EP2575589B1

EP2575589B1 - Cutlery basket for dishwashers

Info

Publication number: EP2575589B1
Application number: EP11725409.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Deger Demircan; Gizem Durakoglu; Ali Ihsan Incukur; Mustafa Yalcin
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2010-06-07
Filing date: 2011-06-06
Publication date: 2014-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 2031-06-06
Also published as: EP2575589A2; WO2011154341A2; WO2011154341A3

Description

The present invention relates to a cutlery basket used in dishwashers.
In dishwashers, cutlery baskets are used for washing kitchenware accessories such as forks, spoons and knives by holding them together. The cutlery baskets are usually disposed in the upper or lower baskets wherein tableware such as pots and plates is placed. In cases where the user does not use the cutlery basket, the user usually takes out the cutlery basket in order to make room for other items in the dishwasher rack. Detaching the cutlery basket from where it is placed and mounting it again when it will be utilized cannot provide the user a practical way of use. Apart from that, forks, spoons and knives disposed in the cutlery baskets are generally taken out by being held from the end portions, which contact the food, while being taken out after washing, and this situation causes a problem in terms of hygiene. Furthermore, when knives are tried to be taken out by being held from sharp and pointed ends thereof, injuries can happen. In order to solve this problem, cutlery baskets are used, the base height of which is changed and hence which provide the cutlery to be held from the lower portions by sticking out the sharp ends of the cutlery; however the base is strained while being raised and lowered, and this causes a problem for the user. Moreover, the cutlery baskets, the base height of which can be changed, occupy space inside the dishwasher when not in use.
In the state of the art European Patent No EP2096980 , a cutlery basket is explained which comprises a lid that provides the items placed in the cutlery basket to be held almost in the vertical position by being passed through the holes thereon, and wherein the items are taken out of the lid by being pushed upwards by means of a base being moved upwards at the end of the washing.
In the state of the art European Patent No. EP1337179 , a cutlery basket is explained which is used in dishwashers and consists of compartments of various heights wherein silverware of different heights are placed.
A state of the art application DE19804895 discloses a cutlery basket comprising a support plate in a grid form, which is placed in a dishwasher rack, wherein the side wall of the basket is made of a conical wire, whose diameter increases from the bottom upwards.
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cutlery basket that is suitable for use in dishwashers and wherein kitchenware accessories such as forks and spoons are placed, and which provides hygienic and ergonomic conditions of use for the user.
The cutlery basket realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, defined in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a support plate which is attached to the base wires in the dishwasher rack wherein tableware such as pots and plates are washed in the dishwasher, and a body shaped as a helical spring which is mounted on the support plate and through the loading port, formed by the coil at the upper side thereof, of which kitchenware accessories are placed, and which can be sprung in the vertical direction to the support plate.
The coils forming the body of the cutlery basket support the kitchenware accessories disposed through the loading port by surrounding them and function as a wall, against which the kitchenware accessories bear.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket comprises a push arm which is formed by bending the end of the uppermost coil in the body thereof and which lying over the loading port in the horizontal direction. The user pushes the uppermost coil downwards by holding the push arm and shortens the length of the helical spring-shaped body. At the end of the washing process, the kitchenware accessories with sharp ends are provided to stick out from the loading port by the loading port being moved downwards and thus, the user can take out the accessories with sharp ends by holding them from their lower portions.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket comprises a locking protrusion which is located at the center of the support plate and provides the body to be held in the pressed position on the support plate by locking on the push arm when the body is shortened by being pressed downwards.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket comprises a body that is shaped as a conical-helical spring wherein the diameter of the coils decreases from the bottom upwards. In this embodiment, the cutlery basket is shortened by being pressed downwards from the uppermost coil when not in use, and the coils are brought to a almost flat spiral form on the support plate by being inserted into one another and are provided to occupy almost no space inside the basket.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket comprises a body that is shaped as a conical-helical spring wherein the diameter of the coils increases from the bottom upwards.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket comprises a body which is in cylindrical-helical form when in the free position and a rotating mechanism which is mounted to the uppermost coil of the body and converts the body from the cylindrical-helical form to the conical-helical form by being rotated in the coil direction. The body that is converted to the conical-helical spring form is shortened by being pressed downwards when not in use and is held pressed by the push arm or the uppermost coil, which is pressed downwards, being locked onto the locking protrusion on the support plate. The pressed state of the body that is shaped as a conical-helical spring occupies less space than the pressed state of the body that is shaped as a cylindrical-helical spring.
The cutlery basket, furthermore, comprises one or more upper fastening claws that are located on the upper surface of the support plate and provide the body to be fastened to the support plate, and one or more lower fastening claws that are located on the lower surface of the support plate and provide the support plate to be slidably fastened to the base wires of the basket. The position of the cutlery basket in the dishwasher rack can be changed by the user by being slid between two base wires on the base wires.
The body, which is shaped as a helical spring, of the cutlery basket of the present invention is shortened by being pressed downwards, and by moving the loading port downwards, taking the kitchenware accessories with sharp ends such as forks and knives out of the cutlery basket is facilitated.
When the cutlery basket is not in use, the helical spring-shaped body thereof is shortened by being pressed downwards and is held pressed on the support plate by means of the locking protrusion and thus, is provided to occupy less space.
The cutlery basket realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cutlery basket that is located in a dishwasher rack and has a helical spring-shaped body.
Figure 2 - is the perspective view of a cutlery basket that is shaped as a cylindrical-helical spring wherein kitchenware accessories are disposed.
Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 5 - are the perspective views of the steps the cutlery basket goes through, which is converted to the conical-helical form by means of a rotating mechanism and shortened by being pressed from above.
Figure 6 - is the perspective view of a cutlery basket having a conical-helical shaped body.
Figure 7 - is the perspective view of a cutlery basket that is brought to a flat spiral form from the conical-helical form by being pressed from above.
Figure 8 and Figure 9 - are the perspective views of the cutlery basket, the position of which inside the dishwasher rack is changed by being slid on the base wires.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Cutlery basket
2. Support plate
3. Coil
4. Loading port
5. Body
6. Push arm
7. Locking protrusion
8. Rotating mechanism
9. Upper fastening claw
10. Lower fastening claw

