GB2330522A

GB2330522A - One-shot detergent dispenser for dishwashers or the like

Info

Publication number: GB2330522A
Application number: GB9822795A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daniele Favaro
Original assignee: Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA; Electrolux Zanussi SpA
Current assignee: Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA; Electrolux Zanussi SpA
Priority date: 1997-10-21
Filing date: 1998-10-19
Publication date: 1999-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2018-10-19
Also published as: GB2330522B; FR2769822A1; ITPN970040U1; FR2769822B1; GB9822795D0; ES1041153Y; ES1041153U; IT243436Y1; DE29818080U1

Abstract

A one-shot detergent dispenser for dishwashers or the like with a container (13) having at its ends (14,15) coaxial support pins (16,17) for support by a stationary body (9). The stationary body (9) supports the pivot (26) and the actuating means (30) of a lever (24), which controls the movement of the container (13) between a loading position, a closed position at the beginning of the washing cycle and an open position for the release of detergent during the washing cycle. The actuating means (30) is preferably of a type which does not require an electrical power supply.

Description

1 ONE-SHOT DETERGENT DISPENSER FOR DISHWASHERS AND THE LIKE 2330522 The

present invention relates to a single-measure or one-shot detergent dispenser for dishwashing machines and similar domestic appliances.

In addition to dishwashing machines, the invention is also applicable to machines for washing glassware, cups, cutlery etc. that are used in public houses, bars, coffee and tea houses and other catering establishments.

Two chemical agents are used in the machine washing of domestic crockery, more precisely a detergent and a rinse aid. For the purposes of releasing such chemical agents in the course of the washing cycle in such a way that they are dispersed in the previously loaded water, domestic dishwashers use automatic dispensers which are either separate or integrated into a single component.

A typical single-measure or one-shot detergent dispenser comprises a container which is fitted into the thickness of the door of the machine in such a way that its cover projects slightly from the surface which faces towards the washing tub. After the detergent has been loaded into the container, the cover is held in a closed condition by a fastening latch disposed along the side opposite to its hinged side. An electromagnetic actuator which is controlled by the programmer of the dishwasher releases the latch, causing the automatic opening of the cover at the desired moment in the washing cycle and consequent release of the detergent into the washing tub.

That widespread construction suffers from the disadvantage that, to permit the user to load the detergent, the door of the dishwasher has to be completely open and thus very close to the floor of the kitchen in which the appliance is installed. The lack of convenience and awkwardness are thus apparent, especially in the case of people who are elderly and/or suffer from back troubles.

EP-A-0-554 226 also discloses a multi-measure dispenser which is disposed between the upper worktop and the tub to permit the user to load the detergent, also once every so many washing cycles, while remaining in an erect position.

2 That patent affirms but in no way demonstrates that the dispenser can be used both on clothes washing machines and dishwashers. It is therefore not possible to understand how the proposed solution is compatible with the usual design of dishwashers which involves a front door and a cover worktop which are stationary, in particular in built-in appliances in which the only worktop is the continuous worktop of the kitchen units. The use of the above-mentioned dispenser is also limited to liquid detergents which are not yet widespread.

EP-A-755 650 also discloses a design in which the dispensers for the detergent and the rinse aid are mounted in side-by-side relationship on the front side of one of the crockery and cutlery baskets and are supplied by way of quick-action hydraulic connections from the line for feeding water to the rotary arm associated with the basket. That without doubt improves access to the dispensers for loading them with the respective chemical agents by the reliability of the water-tight sealing arrangements is problematical, with an adverse effect on their dispersion in water. In addition that construction involves substantial modifications to the conventional water circuit of a dishwasher, for example an electrically operated valve which diverts the water from the above-mentioned rotary arm to a suitable diffuser in the phases of the washing cycle which do not provide for the use of detergent or the rinse aid (for example the pre-wash phase).

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a single-measure dispenser for dishwashers which affords easy access on the part of the user for loading the detergent which can be indiscriminately in the form of powder, liquid or tablets.

A second aim is to provide a dispenser which ensures complete release of the detergent into the tub of the dishwasher and thus good washing results without altering the overall construction of the machine.

Another aim is to provide a dispenser which, at least in a preferred embodiment, is without electrical components and which thus does not impose on the designer of 3 the dishwashers particular limitations in regard to its position in the machine.

According to the present invention there is provided a one-shot detergent dispenser capable of being mounted on a dishwashing machine or the like which comprises a stationary body and a lever mechanism whose pivot and whose actuating means are supported by the body for the programmed release of the detergent to the interior of the tub of the machine, characterised by comprising a detergent container having at its ends coaxial support pins for support by the stationary body and actuated by said lever mechanism in such a way as to move along an arcuate path defined on an end between a first loading position for loading the detergent, a second closed position at the beginning of the washing cycle and a third open position during the washing cycle.

