Patent ID: 7418969

Claim:
A dishwasher comprising: a housing defining at least part of a washing area; a support member connected to the housing, the support member configured to support a plurality of dishes in the washing area; at least one door coupled to the housing, the door defining at least part of the washing area when the door is closed; at least one supply housing supported by the door, the supply housing sized to hold an amount of liquid dish washing supply which is sufficient for a plurality of wash cycles; at least one actuator supported by the housing, the actuator operable to cause movement of the liquid dish washing supply from the supply housing toward the washing area; at least one input device supported by the housing, the input device operable to receive: (a) a first input associated with a first portion of the liquid dish washing supply; and (b) a second input associated with a second portion of the liquid dish washing supply, the second portion greater than the first portion; at least one processor operatively coupled to the actuator and the input device, the processor programmed to cause the actuator to: (a) cause movement of the first portion toward the washing area for one of the wash cycles, and (b) cause movement of the second portion toward the washing area for another one of the wash cycles.