RACK WITH PROTRUSION DEVICE FOR KITCHEN APPLIANCE

Abstract

A rack for supporting objects within a kitchen appliance has a first side with a first front end and a second side opposing the first side with a second front end. The rack also has a front side extending from the first front end to the second front end and opposing a door of the appliance. The rack further has at least one protrusion member supported on the front side of the rack. The at least one protrusion member is positioned so that the door of the appliance contacts the at least one protrusion member instead of the front side of the rack.

Description

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The present technology relates to kitchen appliances, in particular to appliance racks having protrusion devices, e.g., dishwashers, ovens, toaster ovens, microwave ovens and refrigerators.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

Conventional kitchen appliances utilize racks to hold various objects within the confines of the appliance. The racks are typically configured to move in and out of the appliance in order to provide access to the objects on the racks. For example, a dishwasher typically contains at least one crockery rack, usually two, each with a number of upstanding tines to hold the crockery in an upright position. The crockery positioned on the rack is accessed by first opening the dishwasher door and then moving the crockery racks out of the dishwasher. In order to wash the crockery loaded on the crockery racks, each rack must be individually moved inside the dishwasher and then the door of the dishwasher must be closed.

Time and energy could be saved by combining the above steps. However, using the dishwasher door to move the upper rack of the dishwasher can be problematic. In particular, the interior surface of a conventional dishwasher door typically includes ridges and recesses for sound baffling and to house various components. The upper rack can become snagged on these ridges and recesses when the door is brought into contact with the upper rack, thereby rendering the upper rack and the door immovable until the upper rack and the door are separated.

SUMMARY OF THE TECHNOLOGY

One aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a rack for supporting objects within a kitchen appliance that addresses one or more of the shortcomings of the prior art.

Another aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a protrusion member configured to be removably positioned on a rack of a kitchen appliance, the rack supporting objects within the kitchen appliance. The protrusion member is positioned and adapted to engage a door of the kitchen appliance without becoming caught on a portion of the door.

Another aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a rack for supporting objects within a kitchen appliance including a first side having a first front end and a second side opposing the first side and having a second front end. The rack also includes a front side extending from the first front end to the second front end and opposing a door of the appliance. The rack further includes at least one protrusion member supported on the front side of the rack. The at least one protrusion member is positioned so that the door of the appliance (e.g., during a closing operation) contacts the at least one protrusion member instead of or in addition to the front side of the rack.

Another aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a door of a kitchen appliance that includes engagement regions that engage a rack of the kitchen appliance when the door is pivoted toward a closed position. The engagement regions are configured to engage a rack and/or one or more protrusions on the rack as the door is closed, e.g., at an angle up to about 40-90 degrees (e.g., 60 degrees) with respect to a horizontal plane without becoming snagged.

Another aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a kitchen appliance. The kitchen appliance includes a compartment and a door to selectively provide access to the compartment. The kitchen appliance also includes at least one rack having a front side opposing the door, the at least one rack being movably positioned (e.g., slidingly) within the compartment. The kitchen appliance further includes at least one protrusion member supported on the front side of the rack. The at least one protrusion member is positioned so that the door (e.g. during a closing operation) contacts the at least one protrusion member instead of or in addition to the front side of the rack. When the rack is fully extended, the at least one protrusion member initially engages the door when the door is at an angle of about 40-60 degrees.

Another aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a kitchen appliance. The kitchen appliance includes a compartment, a door to selectively provide access to the compartment and at least one rack having a front side opposing the door, the at least one rack being positioned within the compartment. At least one engagement region is positioned on the door. In addition, the at least one engagement region is positioned so that when the at least one rack is fully extended, the at least one engagement region initially engages the at least one rack without snagging at an angle of about 40-60 degrees.

Another aspect of the disclosed technology relates to a method for moving a rack that supports objects within a kitchen appliance. The method includes pivoting a door of the kitchen appliance from an open position toward a closed position until the door contacts at least one protruding member of the rack, the at least one protruding member being positioned on the rack at a location closest to the door. The method may also include moving the rack in a substantially horizontal direction by continuing to pivot the door toward the closed position after the protruding member and the door contact each other. The rack and the door are independently movable when the at least one protrusion member and the door are not in contact with each other.

