CA1240239A - Spray arm bearing assembly - Google Patents
Spray arm bearing assemblyInfo
- Publication number
- CA1240239A CA1240239A CA000448745A CA448745A CA1240239A CA 1240239 A CA1240239 A CA 1240239A CA 000448745 A CA000448745 A CA 000448745A CA 448745 A CA448745 A CA 448745A CA 1240239 A CA1240239 A CA 1240239A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- hub
- support member
- liquid
- spray arm
- tub
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 65
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 52
- 238000004851 dishwashing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 description 9
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
- A47L15/14—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with stationary crockery baskets and spraying devices within the cleaning chamber
- A47L15/18—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware with stationary crockery baskets and spraying devices within the cleaning chamber with movably-mounted spraying devices
- A47L15/22—Rotary spraying devices
- A47L15/23—Rotary spraying devices moved by means of the sprays
Landscapes
- Washing And Drying Of Tableware (AREA)
Abstract
SPRAY ARM BEARING ASSEMBLY
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A dish washing machine including a tub for receiving articles to be washed and a spray arm rotatably arranged in the tub for spraying liquid on to articles. The dishwashing machine includes a stationary tubular liquid receiving hub arranged in the bottom of the tub defining a pressurized liquid inlet. The hub has at its upper end a circumferential flange which is inwardly directed with a terminal end bearing surface.
The bottom end of the hub has a centrally located fastener receiving member spaced inwardly from the hub side wall by spaced apart struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the hub. A tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member is mounted on the hub for rotation about a vertical axis relative to the hub when liquid is received through the support member and hub. The tubular support member has an upper portion received inside the hub member and adjacent the terminal end bearing surface of the hub flange and a centrally located portion at the bottom spaced from the tubular support member side wall by spaced apart struts thereby providing passageways for liquid to pass through the support member, said centrally located portion being in axial alignment with the fastener receiving member of the hub.
There is a split ring seal located between the upper portion of the support member and the hub and also a thrust bearing assembly attaching the support member to the hub including a headed fastener through the centrally located portion at the bottom of the support member and secured to the fastener receiving member of the hub and a thrust washer arranged to allow the support member to rotate relative to the hub.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A dish washing machine including a tub for receiving articles to be washed and a spray arm rotatably arranged in the tub for spraying liquid on to articles. The dishwashing machine includes a stationary tubular liquid receiving hub arranged in the bottom of the tub defining a pressurized liquid inlet. The hub has at its upper end a circumferential flange which is inwardly directed with a terminal end bearing surface.
The bottom end of the hub has a centrally located fastener receiving member spaced inwardly from the hub side wall by spaced apart struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the hub. A tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member is mounted on the hub for rotation about a vertical axis relative to the hub when liquid is received through the support member and hub. The tubular support member has an upper portion received inside the hub member and adjacent the terminal end bearing surface of the hub flange and a centrally located portion at the bottom spaced from the tubular support member side wall by spaced apart struts thereby providing passageways for liquid to pass through the support member, said centrally located portion being in axial alignment with the fastener receiving member of the hub.
There is a split ring seal located between the upper portion of the support member and the hub and also a thrust bearing assembly attaching the support member to the hub including a headed fastener through the centrally located portion at the bottom of the support member and secured to the fastener receiving member of the hub and a thrust washer arranged to allow the support member to rotate relative to the hub.
Description
~24~ 23g DOW
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a dishwasher array arm support member mounted on a stationary hub member that provides the liquid inlet to the spray arm and more particularly to the provision of a bearing assembly, one portion of which is a thrust bearing located between the stationary hub member and the spray arm support member. The thrust bearing is arranged to allow a clear passage for the liquid passing through the liquid inlet. The bearing assembly as applied to the support structure of the present invention provides even rotation of the spray arm when the force of the incoming liquid causes engagement of the thrust bearing between the stationary hub and the rotatable spray arm support member.
US. Patent No. 3,077,200 issued February 12, 1963 to Gut discloses a dishwasher spray arm that is mounted on a single centrally located support spindle, which can cause the spray arm to rotate unevenly when the force of liquid entering the spray arm causes its rotation. When prior art devices as disclosed in the aforementioned US. Patent No.
