LOW PROFILE WIRE FORM RACK FOR HOOD-TYPE WAREWASH MACHINE AND ASSOCIATED WAREWASH MACHINE AND METHOD

Abstract

A wire form ware rack for holding trays to be washed in a chamber of a hood-type warewash machine includes multiple rack supporting structures for supporting the wire form ware rack on corresponding structures of the warewash machine, and a primary support frame defining a ware support surface. The multiple rack support structures are configured and oriented relative to the primary support frame such that the ware support surface will be located below a bottom of a ware inlet opening and a bottom of a ware outlet opening of the warewash machine when the rack support structures are engaged with the corresponding structures of the warewash machine.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to warewash machines and, more specifically, to a rack configuration for use in warewash machines, such as hood-type machines.

BACKGROUND

Warewash machines have become fairly standardized in the industry. Typically, a standard warewash machine has a washing chamber with an access opening that allows wares to be placed within the chamber for a washing operation. Larger washing chambers, especially taller chambers, are often desirable, where feasible. U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,806,323 and 5,630,438 describe variations of door systems usable in tall hood-type machines.

Peg racks (e.g., rectangular plastic racks with a perforated bottom wall, upright surrounding perforated side walls and upright peg structures for supporting ware) are commonly used for moving wares into and out of hood-type machines. A typical hood-type machine includes a wire form support rack that is removably positioned in the chamber and includes a primary support frame that defines a support surface that is aligned with the bottom of the inlet and outlet openings of the chamber so that a peg rack, with wares loaded thereon, can be slid into the chamber from an adjacent loading surface and onto the primary support surface, and likewise slid out of the chamber onto an adjacent unloading surface.

In commercial establishments, such as fast food restaurants, new wares are regularly introduced for use. Newer, longer trays have been found to be problematic to clean, even in tall hood-type machines, because, when using a standard peg rack, the upper ends of the trays extend up into the movement zone of the upper wash and/or rinse arms. Creating a new peg rack with spacing to allow the tray to lay flatter (more offset from vertical) so it fits into the machine would result in a limit of 2 trays per rack, greatly reducing the trays per cycle, and, with 2 trays in the flatter lay pattern the sprays might not adequately reach both trays due to shadowing (one tray blocking spray onto another tray), reduce cleaning performance.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a more effective system for cleaning longer trays.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a wire form ware rack is configured to enable long trays to be effectively and efficiently cleaned in a hood-type warewash machine.

In another aspect, a wire form ware rack for holding trays to be washed in a chamber of a hood-type warewash machine includes multiple rack supporting structures for supporting the wire form ware rack on corresponding structures of the warewash machine, and a primary support frame defining a ware support surface. The multiple rack support structures are configured and oriented relative to the primary support frame such that the ware support surface will be located below a bottom of a ware inlet opening and a bottom of a ware outlet opening of the warewash machine when the rack support structures are engaged with the corresponding structures of the warewash machine.

In a further aspect, a warewash machine includes a chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and a hood-type door movable upward and downward between an open position to allow access to the chamber through the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a closed position that closes the inlet opening and the outlet opening. A wire form rack is supported in a lower portion of the chamber, the wire form rack having a ware support surface that is located below a bottom of the inlet opening and a bottom of the outlet opening.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a warewash machine;

FIGS. 2-3 show a prior art standard wire form rack support;

FIGS. 4-6 show portions of the machine of FIG. 1 with the prior art stander wire form rack support positioned therein;

FIG. 7 shows the warewash machine utilized with a wire form ware rack suited for long trays;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic front elevation of the warewash machine;

