Abstract:
A rack for dishes in a dishwasher comprises a grid for supporting the dishes and an element mounted to the grid for pivoting towards and away from the grid. The rack also includes elastic cords and a latch mechanism for arresting the element. The elastic cords are mounted in the element to be engaged, yielding against the dishes supported in the rack by pivotal movement of the element towards the grid. The latch mechanism arrests the element in different pivoted positions with the elastic cords stretched against the dishes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a rack for dishes in a dishwasher, comprising a grid for supporting the dishes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One or more such racks are provided in any dishwasher the grid wires then being bent in such a way that the dishes, such as plates, cups, and glasses can be supported on the grid in an upright position or in a more or less inclined position. As far as a common dishwasher is concerned the pressure at which water during the cleansing is ejected towards the dishes is not higher than the dishes will remain standing in the intended position thereof, possibly except smaller and lighter objects of metal sheet or plastics. In heavy-duty dishwashers for restaurants and large kitchens the pressure of the water is considerably higher, particularly in case of dishwashers operating with granules, wherein the water with plastic granules entrained therein is ejected towards the dishes during the cleansing, and it is therefore necessary that the dishes which in case of heavy-duty dishwashers generally comprise larger vessels are kept in a fixed position during the cleansing. In heavy-duty dishwashers there are therefore provided special, mostly exchangeable holders for standardized vessels (Gastronorm). However, the problem is that these holders must be shaped and dimensioned for different ranges of the size of the vessels and must be exchanged when changing from cleansing of vessels in one size region to cleansing of vessels in another size region, and that it may be difficult to place the vessels in the holders and to remove them therefrom because some accurate fit between vessel and holder is required in order that the vessels shall not shake in the holders and cause noise during the cleansing. Moreover, the holders are expensive in manufacture. Additionally, special inserts are required for such dishes which are not of a standardized embodiment, for example pots, saucepans, large beaters, etc. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,008 discloses a dishwasher rack having a net of elastic cords, which is hooked to the dishwasher rack and is stretched over the dishes supported on the rack so that dishes of different shapes and sizes placed in the rack will be retained in such position that there is no risk that the dishes will capsize under the influence of the liquid pressure acting on the dishes. The drawback of this prior art device is that the mounting of the net on the dishwasher rack is a relatively time consuming piece of work which comprises hooking the net to the rack at different positions. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,291 relates to a dishwasher rack for dishes comprising small objects such as baby nipples and parts of baby bottles, and this dishwasher rack comprises pivoted wire grids for enclosing the objects in a wire basket in a cage-like manner by the wire grids closing the wire basket as lids at the top and bottom thereof. As far as the dishes include objects which need to be retained this is effected by retaining the object in the dishwasher rack itself. 
     According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,322 the dishes are retained in a dishwasher rack by the rack including pivotable wire grids on which the dishes are placed and which are shaped such that they can be engaged with the dishes by pivoting in order to retain the dishes on the dishwasher rack. This method of retaining the dishes is not suitable for delicate dishes and cannot be applied to objects of any size and shape. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a presently preferred embodiment, the invention provides a novel rack for dishes in a dishwasher. The rack comprises a grid for supporting the dishes and an element mounted to the grid for pivoting towards and away from the grid. The rack also includes elastic cords and a means for arresting the element. The elastic cords are mounted in the element to be engaged, yielding against the dishes supported in the rack by pivotal movement of the element towards the grid. The means permits the element to be arrested in different pivoted positions with the elastic cords stretched against the dishes. 
    
    
     BRIEF DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to explain the invention in more detail an illustrative embodiment thereof will be described below reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the dishwasher rack located in a dishwasher, 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the dishwasher rack in FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 3 is a side view along line III—III in FIG. 2 of pivoted elements forming part of the dishwasher rack with elastic strings attached to said elements, 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG.  2  and illustrates the location of dishes in the dishwasher rack, 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of a grid forming part of the rack, 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged broken end view of the grid, and 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of elements for supporting the elastic cords. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The dishwasher rack disclosed in the drawings comprises a rectangular frame  10  of tubing which on the lower side thereof is provided with a longitudinally extending round bar  11  having bevelled ends, along two opposite sides  10 A, FIGS. 3 and 4. On the inside surface of two opposite walls of a dishwasher cabinet  12  of metal sheet fragmentarily disclosed in FIGS. 1 to  3  there is attached with intermediate rubber dampers  13  a metal sheet rail  14  extending horizontally along the inside surface and having three grooved rollers  15  fixedly mounted to the rail said rollers preferably being made of plastics, for example acetal resin. Frame  10  can be pushed into the dishwasher on these rollers. Then, the frame slides on the rollers which thus do not rotate, and the round rods  11  are guidingly received in the roller grooves. Mounted on each rail  14  is a roller  16  which is also fixedly attached and after the frame having been pushed into the dishwasher over an initial distance will engage the upper side of the frame at said opposite sides  10 A of the frame in order to prevent the frame from being lifted from rollers  15 . Also rollers  16  preferably consist of acetal resin. 
