EP4108155B1 - Holder for a dish rack - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a holder for arrangement on a rinsing basket of a dishwasher.

Dishwasher baskets in general and holders arranged in the dishwasher basket in particular are well known from the state of the art, which is why a separate printed proof is not required at this point. For this reason, reference is only made to the EP 1 683 465 A1 which proposes a holder which is pivotably arranged on a washing basket of a dishwasher and which serves in particular to hold tubular items to be washed, such as bottles, vases, tall glasses, in particular wheat beer glasses, and/or the like.

Dishwashers, as is well known, have a washing container that provides a washing chamber. When used as intended, the washing chamber serves to hold the items to be washed. Washing baskets are used to ensure that the items to be washed are securely positioned in the washing chamber. Depending on the design of the dishwasher, there is usually an upper and a lower washing basket.

A dishwashing basket known from the prior art is typically made of a wire mesh made of plastic-coated wire and provides storage areas for the dishes to be cleaned. Dishwashing items can also be held in the form of spikes, loops and/or the like.

Furthermore, it is known from the prior art to equip dishwashing baskets with holders that are arranged thereon, in particular so as to be pivotable. Such holders can be moved from a position of use to a position of non-use and vice versa due to their pivotability.

Such holders are known, for example, from the publications US D 516 757 S1 , EN 10 2019 216 603 A1 and CN 108 542 331 A known.

Holders of this type are used for the secure positioning of items to be washed which, due to their size and/or geometric shape, cannot be held securely by the spikes or wire loops of a washing basket. Such a holder is disclosed, for example, by the above-mentioned EP 1 683 465 A1 , this holder serves in particular to hold tubular items to be washed, in particular bottles, tall glasses, in particular wheat beer glasses, and other hollow vessels.

The one from the EP 1 683 465 A1 However, the known holder is not without its disadvantages. It is considered particularly disadvantageous that the previously known holder cannot be used flexibly for differently designed items due to its design. In the case of intended use, this means that the holder must remain unused if the correspondingly designed items cannot be cleaned, which means that part of the available washing space in the dishwasher remains unused and is therefore wasted for other items to be washed.

Based on the above, the object of the invention is to propose a holder for arrangement on a washing basket of a dishwasher, which can be used flexibly due to its design and equally enables the secure holding of differently designed wash items.

To solve this problem, the invention proposes a holder for arrangement on a washing basket of a dishwasher, with a base body and a folding element pivotably arranged thereon, which can be transferred from a use position to a non-use position and vice versa, wherein the base body has a recess that is open at the edge for receiving tubular items to be washed, wherein the folding element has an outer contour that corresponds to the inner contour of the recess and, in the use position, at least partially fills the recess flush with a storage surface provided by the base body.

The holder according to the invention is in contrast to the previously known holder according to the EP 1 683 465 A1 It is made of two parts and has a base body and a folding element. The folding element is pivotably mounted on the base body, which allows the folding element to be moved in relation to the base body. The Folding element can be moved from a use position to a non-use position and vice versa.

The base body has an open recess on the edge for receiving tubular items to be washed. In the sense of the invention, such items to be washed are in particular tall vessels or other hollow vessels, such as bottles, vases, wheat beer glasses and/or the like.

The folding element has an outer contour that corresponds to the inner contour of the recess. In the position of use, the folding element at least partially fills the recess, flush with a storage surface provided by the base body.

Due to the pivotable arrangement of the folding element on the base body, the holder according to the invention can be used flexibly. In the folded-up position, the folding element is in its non-use position. In this position, the recess in the base body is exposed, so that the holder serves to hold tubular items to be washed. These lie securely in the recess that is open on the edge, and the recess can be loaded via the open side.

In the folded-down position, the folding element is in its position of use. In this position of use of the folding element, the recess is at least partially filled by the folding element. The folding element is flush with a storage surface provided by the base body. The storage surface provided by the base body and a storage surface provided by the folding element thus combine to form a common storage surface that is flush with the surface. This storage surface can be used in particular to hold smaller items of crockery, such as cups, or longer items of cutlery, such as kitchen tongs or the like.

In the position of use of the folding element, the base body and the folding element in combination also form a common edge running in the longitudinal direction of the holder, against which, for example, stems of long-stemmed glasses or the like can be securely leaned.

