Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
  • A47L15/24—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with movement of the crockery baskets by conveyors
  • A47L15/247—Details specific to conveyor-type machines, e.g. curtains
  • A47L15/248—Details specific to conveyor-type machines, e.g. curtains relating to the conveyors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
  • A47L15/0092—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware specially adapted to wash large items like pots, trays, baking trays, cooking grids
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
  • A47L15/24—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with movement of the crockery baskets by conveyors
  • A47L15/241—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with movement of the crockery baskets by conveyors the dishes moving in a horizontal plane
  • A47L15/245—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with movement of the crockery baskets by conveyors the dishes moving in a horizontal plane the dishes being placed directly on the conveyors, i.e. not in dish racks

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for washing up trays .
• the guest puts the tray in a rack with any remaining leftovers, any packages, cutlery, glassware etc., or the trays are collected by personnel, such as aboard an airplane. Aboard the plane, the trays are pushed into a catering trolley. The catering trolley is transported to a rinsing and washing up station. Personnel manually re ⁇ move paraphernalia such as glassware, cutlery and crockery, for reuse. These paraphernalia are washed and stored for subsequent use.
• paraphernalia such as glassware, cutlery and crockery
• the trays After manual removal of paraphernalia, the trays lie horizon ⁇ tally on a conveyor belt one after another. In this state, the trays carry packaging, food scraps, etc.
• the trays are transported on the conveyor belt to a rinsing station, where the trays are brought into a vertically hang ⁇ ing position so that the packaging and food particles fall into a collecting funnel for further transport and handling.
• a known endless conveyor is provided with U-shaped hooks.
• Each hook is secured to a conveyor chain or the equivalent, from which the hook projects downwardly a certain distance from a vertical surface, and is bent inwardly towards the vertical surface.
• the free distal end of each hook abuts with a certain spring force against the vertical surface.
• Each tray lying horizontally on a conveyor comes into contact with several hooks, where each hook grips around the circum ⁇ ferential edge of the tray, which usually is substantially S- shaped in cross section. After the tray leaves the latter conveyer, the tray is folded downwards by the force of gravi ⁇ ty, whereby the tray is left hanging by the lower part of the hook and abuts, with its free end, against the tray under the tray edge. The tray is pushed by the hook using the said spring action against the said vertical surface.
• the vertically hanging trays are then brought, in the hanging vertical position, one after another, into a continuous tray dishwasher, and are discharged after washing through the discharge end of the dishwasher.
• the hook conveyor thus runs through the whole tray dishwasher.
• a main problem is that the dishwasher is long, since the trays are transported in a vertical position one after anoth- er. Another problem is that the trays are difficult to dry efficiently. A further problem is that the trays are exposed to forces from the wash nozzles that discharge washing water towards the trays. This may lead to the trays coming loose from the hook conveyor inside the dishwasher.
• the present invention solves these problems.
• the present invention relates to a device for washing up trays, wherein the trays before being washed up are brought from a horizontal position on a first conveyor to a vertical position hanging one after the other in a second conveyor, wherein the second conveyor is endless, after which the trays are once again brought into a horizontal position and released from the second conveyor and transferred to a third endless conveyor arranged with carrier means, and is characterised in that the dishwasher comprises an endless fourth conveyor, arranged with protrusions projecting out from the conveyor, where there is formed a compartment for a tray between each pair of protrusions in the transport direc ⁇ tion of the conveyor, in that the exit end of the third, carrier means-provided, conveyor meets the entrance end of the fourth conveyor, in that the third, carrier means- provided, conveyor and the fourth conveyor are synchronized so that a tray lying on the third conveyor at the exit end of this conveyor is tipped down into one of said compartments of the fourth conveyor and is transported by the fourth conveyor through the dishwasher.
• FIG. 1 shows a part of the device according to the inven- tion
• FIG. 2 shows the entrance end of a belt dishwasher, where the invention is applied
• FIG. 3 shows the exit end of the belt dishwasher.
• the present invention relates to a device for washing up trays.
• the trays are carried, lying in a horizontal position on a first conveyor (not shown) , after paraphernalia that are to be to be reused, such as glassware, crockery and cutlery, have been removed.