FIGS. 9-10 show the wire form ware rack suited for trays; and

FIGS. 11-12 depict portions of the warewash machine with the wire form ware rack positioned therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, a warewash machine 10 includes a housing 12 (e.g., frame and panels) that define an internal wash chamber 14 in which wares can be cleaned. Upper and/or lower sets of wash and rinse arms (e.g., wash arm 13 and rinse arm 15) are provided for this purpose, along with a recirculation system, including a pump, for the wash liquid. The warewash machine includes an inlet opening 16, an outlet opening 18 and a hood 20 that is mounted on the housing for movement between a lowered, closed position, that prevents access to the chamber 14, and a raised, open position (as shown) that allows access to the chamber 14. Adjacent loading surface 22 and unloading surface 24 are also shown. Depending the site installation of the machine, opening 18 could operate as the inlet opening and opening 16 could operate as the outlet opening, or the front side of the machine could operate as either the inlet opening or the outlet opening (e.g., in a corner installation of the machine).

FIGS. 2-3 show a prior art standard wire form rack support 30 that is removably positionable in the lower portion of the chamber 14 and includes a primary support frame 30a that defines a ware rack supporting surface that lies in plane 32. When the wire form support rack 30 is positioned in the machine 10, the surface plane 32 is positioned at a height substantially aligned with a bottom 16a of the inlet opening and a bottom 18a of the outlet opening, enabling a peg style ware rack 34 (loaded with wares) to be slid into the chamber from adjacent surface 22 for cleaning the wares, and slid out of the chamber onto surface 24 after cleaning of the wares.

Per FIGS. 4-5, the warewash machine 10 includes wire form rack support structures (in the lower part of the internal chamber), which here take the position of forwardly located corner shelfs 36 and rearwardly located brackets 38. Leg portions 30b of the wire form rack support sit on the corner shelfs and a laterally extending wire form support 30c of the wire form rack engage in slots of the brackets 38, for the purpose of supporting the wire form rack support in the chamber. Here, the legs 30b extend downwardly from the primary support frame 30a, and the laterally extending wire form support 30c is below the rack supporting surface plane 32. A vertical distance d1 between the bottoms of the legs 30b and the rack supporting surface is about 2.5 inches.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-8 and 11-12, the warewash machine 10 is shown with an alternative wire form ware rack 40, per FIGS. 9-10, positioned in the machine chamber (on the same supporting structures 36 and 38). The wire form ware rack 40 includes a primary frame 40a the defines a ware supporting surface that lies in plane 42. Support legs 40b and a lateral wire form support 40c of the rack 40 are positioned such that, when the rack 40 is positioned in the machine, the ware support surface plane 42 is located below the bottom 16a of a ware inlet opening 16 and the bottom 18a of a ware outlet opening 18 (e.g., per FIG. 8). This configuration provides additional vertical spacing to accommodate longer trays 80 that can be loaded onto the rack 40, such that the trays 80 can be held substantially upright (e.g., at an angle offset from vertical by no more than 15 degrees) without interfering with the upper wash and/or rinse arms of the machine. Here, a vertical distance d2 between a bottom of each of the legs 40b and the support surface plane 42 is no more than 1.50 inches and the laterally extending rear wire form support 40c is located above the support surface plane 42.

Here, the support surface is defined, at least in part, by wire form supports 50 and 52 running from a front of the primary support frame to a back of the primary support frame. A plurality of wire form rail members 54 extend upward from and laterally between the wire form supports 50 and 52. The wire form rail members 54 are spaced apart from each other along a direction from the front of the primary support frame to the back of the primary support frame to define a plurality of lateral tray receiving slots 56 therebetween. A lateral spacing s1 between the wire form supports 52 and 54 is sufficient to allow the handle portions 80a of trays 80, located within the lateral tray receiving slots, to fit between the first and second wire form supports such that at least part of each handle extends below the support surface plane 42. In the illustrated embodiment, up to six long trays 80 can be accommodated at a time in the rack 40 for a cleaning operation.

