GB2356131A

GB2356131A - Sealing arrangement in dishwasher with slide out washing compartment

Info

Publication number: GB2356131A
Application number: GB0027901A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ugo Favret
Original assignee: Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA; Electrolux Zanussi SpA
Current assignee: Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA; Electrolux Zanussi SpA
Priority date: 1999-11-15
Filing date: 2000-11-15
Publication date: 2001-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 2020-11-15
Also published as: GB2356131B; DE20019149U1; FR2800981A1; ES1047215U; GB0027901D0; FR2800981B1; ITPN990046U1; ES1047215Y; IT248152Y1; ITPN990046V0

Abstract

A dishwasher with a washing enclosure 5 which is in the form of a pull out drawer [pulls out to the left in fig.1], is provided with a sealing gasket 12 for the top edge of the compartment. The gasket 12 is hollow and is connected to a fluid filled container 14. When the drawer is out the container is expanded and the gasket is not inflated by the fluid. When the drawer is pushed in it contacts the container 14 and compresses it, thus forcing fluid into the gasket to cause it the expand a seal around the rim of the drawer/compartment.

Description

2356131 DISHWASHER The present invention relates to a dishwasher,

particularly but not exclusively to a dishwasher having a casing with one or more pull-out drawers each of which forms a 5 separate dishwasher when in the closed position.

A dishwasher of this latter type is described in US-A-5,470,142. In this reference, the drawer-type washing enclosure is accessible, when pulled out, through an upper opening whose edge is required to form a seal with the casing when the drawer is retracted or closed. This is achieved by means of an elevating mechanism which operates to form a seal when the drawer is fully closed. This solution is undesirably complicated and prone to mechanical jamming.

There is also a known way of interposing between the upper edge of the drawer and the casing a gasket. This gasket is inflated, in order to provide the necessary seal, when the drawer is in the closed position and the machine is turned on. In particular, the gasket is inflated by means of a small motor-driven compressor which is switched on by the machine's controller. This solution is also unsatisfactory because it requires fragile and expensive additional components.

According to the present invention there is provided a dishwasher comprising at least one washing enclosure in the form of a drawer which can be pulled out of a casing, the drawer having an opening between whose edge and a surface of the casing there is interposed a normally deflated hollow gasket which can be inflated to form a seal when the drawer is in a position retracted into the casing, wherein the gasket is connected to at least one fluid- containing container which is normally expanded when the drawer is in a pulledout position, the container being arranged to be deformed when the drawer is moved into its retracted position so as to displace a volume of fluid from the container to cause inflation of the gasket.

The hereinafter described and illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a dishwasher with a washing enclosure of the pull-out drawer type which can be sealed with a particularly simple, economical, reliable and efficient sealing system.

A preferred embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is a schematic lateral section through one embodiment of the 5 invention; Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail of the area in Figure I identified by a circle; Figure 3 shows the detail of Figure 2 in a different operating condition.

With reference to the figures, the preferred embodiment of dishwasher principally comprises a casing 4 with at least one washing enclosure 5 of the type made in the form of a pull-out drawer. For this purpose, the drawer 5 is to be understood as being slidable horizontally with respect to the casing 4 by means of sliding guides which are known and are not shown. Additionally, the enclosure 5 houses, in a known way (for example as described in the cited US-A-5,470,142) a set of operating members such as at least one rack 6 for utensils and at least one associated water spray arm 7.

The drawer-type enclosure 5 is also provided with a closable front panel 8.

When the drawer is pulled out from the casing 4, the washing enclosure is accessible through an upper opening 9 whose edge 10 is adjacent to an inner surface 11 of the casing 4.

A gasket, made preferably in the form of a perimetric air chamber 12 which is elastic and/or is made, for example, in the form of a bellows, is interposed between the edge 10 of the enclosure 5 and the surface 11 of the casing.

The chamber 12 is connected by means of at least one duct 13 to a fluid containing container 14, which can also be made from elastic material such as rubber and/or can be bellows-shaped.

Preferably, the gasket is fixed to the surface 11 of the casing 4 and the container 14 is located against a rear inner wall 15 of the casing.

The chamber 12, the container 14 and the duct 13 preferably form a closed space filled with fluid, preferably air.

Owing to the characteristics of the material and/or shape, when the drawer 5 is in the substantially pulled-out position the container 14 is normally expanded and the gasket 12 is deflated, as shown in Figure 3. In these conditions, the gasket 12 is disengaged from the edge 10 of the washing enclosure and therefore does not interfere with sliding 5 movement of the drawer.

When the drawer 5 is moved into the closed or retracted position shown in Figures 1 and 2, during the final part of its sliding travel it compresses the container 14, reducing its volume. This reduction in volume displaces a quantity of the fluid from the container 14 into the gasket 12. This displaced fluid expands the gasket 12 to form an 10 effective seal between the surface 1-1 and the edge 10 of the washing enclosure.

When the drawer 5 is pulled out the container 14 and the gasket 12 return automatically to the condition shown in Figure 3.

Claims

1. A dishwasher comprising at least one washing enclosure in the form of a drawer which can be pulled out of a casing, the drawer having an opening between whose edge and a surface of the casing there is interposed a normally deflated hollow gasket which can be inflated to form a seal when the drawer is in a position retracted into the casing, wherein the gasket is connected to at least one fluid-containing container which is normally expanded when the drawer is in a pulled-out position, the container being arranged to be deformed when the drawer is moved into its retracted position so as to displace a volume of 10 fluid from the container to cause inflation of the gasket.

2. A dishwasher as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gasket is fixed to the said surface of the casing.

3. A dishwasher as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the container is positioned against a rear inner surface of the casing.

4. A dishwasher as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gasket and the container are interconnected by at least one duct and together form a closed 20 volume.

5. A dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drawer is arranged to deform the container, so as to inflate the gasket, during the final part of sliding movement of the drawer towards its retracted position. 25

6. A dishwasher substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.