WO2020202230A1

WO2020202230A1 - Dishwasher

Info

Publication number: WO2020202230A1
Application number: PCT/IT2020/050077
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrea ARISTARCO
Original assignee: Aristarco Andrea
Priority date: 2019-04-02
Filing date: 2020-03-26
Publication date: 2020-10-08
Also published as: EP3945980A1

Abstract

A dishwasher (10) comprises a treatment chamber (11), at least one main pipe (21) to feed treatment liquid, at least one impeller (12) connected to the main feed pipe (21) to deliver the treatment liquid, at least one extractable conventional dish rack (34) and at least one extractable bottle-holder rack (15), equipped with spraying means (26) suitable to spray the treatment liquid at least inside the bottles (17), and with means (25) to receive the treatment liquid suitable to feed the spraying means (26).

Description

“DISHWASHER”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a perfected dishwasher. The invention can be applied to so-called professional dishwashers, and also to so-called domestic dishwashers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Professional dishwashers are known which are used, for example, in restaurants, or in catering centers, in communities, or other, associated for example with cooking and/or food processing stations, or for preparing table sets.

Depending on the capacity, the dishwashers are loaded with one or more racks on each occasion, which contain dishes or cookware, or utensils and/or similar or comparable products.

The products, located in the special racks, are then introduced into the dishwasher to be washed and rinsed, and possibly sanitized.

Normally a known dishwasher is provided with a washing circuit suitable to carry out the washing cycle and a rinsing circuit suitable to carry out the rinsing cycle. The washing cycle is normally carried out with water at about 55°C and detergent, while the rinsing cycle is carried out with water at about 82°C, possibly mixed with rinse aid. The washing and rinsing circuits are normally separate and independent from each other.

In certain dishwashers, a flow of hot or cold air is circulated for drying purposes at the end of the washing and/or rinsing cycle.

In order to obtain a complete washing and/or rinsing of each type of product to be washed, the dishwashers in question normally have two impellers, an upper and a lower one, which while they are rotating, spray from above and below respectively, jets of washing and/or rinsing liquid, for example water with or without detergent and/or other products.

It is known that, more recently, instead of mineral water purchased already bottled, catering centers prefer to use bottles or carafes, reusable after washing, which on each occasion are filled with water, normally microfiltered water.

The usual dishwashers do not allow to wash bottles, and above all they do not allow to wash bottles with a narrow neck. There is a solution in which the dishwasher can wash both normal dishes and one or more bottles, intended for example to supply water to users in the room. To obtain this, however, part of the internal components of the washing chamber are removed and a special rack, in which the bottles are positioned, is inserted into the washing chamber.

The rack normally has vertical tubes on which the bottles are inserted in order to also wash the inside of the bottles.

These vertical tubes are stably connected with means to receive and distribute washing and/or rinsing liquid, which, by inserting the rack, are connected or aligned with the central collector below, which previously fed the impeller, after the latter has been removed.

However, this solution does not always guarantee the direct and watertight coupling of the reception means of the rack and the central collector: this causes a decrease in the pressure of the washing and/or rinsing liquid with consequent high losses of pressure.

In this known case, the reception and distribution means occupy an intermediate space between the rows of bottles, reducing the space intended for the bottle-holder tubes and, therefore, for the bottles to be cleaned.

This solution improves known dishwashers by providing them with two different operating possibilities, but creates problems in preparing the dishwasher before being able to insert the bottle-holder rack, and restoring the dishwasher after washing and/or rinsing the bottles.

The present invention intends to overcome the limits of known dishwashers and to avoid the necessary operations before and after washing and/or rinsing the bottles connected with the above described solutions, as well as with similar or comparable solutions.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea. In accordance with the above, a dishwasher in accordance with the present invention comprises a treatment chamber, at least one main feed pipe for the treatment liquid, at least one impeller connected to the main feed pipe to deliver the treatment liquid, at least one conventional extractable rack for tableware and at least one removable bottle-holder rack equipped with spraying means suitable to spray the treatment liquid at least inside the bottles, and with means for receiving the treatment liquid suitable to feed the spraying means.

According to one embodiment, the dishwasher is provided with at least one dividing device having at least a first operating position to fluidically connect the main feed pipe with the reception means and the spraying means when the bottle- holder rack is inserted in the treatment chamber.

