EP3397128A1

EP3397128A1 - A cutlery basket for dishwashers and a dishwasher comprising a cutlery basket

Info

Publication number: EP3397128A1
Application number: EP15817408.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hasret GURSOY; Didem POLAT; Mehmet DIKSAN; Ismail Demircioglu
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2015-12-29
Filing date: 2015-12-29
Publication date: 2018-11-07
Also published as: TR201617789A2; WO2017114554A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cutlery basket (1) comprising a body (2) wherein cutlery items (I) are placed, which body (2) has at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) that are designed to be inserted one into the other and that provide the volume of the body (2) to be increased/decreased when moved with respect to each other.

Description

A CUTLERY BASKET FOR DISHWASHERS AND A DISHWASHER COMPRISING A CUTLERY BASKET

The present invention relates to a cutlery basket intended to be used in dishwashers and to a dishwasher comprising such cutlery basket.
In dishwashers, cutlery baskets are used that provide cutlery and small volume items to be washed. In order to best meet the need of the users, the cutlery basket should provide flexibility of configuration, depending on the amount of cutlery to be cleaned. When the cutlery basket cannot be entirely filled, in fact, the empty places of the cutlery basket occupy unnecessary space inside the dishwasher and prevent the loading of other items. On the other hand, when more pieces of cutlery are desired to be washed, the cutlery basket should provide a sufficient capacity to hold all of them, since arranging cutlery items into the dishwasher rack entails the risk that such items could fall out the rack, onto the dishwasher base, by passing through the rack wires.
In the state of the art cutlery baskets are known having a variable configuration in order to provide a variable storage volume that can be adapted to the specific need of the user.
The European patent application n. EP2292140A1 discloses for instance a cutlery basket having a horizontally variable size and comprising to this aim two parts which are telescopically movable with respect to each other along longitudinal guides that are provided on the side walls and on the bottom wall of the parts.
After some times of use, however, due to dirt deposits on the guides or to wearing of the guides, the relative movement of the two parts is not smooth, so that the user encounter difficulties in adjusting the size of the basket.
An objective of the present invention is the realization of a variable sized cutlery basket, used for placing items like forks, knives and spoons in a dishwasher, which is easy to be used even after long time of use and the realization of a dishwasher allowing a better management of the space inside the tub.
This objective has been achieved by the cutlery basket as defined in claim 1, and by the dishwasher as defined in claim 13. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined in the dependent claims.
The cutlery basket realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention comprises two or more storing units rotatably connected to a shaft and movable with respect to each other by rotating around the shaft, so that their reciprocal movement is particularly easy to be actuated and it is not likely to be negatively affected by possible dirt deposits or wear of the parts of the basket.
In an embodiment, the body of the basket has substantially the shape of a solid of revolution and, in a version of this embodiment, it has a substantially cylindrical shape, with each of the storing units having the shape of a cylindrical sector.
According to an embodiment, the storing units are designed to be all completely insertable into a largest one of them, to minimize the overall dimensions of the body of the basket in the fully shrunk configuration.
In an embodiment, the largest storing unit or the smallest storing unit comprises a radial wall for maintaining within the basket possible small objects placed in it.
According to another embodiment, each of the storing units comprises a cover preferably fixed to a side wall of the same storing unit.
In a version of this embodiment, the cover has a plurality of apertures arranged to be aligned with the apertures of the other storing units when the latter are completely inserted one into the other, so that the cutlery items can be arranged in such apertures and kept separated during the washing program to improve their cleaning efficieny.
According to an embodiment the storing units have abutting means for stopping the insertion of the storing units one into the other.
In a version of this embodiment, the abutting means comprises a tab protruding from one of the storing units for abutting against the remaining storing units when completely inserted into them.
In another embodiment, the storing units have dragging means for preventing them from entirely separating from each other when the user pulls them and, in a further embodiment, they have fastening means for securing the smallest storing unit to the largest storing unit when the body is arranged in the fully extended configuration, thus preventing the body to change configuration while being handles by the user.
In an embodiment, the basket comprises a handle connected to the shaft.
The invention relates also to a dishwasher comprising a cutlery basket as above specified.
A cutlery basket realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:
Figure 1 – is a perspective view of a cutlery basket according to the present invention in a fully extended configuration.
Figure 2 – is a perspective view of a cutlery basket according to the present invention in a partially extended configuration.
Figure 3 – is a perspective view of a cutlery basket according to the present invention in a different partially extended configuration.
Figure 4 – is a perspective view of a cutlery basket according to the present invention in a fully shrunk configuration.
Figure 5 – is a perspective view of a cutlery basket according to the present invention in a fully extended configuration, with cutlery items placed on it.
The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Cutlery basket
Body
Largest storing unit
Intermediate storing unit
Smallest storing unit
Shaft
Base
Side wall
Radial wall
Cover
Apertures
Abutting means
Fastening means
Handle