3,077,200 employ extensible and retractable spray towers, housings are generally provided above the spray arm to hold the towers in their retracted position. These housings because of pump design, typically project above the spray arm and into the area occupied by the lower dish rack and thus, the lower dish racks are usually provided with tunnels or cutouts so the racks can be moved out of the tub area for loading or unloading. While the above arrangement produces satisfactory dishwasher operation, it also results in a reduction of dish rack capacity. US. Patent No. 3,866,837 issued February 18, 1975 to Jenkins discloses one arrangement that enables the housing of the spray tower to be below - 1 - t I`
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a dishwasher array arm support member mounted on a stationary hub member that provides the liquid inlet to the spray arm and more particularly to the provision of a bearing assembly, one portion of which is a thrust bearing located between the stationary hub member and the spray arm support member. The thrust bearing is arranged to allow a clear passage for the liquid passing through the liquid inlet. The bearing assembly as applied to the support structure of the present invention provides even rotation of the spray arm when the force of the incoming liquid causes engagement of the thrust bearing between the stationary hub and the rotatable spray arm support member.
US. Patent No. 3,077,200 issued February 12, 1963 to Gut discloses a dishwasher spray arm that is mounted on a single centrally located support spindle, which can cause the spray arm to rotate unevenly when the force of liquid entering the spray arm causes its rotation. When prior art devices as disclosed in the aforementioned US. Patent No.
3,077,200 employ extensible and retractable spray towers, housings are generally provided above the spray arm to hold the towers in their retracted position. These housings because of pump design, typically project above the spray arm and into the area occupied by the lower dish rack and thus, the lower dish racks are usually provided with tunnels or cutouts so the racks can be moved out of the tub area for loading or unloading. While the above arrangement produces satisfactory dishwasher operation, it also results in a reduction of dish rack capacity. US. Patent No. 3,866,837 issued February 18, 1975 to Jenkins discloses one arrangement that enables the housing of the spray tower to be below - 1 - t I`
2 3 g DOW
the lower dish rack. By this invention the spray arm bearing assembly allows the option of utilizing a spray tower housing that projects above the spray arm or the spray tower may be retracted to a position essentially below the lower dish rack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
By this invention there is provided a dish washing machine including a tub for receiving articles to be washed and a spray arm rotatable arranged in the tub for spraying liquid onto the articles. There is a stationary tubular liquid receiving hub arranged in the bottom of the tub defining a pressurized liquid inlet and the hub has at its upper end a circumferential inwardly directed flange with a terminal end bearing surface and the bottom end has a centrally located fastener receiving member spaced inwardly from the hub side wall by spaced apart struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the hub. There is also a tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member mounted on the hub for rotation about a vertical axis relative to the hub when liquid is received through the support member and hub.
The tubular support member has an upper portion received inside the hub member and adjacent the terminal end bearing surface of the hub flange and a centrally located portion at the bottom spaced from the tubular support member side wall by spaced apart struts thereby providing passageways for liquid to pass through the support member, said centrally located portion being in axial alignment with the fastener receiving member of the hub. A split ring seal is located between the upper portion lo the support member and the hub.
There is a thrust bearing assembly attaching the support member to the hub including a headed fastener through the centrally located portion at the bottom of the support member and secured to the fastener receiving member of the hub and 2~{~9 DOW
a thrust washer arranged to allow the support member to rotate relative to the hub.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a broken front elevation Al view of a typical automatic dishwasher.
Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the bottom of the washing chamber of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the spray arm bearing assembly showing one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the spray arm bearing assembly showing an alternate embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED RMBODIME~T
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated an automatic dish washing machine 10 having an internal washing chamber or tub 14. Access to the tub 14 is provided by a door 16 hinged along its lower edge in a conventional manner.
Upper and lower dish supporting racks 18, 20 are slid ably mounted within the tub 14 and may be manually withdrawn through the access opening afforded by the door 16 to facilitate loading and unloading the tableware.