The terms“treatment” or“treat” mean the washing and/or rinsing of bottles and any further sanitization operations that can be carried out using the at least one feed pipe.

By treatment liquid we mean any liquid used on each occasion for washing and/or rinsing, by way of example, but not limited to, water, water with additives, detergent, rinse aid and/or other similar or comparable liquids.

Advantageously, the dishwasher in accordance with the present invention does not require adaptations or modifications to treat the bottles, thereby simplifying and speeding up the treatment of the bottles and at the same time encouraging the users of the bottles to clean them more frequently.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device has at least a second operating position to fluidically connect the main feed pipe with the at least one impeller when the bottle-holder rack is not inserted in the treatment chamber and a conventional rack is inserted in the treatment chamber.

Advantageously, with the dishwasher according to the present invention it is not necessary to remove the impeller to allow the correct treatment of the bottles. In fact, the dividing device automatically diverts part of the treatment liquid from feeding the at least one impeller to the reception means when the rack is correctly inserted in the treatment chamber. Said dishwasher can therefore be used as it is, also and directly, for the conventional treatment of dishes and utensils without needing to make changes to the dishwasher itself, such as, for example, removing the impeller. According to one embodiment, in the first operating position the main feed pipe is fluidically connected with the at least one impeller. In this way, in the first operating position, both the impeller and the reception means of the bottle-holder rack are fed, this solution can be advantageous, for example, in the case of simultaneous treatment of conventional dishes disposed in the respective rack and bottles disposed in the bottle-holder rack.

According to one embodiment, in the first operating position the main feed pipe is not fluidically connected with the impeller. In this way, in the first operating position only the reception means of the bottle-holder rack are fed, by excluding the feed of the impeller, this solution can be advantageous, for example, in the case of treatment of only the bottles disposed in the bottle-holder rack.

Consequently, the dishwasher in accordance with the present invention is particularly versatile, allowing the simultaneous or alternate treatment of bottles and dishes and/or utensils without requiring adaptations of the dishwasher in the passage from the simultaneous treatment of bottles and dishes to the single washing of dishes and/or bottles.

According to one embodiment, inside the treatment chamber, the dishwasher comprises an upper impeller and a lower impeller, disposed substantially facing the upper impeller, said dividing device having at least a third operating position to partly or totally inhibit only the feed to the lower impeller.

Advantageously, the upper impeller also allows the outside of the bottles to be washed, while the lower impeller may not be used during the treatment of the bottles since the dividing device diverts at least part of the treatment liquid from the lower impeller to the means for receiving the bottle-holder rack.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device cooperates with activation means activated by, or associated with, the bottle-holder rack in one of the positions that the bottle-holder rack assumes from its introduction up to the end of travel in the treatment chamber.

Likewise, the extraction advantageously deactivates the activation means.

Following the activation by the activation means, the dividing device opens the delivery pipe to deliver the treatment liquid to the bottle-holder rack, which feeds the reception and distribution means present in it. This allows a distribution of the treatment liquid to the spraying means and at the same time can totally or partly exclude the pipe which feeds the lower impeller.

The spraying means, for example vertical bottle-holder tubes, are provided in the bottle-holder rack and are used to correctly position the bottles as well as to spray treatment liquid inside them.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the bottle-holder tubes can be located vertical, subvertical or horizontal. This is in relation to the types of bottles and the usual conditions in which they return after use.

The reception means can be channels fed one by one through vents suitably disposed on the chamber wall, or through a single nozzle which feeds distribution means, for example a distributor pipe, advantageously located in relation to a lower or lateral part of the bottle-holder rack.

According to one embodiment, the activation means are selected from mechanical or electromechanical, electrical or hydraulic means. The choice of activation means depends on the efficiency, speed and ease of use required in activating the dividing device, and therefore in moving from a conventional configuration of the dishwasher to a configuration indicated only for bottles. For example, greater speed of activation and configuration change is preferably required when the frequency of treatment cycles is high, for example in catering centers.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device is conditioned by the bottle-holder rack to activate, or not, the feed of treatment liquid to the lower impeller and, therefore, to the means for receiving and spraying the bottle-holder rack.