In dishwashers, tableware such as pots, plates is placed inside a dishwasher rack (R) to be washed and furthermore, a cutlery basket (1) is used in the dishwasher rack (R) for holding the cutlery and kitchenware accessories together in an effective washing position.
Base wires (T) that form the base portion and carry the items being washed are situated in the dishwasher rack (R) and the cutlery basket (1) is disposed into the dishwasher rack (R) by being mounted to the base wires (T).
The cutlery basket (1) of the present invention comprises a grid-shaped support plate (2) which is mounted to the base wires (T) of the dishwasher rack (R) and allows water passing through the support plate (2) and a helical spring-shaped body (5) which is mounted onto the support plate (2) and has more than one coil (3) and a loading port (4), the edge of the loading port (4) is formed by the uppermost coil (3). The inner region of the body (5) is surrounded by the coils (3) and the kitchenware accessories are placed inside the loading port (4) to the inner region of the body (5). The helical spring-shaped body (5) can stretch in the vertical direction to the support plate (2) (Figure 1).
The coils (3) forming the body (5) of the cutlery basket (1) support the kitchenware accessories disposed through the loading port (4) by surrounding them and function as a wall, against which the accessories bear. The body (5) is a compression spring type body and a certain distance is present between the coils (3), providing them to spring in the shortening direction when the body (5) is in the free position. During the washing process, water passes to the inner part of the body (5) through the coils (3) and provides the kitchenware accessories in the cutlery basket (1) to be washed. After the washing process, when a sharp-ended item is desired to be taken out of the cutlery basket (1), the user shortens the body (5) by pressing the uppermost coil (3) downwards and provides the end portions of the items to stick out from the loading port (4) by moving the loading port (4) downwards. Thus, the user can take the accessories out of the cutlery basket (1) without holding from the used portions (contacting food) of the accessories, for example not from the sharp and pointed ends of the kitchenware accessories such as knives, but by holding them from their portions sticking out from the loading port (4).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket (1) comprises a push arm (6) which is formed by bending the end of the uppermost coil (3) in the body (5) thereof and which lies over the loading port (4) in the horizontal direction. In order to shorten the body (5), the user holds the push arm (6) and pushes the uppermost coil (3) downwards (Figure 1, Figure 6, Figure 7).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket (1) comprises a locking protrusion (7) which is located on the support plate (2) and provides the body (5) to be held in the shortened position on the support plate (2) by being locked onto the push arm (6) or onto the uppermost coil (3) when the body (5) is shortened by being pressed downwards.
When the cutlery basket (1) is not in use, the body (5) is shortened downwards so as to be almost in a blocked state, the coils (3) seat onto each other or are completely inserted into one another, and the body (5) is held shortened on the support plate (2) by the push arm (6) or the uppermost coil (3), which is pressed downwards, being locked onto the locking protrusion (7) (Figure 5, Figure 7). The locking protrusion (7) prevents the body (5) from passing to the free position with the effect of the spring force while in the shortened position.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket (1) comprises a body (5) that is shaped as a conical-helical spring wherein the diameter of the coils (3) decreases from the bottom upwards (Figure 6). In this embodiment, the cutlery basket (1) is shortened by being pressed from the uppermost coil (3) downwards when not in use, and the coils (3) are brought to a flat spiral form on the support plate (2) by being inserted into one another (Figure 7). When the cutlery basket (1) is not in use, the space it occupies in the rack (R) is significantly reduced without the need of taking it out of the dishwasher, and space is opened up in the rack (R) for other items.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket (1) comprises a body (5) that is shaped as a conical-helical spring wherein the diameter of the coils (3) increases from the bottom upwards (not shown in the figures). In this embodiment, since the diameter of the uppermost coil (3) of the body (5) and hence the width of the loading port (4) is bigger, the item loading capacity in the body (5) is increased.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the cutlery basket (1) comprises a body (5) which is in cylindrical-helical form when in the free (not pressed) position and a rotating mechanism (8) which is mounted to the uppermost coil (3) of the body (5) or to the push arm (6) and converts the body (5) from the cylindrical-helical form to the conical-helical form by rotating the coils (3) in the narrowing direction (Figure 2).
In this embodiment, the body (5) is shaped as a cylindrical-helical spring while being used, when items are disposed therein (Figure 2). The uppermost coil (3) is rotated by the rotating mechanism (8) in the direction that narrows the coils (3), the diameter of the coils (3) is reduced from the bottom upwards and the body (5) is converted from the cylindrical-helical spring form to the conical-helical spring form (Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5). The body (5) converted to the conical-helical spring form is shortened by being pressed downwards when not in use and is held pressed by the push arm (6) or the uppermost coil (3), which is pressed downwards, being locked onto the locking protrusion (7) (Figure 5). When the body (5) that is shaped as a conical-helical spring is shortened by being pressed, it occupies less space than the pressed state of its cylindrical-helical spring shape.
The cutlery basket (1), furthermore, comprises one or more upper fastening claws (9) that are located on the upper surface of the support plate (2) and provide the body (5) to be fastened to the support plate (2), and one or more lower fastening claws (10) that are located on the lower surface of the support plate (2) and provide the support plate (2) to be slidably fastened to the base wires (T) of the rack (R) (Figure 6, Figure 7).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the position of the cutlery basket (1) inside the dishwasher rack (R) can be changed by the user by being slid between two base wires (T) on the base wires (T) (Figure 8, Figure 9).
The body (5), which is shaped as a helical spring, of the cutlery basket (1) of the present invention is shortened by being pressed downwards, and by moving the loading port (4) downwards, taking the kitchenware accessories with sharp ends such as forks and knives out of the body (5) at the end of the washing process is facilitated. When the cutlery basket (1) is not in use, the body (5) is shortened by being pressed downwards up to the support plate (2) and is held pressed on the support plate (2) by means of the locking protrusion (7). The space occupied by the cutlery basket (1) is significantly reduced without the need of taking it out of the dishwasher rack (R), and space is opened up for other items to be washed.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments disclosed above and a person skilled in the art can easily introduce different embodiments. These should be considered within the scope of the protection defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

