US3568935A

US3568935A - Hinged spray plate and box for dishwashers

Info

Publication number: US3568935A
Application number: US799752A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roger L Hoffman
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: Hobart Corp
Priority date: 1969-02-17
Filing date: 1969-02-17
Publication date: 1971-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 1988-03-09

Abstract

A spray box connectable to a water inlet in a dishwasher and including a separate spray plate hinged to the spray box and releaseably closeable thereover by means of a quick release fastener whereby to facilitate cleaning of the spray box and spray plate, the spray plate being formed preferably with three parallel semicylindrical protrusions each of which contains a plurality of spaced slots, and a sealing gasket being located between the confronting surfaces of the spray plate and the spray box.

Description

United States Patent Roger L. Hoffman Pequannock, NJ. 799,752

Feb. 17, 1969 Mar. 9, 1971 General Electric Company Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee HINGED SPRAY PLATE AND BOX FOR DISHWASHERS 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 239/568, 239/587, 239/600 Int. Cl B05b 1/14 Field of Search 239/568, 587, 600

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l.7l2,885 5/l929 Hartfield 239/600X 3,233,782 2/1966 Ullman, Jr., et al. 239/600X 3,444,870 5/ l 969 Lyman 239/600X Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King Attorneys-Arthur E. F ournier, Jr, David M. Schiller, Frank L. Neuhauser, Melvin M. Goldenberg and Oscar B. Waddell ABSTRACT: A spray box connectable to a water inlet in a dishwasher and including a separate spray plate hinged to the spray box and releaseably closeable thereover by means of a quick release fastener whereby to facilitate cleaning of the spray box and spray plate, the spray plate being formed preferably with three parallel semicylindrical protrusions each of which contains a plurality of spaced slots, and a sealing gasket being located between the confronting surfaces of the spray plate and the spray box.

PATENTEDHAR 9:97! 3.668.935

sum 2 or 3 F 5 lNVEN/OR Posse L. HOFFMAN ll TTORNE Y HINGED SPRAY PLATE AND BOX FOR DISHWASHERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention My invention relates to dishwashing equipment and more particularly to an improvement in wash spray water means for use primarily in rack conveyor type commercial dishwasher.

2. Description of the Prior Art All rack conveyor type commercial dishwashers utilize to some degree a stationary spray head device. The function of the spray head is to provide a controllable outlet for the wash spray water above and below the racked dishes. The rack conveyor type of dishwasher, by definition, utilizes stationary prewash, wash, and rinse spray heads and moves the rack of dishes between the spray heads at a predetermined speed. National sanitation standards fix the gallons per minute pumped per inch of linear rack speed for various machine categories.

Traditionally, the spray head component has comprised an assembly of a pipe manifold, slotted spray pipes attached to the manifold, and removable end caps on the spray pipes. When the pump is on, water is circulated into the upper and lower spray manifolds, then into the spray pipes and out the spray slots in the pipes. One variation on the spray pipe approach has been a prior art form of spray box, normally fabricated of stainless steel, and containing a plurality of plastic nozzles arranged thereon in a suitable manner to provide the proper spray pattern.

A further requirementof any spray head assembly is ease of cleaning. Due to recirculated contaminants, the operator must be able to quickly and effectively clean the slots and passage within any spray head. Depending on the extent of use of the dishwasher, this cleaning may have to be accomplished on the order of several times a day. Spray pipes are sanitized by removing the individual end caps, inserting a cleaning brush, and scrubbing the inside of the pipes. Not only is this a tedious and timeconsuming task, but it can also be extremely difficult to get the spray pipes completely cleaned. In addition there is often a problem in ensuring that the slots in the pipes remain properly aligned so as to provide the proper spray pattern.