This activation is conditioned by the presence or absence of the bottle-holder rack in the treatment chamber and the delivery of the liquid is conditioned by the closing of the closing means.

The activation of the dividing device to deliver treatment liquid, as well as its deactivation, can take place at any time starting from when the bottle-holder rack is around the final, correct treatment position, and the closing means are correctly closed.

It is in the spirit of the invention to provide several pipes for delivering treatment liquid to the bottle-holder rack, which cooperate with the reception means of the bottle-holder rack. The delivery pipes can be disposed in the lower wall of the treatment chamber, or possibly in the upper wall, or even in one or more lateral walls of the treatment chamber.

Similarly, the feed of the bottle-holder rack can take place from above or also from below or, possibly, laterally.

In particular, according to one embodiment, the dishwasher comprises at least one washing pipe which delivers washing liquid and at least one rinsing pipe which delivers rinsing liquid, separate and independent from each other.

In this embodiment, the dishwasher is equipped with two dividing devices configured to bring the at least one washing pipe and the at least one rinsing pipe into fluidic communication, respectively, with the reception means and the spraying means when the bottle-holder rack is inserted into the treatment chamber.

Advantageously, providing reception means which selectively cooperate with a rinsing pipe and a washing pipe by means of two separate dividing devices allows to use two circuits, one for washing and one for rinsing, independent of each other also for washing the bottles as well as for washing conventional dishes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 is a partly sectioned top view of a dishwasher in accordance with the present invention with the front feed of a bottle-holder rack;

- fig. 2 is a schematic lateral view in section of the dishwasher in fig. 1 ;

- fig. 3 is a schematic lateral view in section of a variant of the dishwasher in fig. i ;

- fig. 4 is a top view of means for spraying treatment liquid, in the case of a vertical pipe, in the bottle-holder rack;

- fig. 5 is a partly sectioned top view of a variant of the dishwasher in fig. 1.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

We will now refer in detail to the various embodiments of the present invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings. Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. For example, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they are part of one embodiment can be adopted on, or in association with, other embodiments to produce another embodiment. It is understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and variants.

Before describing these embodiments, we must also clarify that the present description is not limited in its application to details of the construction and disposition of the components as described in the following description using the attached drawings. The present description can provide other embodiments and can be obtained or executed in various other ways. We must also clarify that the phraseology and terminology used here is for the purposes of description only, and cannot be considered as limitative.

With reference to the attached drawings, a dishwasher 10 comprises a treatment chamber 11 provided with at least one impeller 12 disposed, in this case, on a lower side in the treatment chamber 11.

Conventionally, the treatment chamber 11 is provided with an upper impeller (not shown) and a lower impeller 12 disposed substantially facing the upper impeller; the impellers are positioned respectively on the upper and lower sides of the treatment chamber 11.

Other known variants are similar, for example with three or more impellers, or with impellers located in different positions inside the treatment chamber 11.

The impellers are configured to deliver jets of treatment liquid into the treatment chamber 11.

In the case shown here, the lower impeller 12 delivers treatment liquid upward.

The treatment chamber 11, for purely descriptive purposes, has at least one main feed pipe 21, possibly associated with a feed pump 22.

The upper impeller and the lower impeller 12 are connected to the main feed pipe 21 to deliver the treatment liquid.

According to one embodiment, the main feed pipe 21 can alternately provide to feed the washing liquid or the rinsing liquid in order to carry out the respective washing and rinsing cycles independently of each other.

The at least one main feed pipe 21 cooperates, in the case shown here, with an upper impeller feed pipe 23 and with a lower impeller feed pipe 24, which in the following description will be generally indicated as the feed pipe 24 of the impeller 12.

According to another embodiment (not shown), two main feed pipes 21, a washing pipe and a rinsing pipe (not shown) can be provided, each associated with a feed pump 22 and configured to independently feed respectively washing liquid and rinsing liquid inside the treatment chamber 11, so as to carry out a washing and/or rinsing cycle. In this case, the washing pipe and the rinsing pipe can independently cooperate respectively with an upper impeller feed pipe 23 and with a lower impeller feed pipe 24.

According to a possible embodiment, the rinsing pipe can be associated directly with the water mains with no need for a feed pump 22.