As a result, the holder according to the invention can be used flexibly by the user, in contrast to holders known from the prior art. When the folding element is folded up, i.e. when the folding element is in the non-use position, the base body of the holder serves to hold tubular items to be washed. When the folding element is folded down, i.e. when the folding element is in the use position, the recess in the base body is closed by the folding element, flush with the top, so that a common storage area is provided in the combination of base body and folding element. This storage area can serve as a conventional cup holder for holding smaller items of crockery or relatively long items of cutlery. In addition, the edge of the holder facing the washing compartment can be used to hold long-stemmed glasses such as wine or champagne glasses when the folding element is in the use position. The holder according to the invention thus proves to be versatile in use and flexible in handling, which overall allows an optimized loading of the washing basket with items to be cleaned.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the base body has two coupling elements for height-adjustable and/or pivotable arrangement on the washing basket.

According to this proposal of the invention, the base body of the holder according to the invention can itself be arranged on the washing basket in a height-adjustable and/or pivotable manner, for which purpose the base body has corresponding coupling elements.

Due to the pivotable arrangement of the base body on the dishwashing basket, the holder according to the invention can assume a total of three different positions. When the base body is folded down, the folding element can be in either the use position or the non-use position. This enables items to be picked up in the manner already described above.

If the folding element is in the position of use, the base body can be folded up together with the folding element and moved to its non-use position. In this third position of the holder, the washing space otherwise occupied by the holder is completely freed up, which allows the user to individually load the washing basket. In this third position of the holder, it is therefore In particular, it is permitted to load the washing basket with relatively large items to be washed, such as pots or bowls. In this position, the holder is folded to the side and does not interfere with the insertion of such relatively large items into the washing basket.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the base body has a central section and two legs receiving the central section between them.

According to the invention, the base body is designed like a pair of pliers, with a central section and two legs being provided. The legs accommodate the central section between them and thus define the recess provided by the base body and open on one side. The recess, which is open on one side, is accessible via an inlet opening opposite the central section. This inlet opening is formed at the end between the two end sections of the legs opposite the central section.

According to a further feature of the invention, the folding element is arranged pivotably on the central section. A two-joint hinge for the folding element is provided, which enables an overall robust and torsion-resistant arrangement.

According to a further feature of the invention, a coupling element is arranged on one leg on the washing basket side. One coupling element is therefore provided for each leg, so that a total of two coupling elements are provided for the height-adjustable and/or pivotable arrangement of the base body on the washing basket. This also enables a robust and torsion-resistant arrangement.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the recess provides an edge whose contour runs along an ellipse.

This type of design has the advantage that the recess is suitable for accommodating flushing bodies of different diameters. In addition, the elliptical or parabolic design of the recess ensures automatic centering of a of the items picked up as intended.

The elliptical design also has the advantage that items to be washed that are properly arranged in the recess only come into contact with the recess at two points. This minimizes the contact surface between the edge of the recess and the items to be washed, which helps to reduce shadows and unwanted collection areas in which residual washing liquid can accumulate in an unwanted manner.

According to a further feature of the invention, the legs of the base body provide contact elements made of a spring-elastic material, preferably silicone, on the recess side. The design of such contact elements ensures in particular that the items to be washed can be brought into contact with the holder in a gentle manner. On the one hand, vibrations that occur during intended use can be cushioned, which promotes a secure position of the items to be washed, and on the other hand, unwanted external damage to the items to be washed can be avoided.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the contact elements provide a contact edge for a tubular item to be washed, wherein the contact edges are each designed to run in a wave-like manner. This wave-shaped design supports the size variability of the items to be washed that can be accommodated as intended by the holder.

According to a further feature of the invention, the middle section provides a support body made of a spring-elastic material, preferably silicone, on the recess side. In normal operation, this support body is not used to support the items to be cleaned. The support body is only intended to ensure that, particularly in the event of improper loading of the washing basket by the user, the items to be washed are not damaged by hitting the base body made of a relatively hard plastic material. In such a case, the support body provides spring-elastic support so that unwanted damage to the items to be washed is avoided.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the folding element in The holder is locked into the base body in the correct position of use. This locking mechanism ensures that when the base body is pivoted upwards, the folding element can no longer pivot in relation to the base body. The holder is thus securely positioned in its third possible position.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the folding element has an edge opposite the central section of the base body, which has two or more recesses arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the folding element for the respective reception of a stem of a stemmed glass or similar items to be washed, wherein the recesses are each equipped with a clamping part providing a respective clamping receptacle, wherein the clamping parts are preferably provided by a clamping strip made of a spring-elastic material, in particular one-piece.