Insofar as the cleaning of the aforesaid prior art form of spray box and nozzles thereof is concerned, the spray box with nozzles is removed from the dishwasher as a complete assembly, placed in a sink or otherwise scrubbed to remove entrapped contaminants within the box or spray nozzles. Although such a spray box is considered by some to be easier to clean than spray pipes, the total time it takes to clean either form of spray head assembly nevertheless normally necessitates restricting the performance of such cleaning to those periods of the day wherein little use is being made of the dishwasher. Thus, the extended period of time required to clean either the spray pipes or the prior art form of spray box, whichever type of spray head assembly a dishwasher may be equipped with, represents nonproductive use time for the dishwasher, and as such it has become a fairly well-recognized fact that this is considered to be one of the primary detracting features of this type of commercial dishwasher. On the other hand, though attempts have been made to obviate this in herent disadvantageous characteristic of this type of dishwasher, they have up to this time enjoyed only limited success.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved spray box assembly for commercial dishwashers which is.characterized in having a construction which provides easier accessibility to the various component parts thereof for cleaning purposes than do prior existing types of spray head assemblies.

it is another object of the present invention to provide such a spray box assembly for commercial dishwashers wherein the spray box assembly may be sanitized without removal from the dishwasher and in considerably less time than heretofore possible with respect to prior existing types of spray head assemblies.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a spray box assembly for commercial dishwashers which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple to assemble, and but yet which is durable in use and :reliable in operation.

SUMMARY THE INVENTION In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention there is provided a spray box assembly operatively connectable to a water inlet in a commercial dishwasher. The spray box assembly includes a separate spray plate having slots therein and a spray box to which the spray plate is hinged and releasably secured, thereby to facilitate cleaning of the spray box and spray plate. The hinged spray plate is closed over the spray box by quick release fasteners, and a sealing gasket is located between the confronting surfaces of the spray plate and spray box. Also, the spray plate is formed preferably with several parallel semicylindrical protrusions each of which contains a plurality of spaced slots.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dishwasher having spray box assemblies in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view showing the entrance end of the dishwasher of FIG. 1, with an upper and a lower spray box assembly thereof being illustrated in skeleton;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lower spray box assembly of the dishwasher of FIG. 2 taken substantially on the line 3-3;-

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spray box assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a spray box assembly in accordance with the present invention with the spray plate thereof broken away for purposes of clarity of illustration;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lower spray box assembly of FIG. 3 taken substantially on the line 6-6; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lower spray box assembly of FIG. 3 taken substantially on the line 7-7.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the invention is shown as incorporated in a rack conveyor type commercial dishwasher generally designated by reference numeral 10, and which comprises a housing 11 divided into a pair of washing compartments l2 and 13 integrally arranged in side-by-side relation. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the compartment 12 may take the form of a conventional prewash section as it is commonly referred to in the art wherein the soiled dishes are initially given a. preliminary wash to remove the bulk of the food particles which commonly remain on the dishes even after the latter have been scraped prior to being fed into the dishwasher 10. Compartment 12 may also take form of a conventional power wash section. Compartment 13 on the other hand constitutes the spray compartment wherein the so-called actual cleansing of the dishes takes place or could constitute a rinse compartment in the case where compartment 12 is a wash section. Although not shown it is to be understood that in accordance with conventional practice the spray compartment 13 includes at its exit end a rinse means wherein the dishes after being washed are subjected to a final rinse with water which is at a maximum sanitizing temperature just prior to their exit from the dishwasher 10.

The compartments 13 and 12 are each closed with a door 14 and 15, respectively, vertically slideable in channels (not shown) suitably provided for this purpose. Each of the doors 15 and 14 is provided with a full-width door lift 16 and 17, respectively, appropriately recessed so as not to present any protrusions which might accidentally be engaged by equipment or personnel passing closely adjacent thereto, or which might catch on the clothing of the operator of the dishwasher 10. The full-width door lifts l6 and 17 allow the lifting action with respect to the doors 14 and 15 to take place all along the entire front of the dishwasher while the doors l4 and permit an operator to readily reach all areas within the dishwasher interior. The dishwasher 10 is preferably supported on a plurality of bulletlike legs 18, each individually adjustable, which are suitably secured to the under surface of the housing 11 at each of the four corners thereof.

