Patent Document

[0001]     This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/378,511, filed Mar. 3, 2003. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to the field of table-dishwasher apparatus adapted particularly for use by the handicapped when dining.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A relatively recent review of the prior art is to be found in applicant&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,537 issued Apr. 30, 2002, as well as in Applicant&#39;s co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/378,511 for “Dining Table with Integral Dishwasher” and anticipated to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,618 on Dec. 21, 2004. The present application for patent constitutes a continuation in part of patent application Ser. No. 10/378,511.  
         [0004]     Reference to the prior art as described in said U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,537 and patent application Ser. No. 10/378,511, as well as the teachings of said &#39;537 patent and &#39;511 patent application should be regarded as being incorporated herein by reference and will not be duplicated. here. The reader&#39;s attention is directed to such prior art review as being useful background for understanding the present invention that represents an improvement over the apparatus described in the aforementioned &#39;537 patent and &#39;511 patent application.  
         [0005]     With the above mentioned background in mind, the present invention has for its principal object that of providing a dining table with both an integral dishwasher as well as an integral pot washer of simplified construction and arrangement and adapted to provide ease of access to its washing and storage components particularly when used by handicapped individuals. Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A dining table is provided with both an integral dishwasher as well as an integral pot washer installed beneath the dining surface. An access cover formed as a panel made as a single piece resides in an opening formed in one or both end portions of the dining surface and in one open position allows the user to place dishes into and remove dishes from a roller mounted basket forming part of the dishwasher unit located below the panel. In another closed position, the panel forms a continuation of the dining surface. The integral pot washer is installed in a location accessible to diners through door openings from either of two opposite sides of the dining surface. A switch control requires both of the pot washer doors to be closed in order for the pot washer to operate. The shape and arrangement of the table, storage compartments, control panel, sink, dishwasher and potwasher facilitate use of the table-washer apparatus of the invention by those who use it for dining and particularly for those who are handicapped. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the invention apparatus looking towards one side of the invention apparatus and indicating what the description refers to as the “ends” and “sides” of the support base on which the table is mounted.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the invention apparatus similar to that of  FIG. 1  but with the pot washer basket extended outwardly and the storage compartment doors shown open.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the invention apparatus with the access covers in their closed position and with the respective extension panels in their respective high position.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a left end view of the invention apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a right end view of the invention apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a somewhat schematic view of the left end of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  illustrating use of the apparatus by a person in a wheelchair.  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is an elevation view of the front side of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with all of the doors closed.  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is an elevation view of the back side of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with all of the doors closed.  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is a section view of the pot washer apparatus of  FIG. 1  and in a vertical plane which passes thru the pot washer assembly taken as if looking towards the left end of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the pot insertion door closed.  
         [0016]      FIG. 10  is a section view of the pot washer apparatus of  FIG. 1  and in a vertical plane which passes through the pot washer assembly taken as if looking towards the left end of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the pot insertion door open.  
         [0017]      FIG. 11  is a somewhat schematic section view taken as if looking towards the left end of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the access covers closed and the respective extension panels in their low position.  
         [0018]      FIG. 12  is a somewhat schematic section view taken, as in  FIG. 11 , as if looking towards the left end of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the access doors open and the respective extension panels in their high position.  
         [0019]      FIG. 13  is a somewhat schematic section view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  but without the washing apparatus and illustrating the housing structure with the access doors closed.  
         [0020]      FIG. 14  is a somewhat schematic section view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  similar to that of  FIG. 13  with the access doors open.  
         [0021]      FIG. 15  is a bottom perspective view of an access cover with its respective extension panel in its low position.  
         [0022]      FIG. 16  is a bottom perspective view of an access cover with its respective extension panel in its high position.  
         [0023]      FIG. 17  is a bottom plan view of an access cover with its respective extension panel in its high position.  
         [0024]      FIG. 18  is a somewhat schematic top plan view illustrating the arrangement of the wash apparatus within the interior of the apparatus.  