The clamping strip and therefore also the clamping parts provided by the clamping strip are made of a spring-elastic material, which, when used as intended, allows a glass stem to be held in a shock-absorbing manner. The shocks caused in particular by pushing a washing basket back and forth can be cushioned in this way, which proves to be gentler on the items being washed held by the holder. In addition, the spring-elastic properties of the clamping strip material ensure that stemmed glasses held by the holder are securely accommodated and in particular prevent glasses held by the holder from accidentally wandering out of the respective recess. This helps in particular to prevent glass breakage.

The clamping part provided for each recess has two legs. These legs form the clamping receptacle between them. Adjacent legs of adjacent clamping parts are preferably formed in one piece. They preferably form a common tongue part that has a recess. The recess is preferably formed in the middle of the tongue part.

The clamping parts, which are preferably designed as a single piece to form a terminal block, also enable simplified assembly. This is because not all of the recesses in the holder are fitted with a respective clamping part during assembly. A separate Mounting of clamping parts for each recess is thus advantageously avoided.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the clamping parts of the recesses on the outside in the longitudinal direction of the flap element interact with the respective associated contact elements of the base body. The holder is thus supplemented on the outside of the clamping part by two further recesses including a clamping body, so that a holder whose clamping element provides several, for example n = 2 or n > 2 recesses, has a total of n + 2 recesses, i.e. for example 4 or more recesses including associated clamping parts.

The invention proposes a holder which has in particular the advantages listed below.

A safe holder for hollow vessels is provided which can be used only when required.

The holding contour for hollow vessels is designed in such a way that hollow vessels with both a small diameter and a large diameter are always held exclusively at just two contact points and the distance between the center of gravity of the hollow vessel and the position of the holder on the holding contour is always minimal. This means that hollow vessels of different diameters are always held securely and do not slip away when the washing basket is moved. The contour of the recess used as a holder resembles an ellipse or parabola, which requires automatic centering.

When the folding element is in its folded-down position, i.e. in the position for use, the holder can hold other cooking utensils. The folding element and the base body form a flush-fitting support.

The holder is height-adjustable and is arranged on the washing basket, which ensures that hollow vessels with a large, heavy base, especially wheat beer glasses, and only a smaller diameter in the area of the base, are held securely.

The contour of the hollow vessel system is designed to be made of a softer Material consists of the material of the base body.

Figur 1:

in schematisch perspektivischer Ansicht einen Spülkorb mit einem erfindungsgemäßen Halter in einer ersten Stellung;

Figur 2:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung einen Spülkorb mit einem erfindungsgemäßen Halter in einer zweiten Stellung;

Figur 3:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung einen Spülkorb mit einem erfindungsgemäßen Halter in einer dritten Stellung;

Figur 4:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung ein Spülkorb mit einem vom erfindungsgemäßen Halter aufgenommenen Spülgut;

Figur 5:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung einen erfindungsgemäßen Halter in einer ersten Stellung und

Figur 6:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung einen erfindungsgemäßen Halter in einer zweiten Stellung.

Figur 7:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung eine Teilansicht eines Spülkorbs mit einem vom erfindungsgemäßen Halter aufgenommenen weiteren Spülgut;

Figur 7:

in schematisch perspektivischer Darstellung eine Teilansicht eines Spülkorbs mit einem vom erfindungsgemäßen Halter aufgenommenen anderen weiteren Spülgut;

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description based on the figures.

Figure 1:

in schematic perspective view a washing basket with a holder according to the invention in a first position;

Figure 2:

in a schematic perspective view a washing basket with a holder according to the invention in a second position;

Figure 3:

in a schematic perspective view a washing basket with a holder according to the invention in a third position;

Figure 4:

in a schematic perspective view a washing basket with items to be washed held by the holder according to the invention;

Figure 5:

in schematic perspective view a holder according to the invention in a first position and

Figure 6:

in schematic perspective representation a holder according to the invention in a second position.

Figure 7:

in a schematic perspective representation a partial view of a washing basket with further items to be washed held by the holder according to the invention;

Figure 7:

in a schematic perspective representation a partial view of a washing basket with another additional item of washing material held by the holder according to the invention;

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a rinsing basket 2 of a dishwasher not otherwise shown in the figures.

The rinsing basket 2 is designed in a known form and consists of a Wire mesh made of plastic-coated wire. The rinsing basket 2 is equipped with a holder 1 according to the invention.

The holder 1 is designed in two parts and has a base body 3 and a folding element 4. The folding element 4 is pivotably arranged on the base body 3 and can be transferred from a use position to a non-use position and vice versa. Figure 1 shows this folding element 4 in non-use position.

The base body has a recess 5 which is open at the edge and serves to accommodate a tubular item 8 to be washed, as shown in the illustration according to Figure 4 can be recognized.

In the Figure 1 In the non-use position of the folding element 4 shown, the receptacle 5 provided by the base body 3 is accessible so that it can be used by the user to hold a tubular item 8 to be washed.

Figure 2 shows the holder 1 with the folding element 4 folded down, in which position the folding element 4 is in the position of use. As a summary of the Figures 1 and 2 As can be seen, the folding element 4 has an outer contour 10 corresponding to the inner contour 9 of the recess 5, so that the folding element 4 at least partially fills the recess 5 in the position of use, namely with a storage surface 11 provided by the base body 3 (cf. Figure 6 ) flush.

In the position of use of the folding element 4, the base body 3 and the folding element 4 together form a common storage area 7, which serves to hold crockery or cutlery items. Smaller crockery items, such as cups, are particularly suitable as crockery items. Such use of cups as additional items of washing 8" is, for example, possible in Fig.8 illustrated. With regard to possible cutlery items, the storage surface 7 serves in particular to accommodate comparatively long cutlery items, in particular those which can only be inadequately accommodated in a cutlery basket or cutlery drawer.

How Figure 3 As can be seen, the base body 3 is equipped with coupling elements 6, which enable a pivoting arrangement of the base body 3 on the washing basket 2. shows Figure 3 the folded-up position of the base body 3. In this position of the holder 1, the storage area of the washing basket 2 located below the holder 1 can be freely equipped, so that the washing basket 2 can also be used in the area of the holder 1 for comparatively large items to be washed, such as pots or bowls.

As a summary of the Figures 1 to 3 The holder 1 according to the invention can assume a total of three positions. In the first position of the holder 1 according to Figure 1 The holder 1 serves to accommodate comparatively large hollow vessels, as in Figure 4 shown as an example. In the Figure 2 In the position shown, the holder 1 can be used in particular to place items to be washed on the storage surface 7 provided by the holder 1. In addition, the edge of the holder 1 on the side of the washing basket can be used to hold other items to be washed, in particular the stems of long-stemmed glasses. The third position is finally in Figure 3 shown, after which the holder 1 is brought into its non-use position, so that larger items to be washed can also be accommodated by the items to be washed 2 in the area of the holder 1.

Figure 4 shows that the washing basket 2 cannot be equipped with just one holder 1. Rather, several holders 1 arranged one behind the other can be provided in the depth direction of the washing basket 2, whereby the embodiment according to Figure 4 two such holders 1 can be identified.

The Figures 5 and 6 show the holder 1 according to the invention in detail.

As already explained at the beginning, the holder 1 has a base body 3 and a pivoting folding element 4 arranged thereon. The folding element 4 can be moved from a non-use position according to Figure 5 into a position of use according to Figure 6 and vice versa.

The base body 3 provides a storage surface 11 and the folding element 4 provides a storage surface 12, as can be seen from Figure 6 The combination of these two storage areas 11 and 12 results in a total available storage area 7, as already shown at the beginning by Figure 2 explained.

Figure 5 shows in detail the receptacle 5 provided by the base body 3. This has an inner contour 9 which is designed to correspond to the outer contour 10 of the folding element 4. In the intended use, the recess 5 is at least partially filled with a folding element 4 in the position of use, as Figure 6 can be recognized.

In non-use position of the folding element 4 according to Figure 5 The recess 5 serves to accommodate tubular items to be washed.

The base body 3 has a central section 13 and two legs 14 and 15 which hold the central section 13 between them. The folding element 4 is arranged pivotably on the central section 13, whereas the two legs 14 and 15 each provide a coupling element 6 for the height-adjustable and/or pivotable arrangement of the holder 1 on the washing basket 2.

The legs 14 and 15 of the base body 3 provide contact elements 16 made of a spring-elastic material on the recess side, which material is preferably silicone. The items to be washed, which are received in the recess 5 during the intended use, come to rest on these contact elements 16, which ensures that the items are supported gently.

The recess 5 has a contour 9 which is elliptical in shape. This ensures that the items being picked up are self-centered. In addition, the recess 5 is equally suitable for items being washed that have different diameters.

The contact elements 16 serve as a support for the folding element in the position of use, thereby ensuring the flush closure of the two storage surfaces 11 and 12 as already described above.

The middle section 13 of the base body has a support body 17, which is also made of a spring-elastic material. This support body 17 is not used for holding items to be picked up when used as intended. The support elements 16 are used for this purpose alone, which ensures that the items to be picked up are held in place at two points. The support body 17 is intended solely to ensure that, in the event of incorrect operation by the user, items to be picked up by the holder 1 do not fall off. accidentally hits the middle section and consequently damages the items being washed.