The bottom of the tub 14 is defined by a sloping wall 22 providing a drain opening 24. The bottom wall 22 separates the tub 14 from the pump-motor compartment 26 that houses a pump 28 and an electric motor 30. The pump 28 acts to recirculate washing liquid in the tub 14 or to drain washing liquid out of the dishwasher 10. The motor 30 drives the pump 28 and is controlled by a typical timer (not shown) which is normally located on the door 16. Extending upwardly from the pump outlet housing is conduit means 32 which passes through a hump segment 34 of the bottom tub wall 22. A
flexible hose 36 (Fig. I interconnects the conduit means 32 DOW
I
of the pump housing outlet and a rigid stationary tubular liquid receiving hub 38. As best seen in Fig. 3, the hose 36 is secured to the hub 38 by means of a hose clamp 40 compressing the hose against the body of the hub and a hose clamp 42 below clamp 40 which compresses the hose against the conduit means 32 thus providing a liquid seal between the conduit means 32 and the hub 38. The hub 38 has an outwardly directed peripheral flange 44 surrounding the opening 46 in the tub bottom wall 22 through which the hub 38 passes for installation. To prevent liquid from leaking from inside the tub 14 through the opening 46 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, an O-ring gasket 50 is trapped between the peripheral flange 44 and the upper surface of the tub bottom wall 22.
In the Fig. 4 embodiment there is a ring gasket 51 captured between a collar 53 and the conduit means 32.
With reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, one embodiment of the spray arm bearing assembly will now be described. A spray arm 48 is mounted adjacent or near the top of the hub 38 for rotation about a generally vertical axis and for limited axial movement as will become more fully apparent hereinafter. The spray arm 48 is typically made of metal or plastic and comprises a lower imperforate section 52 and a perforate upper section 54. As shown in Fig. 2 the spray arm 48 is of the symmetrical type having a plurality of spray openings 56 upwardly directed at an angle to the vertical. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, delivery of washing liquid from the pump 28 causes liquid emission through the openings 56. Liquid emitting from the openings 56 at an angle to the vertical causes the spray arm 48 to rotate about a vertical axis while washing liquid emitting from the openings 56 is projected onto tableware located in the racks 18 and 20. Since the spray arm 48 is of the symmetrical variety, it will be apparent that there is no substantial lateral loading of the arm 48 during spraying.
Located at the center of the spray arm is an extendible spray tower 60. The spray tower 60 comprises an outer housing 62 threaded into a connection 64 which is sealable connected to the upper spray arm section 54. In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the outer housing 62 is relatively short in height as compared to the outer housing 62 shown in Fig. 4. In both embodiments the top wall 65 has a central opening 67. The spray tower 60 also has two telescoping conduits 66 and 69 which are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in the non-operating or retracted position.
Upon delivery of pressurized washing liquid to the spray arm 48, the innermost conduit 69 is extended upwardly by the force of the liquid and the bottom of conduit 59 has a peripheral outwardly directed flange 73 which engages the underneath surface 75 of the upper wall portion 77 of conduit 66 when conduit 69 is fully extended upwardly thus preventing any further upward movement relative to conduit 66. At the same time conduit 66 also is raised in a vertical direction and the outwardly directed flange 71 around the bottom periphery of conduit 66 engages the bottom surface 63 of thy interned top wall portion 65 of the housing 62 thereby preventing further upward vertical movement. Thus, when pressurized washing liquid is introduced to the spray arm 48 the force of the fluid will cause the spray tower 60 to extend its telescoped components 66 and 69 upwardly thus providing a liquid conduit up to the upper rack 18 to spray washing liquid on the tableware in that rack.
There is provided a tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member 78 which has secured to it in any ~39 DOW
suitable fashion the spray arm 48 so that liquid can pass through the support member 78 into the spray arm 48 and also as the spray arm 48 rotates as previously described, the support member rotates in unison with it. In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the portion of the support member 78 passing through the spray arm 48 between the upper section 54 and the lower section 52 has a plurality of struts 72 spaced apart to provide liquid passageways 107 between the support member 78 and the spray arm 48. The tubular support member has a centrally located portion 106 at the bottom spaced from the tubular support member side wall 80 by spaced apart struts 81 thereby providing passageways for liquid to pass through the support member 78. In the Fig. 4 embodiment, struts 81 also provide the liquid passageways 107 between the support member 78 and the spray arm 48.
