Patent Abstract:
A basin which stackably interlocks with 20-inch square racks that hold dish and glassware washed in commercial dishwashers. The basin has substantially the exterior configuration of a commercial dishwasher rack and receives a plurality of dishwasher racks stacked above. The basin solid on its base and sides for prohibiting substances which drip down into it from racks stacked above from dripping onto the floor. The basin has circular indentations in the top surface of the base, trapping water and preventing it from sloshing from side to side of the basin when it is carried or moved. The basin may be loaded into a dolly used to transport commercial dishwasher racks, as the dollies typically have an open bottom. Thus, the basin can provide the water-catching function for racks loaded onto a dolly. Grooves in the basin&#39;s bottom surface permit stacking on top of a rack or other basins for storage.

Full Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/367,380 filed Jul. 24, 2010, and U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/748,371 filed Jan. 23, 2013. The foregoing applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Restaurants, institutional kitchens, and other commercial or high-volume food service locations have a need to wash dish and glassware very rapidly. For decades, the most common solution has been a commercial dishwasher, typically incorporating a conveyor belt upon which large racks containing dirty dish and glassware pass through the washing compartment of the commercial dishwasher. 
     The dish and glassware racks have varied interior configurations, capable of carrying dishes, glasses, and tableware, among other items that are run through the commercial dishwasher for washing. The exterior configuration of the racks is generally the same, however. A dish or glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher is typically 19.72″×19.72″ square. Although the height may vary to accommodate small dishes to tall glasses, the lateral profile of racks used with commercial dishwashers is nearly always the same. 
     Further, racks for use in commercial dishwashers are nearly always stackable, such that dishes and glasses can be vertically stacked for compact storage within the racks. A groove formed in the bottom face of the square rack permits it to be placed on top of another rack, with the top rail of the bottom rack mating with the groove in the bottom face of the top rack. In many racks, the top rail includes locator posts, which are upward-facing protrusions which make the interlock between a bottom rack and a rack stacked above the bottom rack more secure. 
     One important functional aspect of commercial dish and glassware racks is that they have openings in the bottom of the rack and on all four side walls. This allows water to spray through the bottom or side walls of the rack during washing and reach all surfaces of the dishes or glassware contained within the rack. It is simple to understand that if water could not penetrate the bottom and side surfaces of the rack, efficient cleaning of the dish or glassware would be impossible. The corollary effect, however, is that the water can drip back through the bottom of the rack. 
     An additional function of the openings in the bottom and sides of the rack is to permit drip-drying of the dish and glassware following its run through the commercial dishwasher. While some conveyor-belt dishwashers have a drying section, many restaurants and other kitchens opt for a commercial dishwasher that is limited to washing and does not include drying capability. Such wash-only dishwashers are less expensive, less complex, and take up less room in the kitchen than one which includes a drying section. 
     An issue with the use of a wash-only commercial dishwasher, however, is that during drying, the water drips straight through the bottom of the rack and onto the floor, pooling on the floor and possibly creating a safety hazard or other undesirable effect. When multiple dish and/or glassware racks are stacked following their run through the dishwasher, the water from all the racks drips onto the floor. Glasses, particularly, are loaded into a commercial glassware rack upside-down, to facilitate drip-drying. The risk of an employee slipping on the pools of water created when the water drips through the racks onto the floor is high, especially when one considers the tile or other smooth-surface floors often used in the kitchen. Also, on occasion, an employee will carry a rack loaded with dishes or glassware. The holes in the rack will permit the water to drip through the rack onto the employee&#39;s clothing, which is undesirable. 
     Further, when the racks are loaded with dirty dishes or glassware and then transported to the dishwasher, food remnants, unfinished drinks, and other detritus may pass through the bottom of the racks and onto the floor. In addition to the safety hazard described above, germs become an additional concern. 