The warewash machine 10 is provided with a rack support bracket 60, or other support device, such as a hook or set of pins, here on the front of the machine, which holds the standard wire form rack support 30 while the wire form ware rack 40 is being used. Likewise, the wire form rack 40 can be stored on the bracket 60 when the standard wire form rack support 30 is being used. Thus, the warewash machine 10 is made to be readily adaptable as between a configuration to handle cleaning of wares loaded in typical peg racks, and a configuration for handling the long trays.

Thus, a method of operating a warewash machine is provided, wherein the warewash machine includes a housing defining an internal cleaning chamber having one or more wash and/or rinse arms, and a hood mounted on the housing for movement between a raised open position that allows access to the chamber through an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and a lowered closed position that closes the inlet opening and the outlet opening, the method comprising: utilizing a first wire form rack 40 that includes tray receiving slots and defines a tray support surface; utilizing a second wire form rack 30 that defines a ware rack receiving surface; positioning the first wire form rack in the chamber on support portions of the warewash machine, with the tray support surface located below a bottom of the inlet opening and a bottom of the outlet opening; loading one or more trays into tray receiving slots of the first wire form rack; carrying out a first cleaning operation to clean the trays; removing the first wire form rack from the chamber and positioning the second wire form rack in the chamber on the support portions, with the ware rack receiving surface substantially aligned with the bottom of the inlet opening and the bottom of the outlet opening; sliding a loaded ware rack into the chamber so as to be supported on the ware rack receiving surface within the chamber; carrying out a second cleaning operation to clean wares on the loaded ware rack.

Further, a method is provided for reconfiguring a warewash machine as between a configuration for cleaning standard wares and a configuration for cleaning long trays, wherein the warewash machine includes a housing defining an internal cleaning chamber having one or more wash and/or rinse arms, and a hood mounted on the housing for movement between a raised open position that allows access to the chamber through an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and a lowered closed position that closes the inlet opening and the outlet opening, the method comprising: when configuring the warewash machine for cleaning standard wares, positioning a first wire form rack 30 in the chamber on support portions of the chamber such that a ware rack receiving surface of the first wire form rack is positioned at a height substantially aligned with a bottom of the inlet opening and a bottom of the outlet opening; and when configuring the warewash machine for cleaning long trays, positioning a second wire form rack 40 in the chamber on the support portions of the chamber such that a tray support surface of the second wire form rack is positioned below the bottom of the inlet opening and the bottom of the outlet opening. The second wire form rack is not present in the chamber when the warewash machine is configured for cleaning standard wares, and the first wire form rack is not present in the chamber when the warewash machine is configured for cleaning long trays.

It is to be clearly understood that the above description is intended by way of illustration and example only, is not intended to be taken by way of limitation, and that other changes and modifications are possible.

Claims

1. A warewash machine, comprising:

a chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;

a hood-type door movable upward and downward between an open position to allow access to the chamber through the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a closed position that closes the inlet opening and the outlet opening;

a wire form ware rack supported in a lower portion of the chamber, the wire form ware rack having a ware support surface that is located below a bottom of the inlet opening and a bottom of the outlet opening.

2. The warewash machine of claim 1, wherein the wire form ware rack includes multiple rack supporting structures for supporting the wire form ware rack on corresponding structures of the warewash machine, and a primary support frame defining the ware support surface.

3. The warewash machine of claim 2, wherein:

the ware support surface is defined, at least in part, by first and second wire form supports running from a front of the primary support frame to a back of the primary support frame, wherein a plurality of wire form rail members extend upward from and laterally between the first and second wire form supports, and the plurality of wire form rail members are spaced apart from each other along a direction from the front of the primary support frame to the back of the primary support frame to define a plurality of lateral tray receiving slots therebetween; and

a lateral spacing between the first and second wire form supports is sufficient to allow the handle portions of trays, located within the lateral tray receiving slots, to fit between the first and second wire form supports such that at least part of each handle extends below the ware support surface.

4. The warewash machine of claim 2, wherein the multiple rack supporting structures include a first support leg extending downward and outward from the primary support frame, a second support leg extending downward and outward from the primary support frame, and a laterally extending rear wire form support that is located above the ware support surface.