The requisite water inlet means 19 and associated piping therefor are located in juxtaposed relation to the rear and top of the housing 11 of dishwasher 10 as best seen with reference to F168. 1 and 2 of the drawing. Suitable wash tanks are positioned behind the

front tank panels

20 and 21 of housing 11 for the purpose of receiving the excess of the wash water which has been sprayed on to the dishes, the latter spraying being accomplished in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter. The water which flows into the aforesaid wash tanks is normally recirculated by means of a pump (not shown). Inasmuch as the manner in which water is circulated and/or recirculated in a dishwasher such as the dishwasher 10 is well-known to those skilled in the art and the fact that the manner in which this is accomplished is only indirectly related to the subject matter of the present invention, it has not been further described herein.

As depicted in dotted lines in FIG. 1 of the drawing, dishes 23 suitably retained in rack 24 are fed into the dishwasher 10 in the direction of arrow 25, i.e., from right to left as viewed with reference to the aforesaid FIG. 1. Suitable flap members 26 are preferably positioned in the entrance opening 27 and also in the exit opening (not shown) located at opposite ends in the housing 11 of dishwasher 10. These flap members 26 are primarily provided for the purpose of substantially closing both of the aforesaid openings so as to minimize the escape of wash water to the exterior of the dishwasher 10. The flap members 26 selected for use for this purpose are of course flexible enough to permit the rack 24 to be passed into the interior of the dishwasher 10 without occasioning any damage to the dishes 23 supported on the rack 24.

The racks 24 are moved through the dishwasher 10 by means of a conveyor chain (not shown) having a plurality of lugs projecting outwardly therefrom which engage appropriate portions of each of the racks 24 thereby causing the racks 24 to move therewith. One such lug 28 may be seen in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The racks 24 as they are caused to move through the dishwasher 10 are supported on a pair of channel-shaped

members

29 and 30 extending substantially the entire length of the dishwasher 10. The channel-shaped

members

29 and 30 as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing are positioned by suitable means (not shown) in juxtaposed relation to the front and rear surfaces of the dishwasher 10.

A watertight control console 31 is suitable supported on the housing 11 in juxtaposed relation to the compartment 12 at the entrance end of the dishwasher l0. Dials, switches, and indicators all generally designated by the same reference numeral 32 appropriate to the operation of the dishwasher 10 are positioned on the vertical panel 33 of control console 31 which is preferably inclined at a slight angle for easy readability of the instruments positioned thereon. A protective cover 34 precludes excessive drippage of water on to the inclined panel 33, and also assists in preventing abuse to the console 31 which might be occasioned by the loaded racks 24 which pass in close relation thereto as they are being fed into the interior of the dishwasher 10.

The wash water spray means previously mentioned hereinabove preferably comprises an upper and a lower

spray box assembly

35 and 36, respectively, which are depicted in dotted lines in FIG. 2 of the drawing. Inasmuch as upper and lower

spray box assemblies

35 and 36, respectively, are essentially identical both in structure and method of operation, but differ in size the description thereof will be limited to a description of the lower spray box assembly 36 as illustrated particularly in FIGS. 3-7 of the drawing.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the lower spray box assembly 36 illustrated therein includes a spray box 37 and a spray plate or cover 38. The spray box 37 as best seen with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawing includes a rectangular base member 39 having an upstanding front flange 40 (FIG. 6), and a pair of opposed

upstanding side flanges

41 and 42, respectively (FIG. 7). The base member 39 is provided at its rear with a downwardly extending portion 39a which in association with the rearwall 39b of base member 39 and the upper surface 390 thereof forms a water chamber or manifold 43 for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 7 the spray box 37 also may include a pair of substantially

U-shaped channel members

44 and 45 which extend in adjacent relation to

side flanges

41 and 42, respectively, of base member 39. The

lower leg portions

44a and 45a of

U-shaped channel members

44 and 45, respectively, are suitably secured to the interior surface of base member 39 such as by spot welding, etc. such that the center portions 44b and 45b of

channel members

44 and 45 are sufiiciently spaced from the inner side of

side flanges

41 and 42, respectively, to provide room for accommodating the sidewall portions of spray plate 38 when the latter is moved to the closed position with respect to spray box 37, as shown in FIG. 7 of the drawmg.