     In some restaurants or other kitchens, following washing, the dish or glassware is transported to a storage location. This transport is often facilitated by the use of a dolly. The dolly provides a frame with wheels attached underneath the frame, where the frame is sized to receive a standard commercial dish or glassware rack. A number of racks may be stacked on the dolly, and then the stack of racks may be rolled to where the dishes or glasses are stored. Some dollies have a handle for pushing the stack of racks once loaded onto the dolly. Dollies are also used to transport racks of dirty dishes or glassware. 
     Most of these dollies have a frame that is open in the center. While some dollies have a closed bottom, that is uncommon. The more likely scenario when clean or dirty dishes and glasses are transported in a dolly is that water or other substances pass right through the bottom of the racks, through the frame of the dolly and onto the floor over which the dolly is being pushed. Rather than just a single pool of water, use of a dolly with an open frame can lead to potentially hazardous spills all over the establishment, including areas of a restaurant where patrons may walk. 
     What is needed is an apparatus for preventing water or other substances that spill out of the bottom of a commercial dish or glassware rack from passing onto the floor below. A basin with a solid base and solid sides that is sized and configured to permit interlocking with commercial dish or glassware racks could be placed on the floor at the bottom of a stack of racks, or at the bottom of a dolly, permitting drips from the racks stacked above the basin to be caught by the basin. Further, placing a basin underneath the stack of racks would elevate the clean dish and glassware further from the floor. A beneficial increase in workplace safety and sanitation is a likely result of use of such a device. 
     Accordingly, this application discloses a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to commercial dishwashers, and more specifically, to a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks. 
     SUMMARY 
     This invention relates generally to commercial dishwashers, and more specifically, to a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks. In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks may include a four-sided base and a plurality of sides or side walls peripheral to the base. In some embodiments, the base is a square base, having four corners of approximately ninety degrees each. In some embodiments, a side is defined by an inner panel and an outer panel, the inner and outer panels being associated with a top rail of the basin, where pairs of adjoining sides form a corner. In some embodiments a corner is a rounded corner. In some embodiments, a basin for use with a commercial dish and glassware rack has area dimensions defined as the area disposed between the plurality of outer panels of approximately 19.72″ by 19.72″. 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks has a base having a top surface of the base and a bottom surface of the base. The top surface forms a floor of the basin, with the plurality of inner panels of the basin completing the interior of the basin. In some embodiments, the interior assemblies of the basin are solid, preventing the passage of water or other substances through the interior of the basin. 
     In some embodiments of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, each pair of an inner panel and an outer panel are panels which are upwardly inclined towards one another. In some embodiments, each pair of an inner panel and an outer panel are panels that define a space within the panels. In such an embodiment, one or more basins or commercial dish and glassware racks can be stacked and removably interlocked, such that a top rail of a commercial dish or glassware rack or a top rail of a basin can fit inside the space defined by the inner panel and outer panel. In such an embodiment, the space defined by the inner panel and outer panel receives the top rail of a basin or the top rail of a commercial dish or glassware rack, such that the commercial dish or glassware rack is “stacked” upon the basin in a removably interlocked fashion. In such an embodiment, the upward inclination of the inner panel and outer panel towards one another limits the penetration of a rack that is stacked below the basin into the space defined by basin the inner panel and outer panel of the basin. 