With reference to figs. 1 and 5, the dishwasher 10 also comprises at least one removable rack 15, specialized for the treatment of bottles 17, configured to be inserted in the treatment chamber 11. Hereafter in the description, the rack 15 will be called the bottle-holder rack. The bottle-holder rack 15 is used in the event that bottles are to be treated, carrying out a specific treatment cycle for bottles 17.

With reference to fig. 2, the dishwasher 10 also comprises at least one conventional rack 34, removably disposed inside the treatment chamber 11 for the treatment of conventional dishes and/or utensils.

Furthermore, the bottle-holder rack 15 can be used as a replacement or in addition to the conventional rack 34 for dishes, shown by way of example in broken lines in fig. 2. It is understood that the treatment chamber 11 can simultaneously contain a bottle-holder rack 15 and a conventional rack 34 for dishes, for example one below and one above, or even three or more racks disposed at different heights and of different sizes and each cooperating with one or more respective impellers. The dishwasher 10 is therefore particularly versatile, allowing the simultaneous and/or alternate treatment of bottles and dishes.

The bottles 17 can be of any type that can be reused after appropriate treatment.

It is not excluded that the present invention can also be applied to carafes, “keg” type containers (for example for beers), vases, glasses and similar or comparable objects, for example washable and rinsable narrow neck containers.

In one embodiment, the bottle-holder rack 15 has a rod-like structure sliding in the treatment chamber 11 on guides 16, which can be located, for example, laterally on the lower surface in the treatment chamber 11.

In one embodiment, shown by way of example, the bottle-holder rack 15 has a rod-like structure equipped with sliding wheels 14 cooperating with the guides 16.

The bottle-holder rack 15 can have internal cells configured to peripherally support the bottles 17 in a vertical position, possibly upended.

The treatment chamber 11 has closing means 13 which, once closed, allow the treatment cycle to be performed.

In the case shown by way of example, the closing means 13 are comparable to a closing door of the treatment chamber 11.

For example, the closing means 13 can be a hood or a sliding or hinged door.

According to one embodiment, the bottle-holder rack 15 is provided with at least one circuit 19 to feed the treatment liquid, and the bottles 17 are disposed in the bottle-holder rack 15 so as to be associated with the feed circuit 19.

According to one embodiment, the feed circuit 19 can be used both for washing and for rinsing the bottles 17. In this way the bottle-holder rack 15 is more compact and less elaborate, with consequent lower manufacturing costs.

According to a possible embodiment, the bottle-holder rack 15 can be provided with two separate feed circuits 19, one for washing and one for rinsing. In this way, any contamination between the washing liquid and the rinsing liquid is avoided.

The at least one feed circuit 19 of the treatment liquid of the bottle-holder rack 15 has at least reception means 25 to receive the treatment liquid, and spraying means 26, connected to the reception means 25, to spray the treatment liquid toward the bottles 17.

In the case shown in the attached drawings, distribution means 27 of the treatment liquid along the entire length of the bottle-holder rack 15 are provided in cooperation with the reception means 25 and with the spraying means 26.

In the embodiment shown, the reception means 25 comprise at least one reception pipe, provided by way of example protruding from the bottle-holder rack 15.

Furthermore, in the case shown, the distribution means 27 comprise a plurality of channels connected to the reception means 25 and configured to extend along the bottom of the bottle-holder rack 15 or laterally thereto. This solution allows to increase the capacity of the bottle-holder racks 15 with respect to conventional ones.

In the case shown, the spraying means 26 are tubes that develop upward with respect to the distribution means 27 and are configured to support the bottles 17 upside down and to spray them internally.

In the case of cells containing bottles 17, in which the bottles 17 are correctly positioned vertically in an upended position, instead of the tubes, the spraying means 26 can provide nozzles that cooperate directly with the mouths and necks of the bottles 17.

The spraying means 26, in the case shown the tubes, can advantageously include at their base a support device 31 which has raised parts 32 and compartments 33 able to facilitate the discharge of the treatment liquid.

For example, in the case shown by way of example, the bottles 17 rest in an upended position on the raised parts 32 and the treatment liquid, sprayed by the spraying means 26, is drained from the inside of the bottle 17 toward the bottom of the treatment chamber 11 through the compartments 33.

