JPH0316593Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to equipment used in the restaurant and food service industry, and more particularly:
This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning flat tableware items for reuse, such as forks, knives, and spoons.

In the food service industry, it is common practice to shock knives, forks, and spoons with their handles down in tall perforated plastic scoops after soaking and removing large food accumulations. . The flatware tip is then run through a conventional dishwasher to complete the cleaning. however,
Individual pieces of flatware have a tendency to mask adjacent pieces in the shop, so that high-pressure cleaning and rinsing sprays can remove food stains,
Alternatively, it prevents substances from the user's mouth from reaching many contaminated surfaces. Spoons are particularly susceptible to undesirable stacking, and the inner edges of the fork teeth form a relatively inaccessible potential contamination area. Furthermore, the pressure washing spray in a conventional dishwasher is directed approximately axially at the flat dishware being shocked;
In that configuration it has a tendency to undesirably "lock" the stacked pieces, thus completely ruining thorough cleaning. Furthermore, research has shown that freshly cleaned hospital flatware is often sufficiently harboring microorganisms and harboring a diverse plant population to cause disease transmission. Flat tableware in restaurants also poses a similar source of infectious diseases.

The present invention provides an agitating motion to flat tableware items that have been given a shot in a perforated cup or holder to maximize exposure of the flat tableware surfaces to cleaning and rinsing sprays and drying air. The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by constructing a flat dishwashing apparatus. The present invention is designed to completely expose the food-contact surfaces to the cleaning action on flat tableware items.
A device is provided for selectively lifting the flatware pieces within the cup.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for cleaning flatware.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for both effective washing and drying of flatware.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a flatware washing apparatus that enhances the exposure of food-contacting surfaces of flatware pieces to cleaning action.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description.

Referring now to the details of the drawings, and with particular reference to FIG.
4. A cabinet or housing 12 containing a wash water storage chamber 16 and a mechanical equipment chamber 18, the chambers 14, 16 and 18 being stacked vertically to minimize the floor space of the apparatus. Access to the wash chamber 14 is through a loading door 20 which is swing mounted on hinges 22 and is provided with a handle 24 for convenience of use. The inlet water used for rinsing and mixing with the sanitary material in the tank of chamber 16 is routed through conduit or line 26.
A stationary standpipe 28 is provided which enters through and maintains a predetermined liquid level in the chamber 16, and which drains directly into a drain line 30. The standpipe also serves to skim loose debris from the surface of the cleaning liquid in chamber 16, and advantageously acts as a butthole, which happens to be included in the flatware being sanitized in chamber 14. A slidingly removable screen drawer 32 is inserted between chambers 14 and 16 to collect large spills.

Recirculation pump 34 draws cleaning liquid from chamber 16 via inlet line 36 and supplies it under pressure to the cleaning spray via recirculation line 38. Pump 34 is driven by an electric motor and has a handle (not shown) attached to shaft 44.
Inlet cleaning fluid is received from line 36 via a valve 42 which is manually regulated by the inlet cleaning fluid.

A starter button 46 is provided for selectively electrically energizing the motor 40 and other electrically energized devices in the system, and a starter button 46 is provided for selectively electrically energizing the motor 40 and other electrically energized devices in the system. To detect and display each temperature level,
Temperature gauges 48 and 50 are provided. Additionally, a blower 52 is provided at the top of the cabinet, the air inlet 54 of which is openly exposed.
Blower 52 includes an electrically operated fan motor and suitably positioned blades to supply dry air to the flatware being sanitized in chamber 14. Conventional control circuitry is provided to operate the blower intermittently after the wash and rinse cycles are completed.

Referring to the side view of the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. A perforated tip with a top form 56 is used to hold a plurality of flat cutlery pieces 60 in a substantially vertical position with the handle down and subject to shock. In order to arrange the platform 56 at a certain angle from the horizontal, the cabinet 1
2 and tightened into the chamber 14. In the embodiment described, the platform is disk-shaped and is fixed to a central shaft 64, which is free to rotate in a bearing unit 66. When the tip, that is, the holder 58 is tilted at an angle as shown above, due to its rotation, due to the influence of gravity,
Within that area, the flatware pieces 60 cascade.

