher, there is no need to change the orientation of the utensils before running a dishwasher load. For best results, the silverware basket should be moved from the soaker basket to a dishwasher rack immediately before starting a dishwasher load, after which the water in the soaker basket should be changed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a dishwasher basket using a soaker basket of the present invention. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of only the soaker basket of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of only the dishwasher basket of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a cross section view through line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a top view of  FIG. 1 , but without the silverware. 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention, which adds a hinge. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is front/top perspective view of the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the present invention that uses wire to form the hanger portion of the soaker basket. 
       
    
    
       [0012]    The following is the list of numerical callouts used in  FIGS. 1-8 :
         10  soaker basket (one piece construction)     12  water holder portion     14  hanger portion     20  soaker basket (two piece construction, all plastic)     22  water holder portion     24  hanger portion     26  hinge     28  latch     30  soaker basket (two piece construction, wire hanger portion)     32  water holder portion     34  hanger portion     36  hinge     38  latch     40  silverware basket     42  handle     44  utensils     50  sink divider       
 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]    The present invention is a soaker basket for use with a dishwasher&#39;s silverware basket for the purpose of keeping food particles on dirty eating utensils from becoming dry and difficult to remove. A soaker basket has a water holder portion that is filled with water, and a hanger portion that is preferably draped over a sink divider. A silverware basket is placed into the water holder portion of the soaker basket. As silverware is used and needs to be cleaned, it is placed into the silverware basket, dirty side down, such that food particles on the silverware are submerged in the water contained in the water holder portion of the soaker basket. Just prior to running a load of dishes in the dishwasher, the silverware basket is removed from the soaker basket and placed on a rack in the dishwasher. The soaker basket should then be dumped and filled with fresh water. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the soaker basket is joined to the hanger portion of the basket by a hinge and latch such that the soaker basket can be dumped without removing the hanger portion from the sink divider or from the side of a sink. Throughout this description and claims, the terms “top” and “bottom” assume an orientation of a soaker basket when it can hold water, such as the orientation shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0031]    The term “silverware basket” has been widely adopted by dishwasher manufacturers to identify the basket or baskets that are placed on a dishwasher rack for the purpose of holding and aligning silverware. Throughout this description and claims the term “silverware” includes any of the various eating utensils, flatware, cutlery, tableware, silverware and/or other similar devices that are likely to fall through a dishwasher rack unless placed in a basket. Silverware baskets are offered in numerous different sizes, shapes and designs, but an average sized silverware basket can be positioned in most dishwashers. A preferred size that works well with the present invention is one that fits almost all dishwashers, preferably having a footprint that is about 8 centimeters wide and 20 or more centimeters long. The height of a silverware basket shouldn&#39;t be an issue as it is always shorter than the most common forms of silverware. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the soaker basket  10  in the preferred embodiment is a one piece plastic construction that is characterized by a water holder portion  12  and by a hanger portion  14 . The water holder portion should be sized such that the silverware basket  40  can easily be inserted and removed, with a height adequate to thoroughly submerge silverware that is placed in the silverware basket. Although not a limitation of the present invention, about 14 centimeters seems to be the most commonly used silverware basket height used in dishwashers. The preferred material for making the soaker basket is plastic, such as PVC, polypropylene, or any of the plastics commonly used to make silverware baskets or other dishwasher parts. To reduce the amount of plastic required to make a soaker basket capable of holding all of the water and silverware placed into the water holder portion of the soaker basket, reinforcement structures may be added as needed, typically along perimeter edges of structures. 
         [0033]    The hanger portion  14  of the soaker basket  10  is continuous with a side of the water holder portion  12 . To prevent silverware from excessively protruding above the level of surrounding countertops, the hanger portion allows the water holder portion to be supported deeper into the sink, preferably by at least a few centimeters. If there is a handle  42  on a silverware basket, then the handle is preferably protruding a little above the highest point of the hanger portion. The hanger portion should wrap over the top of a sink divider  50 , which is typically about 3 centimeters thick, so the hanger portion should make about a 180 degree turn such that it thoroughly grasps the sink divider. Making the turn somewhat rounded will allow the hanger portion to fit around more thicknesses of sink dividers. The plastic of the hanger portion should adequately flex such that it can adjust a little to properly fit around various sink dividers. 
         [0034]    In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, shown in  FIGS. 6-7 , the soaker basket  20  is a two piece construction that has the water holder portion  22  joined to the hanger portion  24  by a hinge  26  and a latch  28 . When the latch is engaged, the soaker basket looks very similar to the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . When the latch is released, the water holder portion of the soaker basket is allowed to pivot away from the sink divider  50  such that dirty water can be dumped down a sink drain. Once dumped, the water holder portion can be returned to a latched engagement with the hanger portion such that the soaker basket can be filled with water and returned to use. The preferred location of the hinge is along a bottom edge of the water holder portion, where it meets the hanger portion of the soaker basket. The hinge can be a common snap together hinge, such as any of the hinge types commonly used to hingedly join plastic covers to plastic boxes, such as fishing tackle boxes. A latch can similarly be any of the common latches used to removeably join parts, especially where at least part of the latch is molded or otherwise formed as part of the soaker basket. There are preferably two latches, one for each side where the water holder portion meets the hanger portion when the water holder portion is upright. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , soaker basket  30  is characterized by a water holder portion  32 , which is very similar to the water holder portion  22  shown in  FIGS. 6-7 , and a hanger portion  34  that is made of a plastic coated bent wire or other similar rigid structure. The advantage of using bent wire is less contact with the sink divider  50 . The bent wire is a heavy gauge wire that is bent such that its perimeter closely resembles the perimeter of the hanger portion  24  shown in  FIGS. 6-7  described above. Provided the basic function of the hanger portion is preserved, the bent wire can significantly deviate from the configuration shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0036]    Although not shown, the hanger portion of any of the above embodiments could be made such that the water holder portion of soaker basket  10 ,  20  or  30  can be positioned inside a sink other than against a sink divider. Rather than having a hanger portion that makes a 180 degree turn, a 90 degree hanger could be substituted. As it is likely that a 90 degree hanger will slide off of a sink edge, or a countertop, it would be necessary to hold the hanger portion in place using a suction cup, adhesive or other fixing device. 
         [0037]    Another option, also not shown, is to have a hanger portion that supports two water holder portions, one on either side of a sink divider, somewhat like a horse saddle. This can be done by including a second hanger portion that snaps or otherwise secures to a first hanger portion; by having a modular construction that allows different hanger portions to be connected to water holder portions; or by having a hanger portion that is designed to hang a primary water holder portion and a secondary water holder portion. As already described, the hanger portion could be made out of plastic or plastic coated wire. If desired, a drain hole and plug could be added to the soaker basket. 
         [0038]    While a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, it will be realized that alterations and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the following claims.