GB2132881A - Dishwashing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A dishwashing machine 60 comprises rotatable cleaning elements 32, 33, 38, 39, 37, 46 of different sizes and shapes covered with soft material e.g. sponge, wool or cloth and arranged confronting each other. Bowls, dishes or the like to be cleaned are passed one at a time through the space between pairs of cleaning elements. A cutlery tub 8 which can be swung back and forth so as to clean the cutlery may also be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Washing apparatus This invention relates to washing apparatus for kitchenware, crockery, cutlery and the like.

Although the average family has many electrical appliances, there is still no advantageous machine for washing kitchenware, dishes, cutlery and the like in a time-saving and convenient mode. Usually, the bowls or dishes used after the daily meals have to be washed manually. Since the bowls or dishes and cutlery from meals are often coated with grease or oil, it takes time and manpower to wash them.

Crockery may be dropped as a result of being too greasy to grasp. The person who washes the dishes is also liable to suffer from rough hands. Therefore, people have become unwilling to wash the dishes.

Currently, there are dish-washing machines on the market; however these tend to be large and occupy much kitchen space, as well as being expensive such that the average family cannot afford one. The washing is usually done with "shake and swing" methods. One known dish-washing machines uses a metal brush, which is liable to cause the chinaware bowls or dishes to break and or not to be washed effectively.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the drawbacks of conventional washing machines.

According to the invention I propose washing apparatus as defined in claim 1. The main feature of the washing machine in the present invention comprises a number of brush wheels covered with sponge, or other soft washable material, and arranged in e.g. a row. By the bowls or dishes passing through the space between the brush wheels, the washing work is done. Then, the bowls or dishes are dropped smoothly into a water tank. Further, the cutlery may also be put into a tub that can swing back and forth to agitate the cutlery for the purpose of washing.

Another feature of the present invention is that the brush wheels are covered with sponge or similar, and arranged to confront one another, spaced apart.

Upon the bowls or dishes passing through the space between the brush wheels, the inner and outer surface of the bowls or dishes will be washed cleanly.

A further feature of the present invention is that the whole machine may be made small so as to take up little space, and it may be made inexpensively.

An embodiment of the invention is described by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a top view of the inner structure of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the inner structure of the present invention; Figure 3 is an inner structure for washing dishes in the present invention; Figure 4 shows a series of steps of washing with the present invention; Figure 5 is a view of dishes after being washed in the present invention; Figure 6 is the outer view of the present invention; Figure 7 shows the inner structure in detail of the present invention; Figure 8 shows a clamp in theprnsent invention to be used for picking up the bowl or dish; and Figure 9 shows a series of steps of picking up a dish with the clamp in the present invention Referring to Figure 1, there is shown the machine body,1, in which six brush wheels are installed, and are divided into three pairs of different sized wheels facing each other and spaced apart. The central brush wheels 32,33 are made of sponge 30 (other soft material e.g. wool or cloth) in a conical shape with a hole in the#centrn, which is fixed with two pads 34 and 35 and a screw 36. The big brush wheel 32 has a maximum diameter of about 30 cm, and a thickness of about 15 cm; the sponge 30 of said wheel 32 may have an axial extension of about 16 cm. All bowls that have a diameter ranging from 16 to 30 cm, regardless of depth, may be washed with the big brush wheel 32.The smaller brush wheel 33 has a maximum diameter of about 16 cm, and a thickness of about 15 cm, and its sponge 30 portion has an axial extension of about 8 cm; therefore, all bowls that have a diameter ranging from 8 to 16 cm may be washed with the smaller brush wheel 33. The other two sets of brush wheels, 46,37, and 38,39 are auxiliary brush wheels for washing the left and right sides and the circumference of bowls of various sizes and depth. At the end of each said brush wheels, a round fixing piece 51 is mounted, and the sponge 30 is sleeved over the axle, and is fixed against said fixing piece 51, which is fixed with a screw 36; the whole assembly forms a hollow cone.

