PULL-OUT GUIDE FOR A DISH RACK OF A DISHWASHER

Abstract

A pull-out guide (3) for a dish rack (2) of a dishwasher includes a guide rail (3a), which can be fixed to a washing container (1) of a dishwasher, and a running rail (3c), which can be connected to a lattice-like dish rack (2), as well as a center rail (3b) to extend the pull-out length, wherein the running rail (3c) is coupled to the center rail (3b) such that the running rail (3c) after rendering the coupling ineffective can be pulled off the center rail (3b) in the pull-out direction A. The coupling means include a stop (6), which is disposed on the center rail side and protrudes in the direction of the running rail (3c), and an engagement member (7) engaging behind the stop (6) in the pull-out direction (A), wherein the carrier (7) can be moved out of the contact zone with the stop (6) transversely to the pull-out direction by an actuating device (8).

Description

The present invention relates to a pull-out guide for a dish rack of a dishwasher, including a guide rail securable to a washing container of a dishwasher, and a running rail connectable to a lattice-like dish rack, as well as a center rail to extend the pull-out length, with the running rail being coupled with the center rail in such a way that the running rail can be pulled off the center rail in the pull-out direction after rendering the coupling ineffective.

Pull-out guides of the afore-mentioned type are known per se, whereby the possibility to completely separate the dish rack including the running rail from the pull-out guide serves the purpose to accommodate—if need be—also large-area structures such as baking pans or the like in the dishwasher and to clean them. Even if the cleaning job is required to be thorough, it is of advantage to allow a full separation of the dish rack including the running rail from the remaining components of the pull-out guide.

The separation capability is obtained by known constructions through provision of stop plugs on the terminal ends of the center rails of the pull-out guides arranged on the left-hand side and right-hand side, which plugs can be removed optionally from the center rails.

Such a solution has shortcomings for several reasons.

As the plugs on the terminal ends of the center rails must absorb during normal operation the forces that can be encountered when fully pulling out the dish rack, it is necessary to firmly connect the plugs with the center rails, resulting in a cumbersome manipulation when removing the plug, regardless whether fastening screws have to be loosened or clamps for formfitting securement of the plugs on the center rail have to be removed.

The known constructions have the further drawback that there is a risk of forgetting the attachment and locking of the plugs after the running rails are again pushed into the center rails, causing an uncontrolled separation of the dish rack from the other guide elements, when the dish rack is subsequently pulled out, and a possible dropping thereof.

The present invention is based on the object to provide a pull-out guide of the afore-stated type which is characterized by a simple handling, when separating the running rail from the center rail as well as by an automated securement between running rail and center rail after the dish rack assumes the pushed-in position.

This object is solved in accordance with the invention by coupling means which include a stop, arranged on the center rail side and projecting in the direction of the running rail, and an engagement member arranged on the running rail and reaching behind the stop in pull-out direction, wherein the engagement member can be moved out of the contact zone with the stop transversely to the pull-out direction by an actuating device.

Such a construction provides the advantage that a desired separation of running rail and center rail requires only triggering of the actuating device in order to be able implement the desired separation as in this case the engagement member is moved away from the contact zones with the stop arranged on the side of the center rail and remains captive in the running rail.

A particularly practical construction is established when the engagement member is urged in the direction of the center rail by means of an energy accumulator, preferably a spring.

As a result, when running rail and center rail are joined together after a preceding separation, the coupling is spontaneously reestablished as the engagement member simply sweeps in this case over the stop when pushed in, and able to return to its effective position.

There is thus no need for the user to show particular attention so that there is no risk of inadvertent separation between running rail and center rail, when the dish rack is pulled out again.

Further features of the invention are the subject matter of further sub-claims.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the attached drawings and described in greater detail hereinafter.

It is shown in:

FIG. 1 a perspective illustration of a dish rack pushed out from a partly depicted washing container of a dishwasher and provided with a pull-out guide,

FIG. 2 a comparable perspective illustration from an opposite viewing direction,

FIG. 3 a detailed illustration of the connection zone between the dish rack and a pull-out guide,

FIG. 4 a perspective illustration corresponding to FIG. 3 without depiction of an actuating device for coupling or decoupling of a running rail with respect to the remaining elements of a pull-out guide,

FIG. 5 a partial section along the line V-V in FIG. 3 with non-actuated actuating device,

FIG. 6 a section corresponding to FIG. 5 upon activation of the actuating device,

FIG. 7 a section along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5,

FIG. 8 a section along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 a detailed illustration of a pull-out guide according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 10a and 10b perspective illustrations of an actuating device according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9 in different viewing directions,

FIGS. 11 and 12 a view and a sectional illustration of elements of an actuating device for a pull-out guide according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 13 a perspective illustration of an actuating device of a pull-out guide according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 14 a view of the actuating device in the direction of the arrow XIV in FIG. 13,

FIGS. 15 and 16 perspective illustrations of an actuating device of a pull-out guide according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Reference character 1 designates in each of FIGS. 1 and 2 a washing container of an otherwise unillustrated dishwasher which receives a lattice-like dish rack 2 which in turn can be pulled out from the interior of the washing container 1 into the illustrated loading position via pull-out guides 3 of which only one is shown for ease of illustration.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show merely the left-hand side pull-out guide 3; Of course, a respective pull-out guide is also provided on the right-hand side for complete guidance of the dish rack 2.

As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pull-out guide 3 includes a guide rail 3a, a center rail 3b to extend the pull-out length, and a running rail 3c.

The guide rail 3a is secured on the washing container 1 of the dishwasher, and the running rail 3c carries the dish rack 2, with a carrier 4 being provided for connection between dish rack 2 and running rail 3c. The carrier 4 is secured to the running rail 3c in any desired manner and so configured as to be able to hold the dish rack 2 in a preferably clamping way and in the absence of additional fastening means in an intended position.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, a rolling bearing cage 5 is arranged between the center rail 3b and the running rail 3c and has rolling elements 5a on which the running rail 3c is guided on the outside and the center rail 3b on the inside.

As shown in particular in FIGS. 7 and 8, a stop 6 is provided on the rolling bearing cage 5 between the center rail 3b and the running rail 3c and projects in the direction of the running rail 3c.

As shown in FIG. 7, an engagement member 7 reaches behind this stop 6 so that all components of the pull-out guide 3 can be pulled out to the respective end stop when the dish rack 2 is pulled out via the engagement member 7 and the stop 6.

The engagement member 7 is movably supported transversely to the displacement direction and connected with an actuating device 8 by which the engagement member 7 is movable from its coupling position according to FIG. 7 to a decoupling position according to FIG. 8. The engagement member 7 can be moved in this decoupling position according to FIG. 8 over the stop 6 of the rolling bearing cage 5 in the absence of any entrainment. As a result, the running rail 3c, after the engagement member 7 has passed over the stop 6, can be completely separated from the center rail 3b.

This means that the dish rack 2 is fully separated in a simple manner from the components that remain of the pull-out guides 3 on the washing container 1 on the left-hand side and right-hand side.

When returning the dish rack 2 to its intended position, it is only required to “thread” the running rails into the center rails and to push back the dish rack to its pushed-in position. During this push back, the engagement member 7 passes over the stop 6 in opposition to the pull-out direction “A” and engages then behind this stop 6 so that during a renewed opening procedure entrainment and also an end stop in maximal push-out position is ensured.

In order to facilitate the passage of the engagement member 7 over the stop 6 as the dish rack 2 is pushed in, the stop 6 is formed with a slanted ramp surface 6a which ascends towards the backside of the washing container 1, and the engagement member 7 is formed with a corresponding slant.

The engagement member 7 is coupled in the illustrated exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 8 with an actuating device 8 which is an integral component of the carrier 4. The carrier 4 is hereby overall made preferably of corrosion-resistant sheet metal and the attached actuating device 8 is configured as a type of flexible spring having a spring force to urge the engagement member 7 continuously in the direction of the center rail 3b. When desiring to move the engagement member 7 out of this coupling position (corresponding to the illustration in FIG. 7), the actuating device 8 must be pulled out in opposition to its inherent spring force into the position according to FIG. 8 (see arrow “B” in FIGS. 7 and 8).

The two different pivot positions of the actuating device 8 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, with FIG. 5 depicting the non-activated actuating device 8 and thus the coupling state, and FIG. 6 the activated actuating device 8 and thus the decoupled state.

In order to facilitate handling of the actuating device 8 by the user, the actuating device is provided on its free end with a free-standing and thus well accessible gripping piece 8a, which is best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the coupling between running rail 3c and center rail 3b is implemented, as mentioned, via the rolling bearing cage 5.

Notwithstanding the afore-described, it is, of course, also conceivable to eliminate the need for a rolling bearing cage between running rail 3c and center rail 3b altogether and to provide instead a pure sliding guide. In this case, the center rail 3b would directly be provided with the stop 6.

FIGS. 9 to 16 show possible embodiments for actuating devices 8 for the engagement member 7.