         [0025]      FIG. 19  is a partial cross-sectional view of an access cover as used in the apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     The description is first directed primarily to the subject matter of applicant&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,537 and later to the specific improvements, which are the subject matter of the present invention. Much of the beginning description will necessarily repeat description of the &#39;537 patent, whereas the later description will describe those improvements, which constitute the present invention.  
         [0027]     In accordance with the objects disclosed above,  FIG. 1  illustrates improved table  10  of the present invention including an integral dishwasher and potwasher. Table  10  is formed generally of a top portion comprised of dining surface  12  mounted on support base  14 . Since the present invention was developed for reasons of aesthetics, efficiency, more sanitary eating area, and ease of use, table  10  is substantially permanently mounted in a selected location, and a water line, a waste line, and electric line (not shown) are appropriately connected to the enclosed dishwasher unit. Dining surface  12  contains sink  22  and electrical outlet  26  and a series of dials or switches  24  for operating the dishwasher and an optional warming surface  18 . A heating element  18 ′ is located beneath warming surface  18 .  
         [0028]     While dining surface  12  could be configured to accommodate a single individual, dining surface  12  is illustrated in the preferred embodiment configured to accommodate at least two people. Accordingly, an access cover  20   a  is in a position suited to a first person being seated at table  10 . An extension panel  20   b  illustrated by way of example as being of substantially the same thickness as that of access cover  20   a  joined by a hinge to access cover  20   a  operates in conjunction with access cover  20   a  and can be folded underneath access cover  20   a  when not in use as in  FIG. 1 . Also to be noted is that when access cover  20   a  is positioned, as in  FIG. 1 , its top surface is substantially flush with the top of dining surface  12  and is illustrated in  FIG. 2  with a typical set of dishes and utensils (shown in dashed lines) placed for use. The access cover  20   a  is adapted to be positioned so as to either cover (as in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3 , or  11 ) or uncover (as in  FIG. 12 ) the operative portion of the dishwasher below. As further explained below, one side of table  10  is fitted with an access cover  20   a  and extension panel  20   b , and the opposite side of table  10  is fitted with a comparable access cover  20   c  and extension panel  20   d . The respective extension panels  20   b  and  20   d  basically have two parallel positions, referred to as being high and low. The high position places their respective surfaces in the same plane as that of the dining surface  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 3, 12 , and  16 . The respective low position of extension panel  20   b  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  11 , and  15 . The extension panels  20   b ,  20   d  are supported, positioned, latched, and unlatched by the later-explained mechanism.  
         [0029]     By contrast, with regard to the manner in which the extension panels  20   b ,  20   d  are supported, positioned, latched, and unlatched, the access cover  20   a  is supported by means of a flange  90  secured to access cover  20   a  as in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . The flange fits into a groove  91  integral to table  10  as in  FIG. 18 . Thus, access cover  20   a  can be slid towards and away from a diner. Access cover  20   c  operates by the same principle. With this preliminary introduction to the outer and inner access covers and their operation, the description now continues with other aspects of the invention.  
         [0030]     Sink  22  is equipped with an electrically heated water spigot  42  for making instant coffee, tea or soup, in addition to the usual water connection  44 . Pot insertion doors  28   a  and  28   b  are located at the left end (as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) of support base  14  for placing larger cooking and serving utensils into the dishwasher unit of the invention. Here it should be noted that with respect to pot insertion doors  28   a  and  28   b  that the improvement to which the present invention relates is especially intended to include the means employed for accessing the pot washer basket  30  in a manner which permits the diner, irrespective of on which side of table  10  the diner is sitting, to load and unload items to be washed by the pot washer while seated at the table  10  and load and unload items to be washed by the dishwasher.  