Upon the motor driving the belt wheel 14, the adjacent belt wheel 15 will drive the belt wheel 16to drive the brush wheel 33, and simultaneouslyto drive the brush wheel 39 thru belt wheel 17 and 18.

Upon the motor running, the axle 13 will also drive the belt wheel 19 to rotate the brush wheel 46, and to rotate the brush wheel 32 via belt wheels 19 and 53, and to rotate the brush wheel 38 via belt wheels 54 and 55. Briefly, all the brush wheels are rotating at the same time with the flexible sponges so as to wash bowls and dishes disposed therebetween.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a cutlery washing machine mounted at one side in front of the machine body 60. The said machine is furnished with an eccentric wheel 6 to drive an arm 7. One end of said arm is fixed to the eccentric wheel 6, while the other end is fixed, with a screw, to a lug 79 beside the cutlery tub 8, which is rectangular in shape with a number of small holes 81. In the cutlery tub 8, a pressing plate 21, made of stainless steel, is provided to prevent the cutlery therein from floating or slanting. At each side of the cutlery tub, there is a positioning plate 3, to which one end of the tub 8 is fixed. Between the pressing plate 21, a rod 5 is furnished vertically; at the lower end of the rod 5, a lifting plate 59 is attached, and at the top of said rod 5, a handle 27 is mounted so that the cutlery can be put in or lifted out of the tub 8.The space between the pressing plate 21 and the lifting plate 59 is longer than the length of chopsticks so as to let the cutlery in the tub 8 have more space to move.

In washing cutlery, pour some detergent on the cutlery first, and put the cutlery into the tub 8. Then, turn on the small motor 9 to turn, through a transmission belt, the eccentric wheel 6 and to move the arm 7 to swing the tub 8 back and forth in order to have the chopsticks washed by action on one another. The tub may be employed for any eating and cooking implements, including chopsticks.

Referring to Figure 3, there is shown the bowl or dish washing parts inside the machine. Upon turning on the small motor 9 (also shown in Figure 2) the belt wheel 14 will be driven to rotate the belt wheels 16 and 17 which will cause the brush wheels 32 and 33 to rotate respectively. Put the bowl or dish (or the like) between the middle pair of brush wheels 32 and 33 to wash the inside of the bowl or dish, i.e. the two sides of the bottom of bowl or dish, and let the brush wheels 37,46,38, and 39 wash the outer surface of the bowl or dish. Thus, the whole bowl or dish will be washed completely. Referring to Figure 4, there is shown, in (a), a bowl having a diameter over 16 cm being placed by hand between the two brush wheels.Then the bowl will be dropped and slipped over the brush wheel 32 to wash its inside surface, while the brush wheel 33 would wash the external bottom face of the bowls. Simultaneously, the other two sets of auxiliary brush wheels wash the sides of the outside of the bowl. Since the sponge is soft, the bowl or dish will not be held there longer than several seconds. Then, the bowl will be dropped from the brush wheels automatically as a result of its weight and the rotating force of the brush wheels as shown in (c). The whole bowl including the inner and outer surfaces has been washed.

If a small bowl to be washed has a diameter of 16 cm or less, put it between the brush wheels as shown in (d); that small bowl will automatically be mounted over smaller brush wheel 33 as shown in (e). Now, the brush wheel 33 washes the inner surface of that small bowl, and the brush wheel 32 washes the outer bottom of that small bowl, while the other two sets of auxiliary brush wheels will wash the rest of the outside of the bowl. Likewise, the small bowl can not be held between the brush wheel sponges more than a few seconds, and will be dropped automatically as a result of its own weight and the rotating force of the brush wheels as shown in (f). Most bowls have a diameter in the range 10 30 cm and so two wheels of different diameter can be used to cover the whole range e.g. the small wheel for 10 - 20 cm and the big wheel for 20 - 30 cm.