According to one embodiment, the bottles 17 can be positioned in the bottle- holder rack 15 either vertical, inclined or horizontal, and each position is defined by treatment liquid spraying means 26 which, in this case, also act as positioning means for the bottles 17 in the bottle-holder rack 15.

The dishwasher 10 has at least one delivery pipe 30 to deliver treatment liquid to the bottle-holder rack 15, and this is the case treated in the examples shown.

It is in the spirit of the invention to provide several delivery pipes 30 provided in the lower or bottom wall of the treatment chamber 11 , or possibly in the upper wall or also with one or more lateral walls of the treatment chamber 11.

Similarly, the bottle-holder rack 15 can be fed from the top or also from the bottom or, possibly, laterally.

According to a possible embodiment, the delivery pipes 30 can, for example, connect the feed circuit 19 to the at least one washing pipe and to the at least one rinsing pipe of the dishwasher 10.

In cooperation with the feed pipes 21, 23, 24, the at least one delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 is configured to deliver treatment liquid to the feed circuit 19 of the bottle-holder rack 15 when the bottle-holder rack 15 is inserted in the treatment chamber 11 and the closing means 13 are in the closed position.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the dishwasher 10 is provided with at least one dividing device 20 having at least a first operating position to fluidically connect the main feed pipe 21 with the reception means 25 and the spraying means 26, when the bottle-holder rack 15 is inserted in the treatment chamber 11.

In this way, the dividing device 20 selectively supplies treatment liquid to the feed circuit 19 by means of the reception means 25 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device 20 has at least a second operating position in which it fluidically connects the main feed pipe 21 with the impeller 12 when the bottle-holder rack 15 is not inserted in the treatment chamber 11 and a conventional rack 34 is inserted in the treatment chamber 11. In this way, the conventional treatment of the dishes in the conventional rack 34 can be performed.

Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the invention, the dividing device 20 is configured to temporarily inhibit, totally or partly, the treatment liquid feed pipe 24 to the impeller 12 when the bottle-holder rack 15 is inserted in the treatment chamber 11. In this way, the dividing device 20 diverts at least part of the treatment liquid intended for the lower impeller 12 toward the reception means 25 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device 20 is associated with at least three ways for the treatment liquid, said at least three ways being respectively: one the main feed pipe 21 suitable to receive the treatment liquid, one the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 to deliver the treatment liquid to the reception means 25 associated with the bottle-holder rack 15, and one the feed pipe 24 suitable to deliver the treatment liquid to the at least one impeller 12.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device 20 is disposed to inhibit at least one of either the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 or the feed pipe 24 of the impeller 12 when the bottle-holder rack 15 is inserted in the treatment chamber 11. In this way, all the treatment liquid intended for the feed pipe 24 of the impeller 12 is diverted to the delivery pipe 30, limiting pressure losses and guaranteeing that treatment liquid is sent to the feed circuit 19 of the bottle-holder rack 15 at a pressure sufficient to correctly wash the inside of the bottles 17.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device 20 is also associated with a fourth way, that is, the upper impeller feed pipe 23. Advantageously, the dividing device 20 has a third operating position in which it only partly or totally inhibits the feed of the lower impeller 12. Therefore the dividing device 20, in the third operating position, does not partly or totally inhibit the upper impeller feed pipe 23, guaranteeing the correct treatment of the bottles 17 also on the outside.

According to one embodiment, the activation of the delivery of the treatment liquid to the impeller 12 is conditioned by the absence of the bottle-holder rack 15 in the treatment chamber 11, thus allowing the dishwasher 10 to be used in a configuration suitable for the conventional treatment of dishes.

According to one embodiment, the activation of the dividing device 20 is conditioned by the presence in the treatment chamber 11 of the bottle-holder rack 15, thus allowing the dishwasher 10 to be used in a configuration suitable for washing bottles 17.

According to one embodiment, the dividing device 20, in the case shown here, cooperates with activation means 18 to feed the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle- holder rack 15 when the bottle-holder rack 15 is inserted in the treatment chamber 11 and the closing means 13 are in their closed position.