The upper leg portions 440 and 450 of

U-shaped channel members

44 and 45, respectively, extend inward in order to accommodate a gasket 46 made of a suitable material such as rubber. Upper leg portions 440 and 450 however may also be fabricated as part of

side flanges

41 and 42 thereby eliminating surfaces 44b and 4519. As illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawing, the ends of

upper leg portions

44c and 45c are actually embedded in gasket 46 so as to retain the latter thereon. In addition, it is preferable to adhesively bond the gasket 46 to the upper leg portions 440 and 450, respectively, by use of a suitable adhesive. It should be noted that if used such an adhesive must be selected from amongst those which will not be adversely affected by virtue of its contact with water which is at an elevated temperature and contains suitable detergents, and an adhesive which conversely will not impart any detrimental characteristic to the wash water with which it comes in contact which would preclude usage of the wash water for its intended purpose, i.e., cleansing dishes.

Gasket 46 is similarly retained on the inwardly bent portion 40a of upstanding front flange 40 of base member 39, and the inwardly extending end portion of upper surface 390 of base member 39. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a gasket bracket 47 is utilized to provide additional support to the gasket 46 adjacent the inwardly extending end portion of upper surface 39c of base member 39, i.e., at the rear of spray box 37. The gasket bracket 47 comprises a substantially flat rectangular member with the end 47a thereof most closely adjacent the gasket 46 being bent up substantially at a right angle to the main portion 47b of the bracket 47. The gasket bracket 47 is retained in juxtaposed relation to the lower surface of the gasket 46 and in slightly spaced relation to the inner side of upper surface 39c of base member 39 by suitable means such as a screw 48 and nut 49, the screw 48 passing through openings (not shown) suitably provided therefor in gasket bracket 47 and upper surface 39c. A suitable spacer 50 is preferably interposed between upper surface 39c and gasket bracket 47 for the purpose of imparting additional rigidity to the spray box 37 by minimizing any tendency which might exist for the gasket bracket 47 to pivot about screw 48 and to avoid unequal compression of the lower surface of gasket 46, i.e., the ower edge portion thereof furthest from portion 47a of gasket bracket as viewed with reference to FIG. 6 of the drawing. Spacer 50 is of course also provided with a suitable opening (not shown) to permit screw 49 to pass therethrough. Thus, the gasket 46 completely surrounds the opening 511 comprising the open side of base member 39, the latter opening 5ll being defined by upstanding front flange 40, upper leg portions 44c and 450, and inwardly extending upper surface 39c of base member 39, as best illustrated in F lG. 50f the drawing. I g

Theother major component of spray box assembly 36 is the spray plate 38 which is hinged to the spray box 37 so as to be capable of inoving from a closed position relative to the aforementioned opening 51 in base member 39 of spray box 37 as illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 60f the drawing to an open position as illustrated in dotted lines in aforementioned FIG. 6 to facilitate cleaning of the spray box assembly 36. Spray plate 33 has a depending flange 52 extending along its front and similar opposed depending flanges'53 and 54, respectively,extending along each of its sides. As best seen with reference to FIG. 7 of the drawing, the depending flanges 53 and54 in the closed position of spray plate 38 are received between flange 41 of base member 39 and the corresponding center portion 44b of U-shaped channel member 44, and side flange 42 and its corresponding center position 4512, respectively. Spray plate 38 is further provided at its rear with an upstanding flange 55 which extends substantiallythe entire length thereof between depending

flanges

53 and 54. The upstanding rear flange 55 is secured by suitable means such as spot welding to one leg 56a of hinge member1 56. The other leg 56b of hinge member 56 in turn is similarly secured by suitable means such as spot welding to the outer side of upper surface 39c of base member 39 adjacent the portion of gasket46 retained on the letter member. The hinge member 56 thereby provides the means enabling the spray plate 38 to pivot in moving from the closed to the open position as previously. described hereinabove and as depicted in FIG. 6 of the drawing'l.

