EP1002494A1 - Detergent dispensing device for dishwasher - Google Patents

Abstract

The drawer (5) comprises a body (4) that is enclosed within a retention cage (2) such that it can be mounted within a washing machine. The drawer comprises a recess (11) and a handle assembly (6). The recess is adapted to receive conventional washing powder and liquid but also tablets as well.

Description

The present invention relates to a product distributor for dishwashers.

In today's dishwashers, the different detergents are generally arranged in product boxes attached to the door. These boxes are closed by a tilting or sliding shutter which opens automatically when the corresponding product is to be used.

Known product boxes are relatively bulky and therefore significantly reduce the useful internal volume of the machine, especially since their fixing on the door requires profile it (especially for aesthetic reasons) in such a way that its convex profiled part surrounding the product boxes decreases even more this interior volume. In addition, the fact of fixing the boxes to products in the door increases the acoustic leaks from the machine in operation and requires sealing means around these boxes. The product filling of these boxes is done when the door is open, almost horizontal, which forces the user to lean almost to the ground, which is not ergonomic. Such boxes have a price of is not negligible due to the presence of electromagnet coils, seals, screws, electrical wires, mechanical connections, etc.

Known from US Patent 3,333,739 a dishwasher cylindrical tank on the basket of which is fixed a product container, the tank tilts under the effect of the water jets of the reel, the evacuation of products contained in this tank requiring the installation of a water pipe specific, fixed on the wall of the machine tank, which complicates the machine and makes it more expensive. In addition, such an installation is very difficult, if not impossible to achieve with current dishwashers tilting front in which the detergent drawer is generally fixed.

We know from British Patent No. 2,321,590 a detergent dispenser essentially comprising a bowl placed in the center of the upper basket of a dishwasher and directly supplied with water through the line supplying the upper reel. Such dispenser is bulky, and is not ergonomic, because to load it in products, the user must remove the corresponding basket from the machine.

In addition, all the distributors mentioned above have the disadvantage of not holding the detergents in place in the form of pellets or pods, which fall into the tank in a place that you cannot control, especially between the cutlery, which can cause a deterioration of the surface finish of these cutlery due to local over-concentration of these products, or may fall into the tank bottom, especially in the circuit emptying, thus altering the effectiveness of washing by under-concentration in product.

We also know individual baskets intended to receive the pellets and sold with them, and which the user can hang on the wires from one of the baskets. Such a solution is only satisfactory if the user hang these baskets in areas regularly watered by the corresponding reel, which is not always the case.

The present invention relates to a product dispenser for dishwasher which does not occupy a large volume in the machine, which is easy to fill by the user and who delivers the products at the right time, in desired quantity and which is suitable simultaneously for several products in different forms (in lozenges, powder and liquid). In addition, the distributor of the invention must be able to retain the pellets in a place regularly watered by water jets and deliver them while ensuring their homogeneous dilution.

The dispenser according to the invention is characterized in that it has a support body attached to the front of a dish basket, preferably the upper basket of the machine, this body having substantially a tube shape, inside which a drawer moves longitudinally for products comprising a housing for solid products, this housing being directly watered by one of the reels when the distributor is in place in the machine, and at least one housing for powdered products or liquids. This dispenser is also characterized in that a device for reminder, disengageable in the open position of the drawer, hang this drawer for its closing stroke and forces it to complete closing.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a spring is fixed, on one side to the distributor body, and on the other side at one end of a tongue, end near which is fixed a first pin, a second pin being fixed to the tongue, near its other end, the tongue being disposed between the body and the drawer so that it cannot be move only in its own plane, the first spindle being guided less during the end of the drawer closing stroke in a first longitudinal groove formed on the drawer, the second spindle being guided, on one side, in the first longitudinal groove, and on the other, in a second longitudinal groove formed on the body, these two grooves are ending, at their end facing the user when the dispenser is in place, by a short lateral extension, these two extensions being directed in opposite directions, the extension of the first groove being substantially at the rear end of the second groove, and the extension of the second groove located in front of that of the first groove, when the drawer is closed.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un distributeur de produits conforme à l'invention, dont le tiroir est ouvert,
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessous du distributeur de la figure 1, son tiroir étant ouvert,
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessous partielle du distributeur de la figure 1, lorsque le dispositif de rappel de son tiroir commence à agir, et
• la figure 4 est une vue de dessous partielle du distributeur de la figure 1, son tiroir étant fermé.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description of an embodiment, taken by way of nonlimiting example and illustrated by the appended drawing, in which:

• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a product dispenser according to the invention, the drawer of which is open,
• FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the dispenser of FIG. 1, its drawer being open,
• FIG. 3 is a partial bottom view of the dispenser of FIG. 1, when the return device of its drawer begins to act, and
• Figure 4 is a partial bottom view of the dispenser of Figure 1, its drawer being closed.

The invention is described below with reference to a distributor of dishwasher products, the drawer of which has a single compartment for liquid or powder products, but it is understood that this drawer may have several such compartments, each of which has its own product discharge water supply line and its own opening disposal of these products.

The dispenser 1 is fixed to the upper basket 2 of the dishwasher, its front part for example under the bottom of this basket, which has in the fixing area a convex recess 3 (seen from above) to house this dispenser and isolate it from dishes that may be placed in the basket.

The distributor 1 essentially comprises a tubular body 4 in which a drawer 5 moves longitudinally (i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the dishwasher door when closed). The cross section of the body 4 has an approximately elliptical shape in this example. The drawer 5 has an operating handle 6 user operated. The handle 6 is provided with a housing 7 for tablet products. The axis of this accommodation is perpendicular to the direction drawer movement (i.e. vertical when the dispenser is attached to basket 2). The housing 7 passes through the handle 6, is open to its part upper and lower part, the latter being provided with a grid 8 retaining the pellets, while letting the water pass. The handle 6 comes apply against the front opening 9 of the body 4 which it closes when the drawer 5 is closed. The distributor 1 is fixed to the basket 2 so that the door of the dishwasher is close to the handle 6 when the door is closed. This implies that even if the user forgets to close the drawer before starting the machine, closing the door provides the complete closing of the drawer by pushing it beyond the point where the reminder, described below, begins to hang the drawer to automatically cause its complete closure. In addition, the position of the housing 7 is such that at least one of the water jets of the reel corresponding to basket 2 enters this housing and dissolves progressively the tablet (s) in this housing, if the user uses such tablets. Of course, it is preferable that water jet enters the housing 7 directly rather than after having ricocheted, for example on a wall of the machine tank.

The body 10 of the drawer 5 comprises a compartment 11 intended to contain a liquid or powdered detergent. This compartment 11 communicates, at its rear, with a water supply channel 12 (water product 11), this channel ending in a posterior line 13 formed integrally with the drawer and of which the mouthpiece is applied against a nozzle or an orifice (not shown) of a fixed water supply pipe when the drawer is closed. One of the walls of the compartment 11 has an opening or notch 14 allowing the product contained in the compartment to be evacuated to the dishwasher tank when water is sent to this compartment, via line 13 and channel 12.

In the embodiment shown, the body 4 has the form, its front part, of a sleeve 15 with approximately section elliptical, while at its central 16 and posterior 17, it does not include that an upper half-shell extending the upper part of the sleeve 15. Part 17 is narrower than part 16. Parts 16, 17 have pins 18 with holes for fixing the distributor 1 to corresponding rods 19 of basket 2.

The drawer 5 return device comprises a tongue 20 and a spring 21. The tongue 20 is disposed between the underside of the drawer 5 and the lower part 22 of the sleeve 15. The tongue 20 has a shape oblong and has a pin 23 at its rear end and a pin 24 at its anterior end (closest to the door of the machine), these pins being perpendicular to the plane of the tongue. The pin 23 and pin 24 protrude from both sides of the tongue. The pin 23 is intended for guiding the tongue 20 and for hooking one end of the spring 21, the other end of which is hooked to a lug 25 formed on the underside of part 16 of body 4. Part lower pin 24 moves in a groove 26 formed in the part 22 of the sleeve 15. The upper part (not visible in the drawing) of the pin 16 moves in a groove 27 formed on the underside of the drawer 5.

The groove 26 is straight and parallel to the direction of moving the drawer. It ends at its front with a short lateral extension 26 A whose axis makes an angle of just over 90 ° by relative to the axis of the groove 26. In addition, the groove 26 is offset laterally with respect to the groove 27, so that its extension 26A is located to the right of the groove 27. The groove 27 can either be formed recessed relative to the underside of the drawer, or, preferably, as shown in the drawing, formed in relief relative to this underside. This groove 27 extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drawer, on the almost the entire length of the drawer, and ends at its front by a short lateral extension 27A which extends in one direction practically opposite that of the extension 26A with respect to the axis of the groove 27. The width of grooves 26 and 27 is slightly greater than the diameter of spindle 24. The location of extension 27A is such that when drawer 5 is almost half closed (for example when it about 2 cm of travel until complete closure), area 27B of junction between the rectilinear groove 27 and the wall 27C of its extension lateral 27A arrives at the pin 24. The pin 24 is then still in the extension 26A. The wall 27C forms with the wall of the groove 27 of which it is the continuation an angle slightly greater than 90 °.

The operation of the device described above is as follows, in starting from the open state of the drawer (figure 2). Pin 24, guided on one side by the groove 27, and on the other by the groove 26, is located in the extension 26A because, as specified above, the groove 26 is substantially parallel to groove 27, but laterally offset in the same direction as the extension 27A relative to the groove 27. It follows that as long as the pin 24 does not arrive at junction 27B, it remains immobilized in the extension 26A, which is in line with the groove 27.

When, during the drawer closing movement (this movement being caused by the user pushing the handle 6, and / or by the dishwasher door pushing this handle), pin 24 starts beyond junction 27B (figure 3), it engages both in the extension 27A and in the groove 26, which allows the spring 21 to start moving tongue 20 backwards. Since at this point moment the pin 24 engages in the extension 27A, the tongue 20 pulls back the drawer 5 via the pin 24 which is applied against the wall 27C. Therefore, even if at this time the user releases the handle 6 of the drawer, the spring 21 pulls the drawer back until it is completely closed. Of course, so that the spring 21 exerts a pulling force on the drawer even when the latter is closed, the spring, the tongue 20 and the length of the groove 26 and the corresponding position is extension 27A and lug 25.

When the drawer 5 is closed (Figure 4), the pin 24 is located bottom of extension 27A. When this drawer is opened, the oblique wall 27C slides the pin 24 towards the groove 27, which drives it simultaneously towards the extension 26A. Pin 24 then slides simultaneously into the extension 26A (in which it remains trapped) and in groove 27, and the drawer 5 is no longer stressed by the spring 21 and can open freely.

Claims (6)

Dispenser for dishwasher products, characterized in that it comprises a support body (4) fixed to a dish basket (2) of the machine, this body having substantially the shape of a tube, inside from which a product drawer (5) longitudinally moves comprising a housing (7) for solid products, this housing being directly watered by one of the reels when the dispenser is in place in the machine, and at minus a housing for powder or liquid products. Dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that it is attached to the upper basket of the dishwasher, at its front. Dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a return device (20, 21), disengageable in the open position of the drawer, hooks this drawer during its closing stroke and forces it to close complete. Dispenser according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a spring (21) is fixed, on one side to the body of the distributor (25), and the other side at one end of a tab (20), end near which is fixed a first pin, a second pin (24) being fixed to the tab, near its other end, the tab being disposed between the body and drawer so that it can only move in its own plan, the first spindle being guided at least during the end of the race for closing the drawer in a first longitudinal groove (27) formed on the drawer, the second spindle being guided, on one side, in the first longitudinal groove, and on the other, in a second longitudinal groove (26) formed on the body, these two grooves ending at their end facing the user when the dispenser is in place, by a short lateral extension (27A, 26A), these two extensions being directed in opposite directions, the extension of the first groove being substantially at the rear end of the second groove, and the extension of the second groove located in front of that of the first groove, when the drawer is closed. Distributor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drawer has at least one product compartment (11) communicating via a corresponding pipe (13) formed integrally with the drawer whose mouth comes to rest against a nozzle or hole in a water supply line when the drawer is closed. Dispenser according to claim 5, characterized in that the compartment has an opening or notch (14) for discharging products.

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