The cutlery basket 1 is intended to be used in dishwashers for the purpose of providing items I of cutlery such as spoons, forks, knives etc. to be placed in an effective washing position.
The cutlery basket 1 comprises a body 2 wherein cutlery items I to be cleaned are placed. The body 2 has two or more storing units 3, 4, 5 that are designed to be inserted one into the other and that provide the volume of the body 2 to be increased/decreased when moved with respect to each other.
The cutlery basket 1 according to the invention further comprises a shaft 6 and the storing units 3, 4, 5 are rotatably connected to the shaft 6 and movable with respect to each other by rotating around the shaft 6.
More in detail, the body 2 comprises a largest storing unit 3, a smallest storing unit 5 and, preferably, one or more intermediate storing unit 4, that are connected to the shaft 6. In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the body 2 comprises two intermediate storing units 4. The overall dimensions of the storing units 3, 4, 5 gradually decrease from the largest storing unit 3 to the smallest storing unit 5, so that each of the storing unit can be inserted in the adjacent bigger storing unit and the smallest storing unit 5 and the intermediate storing units 4 can all be inserted into the largest storing unit 3.
By rotation of the storing units 3, 4, 5 around the shaft 6, the configuration of the body 2 is changeable between a fully extended configuration, illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, in which the storing units 3, 4, 5 are disposed in sequence one adjacent to the other around the shaft 6, which is substantially centrally located, and a fully shrunk configuration, illustrated in Figure 4, in which the storing unit 3, 4, 5 are inserted one into the other, so that the body 2 has the minimum overall dimensions. By arranging the storing units 3, 4, 5 to be partially inserted one into the other the configuration of the body 2 is changeable into a plurality of different partially extended configurations, as for instance the ones illustrated in the attached Figures 2 and 3.
The cutlery basket 1 according to the invention allows an easy and quick adjustment of the relative position of the storing units 3, 4, 5 by simply rotating them around the shaft 6. This allows to modify the volume occupied by the body 2 of the cutlery basket 1 on the rack of the dishwasher according to the effective need, i.e. according to the amount of items of cutlery that has to be placed on the basket 1 in order to be cleaned. The relative movement by rotation of the storing units 3, 4, 5 according to the invention is less probable to be affected by dirt and wear than the relative movement by translation along longitudinal guides of the storing units of the baskets according to the prior art. Therefore, the relative movement of the storing unit 3, 4, 5 of the basket 1 according to the invention will continue to be smooth and easily carried out by the user even after long time of use of the dishwasher and of the cutlery basket 1.
According to an embodiment, the body 2, when in the fully extended configuration, has substantially the shape of a solid of revolution. This allows to minimize the difference on the dimensions of adjacent storing units 3, 4, 5 in order to provide for the storing units to be insert one into the other, thus ensuring a better exploitation of the volume occupied by the body 2 of the basket 1.
In a derivative of this embodiment, the body 2 of the cutlery basket 1, when in the fully extended configuration, has substantially a cylindrical shape and each of the storing units 3, 4, 5 has the shape of a cylindrical sector, i.e. of a slice of cylinder obtained by dividing the circular base into sectors.
In the specific embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, for instance, the storing units 3, 4, 5 have all the same shape of a cylindrical sector, neglecting the difference on the dimensions for allowing the insertion of the storing units 3, 4, 5 one into the other.
In a further embodiment, the storing units 3, 4 and 5 are designed such that the smallest storing unit 5 and the intermediate units 4 are all completely insertable into the largest storing unit 3, as illustrated in Figure 4. This allows to minimize the volume occupied by the body 2 in the fully shrunk configuration.
Each of the storing units 3, 4, 5 comprises in particular a base 7 and one or more side wall 8. Preferably, the base 7 and the wall or walls 8 are realized as a one-piece element. According to an embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, each storing unit 3, 4, 5 comprises a curved side wall 8, extending substantially perpendicular from the base 7. The side wall or walls 8 delimit a containment volume wherein the cutlery items I can be placed.
In an embodiment, the largest storing unit 3 or the smallest storing unit 5 further comprises a radial containment wall 9. Such radial wall 9 at least partially closes one of the extremity of the body 2 when the latter is disposed in a partially extended configuration or in the fully shrunk configuration, as illustrated on Figure 4. The presence of the radial wall 9 allows to place small items to be cleaned into the body 2 of the cutlery basket 1, such as for instance cap of jars, pacifiers etc., without incurring the risk that such items could drop off the basket 1 during the cleaning operation of the dishwasher.
In an embodiment, each of the storing units 3, 4, 5 further comprises a cover 10. The presence of the cover 10 contributes, with the side wall 8, on defining a containment volume of the body 2 where small items can be safely placed.