To permit better understanding of the features and advantages of the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of an integrated detergent and rinse aid dispenser according to the invention which is mounted directly on a crockery basket of a domestic dishwashing machine; Figure 2 shows only the part relating to the detergent dispenser which for simplicity is separate from the machine, in section taken along a plane parallel to the plane of the view in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of the dispenser taken along section line X-X in Figure 2 in its configuration at the moment of loading the detergent; and 30 Figures 4 and 5 are similar to Figure 3 and show the configurations of the dispenser at the beginning and at the end respectively of the washing cycle. As shown in Figure 1 the upper crockery basket 1 which is mounted slidably in the tub 2 of a domestic dishwasher by means of wheels 3 and associated guides 4 supports on its front side an integrated dispenser which is generally identified by reference numeral 5. The latter comprises both a single-measure detergent dispenser 6 and a multi-measure liquid rinse aid dispenser 7 provided with a filling cap 8. Suspended from the basket 1 at the underside 4 thereof is a rotary spray arm connected to the water circui of the machine which, being of conventional type, is not shown. Even if the dispensers 6 and 7 are disposed in sideby-side relationship in the interior of a single hollow body 9 which is made from injection-moulded plastics material and on the back of which are integrally provided shaped projections 10 and 11 to be fitted in snap engagement to the metal bars with which the basket 1 is formed - See Figures 3 and 4 - only the detergent dispenser 6 is however described herein, since the present invention relates exclusively thereto.

According to the invention, besides a part of the hollow body 9 of a semicircular cross-section which terminates with a projecting edge portion 12, the detergent dispenser 6 comprises a container 13 which is accommodated in the hollow body 9 with ample peripheral clearance, for the reason set out hereinafter. The container 13 which is also made of injection-moulded plastics material comprises two ends 14 and 15 from which there project two coaxial support pins 16 and 17 which are fitted into corresponding seats (not shown for the sake of simplicity) provided in the interior of the body 9. The pin 17 which projects from the end 15 carriers a coil torsion spring 18 which presses against the part of the body 9 where the seat of the pin 17 is disposed, see Figure 2.

The container 13 which also comprises two substantially parallel walls 19 and 20, the second of which is grooved at its edge to hold a seal 21, and an arcuate end wall 22, is open at 23 in opposite relationship to the end wall 22. In this embodiment therefore the container 13 is of a U-shaped cross-section - see Figures 3 and 4 - but it may also be of a different section, for example semi-circular or polygonal provided that it is open in opposite relationship to the bottom thereof.

Extending in the interior of the hollow body 9 and along the axis of the container 13 is a lever 24'which bears with a leaf spring 25 against the upper shaped projection 10 and is pivoted at 26 on an internal protection of the body 9. At first end 27 of the lever is held in contact with the projecting head 28 of the piston 29 in an actuator cylinder by means of a counteracting spring 31 which bears against the inside surface of the hollow body 9 -see Figure 2. In this preferred embodiment of the invention the actuator cylinder 30- is of the type which, to produce the sliding movements of the above-mentioned piston 29, contains a substance which is subject to significant variation in volume in the range of temperatures (of the order of from 10 to 65oC) within the tub of the dishwasher, f or example thermostatic wax. Adjacent its second end 32 which is at the end of a portion bent at a right angle, fixed to the lever 24 is a transverse pin 33 which is capable sliding in a groove 34 provided in the end 15 of the container 13 against which the coil spring 18 bears, the groove 34 not passing through the end 15. The groove 34 is of an arcuate configuration with a first enlargement 35 at one end and a second enlargement 36 at an intermediate position - see Figures 3 and 4.

The mode of operation of the detergent dispenser 6 is as follows:

At the beginning of a washing cycle with 'normal' ambient temperature (in practice no higher than 30-35oC) the configuration of the detergent dispenser 6 is such that the container 13 is disposed with its opening 23 facing upwardly -see Figure 3 - that is to say facing the user when he opens the door of the dishwasher to effect the loading operations.

In that arrangement the pin 33 which is fixed to the lever 24 adjacent the second end 32 thereof is accommodated in the intermediate enlargement 36 of the arcuate groove 34 which is provide on the end 15 of the container 13. In that way the arrangement of the container 13 is stabilised and permits the user to load the detergent therein (whether it is in powder or tablet or also liquid form) with the maximum degree of ease. It is in fact apparent that, being fixed to the upper basket 1 of the dishwasher which is at a minimum at about 60 cm. from the floor, the detergent dispenser 6 is accessible on the part of the user more or less without requiring him to bend his back.

At all events, after having loaded the detergent into the container 13, it is only necessary for the user to use his hand to apply light upward thrust force against the 6 outside of the side 20 of the container, preferably at a position corresponding to the groove containing the seal 21. In that way the pin 33 is forced to come out of the intermediate enlargement 36 and progressively loading the torsion spring 18, to slide along the arcuate groove 34 to the final enlargement 35. The pin 33 remains stably held in position here by virtue of the force of the leaf spring 25 in that way closing the container 13 since the seal 21 bears against the projecting edge 12 which is disposed at the end of the concave body 9 - see Figure 4.