     In some embodiments, if a commercial dish or glassware rack is stacked on the basin and said commercial dish or glassware rack contains dishes or glassware that are wet or otherwise contaminated with liquids or other substances, drips containing water or other substances are caught by the basin. 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks includes a plurality of circular indentations in the top surface of the base of the basin. Such circular indentations trap water or other substances which have dripped from a commercial dish or glassware rack that is stacked above the basin. The circular indentations are compartment-like indentations that prevent water or other substances from freely flowing around the basin. The circular indentations trap liquids in a more contained fashion than a basin without such indentations. 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks includes one or more handle sections. In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks includes one or more locator posts projecting upwardly from the top rail. A locator post is designed to be received by a portion of a channel of the bottom surface of a basin, or to be received by a portion of a channel of the bottom surface of a commercial dish and glassware rack. In some embodiments, the locator posts are curved locator posts, where the curve follows the curve of rounded corners of the basin. In a further embodiment, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks is fabricated of heat-stable co-polymer plastic. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher; 
         FIG. 2  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of exemplary glassware being loaded into an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher; 
         FIG. 3  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a cutaway lateral view of exemplary glassware that has been loaded into an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher; 
         FIG. 4  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, an exploded perspective view of exemplary glassware being loaded an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher that is interlockably stackable with a different exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher; 
         FIG. 5  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a cutaway lateral view of an exemplary stack of exemplary glassware racks for use with a commercial dishwasher, said racks having been loaded with exemplary glassware, said glassware dripping water or other substances through the bottom of the racks, the water or other substances being dripped directly onto the floor; 
         FIG. 6  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of an exemplary dolly for use in transporting an exemplary stack of exemplary commercial dish or glassware racks for use with a commercial dishwasher; 
         FIG. 7  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of exemplary glassware being loaded an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher that is interlockably stackable with a different exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher in an exemplary stack, the exemplary stack being loaded on an exemplary dolly; 
         FIG. 8  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of an exemplary stack of a plurality of exemplary glassware racks for use with a commercial dishwasher, the exemplary stack of racks having been placed on an exemplary dolly, the racks having been loaded with exemplary glassware, said glassware dripping water or other substances through the bottom of the racks and through the frame of the dolly, said water or other substances being dripped directly onto the floor; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a top view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a bottom view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a partial perspective cutaway of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a partial lateral cutaway view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 17  is a lateral cutaway view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 18  is a lateral cutaway view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This invention relates generally to commercial dishwashers, and more specifically, to a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks. Specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in  FIGS. 1-20  to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present invention may have additional embodiments, may be practiced without one or more of the details described for any particular described embodiment, or may have any detail described for one particular embodiment practiced with any other detail described for another embodiment. 
       FIG. 1  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher. Commercial dish and glassware racks and their use are well understood in the art. An exemplary glassware rack  100  may include a plurality of side walls one of which is at  104 ; a plurality of inner panels one of which is at  106 ; a plurality of outer panels one of which is at  108 ; a top rail at  110 ; a plurality of corners one of which is at  112 ; a plurality of handle sections one of which is at  114 ; a plurality of small ridges one of which is at  116 ; a plurality of gripping areas one of which is at  118 ; a plurality of side openings one of which is at  120 ; a network area at  122  for receiving dishware, glassware, tableware, or other items to be washed by the commercial dishwasher; and a frame at  124 , for making compartments into which one or more items to be washed by the commercial dishwasher can be placed. Of note is the plurality of openings in the side of the exemplary glassware rack, designed to permit water to pass into and out of the glassware rack. The base of the rack also has a plurality of openings designed to permit water to pass into and out of the glassware rack. 
       FIG. 2  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of exemplary glassware being loaded into an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher. An exemplary glassware rack  100  can have glasses  126  placed into the network area  122  through the top of the glassware rack  100 . Of note is that the glassware is loaded upside-down, so that water penetrating the rack from the washing mechanism of the commercial dishwasher below the rack can enter the glassware for cleaning. Also, the upside-down orientation permits water or other substances to drip out of the upside-down glassware. 