Located peripherally around the support member 78 is the stationary tubular liquid receiving hub 38 which has its upper portion 82 located above the wall 22 and below the spray arm 48 and has its lower hub portion 84 located below the wall 22 and is retained in a stationary position in liquid communication with the conduit means 32 as described previously.
The lower hub portion 84 has a centrally located fastener receiving member 88 spaced from the circumferential exterior wall 85 of the hub by struts 86, usually three, which secure the fastener receiving member 88 to the peripheral exterior wall 85 of the hub 38. With this arrangement then inlet water may readily flow through the bottom portion and into the open hub.
At the upper end 82 of the hub 38 there is an outwardly directed peripheral terminal end flange 90 which has secured to it a cap 92 with a central opening 96 formed by an inwardly directed circumferential flange 94 which acts 3LZ4~3239 9 D -DO- 14 3 9 2 as a bearing surface. The opening 96 is slightly larger in diameter than the exterior dimension of the body of the support member 78. Located between the inwardly directed flange 94 of the hub 38 and the outwardly directed flange 90 is a split ring seal 98 which by its dimension is urged inwardly against the side wall or outer surface ox the support member 78.
This arrangement provides an upper bearing surface by the terminal end flange 90 which allows relative movement between the rotating support member 78 and the stationary hub 38 and also a liquid seal is provided by the split ring seal 98. The liquid seal enhances operation of the spray arm and spray tower by minimizing pressurized liquid leaks.
For non-wobbling vertical rotational movement of the support member 78 relative to the stationary hub 38 there needs to also be a thrust bearing arrangement at the bottom of the hub 38 and support member 66. To accomplish this there is included a headed fastener lo through the bottom of the support member 78 and secured to the fastener receiving member 88 of the hub 38. There is a thrust washer 102 located between the head 104 of the fastener 100 and the bottom wall 106 of the support member 78. The thrust bearing arrangement operates in a normal fashion so that when incoming liquid passes through the conduit means 32 and into the spray tower 60 causing by its pressure to raise the support member 78 slightly as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and also extend the conduits 66 and 69 (not shown extended), the thrust washer will permit rotational movement of the support member 78 relative to the stationary hub 38. That is, it provides minimum friction between the rotating support member 78 and the stationary hub 38. While the thrust washer may freely rotate, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the preferred structural arrangement of the thrust washer 102 has a projection 108 3Z;39 DOW
that extends into and is received by a slot 105 in the support member 78 so that notational movement of the support member 78 will cause the thrust washer 102 to rotate in unison therewith. This arrangement helps sustain the washer's operational function.
In operation of the dishwasher with the pump 28 operating inlet water is forced up through conduit 32 and passes through the passageways between the struts 86 at the lower end 84 of the hub 38 and through the passageways between the struts 81 at the bottom of the support member 78 and the force of the incoming water causes support member 78 to be raised slightly. Conduit 69 is also raised vertically engaging the bottom surface 75 of the upper wall portion 77 of conduit 66 and the continued water pressure causes conduit portion 66 to also be raised vertically until flange 71 engages the surface 63 of top wall 65 of outer housing 62 thus fully extending the spray tower 60. The incoming water is forced out through openings or passageways 107 between the support struts 72 in the support member 78 and allows the water to pass into the spray arm 48 and out through openings in the upper surface of the spray arm as previously described.
As the water is forced out through the openings in the spray arm 48 the spray arm is caused to rotate about its vertical axis and carries with it the support member 78 and also the spray tower 60 components. All of these rotating components are prevented from wobbling by having the bearing surface of the interned flange 94 supporting the outer periphery of the support member 78 near its top and slightly below the spray arm 48 in combination with the thrust bearing arrangement at the bottom of the support member 78.
