US2799424A - Compartmented dishpan - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1957 R. D. GOOD 2,799,424

COMPARTMENTED DISHPAN 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 14, 1955 new INVENTOR. Robert D. Good ATTORNEY di f July 16, 1957 I R, D, GOOD 2,799,424

COMPARTMEINTED DISHPAN 7 Filed Oct. 14, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Robert D. Good FIG.6 I BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,799,424 COMPARTMENTED DISHPAN Robert D. Good, Allentown, Pa. Application Uctober 14, 1955, Serial No. 540,453 2 Claims. (Cl. 2208) This invention relates to a dishpan provided with compartments for detergent and rinse water and constructed either as a rigid pan with a transverse partition or as a telescoping pan with a partition movable with one of the telescoping sections thereof.

Dishpans as conventionally constructed and as available on the market are constituted of a suitable material, such as metal or enamel ware, in which various articles are to be washed. These dishpans do not make provision for separate compartments for washing and rinsing and, therefore, are disadvantageous and apt to be insanitary.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a compartmented dishpan wherein washing and rinsing can be carried out in the same pan while keeping the wash water and rinse water separated from each other. Another object of the invention is to provide a rigid dishpan of suitable size and shape having a central transverse partition therein dividing the dishpan into two compartments one of which can be used for washing and the other of which can be used for rinsing. A further object of the invention is to provide such a dishpan with suitable means for lifting it and also with optional drains. A still further object of the invention resides in producing a dishpan of the character described, which is made in two telescopic sections with means for permitting such telescoping action, and means for sealing one compartment from the other. An additional object of the invention resides in producing a rigid or telescoping compartmented dishpan which is simple and inexpensive in construction and which can be made in any desired size or shape and of any suitable material. Other and further objects and advantages will be understood by those skilled in this art or will be apparent or pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a compartmented dishpan embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is aplan View of Fig. 1 showing the optional drains in the bottom of the compartments;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view along line 33 of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of dishpan which is of telescoping construction;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4 illustrating the optional drains in the compartments, and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 66 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3, the numeral 10 designates, as a whole, a compartmented dishpan composed of sides 11, ends 12, and bottom 13, fabricated from any suitable material, such as aluminum or other metal, plastic or any other suitable synthetic or artificial material or generally of any durable material which is not adversely affected by water and detergents. Dishpan 10 may be made in the shape shown or in other shapes with square or rounded corners and with a straight or flared top edge and also may be made in any size or as a set of a plurality of sizes. Each "ice of the ends 12 is provided with means for lifting or carrying the dishpan, such as the elongated apertures 14, it being understood however that I may alternatively provide suitable handles, if desired or preferred.

The partition member 15, preferably but not necessarily composed of the same material as the dishpan, is disposed transversely of the dishpan midway between the dishpan ends and extends between the sides 11 and is in snug contact therewith as well as with the bottom 13 of 0 the dishpan, thereby dividing the dishpan into two compartrnents for the carrying out of washing and rinsing operations on dishes or any other suitable objects or articles and in such a manner that the liquid in one compartment is maintained separated from the liquid in the other compartment, the transverse partition member 15 making a tight fit against the sides and bottom of the dishpan. For this purpose, the member 15 may either be so dimensioned that it is tightly wedged in position or it may be sealed or permanently fixed in that position by means of sealing material, or brazing, spotwelding or other manner of connection, depending upon the particular material involved.

I have also found that under some circumstances it is desirable to be able to drain out the wash and rinse waters of either of them separately without the necessity for lifting and tilting the dishpan and, for that purpose, as shown in Fig. 2, the bottom 13 of the dishpan is provided on each side of the partition member 15 with a drain opening 16, which is normally maintained in closed condition by means of a plug or stopper 17 which can be readily removed for draining purposes and replaced as required. This draining feature also has the advantage that the individual compartments of the dishpan can be flushed out and rinsed separately or whenever desired and the compartments refilled with fresh water.

It will be noted from these figures, also, that the transverse partition member 15 is of less height than the dishpan itself, so that partition member 15 terminates a little below the upper edges of the dishpan sides 11. This, I have found to be desirable and advantageous as it facilitates the moving of dishes or other articles or objects from one compartment to another for successive washing and rising operations, especially if the space above the dishpan is limited, as is frequently the case where the dishpan is placed in a sink beneath faucets.

Thus, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3, dishes or other articles or objects can be washed with any suitable detergent in one compartment and then quickly .and readily transferred to the other compartment'for rinsing, and all with a minimum of work and movement .of the dishes or-the like and while maintaining the liquids in the compartments separated so that the wash water does not contaminate the rinse water. This arrangement has the still further advantage that, where the supply of hot water is limited, the amount of hot water needed for rinsing is reduced or minimized.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 4-6, the construction is generally similar to that of Figs. 1-3 except that the dishpan is made in two telescoping overlapping sections, as there shown. Each of the sides of the dishpan is thus made in two parts 11a and 11a. Each of the side parts 11a of one section is provided near its upper edge with an elongated horizontal slot 18 which extends nearly the full length of the side part 11a from a point adjacent the pan end 12a to a point adjacent its exposed edge or face 19 so as to provide for substantially complete telescoping of the two pan sections. Side parts 11a of the other section of the pan are each provided with an inwardly extending pin 20 having an enlarged head 21, which pins 20 and heads 21 enable the relative telescoping action of the pan sections without possiblity of unintended disassembly and guide the telescoping and expanding movements of the pan sections. Deliberate disassembly is permitted by making heads 21 removable, as by threadedly engaging pins 20.