In this way, the bottles 17 are washed on the outside by the upper impeller and on the inside by the spraying means 26 fed by the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle- holder rack 15. Advantageously, the present invention allows to use the same dishwasher 10 to clean bottles, or similar and comparable objects, by loading them by means of the bottle-holder rack 15, and normal dishes by loading them by means of a conventional rack 34. Furthermore, no operation to adapt the dishwasher 10 is necessary before the treatment of the bottles 17, since it is not necessary to remove the impeller 12 to carry out this operation.

Consequently, the entire treatment operation, both for normal dishes and for bottles 17, is simpler and more immediate and automatic.

According to one embodiment, the bottle-holder rack 15 can be configured, in shape and size, so that when the closing means 13, for example a door, are closed, they abut against the rear edge of the bottle-holder rack 15.

In this way, the closing means 13 in the closed position allow to keep the bottle-holder rack 15 in a correct position for receiving the treatment liquid, guaranteeing a correct and stable coupling of the reception means 25 of the bottle-holder rack 15 and the delivery pipe 30 of the treatment liquid, particularly during the feeding of the liquid. In particular, by clamping the bottle-holder rack 15 in position, the even partial movement thereof is prevented and therefore the possible disconnection of the liquid feed due to the pressure of the liquid itself.

According to a possible embodiment, the bottle-holder rack 15 can be equipped, in particular in its rear edge, with one or more protruding blocks facing toward the closing means 13 and configured to abut against the closing means 13 when the bottle-holder rack 15 is inserted inside the treatment chamber 11 and the closing means 13 are taken to the closed position. The blocks are advantageously made of a material, for example rubber, soft plastic, silicone or suchlike, such that they do not damage the internal surface of the closing means 13 when the closing means 13 are taken into abutment against them at the moment of closure.

With reference to the drawings, given by way of example, mechanical solutions of the dividing device 20 can be seen.

In one application of the invention, the dividing device 20 can be electrically or electromechanically activated. Activation can be determined in any position from when the bottle-holder rack 15 is positioned in an introduction position, possibly cooperating with the closing means 13, in the case shown here an entrance door, until it is positioned in a position of complete insertion, or end of travel, inside the treatment chamber 11. For example, one or more presence sensors can be provided which detect the position of the bottle-holder rack 15 inside the treatment chamber 11 and condition the activation of the dividing device 20 to prepare itself in the correct condition for receiving the treatment liquid. The activation of the circulation of the treatment liquid, as we said, is in any case subject to the recognition of the fully inserted position of the bottle- holder rack 15 and to the closure of the closing means 13.

According to a variant, the dividing device 20 can be activated manually, even if this would not guarantee a certain activation, especially where workers are obliged to operate at speed or in a disturbing environment.

Once the closing means 13, for example the door, are closed, as is normally the case, the treatment liquid is sent into the feed pipes 21, 23, 24.

The delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 cooperates directly with the reception means 25 to feed the spraying means 26 during the treatment cycle of the bottles 17.

In the case shown here by way of example, the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle- holder rack 15 cooperates directly with a single reception pipe to feed the spraying means 26, that is, in this case, vertical tubes, during the treatment cycle of the bottles 17.

For example, both the washing and rinsing of bottles 17 can be implemented through the single reception pipe.

Advantageously, the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 cooperates with the reception means 25 to guarantee, with the least possible dispersion, the correct feed of the treatment liquid to the spraying means 26.

In this case, by way of non-restrictive example, the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 is configured to be inserted in, and cooperate with, the reception tube of the bottle-holder rack 15 when the latter is correctly inserted in the treatment chamber 11.

According to one embodiment, not shown, the reception means 25 can comprise two reception pipes configured to be connected to two respective delivery pipes 30 associated respectively with the washing pipe and the rinsing pipe of the dishwasher 10, independent of each other. In this configuration two dividing devices 20 can be provided, each associated with a delivery pipe 30 and configured to connect the feed circuit 19 of the bottle-holder rack 15 respectively to the washing pipe and the rinsing pipe. For example, in this configuration, the two dividing devices 20 can be configured to be activated independently of each other so as to first wash the bottles 17 by activating the washing pipe of the dishwasher 10 and then rinsing the bottles 17 by activating the rinsing pipe of the dishwasher 10.