       FIG. 3  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a cutaway lateral view of exemplary glassware that has been loaded into an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher. An exemplary glassware rack  100  may include a base at  102 , a plurality of inner panels one of which is at  106 ; a plurality of outer panels one of which is at  108 ; a channel at  128 ; a plurality of limiting spacers one of which is at  130 , the limiting spacers each having a bottom edge of the limiting spacer, one of which is at  132 . Of note is that an exemplary glassware rack  100  may have a channel  128  in the bottom surface of the base that is formed by the interior surface of the inner panel  106  (interior here meaning interior to the channel), the interior surface of the outer panel  108  (interior here meaning interior to the channel), and the plurality of bottom edges of the limiting spacers  132 . The channel  128  is disposed adjacent to the outer panel  108  of each of the four sides peripheral to the base  102 , where the channel  128  is adapted for receiving at least a portion of a top rail  110  of another commercial dish and glassware rack  100 . The inner panel  106  and outer panel  108  of each of the four sides define a space with a plurality of limiting spacers  130  positioned therein. The plurality of limiting spacers  130  are positioned to limit the penetration of at least a portion of a top rail  110  of another commercial dish and glassware rack  100  during stacking. 
       FIG. 4  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, an exploded perspective view of exemplary glassware being loaded an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher that is interlockably stackable with a different exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher. 
       FIG. 5  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a cutaway lateral view of an exemplary stack of exemplary glassware racks for use with a commercial dishwasher, said racks having been loaded with exemplary glassware, said glassware dripping water or other substances through the bottom of the racks, the water or other substances being dripped directly onto the floor. The base  102  of an exemplary glassware rack  100  has a plurality of openings, similar to the plurality of openings  120  in the plurality of sides  104  in the rack  100 . Of note in  FIG. 5 , it is clear that water  134  or other substances including unconsumed beverages can drip from the inside of the glasses  126  through the holes in the base  102  onto the floor  136  or other surface on which the rack  100  or stacked racks rest. The resulting puddle creates a safety hazard for employees or others working near the stack of racks  100 . 
       FIG. 6  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of an exemplary dolly for use in transporting an exemplary stack of exemplary commercial dish or glassware racks for use with a commercial dishwasher. Dollies for transporting a stack or commercial dish or glassware racks and their use are well understood in the art. An exemplary dolly  200  may include a frame at  202 ; a lip at  204 , a plurality of wheels, one of which is at  206 , and a handle at  208 . The frame  202  and lip  204  are configured and dimensioned to removably receive a commercial dish or glassware rack. The inside dimensions of the frame  202  are just large enough to accommodate a 19.72″ by 19.72″ rack, while the lip  204  provides the surface on which the rack rests. Of note in  FIG. 6  is that the exemplary dolly  200  has an open frame. It will be recognized by one with skill in the art that a dolly such as the exemplary dolly  200 , when loaded with racks full of wet dish and glassware, will permit drips from the wet dish and glassware to pass directly through the rack onto the surface below on which the dolly is being rolled. 
       FIG. 7  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of exemplary glassware being loaded an exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher that is interlockably stackable with a different exemplary glassware rack for use with a commercial dishwasher in an exemplary stack, the exemplary stack being loaded on an exemplary dolly. 
       FIG. 8  is a depiction of the prior art, in this case, a perspective view of an exemplary stack of a plurality of exemplary glassware racks for use with a commercial dishwasher, the exemplary stack of racks having been placed on an exemplary dolly, the racks having been loaded with exemplary glassware, said glassware dripping water or other substances through the bottom of the racks and through the frame of the dolly, said water or other substances being dripped directly onto the floor. Of note in  FIG. 6  is the water  134  passing through the frame  202 . The water  134  can come to rest on a floor or other surface on which the dolly  200  is being rolled over or resting, creating a spill hazard for employees or patrons who may walk in the path of the dolly  200 . 