In a version of this embodiment, illustrated in the attached figures, the cover 10 is fixed to the side wall or walls 8. In particular, the base 7, the side wall or walls 8 and the cover 10 of each of the storing units 3, 4, 5 can be advantageously realized as a one-piece element thus rendering more easy the production process.
The base 7 and the cover 10 extend preferably substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the side wall or walls 8.
According to the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, each storing unit 3, 4, 5 is rotatably connected, and in particular hinged, to the shaft 6 at its base 7 and cover 10. This provide to the body 2 a better stability during the rotation of the storing units 3, 4, 5 around the shaft 6 and during the loading and unloading operations of the cutlery basket 1.
In an embodiment, not illustrated, the cover 10 consists only on a frame delimiting a through hole through which the cutlery items I can be inserted in the storing unit 3, 4 or 5, resting on its base 7.
In a different embodiment, illustrated in the attached figures, the cover 10 of each of the storing units 3, 4, 5 has a plurality of apertures 11. The apertures 11 are arranged on the covers 10 of the storing units 3, 4, 5 so as to be aligned with the correspondent apertures 11 on the covers 10 of the further storing units 3, 4, 5 when the latter are completely inserted one into the other. The cutlery items I are hence placeable each on a different aperture 11 of the cover 10 of the storing units 3, 4, 5 to be maintained separated one from the other during the washing operation, so as to ensure a better cleaning. In particular, in a version of this embodiment, the cover 10 is substantially grid shaped. Preferably the base 7 and the side wall or walls 8 as well are grid shaped or at least provided with a plurality of openings, for allowing the washing liquid to penetrate into the body 2 and reach the cutlery items I to be cleaned.
In an embodiment, the storing units 3, 4, 5 have abutting means 12 for stopping the insertion of the storing units 3, 4, 5 one into the other. This allows the user to more easily move the storing units 3, 4, 5 toward the fully extended configuration, once they have been inserted one into the other.
In a version of this embodiment, the abutting means 12 comprises a tab protruding from one of the ending storing units, i.e. either from the largest or from the smallest storing unit 3 or 5, for abutting against the remaining storing units when completely inserted into them. More in detail, if the tab is provided on the smallest storing unit 5, it is arranged so as to protrude outward, as illustrated in Figure 4, in order to interfere with the base 7, a side wall 8 or the cover 10 of the remaining bigger storing units 3 and 4.
Differently, if the tab is provided on the largest storing unit 3, it is arranged so as to protrude inward, in order to interfere with the base 7, a side wall 8 or the cover 10 of the remaining smaller storing units 4 and 5.
In an embodiment, the storing units 3, 4, 5 have dragging means (not illustrated) for preventing them from entirely separating from each other and for allowing each of the storage units to drag the adjacent storing unit when pulled by the user. Thus, the user is prevented from separating the storing units 3, 4, 5 from each other unintentionally while moving them toward the fully extended configuration. Moreover, the adjustment of the storing units 3, 4 and 5 in the desired configuration is rendered easier.
In a version of this embodiment, the dragging means comprises a hooked element or rim arranged on each of the storing units 3, 4 and 5 and intended to engage with a counterportion of the adjacent storing unit to drag it when it is pulled by a user.
According to an embodiment, the storing units 3, 4, 5 further have fastening means 13 for securing the body 2 in the fully extended configuration. This allows to handle more comfortably the cutlery basket 1 in the fully extended configuration during the loading and unloading operations of the basket 1.
The fastening means 13, according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, comprise a pin arranged on the cover 10 (as illustrated in Figure 4), on the base 7 or on one of the side walls 8 of the largest storing unit 3 or of the smallest storing unit 5, extending respectively toward the smallest storing unit 5 or the largest storing unit 3 in the direction of connection of them, and having a protrusion almost perpendicular to the direction of movement, intended to engage with the other storing unit for preventing the largest storing unit 3 and the smallest storing unit 5 from getting separated. Consequently, the storing units 3, 4, 5 cannot accidently separate from each other and convenience of use is provided.
In another embodiment, the cutlery basket 1 comprises a handle 14 connected to the shaft 6, for allowing the user to easily grasp and carry the cutlery basket 1.
It is an object of the present invention also a dishwasher comprising a cutlery basket 1 as above described.
With the present invention, the cutlery basket 1 has been enabled to be easily adapted by the user to the specific amount of cutlery items I that have to be washed, thus ensuring an optimal exploitation of the space in the rack where the cutlery basket 1 is placed. Moreover, the cutlery basket 1 has been enabled to be easily handled by the user, even after long use.