The device 10 thus includes a drive for rotating the perforated tip, and in the disclosed embodiment the drive 68 advantageously includes a pair of resilient rollers 70, each roller 70 having a and are spaced a suitable horizontal distance to engage the tip at spaced points on one side of the tip's diameter. Shaft 72 freely rotates in bearings 74 attached to bracket 62. Shaft 7
2 is journalled at its upper end into a bracket which is fastened to the cabinet wall of the housing 2. A pinion gear is mounted on each of the shafts 72, and these pinions engage a common worm 80, which is rotated by a suitable electric motor (not shown).

Cop or holder 58 and drive roller 70
A pair of resiliently spaced idler rollers 82 are secured to the door 2 by respective shafts 84 and C-shaped brackets 86 to ensure driving engagement between the door 2 and the door 2.
rotatably mounted on the inner surface of 0.
There, after a cup filled with flatware is placed on the platform 56 and the door is closed and locked in the closed position, the idler roller 82 is engaged and resiliently forces the cup 58. Hey, roller 70
into driving engagement.

Chamber 14 also houses an overhead wash spray unit 88 and an overhead rinse spray unit 90, each connected to recirculation line 3 via appropriately cycled valves (not shown).
8 and to the inlet water line 26. With continued reference to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG.
As shown in the figure, from the top of the flatware piece's passage generally downwardly, during the path of the flatware piece which is cascading;
It is positioned to direct a knife-like fan jet 94 of cleaning and sanitizing fluid. So arranged, the cleaning nozzle 92 cooperates with the rotation imparted to the tip 58 in the direction of the arrow 95 in FIG. to achieve full surface contact and avoid shading and nesting, which would have the opposite effect due to relative movement of the flatware pieces in the jet of cleaning and sanitizing fluid. . By pressurizing the fluid supplied from the nozzle 92, the effectiveness of the flatware piece separation and subsequent cleaning action is increased.

The rinse spray unit 90 is equipped with a nozzle,
It is positioned to direct a jet 98 of heated rinse water from inlet line 26 away from the path of the jet of cleaning fluid and into the generally orbiting flat dishware pieces. Conveniently, the rinse jet 98 is located closer to the diameter of the spout 58 than the cleaning and sanitizing fluid jet 94, as shown in FIG. As will be appreciated, conventional equipment is provided for properly cycling the operations of the cleaning spray unit 88 and the rinse spray unit 90.

Heated air from blower 52 also flows from blower outlet 99 to spray units 88 and 9.
During the part of the cycle where 0 is not activated, tap 5
The flow is cycled approximately in the axial direction of the flat dishware piece in 8. This axial air flow is
It has a tendency to blow excess water droplets onto the handles of flat tableware where water droplets are less of a problem. Because the top 58 and flatware 60 are rotated, the blower and water jet may be stationary rather than rotating.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4-6.
The fourth to
Elements of the embodiment of Figure 6 are designated with like reference numerals with a suffix "a" and thus:
Elements related to the fourth to sixth embodiments were distinguished.

The flat dishwashing apparatus 10a is characterized by the provision of a lifting platform 100, which is shown in FIG.
A first retracted position for the flatware piece 60a and a second elevation, shown in FIG. It is located within the tip 58a for movement between positions. Lifting platform 100 advantageously comprises the bottom of an insert 102 in the form of a cylindrical tip, the bottom lifting platform also advantageously being bored with drain holes 104 in a suitable pattern. Furthermore, the insert member 102 is sized to freely slide axially within the tip 58a.

To define a mechanical top stop for the insert member 102, a suitable number of radially inwardly projecting, equally arcuately spaced vanes 106 are tightened to the inner wall of the stop 58a to generally extend the longitudinal direction. The bottom end 108 of the vane 106 extends and defines a mechanical stop for the insert member at a distance from the bottom of the top that typically raises the flatware piece about an inch around the rim of the top. do. Other types of stops may be used in place of vanes 106. However, the use of vanes that project radially inward and extend longitudinally,
It is advantageous in that it generally aids in transmitting rotational forces to the various flatware pieces in order to facilitate the agitation movement of the flatware pieces. Regardless of their form, these upper stops maintain the assembly of the stop and the insert and prevent undesired loss of the insert during general handling.