At that point the user can start the washing cycle, beginning immediately or, if the machine permits it, with a delay. The washing cycle comprises, as is well known, a phase involving heating the water from the mains supply temperature (for example 1SoC) to the temperature for washing the crockery (for example 60oC) at the same time as spraying it by means of the rotary spray arms. That means that, within the tub 2 of the dishwasher, the temperature rises from a value more or less equal to that of the kitchen to the value of the water at the end of the abovementioned heating phase, which causes progressive expansion of the substance contained within the actuator cylinder 30. That means that, overcoming the reaction forces of the spring 31, the piston 29 rise from the actuator cylinder 30, urging upwardly the first end 27 of the lever 24, whichl being pivoted at 26, moves the send end 32 thereof downwardly see Figure 2. The pin 33 is consequently displaced from the abovementioned end enlargement 35 and compelled to side downwardly to the opposite end of the arcuate groove. By virtue also of the simultaneous relief of the coil spring 18 the latter firstly causes the seal 21 to detach from the projecting edge portion 12 of the concave body 9 and then causes progressive opening of the container 13 in such a way that its aperture is displaced increasing downwardly. When, as already stated above, the pin 33 arrives at the end of the groove 34 which is most remote from the enlarge 35, the container 13 is in a third condition in which its opening 23 faces downwardly so as to release the detergent D previously loaded therein into the tub of the machine to be dissolved in the hot water for washing the crockery - see Figure 5.

7 During the subsequent phases in the washing cycle which are implemented with water that is not heated, the temperature in the interior of the tub of the machine starts to drop again and therefore the substance contained in the actuator cylinder 30 cools down and, under the thrust force of the spring 31, the lever 24 returns the detergent dispenser to the initial condition as shown in Figure 3.

It should be noted incidentally that the user has the option of opening the closed container 13 by hand, that is to say moving it from the configuration shown in Figure 4 to the configuration shown in Figure 3. For that purpose it is only necessary to lift with a finger the second end 32 of the lever 24 in such a way that the pin 33 moves downwardly along the groove 34 until it passes into the intermediate is enlargement 36. In other words, the user manually reproduces the effect automatically obtained by the actuator cylinder 30.

The advantage of the present construction will be apparent from the foregoing description, in relation to the state of the art described hereinbefore, in terms of practicality of use, and structural and functional simplicity. A further advantage lies in the fact that in any case a dishwasher designer enjoys the greatest degree of freedom in terms of the choice of positioning of the dispenser by virtue of the fact that in the preferred embodiment it does not require any electrical power supply.

It will be appreciated however that the present invention also protects an embodiment in which actuation of the lever 24 can be effected with a conventional electromagnetic actuator provided that the dispenser is fitted on the door or however at a position in the dishwasher which permits an easy electrical power supply without danger.

It should finally be noted that this patent also covers an integrated dispenser construction in which, by virtue of suitable lever assemblies, a single actuator cylinder, besides the release of detergent, also provides for release of the rinse aid from the multi-measure dispenser 7.

8

Claims

1. A one-shot detergent dispenser capable of being mounted on a dishwashing machine or the like which comprises a stationary body and a lever mechanism whose pivot and whose actuating means are supported by the body for the programmed release of the detergent to the interior of the tub of the machine, characterised by comprising a detergent container having at its ends coaxial support pins for support by the stationary body and actuated by said lever mechanism in such a way as to move along an arcuate path defined on an end between a first loading position for loading the detergent, a second closed position at the beginning of the washing cycle and a third open position during the washing cycle.

is

2. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to claim 1, characterised in that the connection between the lever mechanism is provided adjacent its end which is remote from the actuating means by a pin slidable in said arcuate path.

3. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said arcuate path has at least two enlargements at positions corresponding to said first and second positions.

4. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the actuating means for the lever mechanism operate in dependence on the temperature in the interior of the washing tub without requiring any electrical power supply.

5. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to claim 4, in which the actuation means comprise a cylinder filled with a substance subject to significant variations in volume in the relevant range and from which projects the head of a piston in such a way as to be held in contact with the corresponding end of the lever mechanism by counteracting means.

9

6. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detergent dispenser has an opening in opposite relationship to the end wall.

7. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the dispenser is of U-shaped configuration.

8. A one-shot detergent dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised by being part of a single integrated dispenser for which the same actuating means also serve to actuate an associated multishot liquid rinse aid dispenser.

9. A dishwashing machine or the like, in particular for domestic use, having a one-shot detergent dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said dispenser which can also be part of a single integrated dispenser which comprises an associated multi-measure liquid rinse aid dispenser is engaged to one of the crockery baskets of the machine, preferably to the front side of the upper basket.

10. A one-shot dispenser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the 25 accompanying drawings.

11. A washing machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.