The arrangement of components as shown in Fig. 3 of the spray arm bearing assembly is such that the thrust bearing ~Z4~2~9 9 DOW
is located below the bottom wall 22 of the tub 14 enabling the spray tower 60 components to be retracted below the lower rack 20 and nearly below the upper surface of the spray arm 48 thus making it unnecessary for the lower dish rack 20 to need a tunnel or cutout so that it can be moved out of the tub area for loading or unloading. On the other hand the arrangement of Fig. 4 of the spray arm bearing assembly is similar to that of Fig. 3 however the thrust bearing is located at or slightly along the bottom wall 22 of the tub 14 so the spray tower 60 components do extend above the spray arm 48 when they are in the retracted position. Thus this invention is adapted for either type of dishwasher arrangement as desired in the design of the dishwasher.
While in accordance with the patent statutes there has been described what, at present, is considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention, and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
_ g
the lower dish rack. By this invention the spray arm bearing assembly allows the option of utilizing a spray tower housing that projects above the spray arm or the spray tower may be retracted to a position essentially below the lower dish rack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
By this invention there is provided a dish washing machine including a tub for receiving articles to be washed and a spray arm rotatable arranged in the tub for spraying liquid onto the articles. There is a stationary tubular liquid receiving hub arranged in the bottom of the tub defining a pressurized liquid inlet and the hub has at its upper end a circumferential inwardly directed flange with a terminal end bearing surface and the bottom end has a centrally located fastener receiving member spaced inwardly from the hub side wall by spaced apart struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the hub. There is also a tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member mounted on the hub for rotation about a vertical axis relative to the hub when liquid is received through the support member and hub.
The tubular support member has an upper portion received inside the hub member and adjacent the terminal end bearing surface of the hub flange and a centrally located portion at the bottom spaced from the tubular support member side wall by spaced apart struts thereby providing passageways for liquid to pass through the support member, said centrally located portion being in axial alignment with the fastener receiving member of the hub. A split ring seal is located between the upper portion lo the support member and the hub.
There is a thrust bearing assembly attaching the support member to the hub including a headed fastener through the centrally located portion at the bottom of the support member and secured to the fastener receiving member of the hub and 2~{~9 DOW
a thrust washer arranged to allow the support member to rotate relative to the hub.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a broken front elevation Al view of a typical automatic dishwasher.
Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the bottom of the washing chamber of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the spray arm bearing assembly showing one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the spray arm bearing assembly showing an alternate embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED RMBODIME~T
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated an automatic dish washing machine 10 having an internal washing chamber or tub 14. Access to the tub 14 is provided by a door 16 hinged along its lower edge in a conventional manner.
Upper and lower dish supporting racks 18, 20 are slid ably mounted within the tub 14 and may be manually withdrawn through the access opening afforded by the door 16 to facilitate loading and unloading the tableware.
The bottom of the tub 14 is defined by a sloping wall 22 providing a drain opening 24. The bottom wall 22 separates the tub 14 from the pump-motor compartment 26 that houses a pump 28 and an electric motor 30. The pump 28 acts to recirculate washing liquid in the tub 14 or to drain washing liquid out of the dishwasher 10. The motor 30 drives the pump 28 and is controlled by a typical timer (not shown) which is normally located on the door 16. Extending upwardly from the pump outlet housing is conduit means 32 which passes through a hump segment 34 of the bottom tub wall 22. A
flexible hose 36 (Fig. I interconnects the conduit means 32 DOW
I
of the pump housing outlet and a rigid stationary tubular liquid receiving hub 38. As best seen in Fig. 3, the hose 36 is secured to the hub 38 by means of a hose clamp 40 compressing the hose against the body of the hub and a hose clamp 42 below clamp 40 which compresses the hose against the conduit means 32 thus providing a liquid seal between the conduit means 32 and the hub 38. The hub 38 has an outwardly directed peripheral flange 44 surrounding the opening 46 in the tub bottom wall 22 through which the hub 38 passes for installation. To prevent liquid from leaking from inside the tub 14 through the opening 46 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, an O-ring gasket 50 is trapped between the peripheral flange 44 and the upper surface of the tub bottom wall 22.
In the Fig. 4 embodiment there is a ring gasket 51 captured between a collar 53 and the conduit means 32.
With reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, one embodiment of the spray arm bearing assembly will now be described. A spray arm 48 is mounted adjacent or near the top of the hub 38 for rotation about a generally vertical axis and for limited axial movement as will become more fully apparent hereinafter. The spray arm 48 is typically made of metal or plastic and comprises a lower imperforate section 52 and a perforate upper section 54. As shown in Fig. 2 the spray arm 48 is of the symmetrical type having a plurality of spray openings 56 upwardly directed at an angle to the vertical. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, delivery of washing liquid from the pump 28 causes liquid emission through the openings 56. Liquid emitting from the openings 56 at an angle to the vertical causes the spray arm 48 to rotate about a vertical axis while washing liquid emitting from the openings 56 is projected onto tableware located in the racks 18 and 20. Since the spray arm 48 is of the symmetrical variety, it will be apparent that there is no substantial lateral loading of the arm 48 during spraying.
Located at the center of the spray arm is an extendible spray tower 60. The spray tower 60 comprises an outer housing 62 threaded into a connection 64 which is sealable connected to the upper spray arm section 54. In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the outer housing 62 is relatively short in height as compared to the outer housing 62 shown in Fig. 4. In both embodiments the top wall 65 has a central opening 67. The spray tower 60 also has two telescoping conduits 66 and 69 which are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in the non-operating or retracted position.
Upon delivery of pressurized washing liquid to the spray arm 48, the innermost conduit 69 is extended upwardly by the force of the liquid and the bottom of conduit 59 has a peripheral outwardly directed flange 73 which engages the underneath surface 75 of the upper wall portion 77 of conduit 66 when conduit 69 is fully extended upwardly thus preventing any further upward movement relative to conduit 66. At the same time conduit 66 also is raised in a vertical direction and the outwardly directed flange 71 around the bottom periphery of conduit 66 engages the bottom surface 63 of thy interned top wall portion 65 of the housing 62 thereby preventing further upward vertical movement. Thus, when pressurized washing liquid is introduced to the spray arm 48 the force of the fluid will cause the spray tower 60 to extend its telescoped components 66 and 69 upwardly thus providing a liquid conduit up to the upper rack 18 to spray washing liquid on the tableware in that rack.
There is provided a tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member 78 which has secured to it in any ~39 DOW
suitable fashion the spray arm 48 so that liquid can pass through the support member 78 into the spray arm 48 and also as the spray arm 48 rotates as previously described, the support member rotates in unison with it. In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the portion of the support member 78 passing through the spray arm 48 between the upper section 54 and the lower section 52 has a plurality of struts 72 spaced apart to provide liquid passageways 107 between the support member 78 and the spray arm 48. The tubular support member has a centrally located portion 106 at the bottom spaced from the tubular support member side wall 80 by spaced apart struts 81 thereby providing passageways for liquid to pass through the support member 78. In the Fig. 4 embodiment, struts 81 also provide the liquid passageways 107 between the support member 78 and the spray arm 48.
Located peripherally around the support member 78 is the stationary tubular liquid receiving hub 38 which has its upper portion 82 located above the wall 22 and below the spray arm 48 and has its lower hub portion 84 located below the wall 22 and is retained in a stationary position in liquid communication with the conduit means 32 as described previously.
The lower hub portion 84 has a centrally located fastener receiving member 88 spaced from the circumferential exterior wall 85 of the hub by struts 86, usually three, which secure the fastener receiving member 88 to the peripheral exterior wall 85 of the hub 38. With this arrangement then inlet water may readily flow through the bottom portion and into the open hub.
At the upper end 82 of the hub 38 there is an outwardly directed peripheral terminal end flange 90 which has secured to it a cap 92 with a central opening 96 formed by an inwardly directed circumferential flange 94 which acts 3LZ4~3239 9 D -DO- 14 3 9 2 as a bearing surface. The opening 96 is slightly larger in diameter than the exterior dimension of the body of the support member 78. Located between the inwardly directed flange 94 of the hub 38 and the outwardly directed flange 90 is a split ring seal 98 which by its dimension is urged inwardly against the side wall or outer surface ox the support member 78.
This arrangement provides an upper bearing surface by the terminal end flange 90 which allows relative movement between the rotating support member 78 and the stationary hub 38 and also a liquid seal is provided by the split ring seal 98. The liquid seal enhances operation of the spray arm and spray tower by minimizing pressurized liquid leaks.