         [0031]     As best seen in  FIG. 3 , the apparatus with the access covers  20   a  and  20   c  in their respective closed positions shown in solid line in  FIG. 3  and extension panels  20   b  and  20   c  in their respective extended positions provide additional dining surfaces. Warming surface  18 , in which heating element  18 ′ is enclosed, is located in dining surface  12 , in a location between the access cover  20   a  and the opposite access cover  20   c . Warming surface  18  is preferably of a different appearance than dining surface  12  for visibility and safety reasons. A washer control panel  16  and preferred locations for detergent reservoirs  65  and  66  are shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a right end view of table  10  and illustrates an access door  60  that can be removed to provide maintenance on the internal mechanisms of the washer apparatus.  FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of table  10  showing the ease of use of table  10  by a person P seated in a wheelchair W at the table  10 .  FIGS. 7 and 8  in side views of table  10  illustrate the pot washer doors  28   a  and  28   b  as well as access doors  61 ,  62 ,  63 , and  64  in their respective closed positions.  FIG. 9  in an end view of dining table  10  as seen in  FIG. 1 , illustrates the pot washer doors  28   a  and  28   b  closed and ready for a washing cycle for the pots and pans.  
         [0033]     With pot insertion door  28   b  open, as in  FIG. 10 , and the pot washer basket  30  pulled outwards through the opening of door  28   b  the diner is able to load or remove pots and pans into and from the pot washer basket  30 . The pot washer basket  30  slides through a slidable connection along a rail  31  which provides a fixed support and allows the basket  30  to go through the opening of either pot insertion door  28   a  or  28   b , so as to make basket  30  available to a diner for loading on either end of the table. The rail  31  is located as seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10  so as to be substantially parallel to the plane of the surface of table  10  and is laterally offset so as to be below but not directly below either of access covers  20   a  or  20   c  as indicated in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0034]     Dish-washing water-distributor arm  30   a  and pot-washing water-distributor arm  30   c  ( FIGS. 11 and 12 ) are positioned within support base  14  in separated, horizontally and vertically spaced locations along a substantially central line C/L that is parallel to the long dimension of the dining table  10  as shown in  FIG. 18 . Dish-washing water-distributor arm  30   a  is positioned relatively low in a center portion, substantially parallel to the plane of the dining surface  12 , and potwashing water-distributor arm  30   c  is positioned relatively high and in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of dining surface  12 , as best seen in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . When the dishwasher function operates, water distribution arm  30   a  sprays water in the direction of arrow S ( FIG. 11 ) onto the dishes in chutes  36   a  and  36   b  when the pot washer function operates, the pot washing water distribution arm  30   c  sprays towards the basket  30  to wash pots in basket  30 .  
         [0035]     The perforate pot washer basket  30  is operatively associated with the pot washer water-distributing arm  30   c , mounted within the support base  14  and movable along a fixed support path of restricted length established by rail  31 , which extends between the side walls of support base  14  and that is located below but laterally offset from being directly below the location of the openings occupied by access covers  20   a  and  20   c . The pot washer basket  30  is configured for receiving and holding selected pots, pans and the like in position for being washed by the pot washer water distributing arm  30   c.    
         [0036]     The table end portions, access cover openings, access covers, dishwasher chutes and pot washer basket are arranged so as to be accessible to the apparatus being used by a single individual sitting on either side of the support base, or by two individuals sitting on opposite sides of the support base and in either case in a manner which permits the legs of any such individual when sitting to be positioned below a selected one of the table end portions  11  as seen in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0037]     Referring next to  FIGS. 11 and 12  and the perforate chutes  36   a  and  36   b , it is to be noted that the upper right and left side panels  40   a ,  40   b  on the supportive right and left sides (as shown in  FIG. 11 ) of support base  14  are oriented angularly to accommodate the shape of perforate chutes  36   a  and  36   b , thus maximizing the space available for the knees of the users. Chutes  36   a  and  36   b  provide a mesh housing for dishes and utensils through which water can pass to permit thorough washing ( FIG. 11 ). At the completion of a meal, dishes are placed in dishwashing chutes  36   a  and  36   b  for washing ( FIG. 12 ). When all dishes are in their respective positions for washing, access covers  20   a  and/or  20   c  are closed securely. The dishwasher unit is operated to wash dishes that have been placed in chutes  36   a  and  36   b.    