According to a possible embodiment, not shown, the feed circuit 19 can be configured to be associated, by means of the reception means 25, with an auxiliary rinsing pipe independent of the rinsing pipe of the dishwasher 10. The auxiliary rinsing pipe can be selectively activated by, for example, an electro valve and is configured to start operating only when the bottles 17 are to be rinsed by means of the feed circuit 19 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

The activation means 18 which condition the operation of the dividing device 20 can be mechanical or electromechanical means, that is, electrical or hydraulic means.

According to a possible embodiment, the electric activation means 18 can be, for example, sensors or other identifying devices associated with the bottle- holder rack 15 and connected to a command and control unit. The command and control unit can selectively command the activation of the dividing device 20 based on the movement of the sensors, and therefore of the bottle-holder rack 15, toward/away from the dividing device 20.

According to a possible embodiment, the dividing device 20 can comprise an electro valve associated with the delivery pipe 30. The electro valve, for example, can be selectively opened or closed by the command of the command and control unit.

If the activation means 18 are mechanical and associated with the bottle-holder rack 15, as in the cases shown by way of example in the attached drawings, the activation means 18 in themselves have, by way of example, an activator element which activates the dividing device 20 by exerting pressure, diverting at least part of the treatment liquid toward the delivery pipe 30.

According to one embodiment, shown by way of example in the drawings, the dividing device 20 is provided with a shutter element 29 and a mobile element 28 associated with the shutter element 29 and configured to move the shutter element 29, in cooperation with the activation means 18, from a position of feeding the impeller 12 and inhibiting the feed at least to the reception means 25 of the bottle-holder rack 15 to a position of at least partly inhibiting the feed of the treatment liquid to the impeller 12 and of feeding at least the reception means 25 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

The mobile element 28 can be elastically contrasted by springs or other elastic return systems.

In the case shown by way of example in fig. 2, the shutter element 29 is a shutter disk and the mobile element 28 is a translating element associated with the shutter disk and elastically contrasted by a spring.

In this case the activation means 18 act, for example by exerting pressure, on the translating element to selectively move the shutter element 29 until it at least partly intercepts the feed of the feed pipe 24 of the impeller 12 and allows the feed of the pipe delivery 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

In a preferential embodiment, when activated by the activation means 18, the shutter element 29 totally intercepts the feed of the feed pipe 24 of the impeller 12 by diverting the treatment liquid toward the delivery pipe 30 so as to guarantee a correct pressure and an optimal flow rate of the treatment liquid through the delivery pipe 30.

In the case shown by way of example in fig. 3, the shutter element 29 is a valve and the mobile element 28 is an elastically contrasted hinge pin and disposed in correspondence with the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 and associated with one end of the valve.

Following a pressure exerted by the activation means 18, the valve is configured to rotate with respect to the hinged end and to selectively obstruct, partly or totally, the feed pipe 24 of the impeller 12 and open the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

In the cases shown by way of example in figs. 2 and 3, the activation means 18 have a pin associated with a body integral with the internal walls of the reception means 25, in the case of the reception pipe.

In this case, the body is discoidal or toroidal and can be perforated, slotted, grid-like or in a similar or comparable conformation such as to allow the passage of the treatment liquid through the reception means 25 toward the spraying means 26 when the activation means 18 activate the dividing device 20.

In the case shown by way of example in fig. 5, the mobile element 28 is a repositioning lever associated with the shutter element (not shown) provided inside the dividing device 20, in this case of a three-way valve.

The repositioning lever is driven by pressure by the activation means 18 and advantageously, but not necessarily, is elastically suitable to return to its normal position when the bottle-holder rack 15 is removed.

According to a variant, it could be the same activation means 18 that act on the repositioning lever when the bottle-holder rack 15 retracts.

This solution provides by way of example that the activation means 18 can be associated with one side of the bottle-holder rack 15 and disposed protruding from the latter toward the treatment chamber 11.

In the case shown here, the activation means 18 have, for example, a rod protruding toward the treatment chamber 11 and configured to cooperate with the repositioning lever when the bottle-holder rack 15 is correctly inserted in the treatment chamber.

It is clear that, instead of the mobile element 28, the activation means 18 can drive an electrical system that activates, for example in the case of fig. 5, a three- way electro valve.

According to a variant, the bottle-holder rack 15 can activate any type of sensor that can operate a three-way electro valve.

We will now describe some possible solutions, all of which are part of the inventive idea.