• the trays 1 are brought, before being washed up, from the horizontal position on the said first conveyor to a vertical position hanging one after the other in a second conveyor 2, see figure 1.
• the second conveyor 2 is endless.
• the second conveyor 2 is provided with U-shaped hooks 3.
• Each hook 3 is fastened to a conveyor chain 4 or the correspond ⁇ ing, from which the hook projects downwards a certain dis- tance out from a vertical surface 5 and is bent inwards to ⁇ wards the vertical surface.
• the free distal end of each hook abuts, with a certain spring force, against the vertical surface 5.
• Each tray lying horizontally on the first conveyor comes into contact with several hooks 3, where each hook grips around the circumferential edge 5 of the tray 1, see figure 2, which usually is substantially S-shaped in cross section.
• the tray After the tray leaves the first conveyer, the tray is folded downwards by the force of gravity, whereby the tray is left hanging by the respective lower part of the hooks 3 abutting, with its respective free end, against the tray 1 under the tray edge 5, such as is illustrated in figure 1.
• the opposite surface of the tray 1 is pushed by the hook 3 under the said spring force against the said vertical surface 5.
• the trays 1 are once again brought into a hori ⁇ zontal position and released from the second conveyor 2, and are transferred to a third conveyor 6, arranged with carrier means .
• the dishwasher 8 comprises an endless fourth conveyor 9, arranged with protrusions 10 pro ⁇ jecting out from the conveyor 9, where there is formed a compartment for a tray 1 between each pair of protrusions 10 in the transport direction of the conveyor 9, see figure 2.
• protrusions arranged parallel to one another, so that a number of parallel compartments are formed for carrying a tray.
• the exit end 12 of the third, carrier means-provided, conveyor 6 is arranged to meet the entrance end 13 of the fourth conveyor 9.
• the third, carrier means- provided, conveyor 6 and the fourth conveyor 9 are synchro ⁇ nized so that a tray 1 lying on the third conveyor at the exit end of this conveyor is tipped down into one of the compartments 14 of the fourth conveyor 9, as is illustrated in figure 2.
• the fourth conveyor is driven to the right in figure 2, the said compartments are so formed so that the trays are raised up, as illustrated in figure 2.
• the third 6 and the fourth 9 conveyors are mechanically synchronized.
• the third 6 and the fourth conveyor are driven continuously or intermit ⁇ tently.
• the third 6 and the fourth 9 conveyor are electronically synchronized.
• the fourth conveyor 9 is provided with a sensor 15, for instance in the form of a photocell or another suitable known sensor, at its entrance end.
• the sensor 15 is arranged to sense when a tray 1 has been tipped down into that one of the said compartments 14 of the fourth conveyor 9 that has assumed a position for receiving a tray from the third conveyor 6.
• the fourth conveyor 9 is arranged to, via a control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the conveyor, intermittently step forward one step, so that a compartment 14 following the one that has received a tray 1 is in a position to receive a tray. There ⁇ after, the conveyor 9 stands still until a tray has been fed into the subsequent compartment 14.
• the third, carrier means-provided, conveyor 6 is ar ⁇ ranged to, via the control means, feed a tray 1 towards the fourth conveyor 9 only when the fourth conveyor is in posi- tion for receiving a tray.
• the advantage of this embodiment is that there will be a tray standing in each compartment on the fourth conveyor 9. If both the third and the fourth conveyors are continuously driven, it is required that there are trays at each carrier means of the third conveyor in order for the fourth conveyor to have trays in each compartment.
• the tray dishwasher can be made much shorter. Further, the trays stand steadily on the conveyor, so that the risk for a tray would be tilted or displaced significantly from its position is minimal. As for drying of the trays, the drying is facilitated by the position of the trays being well-defined. Hereupon, warm air jets are directed towards the trays in an efficient manner. This takes place towards the end of the belt dishwasher.
• the fourth conveyor comprises mutually hingedly engaging segments 16 with a longitudinal extension perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveyor. The said protrusions 10 project from the said segments.
• a slanting plane 18 is arranged so that a tray, which is to be dis ⁇ charged, will arrive into abutment with said plane when the fourth conveyor is in its position in which a tray can leave the said compartment of the fourth conveyor, whereby the tray can slide down along the slanting plane 18 and thereby be collected .

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• Washing And Drying Of Tableware (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=51989190

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2013
  • 2013-05-27 SE SE1350639A patent/SE537189C2/sv unknown
• 2014
  • 2014-05-26 EP EP14803536.3A patent/EP3003115A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2014-05-26 WO PCT/SE2014/050643 patent/WO2014193295A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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