         [0038]     As best shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the dishwasher chutes  36   a  and  36   b  assume an angular position for loading and unloading as seen in  FIG. 12 . However, when in the washing position, as seen in  FIG. 11 , the chutes  36   a  and  36   b  assume a vertical position. It can also be observed that access doors  20   a  and  20   c , through a pivotal connection to the respective chutes  36   a  and  36   b , cause the angular position whenever access doors  20   a  and  20   c  are moved outwardly and permit the respective chutes  36   a  and  36   b  to assume a vertical position when access covers  20   a  and  20   c  are moved inwardly as in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 13  shows an end view of dining table  10  with integral dishwasher as seen in  FIG. 1 , and optional hot water heater point of use  75 , with access doors  61 ,  62 ,  63 , and  64  closed. The space within table  10  behind doors  61 ,  62 ,  63 , and  64  also serves as a storage area for pots and pans when not in use.  FIG. 14  shows an end view of dining table  10  with integral dishwasher as seen in  FIG. 1 , but with access doors  61 ,  62 ,  63 , and  64  open. Also shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14  are the hot water supply  80 , cold water supply  81 , and waste water line  82 .  
         [0040]      FIGS. 15 and 16  illustrate the operation of the access cover and extension panel support and positioning mechanism through a series of sequential positions. In  FIG. 15 , the extension panel  20   b  is shown in its low position, connected to access cover  20   a  by a hinge  27 , and secured parallel to the underside of access cover  20   a  by a gripping means  52 . When extension panel  20   b  is extended to the high position (as in  FIG. 16 ), a relatively flat securing mechanism  51  swivels on pivot  53  to the underside of extension panel  20   b , providing support for the dining surface above. Also shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17  are the flange  90  for sliding access cover  20   a  in and out of the table  10  and hooks  54  and  55 , which grip the dish washer basket  36   a  (as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 ).  
         [0041]     An alternative embodiment of access door  20   a  and extension panel  20   b  in operation with extension panel securing mechanism  78  is shown in  FIG. 17 . The securing mechanism  78  is shown rotated along pivot  53  towards a diner, stopped by a downwardly angled catch  79 , supporting the extension panel  20   b  in its high position. When the extension panel  20   b  is moved to its low position, the securing mechanism  78  is rotated about pivot  53  towards hook  53 . The extension panel  20   b  is then moved to its low position about hinge  27  and secured into its low position when hook  76  grips flange  77 .  
         [0042]     The invention further recognizes that there are a substantial number of single person households. In such a single person situation, eating may most commonly be done at a kitchen counter rather than at a table. The present invention therefore recognizes that the invention apparatus can be built into a counter with a single access cover, a single chute for one-side use, and a pot washer basket mounted so as to travel inwardly and outwardly with respect to only one sidewall. Such a one-sided mechanism could similarly be built into a dining table if desired.  
         [0043]     In summary, it will be seen from the foregoing description that the table-dishwasher apparatus of the invention provides among other features the following two highly unique features: 
        (1) A table-washer apparatus which permits the items being washed, particularly pots and pans, to be loaded into a basket that can be positioned in one position for loading the items being washed and which position is outward of a selected one of opposite sides of the apparatus and can be positioned in another position between said opposite sides for washing the items thereby permitting a diner sitting on either side to use said apparatus; and     (2) A table-washer apparatus which permits a diner while sitting on one side of the apparatus to sit below an end portion of the table on which the diner dines and simultaneously have access to washing apparatus particularly suited for pots and pans other dishwashing apparatus as well as having access to one or more storage compartments built into a side of said apparatus.        
 
         [0046]     Other novel features will be apparent from the description.  
         [0047]     The above detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is further intended to set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the invention at the time of filing this application and is provided by way of example and not as a limitation. Accordingly, various modifications and variations obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to which it pertains are deemed to lie within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

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