Furthermore, a summary of the Figures 5 and 6 As can be seen, the folding element 4 has an edge opposite the central section 13 of the base body 3, which has two recesses 19 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction 18 of the folding element. The recesses 19 are each equipped with a clamping part 21 providing a respective clamping receptacle 20. The clamping parts 21 are provided, for example, by a one-piece clamping strip 22 made of a spring-elastic material.

When the flap element 4 is in the position of use, the recesses 19 serve to accommodate the stem of a stemmed glass or similar items to be washed, the stem being securely received and held by the respective clamping receptacle 20 of the associated recess 19. This illustrates Fig.7 , in which two further wash items 8' designed as stemmed glasses, such as wine glasses, are shown inserted into the washing basket, with their respective stems in a clamping receptacle 20 of a flap element 4, as shown in Fig.6 is shown enlarged, are held

As shown in particular in the Figure 6 As can be seen, it is provided that the clamping parts 21 of the recesses 19 on the outside in the longitudinal direction 18 of the flap element interact with the respective associated contact elements 16 of the base body 3. In this way, in interaction of the flap element 4 and the base body 3, four recesses 19 are provided per holder 1.

Reference symbol

1

holder

2

Dishwasher basket

3

Base body

4

Folding element

5

Recess

6

Coupling element

7

Storage area

8th

Dishes

8th'

Additional items to be washed

8th"

Additional items to be washed

9

Inner contour

10

Outer contour

11

Storage area (base body)

12

Storage area (folding element)

13

Middle section

14

leg

15

leg

16

Investment element

17

Support body

18

Flap element longitudinal direction

19

Recess

20

Clamp holder

21

Clamping part

22

Terminal block

Claims (14)

1. Holder for arrangement on a dishwasher rack of a dishwasher, comprising a base body (3) and a folding element (4) which is arranged pivotably thereon and can be transferred from a use position into a non-use position and vice versa, characterised in that the base body (3) has a recess (5) which is open at the edge for receiving tubular washware (8), the folding element (4) having an outer contour (10) which corresponds to the inner contour (9) of the recess (5) and, in the use position, at least partially filling the recess (5) flush with a storage surface (11) provided by the base body (3).
2. Holder according to claim 1, characterised in that the base body (3) has two coupling elements (6) for height-adjustable and/or pivotable arrangement on the dishwasher rack (2).
3. Holder according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the base body (3) has a central portion (13) and two legs (14, 15) accommodating the central portion (13) between them.
4. Holder according to claim 3, characterised in that the folding element (4) is arranged pivotably on the central portion (13).
5. Holder according to either claim 3 or claim 4, characterised in that a coupling element (6) is arranged on the dishwasher rack side on one leg (14, 15).
6. Holder according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the recess (5) provides a marginal edge, the contour (9) of which runs along an ellipse.
7. Holder according to any of the preceding claims 3 to 6, if dependent on claim 3, characterised in that the legs (14, 15) of the base body (3) provide contact elements (16) made of a resiliently sprung material, preferably silicone, on the recess side.
8. Holder according to claim 7, characterised in that the contact elements (16) provide a contact edge for a tubular item of washware (8), the contact edge being designed to run in a wave-like manner.
9. Holder according to any of the preceding claims 3 to 8,
   characterised in that the central portion (13) provides a support body (17) made of a resiliently sprung material, preferably silicone, on the recess side.
10. Holder according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the folding element (4) can be locked to the base body (3) in the use position.
11. Holder according to any of the preceding claims 3 to 10, if dependent on claim 3, characterised in that the folding element (4) has a marginal edge opposite the central portion (13) of the base body (3), which marginal edge has two recesses (19) arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction (18) of the folding element, each recess receiving a stem of a stemmed glass or similar washware.
12. Holder according to claim 11, characterised in that the recesses (19) of the folding element (4) are each equipped with a clamping part (21) providing a particular clamping receptacle (20), the clamping parts (21) preferably being provided by an integrally formed clamping strip (22) made of a resiliently sprung material, preferably silicone.
13. Holder according to either claim 11 or claim 12, if dependent on claim 7, characterised in that the clamping parts (21) of the recesses (19) on the outside in the longitudinal direction (18) of the clamping element interact with the respective associated contact elements (16) of the base body (3).
14. Dishwasher rack for a dishwasher, having a holder that is arranged or can be arranged thereon according to any of the preceding claims.

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