DE20019149U1 - Dishwasher with a wash cabinet in the form of a pull-out drawer - Google Patents

Description

GRÜN ECKER KINKELk|Y:SYof:KI\/fAIR:& j^C^WANHÄUSSER

LAW FIRM

GKS & S MAXIMILIANSTRASSE 58 D-80538 MUNICH GERMANY

YOUR REF.

LAWYERS PATENT ATTORNEYS PATENT ATTORNEYS LAWYERS EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS MUNICH MUNICH COLOGNE HELMUT EICHMANN OR. HERMANN KINKELOEY DR. MARTIN DROPMANN GERHARD BARTH PETER H. JAKOB DR. ULRICH 8LUMENRÖDER. LLM. WOLFHARD MEISTER CHEMNITZ CHRISTA NIKLAS-FALTER HANS HILGERS MANFRED SCHNEIDER DR. MAXIMILIAN KINKELDEY, LLM. DR. HENNING MEYER-PLATH SONJA SCHAEFFLER ANNEUE EHNOLO BERLIN DR. KARSTEN BRANDT THOMAS SCHUSTER DIETER JANDER MICHAEL J. FRANKE, LLM. OR. KURA GOLOBACH UTE STEPHANI MARTIN AUFENANGER OR. BERND ALLEKOTTE, LLM. GOHFRIED KUTZSCH DR. HEIKE VOGELSANG-WENKE OF COUNSEL REINHARD KNAUER PATENT ATTORNEYS DIETMAR KUHL DR. FRANZ-JOSEF ZIMMER AUGUST GRÜNKKER BETTINA K. REICHELT DR. GUNTER BEZOLO DR. ANTON K. PFAU DR. WALTER LANGHOFF OR. UDO WEIGELT RAINER BERTRAM JENS KOCH, M.S. (Uo(PA) M.S. BERND ROTHAEMEL OR. WILFRIED STOCKMAIR DR. DANIEU KINKELOEY (-1996) OR. MARIA ROSARIO VEGA LASO EN/OUR REF. DATE / DAY

G4385-80/kg 15.11.00

Electro IUX Zanussi S.p.A. Via Giardini Cattaneo 33170 Pordenone ITALY

Dishwasher with a washing compartment in the form of a pull-out drawer

GRÜNECKER KINKELDEY STOCKMAIR & SCHWANHÄUSStft. J***

MAXIMILIANSTR. 58 I '. '."

D-80538 MUNICH I..''....

GERMANY

PHONE +49 89 21 23

'. SAYiGR 3Vl·49*&» 22 02 8/C

ht»f*//wwv».g*jneicfcer.de · · · ·

e-mail: postmaster@grunecker.de DEUTSCHE BANK MUNICH No. 17 51734
Bank code 700 700 10
.SWIFT: GERMAN DE MM

Description of the utility model with the designation:

"DISHWASHER WITH A WASHING COMPARTMENT IN THE FORM OF A PULL-OUT DRAWER"

The present invention relates to a dishwasher having a housing with one or more pull-out drawers, each of which essentially forms a separate washing compartment when closed.

A dishwasher of this type is described in patent US-A-5 470 142. According to this solution, the drawer-like washing compartment, when pulled out, is accessible from above via an opening whose edge must serve as a device seal when the drawer is closed. This is made possible by a lifting mechanism which operates a sealing cover whenever the drawer is completely closed. This solution to the problem appears undesirably complicated and susceptible to mechanical creep.

It is also known that a seal is placed between the upper edge of the drawer and the housing, which seal can be inflated so that it provides sufficient sealing whenever the drawer is closed, after which the machine is put into operation.

In detail, the seal is compressed using a small compressor
inflated, which is used with the program switch
This type of problem solving seems unsatisfactory, especially
mainly because they require additional, sensitive and costly
components required.

The object of the present invention is to offer a dishwasher whose washing compartment can be pulled out like a drawer and which can be closed with a particularly simple, economical, reliable and efficient sealing system.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a dishwasher with a washing compartment that can be pulled out as a drawer, which comprises the characteristics of the appended claims.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the following description, given as a non-limiting example, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic longitudinal section of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows an enlarged section of a detail from Figure 1; and

Figure 3 shows a special feature from Figure 2 in a different operating state.

With reference to the figures, the dishwasher primarily comprises a housing 4 with at least one washing compartment 5 designed as a pull-out drawer.

For this purpose, the drawer 5 must of course be mounted so as to be able to slide horizontally relative to the housing 4 by means of well-known slide rails (not shown). The washing compartment 5 also has a series of operating elements, namely at least one basket 6 for the dishes and at least one associated spray arm for the washing liquid 7.

The washing compartment in the form of a drawer 5 is also equipped with a front panelled appliance door 8. When the drawer is pulled out of the machine housing 4, the washing compartment is accessible via an opening at the top 9, the edge 10 of which rests against the inner wall 11 of the appliance.

Between the edge 10 of the rinsing chamber 5 and the inner wall of the device there is a seal 12, which is preferably made as a perimeter elastic air hose and/or as a pressure bellows.

The air hose 12 is connected via at least one line 13 to an air reservoir 14, which may consist of an elastic material such as rubber and/or be designed as a pressure bellows.

Preferably, the seal 13 is attached to the inner wall 11 of the housing 4. The air reservoir 14 is correspondingly attached to the inner rear wall 15 of the housing.

In any case, the air hose 12, the air reservoir 14 and the line 13 preferably form a closed space filled with a fluid, primarily air.

Due to the material properties and/or shape, when the drawer 5 is in a substantially extended position, the air reservoir 14 is normally expanded and the seal 12 is slack, as shown in Figure 3. In these circumstances, the seal 12 is detached from the edge 10 of the wash cabinet and thus does not affect the sliding movement of the drawer.

When the drawer 5 is brought into the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2, at the end of the sliding movement the air tube 14 is compressed, reducing the volume by the same amount, which is correspondingly pressed into the seal 12, which thereby expands to such an extent that an effective seal is achieved between the inner wall 11 and the edge 10 of the washing chamber.

Of course, when the drawer 4 is pulled out, the air reservoir 14 and the seal 12 automatically return to the state shown in Figure 3.

The simplicity of the dishwasher described from a structural and functional point of view appears obvious, although numerous modifications can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims (5)

1. Dishwasher comprising at least one washing chamber in the form of a drawer that can be pulled out from the machine housing, the drawer having an upper opening between the edge of which and the inner wall of the machine housing there is a hollow seal that is normally flaccid and can be inflated to seal when the drawer is in the closed position, and characterized in that the seal ( 12 ) is connected to at least one fluid reservoir ( 14 ) that is normally expanded when the drawer ( 5 ) is pulled out and that is deformable when the drawer is brought into the closed position so that the volume of the reservoir is reduced and the elastic seal ( 12 ) expands by the corresponding volume of fluid. 2. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the seal ( 12 ) is attached to the inner wall ( 11 ) of the machine housing ( 4 ). 3. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the air reservoir ( 14 ) is correspondingly attached to the inner rear wall ( 15 ) of the machine housing ( 4 ). 4. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that said seal ( 12 ) and the air reservoir ( 14 ) are connected to each other by at least one duct ( 13 ) with which they form a closed space. 5. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the drawer ( 5 ) at the end of the slide rail can deform the air reservoir ( 14 ) when it moves into the closed position, whereby the seal ( 12 ) expands.