,Due to the fact that the dishpan is made in two sections which are movable toward and from one another, the partition a in the slotted section requires sealing means which is movable with the partition and the slotted pan section, and for this purpose I provide a sealing strip 22 of rubber or other suitable material which is co-extensive with the side and bottom edges of the partition member 15a and which bears firmly against the sides 11a of the other pan section, permitting sliding movement of the twosections while still maintaining the liquid contents of one section separate from the other at all times and preventing liquid leakage from the dishpan at all times. The form of the compartmented pan illustrated in Figs. 4-6 isotherwise similar to that of Figs. 1-3 except that pan end 12a is provided at the bottom with a transverse foot or support 23 which is approximately equal in height to the thickness of the bottom of the pan so that the pan is at all times supported in a level position and, when the pan sections are telescoped, they rest firmly and evenly upon a supporting surface.

. The compartmented dishpan of Figs. 4-6 is used in the same manner as that of Figs. l-3 except that the former is provided with means for telescoping the same not only to change its length for accommodation to sinks or other spaces of different sizes but to enable the dishpan to be telescoped to relatively small size when not in use for convenience of storage, handling, shipment, and the like. The pan ends 12a and 12a are provided with holding or lifting means 14a and the compartment bottoms or end walls are preferably or optionally provided with drain openings 16a and plugs 17a therefor.

It will, therefore, be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a new and highly useful form of compartmented dishpan of either rigid or telescoping construction which greatly aids and expedites the washing and rinsing of dishes and other objects and articles, especially where it is desirable or important for sanitary reasons to keep the wash and rinse waters separated. The invention in either of its disclosed forms is advantageous in economizing on the use of detergent and hot water. It will be further appreciated that the use of the present invention has the important advantage of reducing the time necessary for carrying out the washing and rinsing operations as compared with the time required by the conventional manner presently used for washing and rinsing dishes, for example, wherein the same pan has to be filled twice, first for washing and then for rinsing with an intermediate flushing out of the standard dishpan after washing the dishes and before rinsing them. One filling of my new dishpan is all that is required for both washing and rinsing. The present invention also presents advantages over the other common method of washing and rinsing dishes which involves washing each dish and then holding it under a spigot or faucet, with the consequent frequent turning 0E and on of the spigot or faucet and the considerable number of manual manipulations thereby required. My new compartmented dishpan is also useful in hospitals and other institutions for alternate soaking in or application of hot and cold liquids or wherever two different types of liquids are to be used alternately or simultaneously. The invention is particularly useful in restaurants, inns and taverns where dishes, glassware or cutlery are to be washed in one compartment and rinsed in a sterilizing solution in the other compartment. The time-saving features in these and other uses of the invention will be recognized together with the accompanying economies made possible.

The foregoing is intended as illustrative and not as limitative since, within the scope of the appended claims, details may be changed or modified without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. A compartmented dishpan composed of a bottom with upstanding integral sides and ends and a transverse water-tight partition in said dishpan in contact with the sides and bottom thereof and disposed intermediate the ends thereof, each of the said sides being made in two telescoping parts one of which is provided with an elongated slot near its upper edge and the other of which is provided with an inwardly projecting pin disposed in said slot, the said transverse partition being provided with a sealing strip secured along its side and bottom edges and making snug contact with the unslotted pan part to prevent liquid flow between the pan parts and to prevent liquid leakage from said dishpan.

2. A compartmented dishpan composed of a bottom with upstanding integral sides and ends and a transverse water-tight partition in said dishpan in contact with the sides and bottom thereof and disposed intermediate the ends thereof, each of the side sides being made in two telescoping parts one of which is provided with an elongated slot near its upper edge and the other of which is provided with an inwardly projecting pin disposed in said slot, the said transverse partition being provided with a sealing strip secured along its side and bottom edges and making snug contact with the unslotted pan part to prevent liquid flow between the pan parts and to prevent liquid leakage from said dishpan, each said pin having an enlarged removable terminal head to prevent unintended disassembly but to permit deliberate disassembly of said pan parts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 471,517 Barry Mar. 22, 1892 958,857 Dennis May 24, 1910 1,302,865 Selmantel May 6, 1919 1,752,137 Ahearn Mar. 25, 1930 1,801,934 Pearson Apr. 21, 1931 2,712,668 Thiele July 12, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,838 Great Britain of 1893

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