       FIGS. 9, 10, and 11  are a perspective view, a side view, and a top view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  may include a four-sided base  302  and a plurality of sides or side walls peripheral to the base, one of which is shown at  304 . In some embodiments, the base is a square base, having four corners of approximately ninety degrees each. In some embodiments, a side  304  is defined by an inner panel  306  and an outer panel  308 , the inner and outer panels being associated with a top rail  310  of the basin  300 , where pairs of adjoining sides form a corner one of which is depicted at  312 . In some embodiments a corner  312  is a rounded corner  312 . In some embodiments, a basin for use with a commercial dish and glassware rack  300  has area dimensions defined as the area disposed between the plurality of outer panels  308  of approximately 19.72″ by 19.72″. In different embodiments, a basin for use with a commercial dish and glassware rack  300  is not a square basin. In different embodiments, a basin for use with a commercial dish and glassware rack  300  has different lengths or widths, the length or width ranging from 2 inches to 144 inches. 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  has a base  302  having a top surface  324  of the base and a bottom surface (not depicted in  FIG. 9, 10 or 11 ) of the base. The top surface  324  forms a floor of the basin  300 , with the plurality of inner panels  306  of the basin  300  completing the interior of the basin  300 . In some embodiments, the interior assemblies of the basin  300  are solid, preventing the passage of water or other substances through the interior of the basin  300 . 
     In some embodiments of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300 , each pair of an inner panel  306  and an outer panel  308  are panels which are upwardly inclined towards one another. In some embodiments, each pair of an inner panel  306  and an outer panel  308  are panels that define a space within the panels. In such an embodiment, one or more basins  300  or commercial dish and glassware racks can be stacked and removably interlocked, such that a top rail of a commercial dish or glassware rack or a top rail  310  of a basin can fit inside the space defined by the inner panel  306  and outer panel  308 . In such an embodiment, the space defined by the inner panel  306  and outer panel  308  receives the top rail  310  of a basin or the top rail of a commercial dish or glassware rack, such that the commercial dish or glassware rack is “stacked” upon the basin in a removably interlocked fashion. In such an embodiment, the upward inclination of the inner panel  306  and outer panel  308  towards one another limits the penetration of a rack that is stacked below the basin  300  into the space defined by basin the inner panel  306  and outer panel  308  of the basin  300 . 
     In some embodiments, if a commercial dish or glassware rack is stacked on the basin  300  and said commercial dish or glassware rack contains dishes or glassware that are wet or otherwise contaminated with liquids or other substances, drips containing water or other substances are caught by the basin  300 . 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  includes a plurality of circular indentations  320  in the top surface  324  of the base  302  of the basin  300 . Such circular indentations  320  trap water or other substances which have dripped from a commercial dish or glassware rack that is stacked above the basin  300 . The circular indentations  320  are compartment-like indentations that prevent water or other substances from freely flowing around the basin  300 . The circular indentations  320  trap liquids in a more contained fashion than a basin without such indentations. 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  includes one or more handle sections, one of which is depicted at  314 . In some embodiments, a basin  300  may have a handle section  314  only on two opposing sides  304 , or may have a handle section on all four sides. A handle section  314  includes a small ridge  316  “cut out” of an outer panel  308  with which the handle section  314  is associated. A handle section includes a gripping area  318  intended to be gripped by one who carries a basin  300 . 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  includes one or more locator posts projecting upwardly from the top rail  310 , one of which is located at  322 . A locator post  322  is designed to be received by a portion of a channel of the bottom surface of a basin  300 , or be received by a portion of a channel of the bottom surface of a commercial dish and glassware rack. It will be recognized by one skilled in the art that locator posts  322 , which are generally upward protrusions from a top rail  310 , may vary in size, shape, or location on the top rail. In some embodiments, locator posts  322  projecting upwardly from the top rail are L-shaped. In a further embodiment, the L-shaped locator posts project upwardly from the top rail at the four corners. In a different embodiment, the locator posts  322  are curved locator posts  322 , where the curve follows the curve of rounded corners  312  of the basin  300 . In some embodiments, locator posts  322  may be non-uniform or non-symmetrical in appearance. In some embodiments, locator posts  322  may have functional shapes that limit the stackability of one or more basins  300  or dish and glassware racks to a particular rotation. 
     In a certain embodiment, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  is fabricated of plastic. In a further embodiment, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  is fabricated of heat-stable plastic. In a further embodiment, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  is fabricated of heat-stable co-polymer plastic. Such plastics and their selection are well known to those skilled in the art. 