For non-wobbling vertical rotational movement of the support member 78 relative to the stationary hub 38 there needs to also be a thrust bearing arrangement at the bottom of the hub 38 and support member 66. To accomplish this there is included a headed fastener lo through the bottom of the support member 78 and secured to the fastener receiving member 88 of the hub 38. There is a thrust washer 102 located between the head 104 of the fastener 100 and the bottom wall 106 of the support member 78. The thrust bearing arrangement operates in a normal fashion so that when incoming liquid passes through the conduit means 32 and into the spray tower 60 causing by its pressure to raise the support member 78 slightly as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and also extend the conduits 66 and 69 (not shown extended), the thrust washer will permit rotational movement of the support member 78 relative to the stationary hub 38. That is, it provides minimum friction between the rotating support member 78 and the stationary hub 38. While the thrust washer may freely rotate, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the preferred structural arrangement of the thrust washer 102 has a projection 108 3Z;39 DOW
that extends into and is received by a slot 105 in the support member 78 so that notational movement of the support member 78 will cause the thrust washer 102 to rotate in unison therewith. This arrangement helps sustain the washer's operational function.
In operation of the dishwasher with the pump 28 operating inlet water is forced up through conduit 32 and passes through the passageways between the struts 86 at the lower end 84 of the hub 38 and through the passageways between the struts 81 at the bottom of the support member 78 and the force of the incoming water causes support member 78 to be raised slightly. Conduit 69 is also raised vertically engaging the bottom surface 75 of the upper wall portion 77 of conduit 66 and the continued water pressure causes conduit portion 66 to also be raised vertically until flange 71 engages the surface 63 of top wall 65 of outer housing 62 thus fully extending the spray tower 60. The incoming water is forced out through openings or passageways 107 between the support struts 72 in the support member 78 and allows the water to pass into the spray arm 48 and out through openings in the upper surface of the spray arm as previously described.
As the water is forced out through the openings in the spray arm 48 the spray arm is caused to rotate about its vertical axis and carries with it the support member 78 and also the spray tower 60 components. All of these rotating components are prevented from wobbling by having the bearing surface of the interned flange 94 supporting the outer periphery of the support member 78 near its top and slightly below the spray arm 48 in combination with the thrust bearing arrangement at the bottom of the support member 78.
The arrangement of components as shown in Fig. 3 of the spray arm bearing assembly is such that the thrust bearing ~Z4~2~9 9 DOW
is located below the bottom wall 22 of the tub 14 enabling the spray tower 60 components to be retracted below the lower rack 20 and nearly below the upper surface of the spray arm 48 thus making it unnecessary for the lower dish rack 20 to need a tunnel or cutout so that it can be moved out of the tub area for loading or unloading. On the other hand the arrangement of Fig. 4 of the spray arm bearing assembly is similar to that of Fig. 3 however the thrust bearing is located at or slightly along the bottom wall 22 of the tub 14 so the spray tower 60 components do extend above the spray arm 48 when they are in the retracted position. Thus this invention is adapted for either type of dishwasher arrangement as desired in the design of the dishwasher.
While in accordance with the patent statutes there has been described what, at present, is considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention, and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
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Claims (6)
1. A dishwashing machine including a tub for receiving articles to be washed and having a bottom wall and a spray arm rotatably arranged in said tub for spraying liquid liquid onto the articles comprising:
a stationary tubular liquid receiving hub arranged in the bottom of the tub defining a pressurized liquid inlet, said hub having at the upper end thereof a cap with a central opening formed by a circumferential inwardly directed flange with a terminal end bearing surface and the bottom end of the hub having a centrally located, fastener receiving member spaced from the hub side wall by struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the hub;
a tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member mounted on said hub for rotation relative thereto when liquid is received through said support member and hub, said support member having a side wall and an upper portion received inside the hub member adjacent the terminal end bearing surface of the cap flange and a centrally located portion at the bottom thereof in axial.
alignment with the fastener receiving member of the hub, said centrally located portion being spaced from the side wall by struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the support member;
a seal located between the support member and hub;
and a thrust bearing assembly attaching the support member to the hub including a headed fastener through the bottom of the support member and secured to the fastener receiving member of the hub and a thrust washer arranged to allow the support member to rotate relative to the hub.