Other aspects, features, and advantages of this technology will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of this technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various examples of this technology. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary dishwasher according to an example of the disclosed technology;

FIG. 2A illustrates a rack of the dishwasher of FIG. 1 with an exemplary protrusion device;

FIG. 2B illustrates a rack of the dishwasher of FIG. 1 with another exemplary protrusion device;

FIG. 3 illustrates a modified door for use with the dishwasher of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates the dishwasher of FIG. 1 as the door is being closed; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the dishwasher of FIG. 1 as the door is being closed and the rack is being moved to a position within the dishwasher.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLES

The following description is provided in relation to several examples which may share common characteristics and features. It is to be understood that one or more features of any one example may be combinable with one or more features of the other examples. In addition, any single feature or combination of features in any of the examples may constitute additional examples.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a kitchen appliance 5. The kitchen appliance 5 may be, for example, a dishwasher for washing and/or drying crockery items, such as dishes, frying pans, cookie sheets, cutting boards, bowls, pots, etc. Kitchen appliance 5 may include a manually openable door 10 and a compartment 15. The door 10 may be openable to allow access to the compartment 15 and may form a generally water/air tight seal relative to the compartment 15 when closed. The door 10 may move between an open position and a closed position by pivoting around a pivot 20. The compartment 15 may include at least one rack 25.

The rack 25 may be any type of rack capable of supporting items. For example, in a dishwasher, the rack 25 may support crockery items that are to be cleaned and/or dried and may be a wire-type rack such as the one illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. The rack 25 may be supported by a guide system 30 located inside the compartment 15 and may include one or more protrusion devices 35. It is contemplated that the rack 25 may be an upper rack located above a lower rack (not shown).

The guide system 30 may facilitate the movement of the crockery rack 25 in and out of the compartment 15, may support the rack 25 and may be any type of guide system capable of moving the rack 25 in a substantially horizontal direction. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the guide system 30 may include a plurality of guide wheels 40 mounted on a side of the compartment 15 and a track 45 supported between the guide wheels 40. One or more wheels (not shown) attached to the rack 25 may be positioned within the track 45. When moving the rack 25 in or out of the compartment 15, the track 45 may move between the guide wheels 40 in a substantially horizontal direction. At the same time, the wheels (not shown) on the rack 25 may move along the track 45.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example in which at least one protrusion device 35 may be attached (permanently or detachedly) to the rack 25. Each protrusion device 35 may be supported on a forward edge of the rack 25 that would otherwise be the first portion of the rack 25 to contact the door 10 when the door 10 is pivoted toward the closed position. By locating each protrusion device 35 at this position on the rack 25, the door 10 will contact the protrusion devices 35 instead of the rack 25, itself, when the door 10 is pivoted toward the closed position.

The protrusion devices 35 may have any shape that reduces the likelihood of the rack 25 becoming lodged in a recess or on a ridge of the door 10 and may be rotatably attached to the rack 25 or fixedly attached to the rack 25 (i.e., stationary). In the rotatable configuration, each protrusion device 35 may include one or more wheels configured to rotate completely around a substantially horizontal axis located on the forward edge of the rack 25 (e.g. one of the horizontal wires of a wire rack). The diameter of each protrusion device 35 may be large enough so that the protrusion device 35 may roll over any recess or ridge on the door 10, without catching or snagging, as the door 10 is being closed against the rack 25.

Instead of rotating completely around the horizontal axis, the protrusion devices 35 may rotate partially around the substantially horizontal axis located on the forward edge of the rack 25. That is, the protrusion devices 35 may rotate around the substantially horizontal axis within an angular range limited to less than 360 degrees. The protrusion devices 35 that rotate partially around the substantially horizontal axis may include one or more wheels configured to have a limited range of rotation around the substantially horizontal axis. Alternatively, the protrusion devices 35 that rotate partially around the horizontal axis may have any shape other than a wheel shape such as, for example, a semi-circular shape, flat shape or any other shape that may allow the protrusion devices 35 to partially roll over and/or slide against the recesses or ridges on the door 10 without catching or snagging as the door 10 is being closed against the rack 25.

In the stationary (i.e., non-rotatable) configuration, the protrusion devices 35 may not rotate around any axis. Instead, the protrusion devices 35 may slide against the door 10 as the door 10 is pivoted toward the closed positions. In addition, the protrusion devices 35 may be any shape such as, for example, a wheel shape, semi-circular shape, flat shape or any other shape that may allow the protrusion 35 to slide against the recesses or ridges on the door 10 without catching or snagging as the door 10 is being closed against the rack 25.

For the rotatable and stationary configurations, the surfaces of the protrusion devices 35 may be formed from low-friction materials such as, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In addition, the protrusion devices 35 may be formed from one piece with the rack 25. Alternatively, the protrusion devices 35 may be formed separately from the rack 25 and later permanently or detachably attached to the rack 25. Further, the detachably attached protrusion devices 35 may be retroactively fitted to conventional racks of kitchen appliances.

Although FIG. 2A illustrates three protrusion devices 35, any number of protrusion devices 35 can be attached to the rack 25. In addition, the combined and individual widths of the protrusion devices 35 can be any fraction of the width of the rack 25. Furthermore, although FIG. 2A illustrates the protrusion devices 35 being partially below and partially in front of the forward edge of the rack 25, the protrusion devices 35 may be partially or completely in front of and/or partially or completely below the forward edge of the rack 25. For example, the protrusion device 35 may be partially below the forward edge of the rack 25 so that the door initially engages with the protrusion device 35 and then may contact/engage with the front of the rack 25 and/or the protrusion 35 for the remainder of the closing operation. Moreover, the locations of the protrusions 35 may be aligned with particular ridges and/or recesses on the door 10 or may be aligned with smooth portions of the door 10. Also, the protrusion devices 35 may include any combination of shapes and/or any combination of configurations (e.g., rotatable and stationary configurations).

FIG. 2B illustrates another exemplary configuration that includes protrusion devices 35a, which are clipped onto and removably attached to the rack 25. Similar to the protrusion devices 35, the protrusion devices 35a may be supported on the forward edge of the rack 25 that would otherwise be the first portion of the rack 25 to contact the door 10 when the door 10 is pivoted toward the closed position. The protrusion devices 35a may include a clip portion 50, a contacting portion 55 and a recess 60 defined by the clip portion 50 and the contacting portion 55.

The clip portion 50 may form a continuous structure with the contacting portion 55 at an upper end of the recess 60 and may be separated from the contacting portion 55 at a lower end of the recess 60 so that the recess 60 may be closed at its upper end and open at its lower end. The forward edge of the rack 25 may be received in the recess 60. The recess 60 may be sized so that the forward edge of the rack 25 may be retained within the recess 60 via gravity and friction. In addition, a lower portion of the clip portion 50 may be biased against the contacting portion 55 so that the biasing force exerted by the clip portion 50 may retain the forward edge of the rack 25 in conjunction with or instead of friction. Although FIG. 2B illustrates the protrusion devices 35a as being clipped onto horizontal wires of the rack 25, the protrusions 35a may be clipped onto vertical wires of the rack 25.

The contacting portion 55 may contact the door 10 when the door 10 is pivoted toward the closed position and may have any shape that reduces the likelihood of the rack 25 becoming lodged in a recess or on ridge of the door 10. For example, the contacting portion 55 may have a semi-circular or flat shape. The surfaces of the contacting portions 55 may be formed from low-friction materials such as, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Although FIG. 2B illustrates three protrusion devices 35a, any number of protrusion devices 35a can be attached to the rack 25. In addition, the combined and individual widths of the protrusion devices 35a can be any fraction of the width of the rack 25. Moreover, the locations of the protrusion devices 35a may be aligned with particular ridges and/or recesses on the door 10 or may be aligned with smooth portion of the door 10. Furthermore, any combination of protrusion devices 35 and protrusion devices 35a may be attached to the rack 25. Also, similar to the protrusions 35, the protrusions 35a may be retrofitted onto conventional racks of kitchen appliances.

FIG. 3 illustrates a modified door 65 that may include one or more engagement regions 70. The one or more engagement regions 70 may be aligned with the protrusions 35 and/or the protrusions 35a and may engage the protrusions 35 and/or the protrusions 35a as the door 65 is pivoted toward a closed position, e.g., the engagement regions 70 may be moulded on the upper part of the door 10 to engage the upper rack 25. The number of engagement regions 70 may be the same as or different from the number of protrusions 35 and/or protrusions 35a. In addition, the one or more engagement regions 70 may extend from an upper portion of the door 65 to a lower portion of the door 65. In one configuration, the one or more engagement regions 70 may be recesses that receive protrusions 35 and/or the protrusions 35a. In another configuration, the one or more engagement regions 70 may be raised portions having similar shapes as the corresponding protrusion 35 or protrusion 35a. For example, each engagement region 70 may include one or more wheels, may have a semi-circular shape or may have a flat shape. In addition, the one or more engagement regions 70 may be formed from low-friction materials such as, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Further, the engagement regions 70 may extend a distance that is less than the full extent of the door 65.

In an alternate configuration, the door 65 and the engagement regions 70 may be used without the protrusions 35 and the protrusions 35a. In this configuration, the modified door 65 may directly contact the rack 25. In addition, the engagement regions 70 may project from a surface of the door 65 so that the engagement regions 70 are the only portions of the door 65 that contacts the rack 25. Further, the engagement regions 70 may have any shape that may allow engagement regions 70 to slide or roll relative to the rack 25 without catching or snagging as the door 10 is being closed against the rack 25.

For each of the above configurations, the engagement regions 70 may be formed from a single material with the door 65 or may be formed separately from the door 65 and then later attached to the door 65. In addition, the engagement regions 70 may be permanently or detachably attached to the door 65, or they may be retrofit to existing doors.

For each of the above configurations, the protrusions 35, protrusions 35a and/or rack 25 may initially engage the door 10 when the door is rotated up to about 40-60 degrees with respect to an initial open (horizontal) position without becoming caught or snagged on a portion of the door. After the initial contact, the protrusions 35 and/or protrusions 35a may maintain contact with the door 10 until the door 10 reaches the closed position (approximately 90 degrees). However, the protrusions 35 and/or protrusions 35a can be designed such that they contact the door 10 to a lesser extent, e.g., when the door 10 is pivoted to a sufficient angle such that there is little chance that snagging can occur and engagement between the rack 25 and the door 10 is acceptable to complete the closing process. Such “sufficient angle” may be less than 90 degrees, e.g., 80 degrees, 70 degrees, 60 degrees or less.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a method for using the door 10 (or the modified door 65) to move the rack 25 toward the compartment 15. The method may begin when the door 10 (or the modified door 65) is in an open position (i.e., in a horizontal configuration) and the rack 25 is outside of the compartment 15. First, the door 10 (or the modified door 65) may be pivoted around the pivot 20 until the door 10 (or the modified door 65) engages the protrusion devices 35, the protrusion devices 35a and/or the rack 25. Upon contacting the protrusion devices 35, protrusion devices 35a and/or the rack 25, the door 10 (or the modified door 65) may continue pivoting around the pivot 20. At the same time, the protrusion devices 35, the protrusion devices 35a and/or the rack 25 may rotate or slide against the door 10, and the rack 25 may be moved substantially horizontally toward the compartment 15 until the rack 25 is completely inside the compartment 15 and the door 10 (or the modified door 65) is in the closed position (i.e., in a vertical configuration). It should be understood that the rack 25 and the door 10 (or the modified door 65) are independently movable when the protrusion devices 35, the protrusion device 35a or the rack 25 is in engagement with the door 10 (or the modified door 65).

While the technology has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred examples, it is to be understood that the technology is not to be limited to the disclosed examples, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A rack for supporting objects within a kitchen appliance, the rack comprising:

a first side having a first front end;

a second side opposing the first side and having a second front end;

a front side extending from the first front end to the second front end and opposing a door of the appliance; and

at least one protrusion member supported on the front side of the rack, the at least one protrusion member being positioned and adapted to engage a door of the kitchen appliance without becoming caught on a portion of the door.

2. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member is permanently attached to the front side.

3. The rack of claim 2, wherein the at least one protrusion member is one piece with the front side.

4. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member is removably attached to the front side.

5. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member includes a slot configured to receive a portion of the rack.

6. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member is rotatably attached to the front face.

7. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member is a wheel.

8. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member is formed from a low-friction material.

9. The rack of claim 8, wherein a frontward-facing surface of the at least one protrusion member has a semi-spherical shape.

10. The rack of claim 8, wherein a frontward-facing surface of the at least one protrusion member has a flat shape.

11. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion member does not support the rack.

12. The rack of claim 1, wherein the door has at least one engagement region aligned with the at least one protrusion device.

13. The rack of claim 12, wherein the at least one engagement region is a recess configured to receive the corresponding at least one protrusion device.

14. The rack of claim 12, wherein the at least one engagement region has a shape corresponding to a shape of the corresponding at least on protrusion device.

15. A kitchen appliance comprising:

a compartment;

a door to selectively provide access to the compartment;

at least one rack having a front side opposing the door, the at least one rack being positioned within the compartment; and

at least one protrusion member supported on the front side of the at least one rack, the at least one protrusion member being positioned so that the door contacts the at least one protrusion member instead of or in addition to the front side of the at least one rack,

wherein, when the at least one rack is fully extended, the at least one protrusion member initially engages the door when the door is at an angle of about 40-60 degrees without snagging.

16. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion member is shaped and positioned so that when the door and the at least one protrusion member are in contact, a closing movement of the door moves the at least one rack in a substantially horizontal direction.

17. The kitchen appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least one protrusion member maintains contact with the door up to about 90 degrees.

18. The kitchen appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least one protrusion member maintains contact with the door up to about 80 degrees.

19. The kitchen appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least one protrusion member maintains contact with the door up to about 70 degrees.

20. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion member is permanently attached to the front side.

21. The kitchen appliance of claim 20, wherein the at least one protrusion member is formed in one piece with the front side.

22. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion member is removably attached to the front side.

23. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion member is rotatably attached to the front face.

24. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion member is a wheel.

25. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion member is formed from a low-friction material.

26. The kitchen appliance of claim 25, wherein a frontward-facing surface of the at least one protrusion member has a semi-spherical shape.

27. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one rack is above another rack.

28. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the at least one rack and the door are independently movable when the door and the at least one protrusion member are not in contact.

29. The kitchen appliance of claim 15, wherein the kitchen appliance is a dishwasher.

30. A kitchen appliance comprising:

a compartment;

a door to selectively provide access to the compartment;

at least one rack having a front side opposing the door, the at least one rack being positioned within the compartment; and

at least one engagement region positioned on the door, the at least one engagement region being positioned so that when the at least one rack is fully extended, the at least one engagement region initially engages the at least one rack without snagging at an angle of about 40-60 degrees.

31. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the at least one engagement region is formed in one piece with the door.

32. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the at least one engagement region is formed separately from the door.

33. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the at least one engagement region is formed from a low-friction material.

34. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the at least one engagement region includes a plurality of wheels.

35. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the at least one engagement region is flat.

36. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the kitchen appliance is a dishwasher.

37. The kitchen appliance of claim 30, wherein the at least one rack is above another rack.

38. A method for moving a rack that supports objects within a kitchen appliance, the method comprising:

pivoting a door of the kitchen appliance from an open position toward a closed position until the door contacts at least one protruding member of the rack, the at least one protruding member being positioned on the rack at a location closest to the door; and

moving the rack in a substantially horizontal direction by continuing to pivot the door toward the closed position after the at least one protruding member and the door contact each other,

wherein the rack and the door are independently movable when the at least one protruding member and the door are not in contact with each other.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein while the rack is being moved in the substantially horizontal direction, the at least one protruding member and the door slide against each other.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the at least one protrusion member is formed from a low-friction material.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein while the rack is being moved in the substantially horizontal direction, the at least one protruding member rotates.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the at least one protrusion member is a wheel.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein the at least one protrusion member initially engages the door without snagging when the rack is fully extended and the door is at an angle of about 40-60 degrees.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the at least one protrusion member maintains contact with the door up to about 90 degrees.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the at least one protrusion member maintains contact with the door up to about 80 degrees.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the at least one protrusion member maintains contact with the door up to about 70 degrees.