     It will be appreciated by those with skill in the art that the terms “basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks,” as used in the instant application including in the preamble to the claims, does not limit the function of the apparatus to being a basin, nor does it limit its use to accompany commercial dish or glassware racks. Use of the term “basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks” in any claim preambles is not intended to give life, meaning, or vitality to the claims. 
       FIG. 12  is a bottom view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 13  is a partial perspective cutaway of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  may include a base  302 , the base having a bottom surface  326  of the base  302 ; a plurality of sides one of which is at  304 , the sides  304  being defined by a plurality of inner panels one of which is at  306  and a plurality of outer panels one of which is at  308 ; a plurality of corners one of which is at  312 ; a plurality of handle sections, one of which is at  314  (not shown in  FIG. 13 ), the handle sections  314  each having a gripping area at  318 ; a channel  328 ; a plurality of limiting spacers, one of which is at  330 , the limiting spacers  330  each having a bottom edge of a limiting spacer, one of which is at  332 ; a plurality of short limiting spacers one of which is at  334 , the short limiting spacers  334  each having a bottom edge of a short limiting spacer, one of which is at  336 ; and a square indentation area  338 . 
     In some embodiments, a basin  300  includes a channel  328 , which is disposed adjacent to the interior side of the outer panel  308 , the channel  328  completely circumscribing the base  302  of the basin  300 . In some embodiments, a channel  328  is defined by a space within the inner panel  306  and the outer panel  308 . In a further embodiment, the channel  328  defined by the space within the inner panel  306  and the outer panel  308  is further defined by a plurality of limiting spacers  330  disposed between the inner panel  306  and the outer panel  308 . The limiting spacers  330  do not extend to the bottom of the base  302 , and the difference between the bottom of the base  302  and the bottom of the limiting spacers  330  defines the limit of penetration of at least a portion of a top rail  310  of another basin  300  or a commercial dish and glassware rack stacked underneath a basin  300 . In a further embodiment, the channel  328  is further defined by a plurality of short limiting spacers  334  disposed between the inner panel  306  and the outer panel  308 . In such embodiments, when a different basin  300  or a commercial dish or glassware rack is stacked with the first basin  300 , the short limiting spacers  334  are configured to receive a locator post  322  of a basin  300  or a locator post of a commercial dish or glassware rack. It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that a basin  300  having locator posts  322  located in the corners  312  of the basin  300  is stacked underneath a different basin  300 , the short limiting spacers  334  nearest the corners  312  of the basin  300  will engage the locator posts  322 . 
     In some embodiments, the bottom surface  326  of a base  302  of a basin  300  has a square indentation  338 . In such embodiments, when a dish or glassware rack holding dishes or glassware is stacked underneath a basin  300 , with the dishes or glassware extending above the top rail of the dish or glassware rack below the basin  300 , a square indentation  338  can accommodate at least a portion of the dishes or glassware such that the dishes or glassware in the rack stacked underneath the basin  300  do not touch the bottom surface  326  of the basin  300 . 
       FIG. 14  is a partial lateral cutaway view of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  has a channel  328 , the channel  328  being defined by a portion of the outer panel  308 , the inner panel  306 , the plurality of limiting spacers  330 , and the plurality of short limiting spacers  334 . In a certain embodiment, the channel  328  is configured to receive the top rail  310  of another basin  300 , the another basin  300  being represented in dashed lines in  FIG. 14 . The channel  328  can also receive the top rail of a commercial dish and glassware rack. In some embodiments, the channel  328  receiving the top rail  310  facilitates the stacking of a plurality of basins  300 , or a stack including a plurality of basins  300  and/or a plurality of commercial dish and glassware racks. In some embodiments, the channel  328  limits the penetration into the base of the basin  300  by the top rail of another basin  300  or the top rail of another other rack. The top rail  310  of the lower basin  300  or other rack engages the bottom edge of the limiting spacers  332 , limiting the penetration. Further, for basins  300  or racks with locator posts  322  protruding upwardly from the top rail  310 , the locator posts  322  of the lower basin  300  or rack will engage the bottom edge of the short limiting spacers  336  of the upper basin  300 , further limiting the penetration. Further, the locator posts  322 , when received by the channel  328  and engaging the bottom edge of the short limiting spacers  336  and the interior portion of the inner panel  306  of the upper basin  300 , will serve to further limit the lateral travel of the plurality of racks or basins  300  with respect to one another, creating a more secure interlock when the locating posts  322  are part of the embodiment. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many combinations of limiting spacers, short limiting spacers, top rails, and locator posts protruding upwardly from the top rail are possible, thus changing the degree of penetration of a lower basin  300  or rack into the base of an upper basin  300  or rack. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such combinations can also limit stacking of basins  300  or racks to certain orientations, for example, such that when a rack is rotated 90 degrees the penetration (and thus, the height difference between the top surfaces of the bases of the racks) is varied. 
       FIGS. 15 and 16  are perspective views of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, a commercial dish or glassware rack  100  is stacked on top of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300 . In a certain embodiment, the top rail  310  (not seen in  FIG. 16 ) of the basin  300  is received by a channel in the commercial dish or glassware rack  100 , said channel being common to all commercial dish or glassware racks as described herein. In some embodiments, a plurality of commercial dish or glassware racks  100  are stacked above a basin  300 . In a further embodiment, glasses  126  are loaded upside-down into the exemplary glassware rack  100 . Should the glasses  126  be wet or contain other substances due to either being washed without drying, or containing unconsumed beverages, any drips from the glasses  126  will drip into the basin  300 , preventing the spillage of the water or other substances onto the surface below the glassware rack  100 . Further, carrying a rack  100  with a basin  300  underneath will ensure drips will not drip onto the clothing of the person carrying the rack. Further, when use of the basin  300  has ended, the basin  300  can quickly be cleaned by rinsing it with water, or even by running it upside-down through the commercial dishwasher. 
     In a different embodiment, a basin  300  is stacked on top of another basin  300 . Such stacking of a plurality of basins  300  could be desirable for storage of the basins, or for creating a stack of basins  300  on top of which a commercial dish or glassware rack  100  is stacked, to raise the height of the commercial dish or glassware rack  100  for easy loading or unloading. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that are many uses for a basin  300  beyond catching drips from dishes or glassware that are not dry. 
       FIGS. 17 and 18  are lateral cutaway views of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, when a plurality of dish and glassware racks  100  are stacked on top of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300 , water drips  134  or other substances from the dishes and glassware in the racks  100  drip through the holes in the base of the rack  102  into the basin  300 . The water  134  or other substances having dripped from the glasses  126  or other items in the racks  100  is contained by the basin  300 , being accumulated on the top surface  324  of the base  302  of the basin. In some embodiments, a plurality of basins  300  and commercial dish and glassware racks  100  are stacked together, alternating a basin  300  with a plurality of racks  100 . In this embodiment, water  134  dripping from racks  100  is spread among multiple basins  300 . 
       FIGS. 19 and 20  are perspective views of a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, a basin for use with commercial dish and glassware racks  300  is received by a dolly  200 . In a further embodiment, one or more commercial dish and glassware racks  100  are stacked above the basin  300 . In such an embodiment, racks  100  holding dishes or glassware that is wet or to which remnants of food or drinks or other substances are adhered can be safely transported by the dolly  200  without fear that the water or other substances will drip through the racks  100  and dolly  200  onto the surface over which the dolly  200  is being pushed. Water or other substances may drip from the racks  100 , but it will be contained by the basin  300  that has been placed in the dolly  200  at the bottom of the stack of racks  100 . 
     While preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0