Claims

A cutlery basket (1) comprising a body (2) wherein cutlery items (I) are placed, which body (2) has at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) that are designed to be inserted one into the other and that provide the volume of the body (2) to be increased/decreased when moved with respect to each other,

characterized in that it further comprises a shaft (6) and in that the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) are rotatably connected to the shaft (6) and movable with respect to each other by rotating around the shaft (6).
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the body (2) has substantially the shape of a solid of revolution.
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 2, characterized in that the body (2) has substantially a cylindrical shape and each of the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) has the shape of a cylindrical sector.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) comprise a largest storing unit (3), a smallest storing unit (5) and, preferably, at least one intermediate storing unit (4).
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 4, characterized in that the storing units (4, 5), other than the largest storing unit (3), are designed to be all completely insertable into the largest storing unit (3).
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 4, characterized in that the largest storing unit (3) or the smallest storing unit (5) comprises a radial wall (9).
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) comprises a cover (10).
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 6, characterized in that each of the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) comprises at least one side wall (8) and the cover (10) is fixed to the at least one side wall (8).
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the cover (10) of each of the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) has a plurality of apertures (11), the apertures (11) being arranged on the covers (10) of the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) so as to be aligned when the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) are completely inserted one into the other.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storing units (3, 4, 5) have abutting means (12) for stopping the insertion of the at least two storing units (3, 4, 5) one into the other.
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 9, characterized in that the abutting means (12) comprises a tab protruding from one of the storing units (3, 4, 5) for abutting against the remaining storing units (3, 4, 5) when completely inserted into them.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storing units (3, 4, 5) have dragging means for preventing them from entirely separating from each other.
A cutlery basket (1) as in Claim 4, characterized in that the storing units (3, 4, 5) have fastening means (13) for securing the smallest storing unit (5) to the largest storing unit (3) when the body (2) is arranged in the fully extended configuration.
A cutlery basket (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a handle (14) connected to the shaft (6).
A dishwasher characterized in that it comprises a cutlery basket (1) as in any of the preceding claims.