In washing dishes, a dish is pushed into the long space formed between the three sets of brush wheels as shown in (g). Then, the outside of the dish will be washed clean with the sponges on the wheels until the dish sinks down slowly as shown in (h). All the bowls or dishes to be washed may be done one by one by one in the same way.

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown washed bowls or dishes dropping automatically on the sloping plate 40 which is covered with a sponge pad 41. The plates fall into a water tank without being broken. In the water tank, a strainer-like basket 45 is furnished; on the top of the basket, there is a basket frame 66 with a connecting rod 47, of which one end is fixed to the basket frame 66, while the other end is fixed to the side of the machine body 60. Once the bowls or dishes have dropped into the basket, the basket is lifted up swinging the basket a couple of times to rinse the bowls or dishes in the clean water.

Referring to Figure 6, there is shown the outer appearance of a machine according to the present invention. At the corners underneath the body 60, castors 61 are mounted. On the top of the body 60, a top lid 62 with a handle 72 is furnished. At one side, a set of power supply switches 63 is provided, and the power supply wire 64 is storable on a hook 65. The water exhaust tube 76 is extending out from one side of the body. At the bottom of the front of the machine, there is a lid 74 with a handle 73, and the lid may be lifted frontwards.

Referring to Figure 7, there is shown the inside of the above machine. The used water is let out through the exhaust pipe 76. Detergent left on the brush wheels may be cleaned by idly running the machine. The cleaned items in the basket may be taken out whenever required from the basket.

The bowls or dishes and the like and the cutlery or other implements may be washed simultaneously with a small motor in one machine. This is practical and economical.

Referring to Figure 8, there is shown a clamp which can be used for picking up a bowl or the like.

The clamp 90 comprises: a clamp arm 91, of which the inwardly facing surface is provided with a rubber jaw 92; and a "A"-shaped handle 93; a movable rod 94 penetrating through a square aperture on the handle 93, and being furnished with a spring 95 of which one end is placed against the supporting arm 96. At the front end of the movable rod 94 a square jaw 97 with a sloping rubber jaw is furnished so as that a bowl or dish may be firmly held between the jaws. To pick up a bowl or dish for putting it into the washing machine, hold the handle 93 in the hand and press the handle inwards so as to have the movable rod 94 press the spring 95 which moves the square jaw 97 forwards so that the sloping rubber jaw 98 will touch the outer surface of the bowl or dish, while the rubber jaw 92 will touch the inner surface of the bowl or dish.

Referring to Figure 9, there is shown a series of the steps taken to transport a bowl or dish to the washing machine with the clamp. Conveniently, a bowl or dish may be picked up with the clamp when required and dropped into the machine, as shown in (a) to (c), between the brush wheels. This way will prevent the hands from being harmed by used water of detergent. In washing a smaller bowl, clamp it and put it between the brush wheels for washing as shown in steps (d) to (f). The machine according to this invention is, thus, simple and convenient to use.

Claims (7)

1. Washing apparatus for washing kitchenware, dishes, cutlery and the like comprising a housing including a plurality of pairs of differently sized, confronting and automatically rotatable members, which are spaced apart for passage therebetween of an item to be washed so as to wash substantially the whole of the inner and outer surfaces of the item, and soft material is mounted on the rotatable members for contacting and cleaning an item.

2. Washing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, having a container disposed within, for holding cutlery and the like and water, connected to a motor-controlled eccentric wheel by a movable arm so that the container can be rocked repeatedly to clean the cutlery.

3. Washing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rotatable members and the eccentric wheel of the cutlery container are motorcontrolled via belt-drive means.

4. Washing apparatus according to claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the rotatable members and the eccentric wheel of the cutlery container are operable simultaneously.

5. Washing apparatus according to any preceding claim, including a clamp for transporting the or each item to be washed and depositing the same into the machine between the rotatable members.

6. Washing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the clamp includes a pair of jaws which are for gripping an item to be washed and movable relative to one another by means of a spring-biassed rod which is movable longitudinally by a handle.

7. Washing apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any of the drawings.