a stationary tubular liquid receiving hub arranged in the bottom of the tub defining a pressurized liquid inlet, said hub having at the upper end thereof a cap with a central opening formed by a circumferential inwardly directed flange with a terminal end bearing surface and the bottom end of the hub having a centrally located, fastener receiving member spaced from the hub side wall by struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the hub;
a tubular spray arm liquid receiving support member mounted on said hub for rotation relative thereto when liquid is received through said support member and hub, said support member having a side wall and an upper portion received inside the hub member adjacent the terminal end bearing surface of the cap flange and a centrally located portion at the bottom thereof in axial.
alignment with the fastener receiving member of the hub, said centrally located portion being spaced from the side wall by struts thereby leaving passageways for liquid to pass through the support member;
a seal located between the support member and hub;
and a thrust bearing assembly attaching the support member to the hub including a headed fastener through the bottom of the support member and secured to the fastener receiving member of the hub and a thrust washer arranged to allow the support member to rotate relative to the hub.
2. The dishwashing machine of claim 1 wherein the seal is located between the support member and hub below the cap flange.
3. The dishwashing machine of claim 1 wherein the thrust washer is arranged to rotate with the spray arm support member.
4. The dishwashing machine of claim 1 wherein the thrust washer is located between the head of the fastener and the bottom of the support member.
5. The dish washing machine of claim 1 wherein the thrust bearing assembly is located below the bottom wall of the tub.
6. The dishwashing machine of claim 1 wherein the seal is a split ring seal.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US48002283A | 1983-03-29 | 1983-03-29 | |
| US480,022 | 1983-03-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1240239A true CA1240239A (en) | 1988-08-09 |
Family
ID=23906359
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000448745A Expired CA1240239A (en) | 1983-03-29 | 1984-03-02 | Spray arm bearing assembly |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1240239A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3410454A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2543427A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2137077B (en) |
| IT (1) | IT8420117A0 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5522410A (en) * | 1994-12-22 | 1996-06-04 | Meilleur; Michel | Portable single-cup washer |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT1204528B (en) * | 1987-04-24 | 1989-03-03 | Siltal Essa Spa | MINI-DISHWASHER IMPROVED WITH SINGLE-TANK SUPPORTING BOWL ON WHICH THE PUMP HAS BEEN FIXED HALF-FLANGED HOSE WITHOUT INTERPOSITION OF SLEEVES, AND COUPLING COVER IN THE FRONT |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL278053A (en) * | 1961-05-05 | |||
| DE1628601A1 (en) * | 1966-10-01 | 1970-08-06 | Philips Nv | Dishwasher |
| DE1628518A1 (en) * | 1967-09-09 | 1971-04-29 | Bosch Hausgeraete Gmbh | Dishwasher |
| AT287234B (en) * | 1968-08-21 | 1971-01-11 | Zanussi A Spa Industrie | Storage of the spray arm in dishwashers |
| US3841342A (en) * | 1973-01-02 | 1974-10-15 | Gen Electric | Dishwasher and spray system therefor |
| US3866837A (en) * | 1973-10-15 | 1975-02-18 | Gen Electric | Spray arm bearing |
-
1984
- 1984-03-02 CA CA000448745A patent/CA1240239A/en not_active Expired
- 1984-03-08 GB GB08406085A patent/GB2137077B/en not_active Expired
- 1984-03-19 IT IT8420117A patent/IT8420117A0/en unknown
- 1984-03-22 DE DE19843410454 patent/DE3410454A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1984-03-23 FR FR8404514A patent/FR2543427A1/en active Pending
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5522410A (en) * | 1994-12-22 | 1996-06-04 | Meilleur; Michel | Portable single-cup washer |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8406085D0 (en) | 1984-04-11 |
| DE3410454A1 (en) | 1984-10-04 |
| IT8420117A0 (en) | 1984-03-19 |
| FR2543427A1 (en) | 1984-10-05 |
| GB2137077B (en) | 1986-04-23 |
| GB2137077A (en) | 1984-10-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |