NZ507806A

NZ507806A - Dish rack for a dishwasher having plastic coating such that water is distributed as thin film to aid in drying

Info

Publication number: NZ507806A
Application number: NZ507806A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Gunter Hess; Heinz Scholten
Original assignee: Degussa
Priority date: 2000-03-09
Filing date: 2000-10-26
Publication date: 2002-07-26
Also published as: EP1145681A3; US20010032825A1; DE20004244U1; BR8100958U; EP1145681A2; TR200003378U; KR20010088798A; CN2538275Y; JP2001292952A; CA2339915A1; AU737815B3

Abstract

The dish rack has a wire frame coated with plastic having a surface roughness of at least 5 micrometers. This allows the surface to feel smooth but also to distribute water over the surface as a film. This is stated to assist in drying.

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> New Zealand Paient Spedficaiion for Paient Number 507806 50 78 0 6 Patents Form No. 5 Our Ref- JC214297 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION DISH RACK FOR A DISHWASHER We, DEGUSSA-HULS AG, a body corporate organised under the laws of Germany of Weissfrauenstrasse 9, D-60287 Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany hereby declare the invention, for which We pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: -1- foil INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 6 OCT 2000 I'cf i?fV ID PT0502433 1 Dish Rack for a Dishwasher The invention relates to a dish rack for a dishwasher with a wire frame coated with plastic. Known dishwashers on the market feature at ieast one dish rack for arranging the goods to be rinsed. These racks are customarily manufactured as frames made of steel wire. Due to the risk of corrosion from the chemicals used in dishwashers, they are coated with an anticorrosive made of organic polymers, in which case a plastic coating, for example, is used that is usually deposited by a coating process, such as described in DE-OS 2050905. The colour of the coating varies according to the design of the machine equipped with the rack. The colour is generated by addmg commercial pigments to the : plastic coating. Smooth surfaces are particularly preferred and are therefore generally customary, because the user assumes that no residual foreign matter will stick to these surfaces When the washing has finished, only drops that do not vaporize easily will therefore remain on the contact points where the washed dishes rest on the rack. The dishes therefore remain wet It is necessaiy to expend vaporization energy, which affects power consumption, to vaporize these drops and dry the dishes quickly. It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or to ameliorate one or more of the prior art disadvantages, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. Summary of the Invention The present invention provides dish rack for a dishwasher, the dish rack comprising a wire frame made from structural steel which is coated with plastic, the plastic coating having a surface roughness of Rz > 5 |im but which feels substantially smooth such that the coating, in use, distributes adhering water over the surface thereof in a thin film The preferred embodiment provides a dish rack with a surface that draws the drops of water away from the contact points by distributing them uniformly as a film across the entire coated surface, and to consequently ensure that the water will vaporize quickly with little addition of heat (residual heat). The rack has a plastic coating that has an average surface roughness of Rz > 5 fim and, which feels substantially smooth nevertheless The peak-to-valley-height is typically measured in accordance with DIN 4768 using the Rodenstock RM 600 laser profilometer. The measurement is performed by scanning the surface with a laser beam. Mechanical detectors, such as the Perthometer M4P, display values that are too small. The dish rack in accordance with the preferred embodiment creates, in a simple way and manner, a dish rack that substantially ensures that the water running off the (R \LIBLL] 11026 doc vjp INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 9 MAR 2002 </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> 1 » 2 o y / b 0 dishes, which collects as drops at the contact points between rack and dishes in conventional dish racks, will distribute itself over the rack's surface and consequently vaporize more easily. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments 5 The dish racks each consist of a wire frame coated with plastic. The wire frame of the dish rack is manufactured of conventional structural steel and coated with a coating that has an average roughness Rz > 5 )im that substantially distributes water in the manner described and that essentially consists of plastic, basically polyamide 11 or polyamide 12, and is deposited by a plastic coating process. With the dish rack in accordance with the ;o invention, a dishwasher rack can be manufactured in a simple way and manner and without any extra cost that raises the overall appearance of a device and, by means of the described characteristic, ensures that the dishes will be dried without any noticeable energy expenditure. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 9 MAR 2002 RECEIVED [R \LIBLL]1!026 dot, vjp 507806 3 Claims

1. Dish rack for a dishwasher having a wire frame made from a structural steel which is coated with plastic providing a plastic coating, the plastic coating having a surface roughness of Rz >5(j.m but which feels substantially smooth such that the coating in use distributes adhering water over the surface thereof in a film.

2. Dish rack in accordance with claim 1 wherein, in use the coating spreads water adhering at contact points between the dish rack and the dishes on the rack, thereby letting the water vaporise more quickly.

3. Dish rack in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the plastic coating essentially consists of polyamide.

4. Dish rack according to claim 1, substantially as herein described. DEGUSSA-HULS AG Jiy Its Attorneys BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 9 MAR 2002 RECEIVED </div>