The inventive idea, in its preferential formulation, consists in the fact that it is the bottle-holder rack 15 which, in any position of the introduction step in the treatment chamber 11, activates the feed of the feed circuit 19 of the bottle-holder rack 15.

According to the invention, the reception means 25, in the case shown the reception pipe, can be in any peripheral position of the bottle-holder rack 15.

The inventive idea also includes positioning of the reception means 25 in the sides of the bottle-holder rack 15 or in the lower or upper part of it.

It is obvious that, by placing the reception means 25 in the sides below the bottle-holder rack 15, the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 is suitably structured to be put in direct cooperation with the reception means 25.

The alternative according to which the delivery pipe 30 of the bottle-holder rack 15 can move axially to cooperate with the reception means 25 also comes within the scope of the invention.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the dishwasher 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of dishwashers 10, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate reading: they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection claimed in the specific claims.

Claims

1. Dishwasher (10) comprising a treatment chamber (11), at least one main pipe (21) to feed treatment liquid, at least one impeller (12) connected to said main feed pipe (21) to deliver said treatment liquid, at least one extractable conventional dish rack (34) and at least one extractable bottle-holder rack (15), equipped with spraying means (26) suitable to spray the treatment liquid at least inside the bottles (17), and with means (25) to receive the treatment liquid suitable to feed said spraying means (26), characterized in that it is provided with at least one dividing device (20) which has at least a first operating position to fluidically connect said main feed pipe (21) with said receiving means (25) and said spraying means (26) when the bottle-holder rack (15) is inserted in the treatment chamber (11).

2. Dishwasher as in claim 1, characterized in that said dividing device (20) has at least a second operating position to fluidically connect said main feed pipe (21) with said impeller (12) when the bottle-holder rack (15) is not inserted in the treatment chamber (11) and a conventional rack (34) is inserted in the treatment chamber (11).

3. Dishwasher as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in said first operating position said main feed pipe (21) is fluidically connected with said impeller (12).

4. Dishwasher as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in said first operating position said main feed pipe (21) is not fluidically connected with said impeller (12).

5. Dishwasher as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said dividing device (20) is associated with at least three treatment liquid paths, said at least three paths being, respectively, one the main feed pipe (21) suitable to receive the treatment liquid, one a delivery pipe (30) of the bottle-holder rack (15) to deliver the treatment liquid to the receiving means (25) associated with the bottle-holder rack (15) and one a feed pipe (24) suitable to deliver the treatment liquid to the at least one impeller (12), said dividing device (20) being suitable to exclude at least one of either the delivery pipe (30) of the bottle-holder rack (15) or the feed pipe (24) of the impeller (12) when the bottle-holder rack (15) is inserted in the treatment chamber (11).

6. Dishwasher as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it is provided, inside the treatment chamber (11), with an upper impeller and with a lower impeller (12) disposed substantially facing the upper impeller, said dividing device (20) having at least a third operating position to partly or totally exclude only the feed of the lower impeller (12).

7. Dishwasher as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said dividing device (20) is provided with a shutter element (29) and with a mobile element (28) associated with said shutter element (29) and configured to move, in cooperation with activation means (18), the shutter element (29) from a position where the impeller (12) is fed and the feed at least of the receiving means (25) of the bottle-holder rack (15) is excluded, to a position where the feed of the treatment liquid to the impeller (12) is at least partially excluded, and where at least the receiving means (25) of the bottle-holder rack (15) are fed.

8. Dishwasher as in claim 7, characterized in that the activation means (18) are selected from mechanical or electromechanical, electrical, or hydraulic means.

9. Dishwasher as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that one or more presence sensors are provided, able to detect the position of the bottle-holder rack (15) inside the treatment chamber (11) and to condition the activation of the dividing device (20) so that it is disposed in the correct condition to receive the treatment liquid.

10. Dishwasher as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises at least one washing pipe which delivers washing liquid and at least one rinsing pipe which delivers rinsing liquid, which are separate and independent from each other, said dishwasher (10) being provided with two dividing devices (20) configured to take into fluidic communication respectively said at least one washing pipe and said at least one rinsing pipe with said receiving means (25) and said spraying means (26) when the bottle-holder rack (15) is inserted in the treatment chamber (11).