FIGS. 9 to 10b depict an actuating device 8 which, as opposed to the afore-described actuating device 8, does not have to be “pulled” but “pushed” in the sense that pressure application upon the lower region of the actuating device 8 causes the engagement member 7 to be pulled out from the contact zone with the stop 6.

Also in such a solution, there is preferably a variation in which a spring or the like continuously urges the engagement member 7 in the direction of the center rail 3b.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a possible embodiment for an actuating device 8 which in the broadest sense is configured as rotary knob. A bolt 8a with a guide ball 8d is supported in a sleeve 8b with a thread-like guide groove 8c and engages the guide groove 8c. A torsion spring 9 which, on one hand, engages a head piece 8e of the bolt 8a and, on the other hand, is coupled with the sleeve 8b, continuously urges the actuating pin 8a in the direction in which an engagement member 7, not shown here, is held in coupling position.

FIGS. 13 and 14 schematically depict an actuating device 8 having a slider 10 as actuating element. This slider 10 is connected with a flexible band 11 having a free end to carry the engagement member 7. The slider 10 is urged by a spring 12 in such a way that the engagement member 7 is continuously forced in the direction of the center rail 3b. When manually actuating the slider 10 in opposition to the action of the spring 12, the engagement member 7 is pulled out of its coupling position via the flexible band.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is especially advantageous because the transmission of the necessary forces upon the engagement member 7 via the flexible band 11 enables many installation options for the slider 10.

The slider 10 may, for example, be arranged within a plane oriented at a right angle to the displacement plane of the engagement member 7. Of course, other angular positions can be realized as well without adversely affecting the functionality.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show finally a possibility of an actuating device 8 for an engagement member 7, again provided with a slider 10 for handling the actuating device 8. Connected to the slider 10 is a wedge-shaped arm 13 which traverses an opening 14 of the engagement member 7. The engagement member 7 is moved to its coupling position or pulled out of this coupling position in dependence on the displacement direction of the slider 10 and thus also of the wedge-shaped arm 13.

The respective disposition of springs 12 or other energy accumulators also causes the engagement member 7 to be held continuously in the direction of the center rail 3b when the actuating device 10 is not actuated.

FIGS. 9 to 16 show only by way of example many constructive measures to configure an actuating device 8. As a result, the illustrated exemplary embodiments are not to be understood as exhaustive because further variations are, of course, conceivable for a designer.

Claims

1.-13. (canceled)

14. A pull-out guide for a dish rack of a dishwasher, comprising:

a guide rail securable to a washing container of a dishwasher;

a running rail connectable to a lattice-like dish rack and movably guided in the guide rail to allow a movement of the running rail and the dish rack in a pull-out direction;

a center rail interacting with the running rail to extend a pull-out length,

a coupling constructed for detachable connection of the running rail from the center rail and including a stop projecting in a direction of the running rail and an engagement member arranged on the running rail and sized to reach behind the stop as viewed in the pull-out direction; and

an actuating device operably connected to the engagement member to allow disengagement of the engagement member from the stop in a direction transversely to the pull-out direction.

15. The pull-out guide of claim 14, further comprising an energy accumulator to urge the engagement member in a direction of the center rail.

16. The pull-out guide of claim 15, wherein the energy accumulator is a spring.

17. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the stop is arranged directly on the center rail.

18. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the coupling includes a rolling bearing cage having rolling elements for support of the center rail on one side and support of the running rail on an opposite side, said stop being arranged on the rolling bearing cage.

19. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the engagement member is constructed to traverse through the running rail and coupled with the actuating device.

20. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the actuating device is configured in the form of a flexible spring which applies a spring force by which the engagement member is urged into a coupling position with the stop, when the actuating device assumes a base position, said actuating device being deflectable in opposition to the spring force to uncouple the engagement member from the stop.

21. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the actuating device is configured in the form of pressure-operated component.

22. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the actuating device includes a spring-biased slider and a flexible band connected to the slider and having a free end which is connected to the engagement member.

23. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the actuating device has a slider and a wedge-shaped arm coupled to the slider and sized to extend through an opening of the engagement member.

24. The pull-out guide of claim 23, wherein the actuating device includes a spring assembly to urge the slider and the engagement member continuously into a direction of coupling with the stop.

25. The pull-out guide of claim 14, wherein the stop has a slanted ramp surface ascending in a direction of a backside of the washing container.

26. The pull-out guide of claim 25, wherein the engagement member has a slanted surface corresponding to the slanted ramp surface of the stop.