According to another feature of the device 10a, the platform 56a is statically mounted and it is located in the hole 110.
, which freely passes a vertically reciprocating and rotationally driven shaft 112 that engages the tip 58a. Cooperatively, the rotary shaft 112 is shaped like a rectangular cross-section, and the bottom of the tip holder 58a is drilled with a fitting keyway 114, so that the shaft 112
The end of the shaft is received, and rotational force is applied from this shaft to the tip holder 58a. In such a case,
Each roller that engages the outer surface of the tip holder results in an evenly spaced idler. If it is desired to lift the insert, a suitable mechanical device, such as a rack-and-pinion arrangement (not shown), is actuated to fann the flatware or spray them. , advances the shaft 112 to lift the insertion member. The opposite actuation lowers the shaft.

The device 10a is in particular a first upper spray device 1
16, which includes:
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tip holder 58
It is generally focused downward towards the lip of a and from upstream relative to the rotation as shown in FIG. Second spray device 118
is focused generally upwardly towards the lip of the top holder 58a, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, whereupon the food in the flat utensil, in the raised position, as shown in FIG. Make maximum contact with contact surfaces and direct the jet of cleaning fluid.
Additionally, the second spray device 118 is positioned rotationally after the spray device 116 to create a relatively quiet area between the two spray devices with reduced relative movement of the flatware. This is because the transition of a flatware piece from such a relatively quiet area to a disturbed area caused by an impinging jet of cleaning fluid exposes the food-contacting surfaces of the flatware to the cleaning action. This is because it was found to improve As understood, the spray device 1
18 and the spray device 116 in the direction of rotation of the tip, in a large arc transition, there is a secondary quiet region. With continued reference to FIG. 6, it has been found advantageous to space the spray devices 116 and 118 equidistant and oppositely from the axial plane bisecting the tip holder 58a. Thus, it tends to balance the effects of the jet spray force onto the tip holder 58a.

An upper stop 122 is advantageously mounted on the shaft 112 and the elastomeric bumper 1
24 and a backup plate 126, the bumper 124 resiliently engages the platform 56a in the raised position of the insert member 102. Additionally, the described positioning of the several spray devices 116 and 118 in the flat dishwasher 10a positions the platform 56a horizontally and places the top holder 58a in a convenient vertical position.

As will be appreciated, the flatware lifting system described above serves to unfold the flatware loaded into the top or holder 58a. This fanning effect is particularly important for proper cleaning of the dishware when the soiled dishware is initially tightly packed into the holder by kitchen personnel.

The drawings and foregoing description are not intended to depict the only form of the invention as to details of construction and method of operation. Although changes in form and proportions of portions or equivalent substitutions may be made under the circumstances or as convenience may require the use of specific terminology, they may differ from the original and descriptive terminology. This is intended for sense only and not in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is set forth in the claims of the utility model registration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flat dishwashing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a flat dishwashing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. , an enlarged side view of a section through the cleaning chamber of a conventional device; FIG. 3 is a scaled perspective view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of a tip holder incorporating a lifting insert according to the invention, the lifting insert being shown in its retracted position; FIG.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing the lifting insert in its raised position to expose the food-contacting surface of the flat tableware article to a jet of cleaning fluid; and Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4; 5 is a plan view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; FIG. 10...Flat type dishwashing device, 12...Housing, 14...Flat type dishwashing chamber, 16...Washing water storage chamber, 18...Mechanical device chamber,
20...Loading door, 30...Drainage line,
34...Recirculation pump, 36...Inlet line, 5
2... Blower, 56... Rotatable platform, 58... Cup (holder), 60... Flat tableware piece, 70... Roller, 72... Shaft,
74... Bearing, 80... Worm, 88...
...Washing spray unit, 90...Rinsing spray unit, 92, 96...Nozzle, 94, 98
... Jet, 100 ... Lifting platform, 102 ... Insert member, 106 ... Vane, 1
12... Rotating shaft, 116... First spray device, 118... Second spray device, 122
...Top stop.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A cylindrical cup for holding a plurality of flat tableware pieces, a device for rotating the cup and a device for supporting the cup, and a cleaning device in the passageway of the flat tableware piece. a spray device for directing a jet of fluid; a first retracted position for the flat dishware disposed within the cup; and a first retracted position for the flat dishware piece;
Lift the contact surface above the lip of the tip,
a lifting platform that facilitates movement between the lifting platform and a second raised position fully exposed to said jet, said lifting platform being displaceable to positions other than said first and second positions; A flat dishwasher that is selectively activated.