Patent ID: 8377223

Claim:
A method for operating a dishwasher machine including a washing container, a photocatalytic layer, and a light source that illuminates the photocatalytic layer, the method comprising: unloading a first set of clean items from the washing container after a first wash cycle of the dishwasher machine is completed; loading a second set of dirty items into the washing container to be washed in a second wash cycle of the dishwasher machine; illuminating the photocatalytic layer using the light source and exposing air in the washing container of the dishwasher machine to the photocatalytic layer illuminated by the light source such that odor-forming molecules contained in the air are oxidized with the exposure of the air in the washing container of the dishwasher machine occuring during a standstill phase of the dishwasher machine that is a phase, following a completion of the first wash cycle and the unloading of the first set of clean items from the washing container, during which the second set of dirty items to be washed by the dishwasher machine have been loaded into the washing container of the dishwasher machine and prior to commencement of the second wash cycle of the dishwasher machine that will wash the second set of dirty items, whereby odors are eliminated from the washing container before the commencement of the second wash cycle to wash the second set of dirty items, wherein the exposing the air in the dishwasher machine to the photocatalytic layer includes: circulating the air located in the washing container during the standstill phase of the dishwasher machine in order to guide the air past the photocatalytic layer, the circulating being controlled to start and stop based on one of a sensor and a timer; switching on the light source for exposure of the air to the photocatalytic layer only during the circulating of the air in the washing container; and switching off the light source when the air is not circulating in the washing container.