     Two grids  17 , FIGS. 5 and 6, are provided on frame  10  and each comprise two round rods  18  and  19  extending parallelly and transverse round rods  20 , eight in the number, which are attached to rods  18  and  19  and extend parallelly mutually spaced and perpendicularly to rods  18  and  19 . On rod  18  there are welded to this rod at the positions where rods  20 —except the two outermost rods thereof—are attached to rod  18 , pins  21  extending perpendicularly to rods  20  which at the end surface thereof are welded to rod  18 . At the other end rods  20  extend below rod  19  and are welded to this rod at the lower side thereof. A downwardly bent end portion  22  extends beyond rod  19 . A hook  23  is welded to the rods  20  which are next to the outermost of rods  20  slightly spaced from rod  18 , and this hook is facing rod  19  and is located in the same plane as the downwardly bent end portion  22 . Rods  18  and  19  project from the outermost rods  20  at both ends thereof. Each grid is pivotally mounted to frame  10  by the projecting end portions of rod  19  being inserted into lugs  24  attached to the frame, and projecting from the upper side thereof on the other two opposite sides  10 B of the rectangular frame  10 . Each grid has a folded down horizontal position wherein the grid at the projecting end portions of bar  18  rests against the upper side of the frame, but it can be swung upwards from this horizontal position and can be arrested in an inclined position. For arresting the grid a yoke  25  is pivotally mounted to frame  10  at the inside thereof in said other two opposite sides  10 B said yoke when not in use being folded down against two abutments  26  provided on the inside of the frame. When the grid shall take an inclined position the yoke is swung upwards and inserted into hooks  23  as disclosed in FIG.  4 . 
     On each of the projecting ends of bar  19 , said ends being pivotally mounted in lugs  24 , a U-shaped yoke  27  of round bar is pivotally mounted, FIG. 7, by mounting sockets  28  at the ends of limbs  27 A being passed onto bar  19  the web  27 B of the yoke extending in parallel with bar  19 . Pins  29  are attached to web  27 B said pins projecting perpendicularly from the web. Three rubber cords  30  consisting of O-rings are each hooked onto two pins  29  located adjacent each other and under elastic stretching are extended in parallel with limbs  27 A to and around bar  19  in order then to be hooked onto two end portions  23  bent downwards, which are located adjacent each other. Yokes  27  take the position disclosed in FIGS. 1 to  3  wherein limbs  27 A are in a substantially vertical or slightly rearwardly inclined position by the yoke resting against an abutment (not shown) or against the wall of cabinet  12 . On each side of grid  17  there is pivotally mounted on bar  18  a latch element  31  consisting of a slightly curved metal sheet rail having a number of notches formed therein and distributed along the rail said notches being adapted for engagement with the web  27 B of yoke  27 . 
     In FIG. 4 there is shown how the rack described is used. A vessel  32  is located with the opening towards one grid  17  and is tightened against this grid by yoke  27  having been swung downwards towards the grid under tensioning of the rubber cords  30  against the vessel the yoke then having been arrested in a suitable pivoted position by means of latch elements  31  so that the vessel is held pressed against the grid by a sufficiently great force in order not to be lifted from the grid under influence of the pressure exerted against the vessel during cleansing by the water ejected against the vessel. The water may have granules entrained therein. Grid  17  is adjusted to an inclined position by yoke  25  being engaged with hooks  23  in order that the interior of the vessel shall be most efficiently sprayed during the cleansing. The inclined position has to be adjusted to the spray pattern in the dishwasher, and it is possible to arrange the grid in such a way that it can be adjusted to more than one inclined position, for example by arranging two or more hooks  23  along rods  20 . Pins  21  on the grid prevent the vessel from sliding off the grid if the vessel due to the pressure exerted against the vessel by rubber cords  30  should tend to slide towards the edge of the grid during cleansing. Another larger vessel  33  is shown to be supported on the other grid  17  located in a horizontal position, without being tightened because it is presupposed to be so heavy that it cannot be dislodged on the grid during the cleansing. 
     The device described for tightening the vessels on the grid is not depending of a specific shape or size of the vessels; it allows safe retention of the dishes on the grid independent of existing shape and size. 
     It is practical to provide rubber cords consisting of O-rings allowing a simple and safe attachment of the rubber cords. It is however, also possible to provide simple rubber strings which are attached at one end to yoke  27  and at the other end to the bent end portions  23  of grid  17 , or to provide a rubber string as a meander line between yoke  27  and grid  17 . It may be suitable to provide some type of clip for attaching the rubber strings so that they do not get loose if they should rupture and arrive at the pump system of the dishwasher. The rubber cords can be replaced by helical springs which have the drawback, however, that granules can get stuck between the winding turns. In a preferred embodiment the helical springs therefore are enclosed by a protecting hose of plastics or rubber.