A cutlery basket (1) comprising a support plate (2) in grid form which is mounted to the base wires (T) of the dishwasher rack (R), characterized by a helical spring-shaped body (5) which is mounted onto the support plate (2), the body (5) has more than one coil (3) and a loading port (4), the edge of the loading port (4) is formed by the uppermost coil (3) and kitchenware accessories are placed inside the loading port (4) to the inner region of the body (5) surrounded by the coils (3) and the body (5) can stretch in the vertical direction to the support plate (2).
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by a push arm (6) which is formed by bending the end of the uppermost coil (3) in the body (5) thereof and lies on the loading port (4) in the horizontal direction.
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by a locking protrusion (7) which is located on the support plate (2) and provides the body (5) to be held in the shortened position on the support plate (2) by being locked onto the push arm (6) or to the uppermost coil (3) when the body (5) is shortened by being pressed downwards.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the body (5) being shaped as a conical-helical spring wherein the diameter of the coils (3) decreases from the bottom upwards.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterized by a body (5) that is shaped as a conical-helical spring wherein the diameter of the coils (3) increases from the bottom upwards.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterized by the body (5) being a cylindrical-helical form when in the free position and a rotating mechanism (8) which is mounted to the uppermost coil (3) of the body (5) or to the push arm (6) and converts the body (5) from the cylindrical-helical form to the conical-helical form by rotating the coils (3) in the narrowing direction.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by one or more upper fastening claws (9) that are located on the upper surface of the support plate (2) and allow the body (5) to be fastened to the support plate (2).
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by one or more lower fastening claws (10) that are located on the lower surface of the support plate (2) and allow the support plate (2) to be slidably fastened to the base wires (T) of the rack (R).
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the possibility of changing its position inside the dishwasher rack (R) by the user by being slid along two base wires (T) on the base wires (T).