5. The warewash machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a rack support structure located externally on the machine, the rack support structure holding a wire form rack support, wherein the wire form rack support includes a rack support surface, wherein, when the wire form ware rack is removed from the lower portion of the chamber and the wire form rack support is positioned into the lower portion of the chamber, the rack support surface is substantially aligned with the bottom of the inlet opening and the bottom of the outlet opening.

6. A wire form ware rack for holding trays to be washed in a chamber of a hood-type warewash machine, the wire form ware rack comprising:

multiple rack supporting structures for supporting the wire form ware rack on corresponding structures of the warewash machine;

a primary support frame defining a ware support surface;

wherein the multiple rack support structures are configured and oriented relative to the primary support frame such that the ware support surface will be located below a bottom of a ware inlet opening and a bottom of a ware outlet opening of the warewash machine when the rack support structures are engaged with the corresponding structures of the warewash machine.

7. The wire form rack of claim 6, wherein the multiple rack supporting structures include a first support leg extending downward and outward from the primary support frame and a second support leg extending downward and outward from the primary support frame, wherein, when the ware support surface is oriented horizontally, a vertical distance between a bottom of each of the first support leg and the second support leg and the support surface is no more than 1.50 inches.

8. The wire form rack of claim 6, wherein the ware support surface is defined, at least in part, by first and second wire form supports running from a front of the primary support frame to a back of the primary support frame, wherein a plurality of wire form rail members extend upward from and laterally between the first and second wire form supports, and the plurality of wire form rail members are spaced apart from each other along a direction from the front of the primary support frame to the back of the primary support frame to define a plurality of lateral tray receiving slots therebetween.

9. The wire form rack of claim 8, wherein a lateral spacing between the first and second wire form supports is sufficient to allow the handle portions of trays, located within the lateral tray receiving slots, to fit between the first and second wire form supports such that at least part of each handle extends below the ware support surface.

10. The wire form rack of claim 6, wherein the multiple rack supporting structures include a first support leg extending downward and outward from the primary support frame, a second support leg extending downward and outward from the primary support frame, and a laterally extending rear wire form support that is located above the ware support surface.

11. A warewash machine including the wire form rack of claim 6, the warewash machine including a hood-type door movable upward and downward between an open position to allow access to an chamber of the warewash machine through the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and a closed position that closes the inlet opening and the outlet opening, wherein the wire form rack is supported in a lower portion of the chamber with the support surface below the bottom of the ware inlet opening and the bottom of the ware outlet opening.

12. The warewash machine of claim 11, further comprising a rack support structure located on an externally facing portion thereof for supporting a further wire form rack that is exchangeable with the wire form rack of claim 1 to enable the warewash machine to be used for sliding of peg racks into and out of the chamber.

13. (canceled)

14. A method of reconfiguring a warewash machine as between a configuration for cleaning standard wares and a configuration for cleaning long trays, wherein the warewash machine includes a housing defining an internal cleaning chamber having one or more wash and/or rinse arms, and a hood mounted form movement on the housing for movement between a raised open position that allows access to the chamber through an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and a lowered closed position that closes the inlet opening and the outlet opening, the method comprising:

when configuring the warewash machine for cleaning standard wares, positioning a first wire form rack in the chamber on support portions of the chamber such that a ware rack receiving surface of the first wire form rack is positioned at a height substantially aligned with a bottom of the inlet opening and a bottom of the outlet opening;

when configuring the warewash machine for cleaning long trays, positioning a second wire form rack in the chamber on the support portions of the chamber such that a tray support surface of the second wire form rack is positioned below the bottom of the inlet opening and the bottom of the outlet opening;

wherein the second wire form rack is not present in the chamber when the warewash machine is configured for cleaning standard wares, and the first wire form rack is not present in the chamber when the warewash machine is configured for cleaning long trays.