, The spray plate 38 is formed with a plurality of spaced parallel semicylindrical protrusions 57 each of which contains a plurality of spaced slots 58. In accordance with the embodiment of the invention depicted in FIGS. 37 of the drawing the spray plate 38 is provided with three such protrusions 57 with each protrusion 57 being provided with three slots 58. It ;is to be understood however that the number of protrusions 57 as well as the number and size of the slots .58 therein will normally vary according to the nature of the specific dishwasher in which the spray box assembly of the instant invention is to be employed. The protrusions 57in tests have been found to provide a substantially better water flow and spray pattern than it is possible to obtain from a sprayplate having the same number of slots 58 or for that matter more or less slots, but slots which are placed along a flat portion of the upper surface of the spray plate. In addition it will benoted that the slots 58 are elongated in a direction transverse to the major axis of the three parallel semicylindrical protrusions 57. That is, with the spray box assembly 36 positioned inthe dishwasher the protrusions 57 extend in the general direction of movement of the racks 24 whereas the slots 58 are elongated in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the racks 24. The

method of operation of the spray plate 38 will be more fully described hereinafter. I l

' hi the closed position, the spray plate 38 is releasably fastened to the spray box39 by means of a quick release fastener 59, which cooperates with an essentially J-shaped book 60 which is secured by suitable means such as spot welding to the exterior surface of depending front flange 52 of spray plate 35' The quick releasefastener 59 which may for example be of the type illustrated and described in US. Pat. 3,127,205, is preferably mounted on one leg 61a of L-shaped bracket 61. As best seen in FIG. 6 of the drawing, the other leg 61b of L-shaped bracket 61 is suitably secured such as by welding to the under, i.e., outer surface of base member 39 adjacent the upstanding front flange 40 thereof.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 and 7 of the drawing, outwa rdly facing

channel members

62 and 63 are illustrated therein as being positioned in juxtaposed relation tothe

upstanding side flanges

41 and 42, respectively, of base member 39 of lowerspray boxassembly 36. The

U-shaped channel members

62 and 63 which may be attached to the

side flanges

41 and 42, respectively, such as by welding are so provided in the case of lower spray box assembly 36 for a dual purpose. Thus, it will be noted with reference to FlG. 4 of the drawing, that each of the

U-shaped channel members

62 and 63 carries at its forward end a

screw

64 and 65, respectively. When the spray box assembly 36 is positioned in the dishwasher 10 as depicted in FlG. 2 of the drawing, the

latter screws

66 and 65 cooperate with suitable openings (not shown) provided therefor in the support structure of housing 11 of dishwasher 10 whereby to ensure that the aforesaid spray box assembly 36 is aligned in the proper location in the dishwasher l0, and also in associationwithcooperating nuts (not shown) providea means of securingtheforward end of the spray box assembly 36 to the aforesaid support structure of the housing 11. Additional mounting means (not shown) which are received in the small openings 66 suitably provided in the rearwall 39b of referred to hereinabove to prevent the larger of the food particles which are dislodged from the dishes being cleaned from passing into the wash tanks which as noted earlier contain wash water which isgenerally recirculated to the wash water spray means, iri'this case the

spray box assemblies

35 and 36. Since obviouslyno

such screens

67 and 68 are employed along the top ofthe dishwasher 10, the

U-shaped channel members

62 and 63 need not necessarily be utilized in conjunction with the upper spray box assembly 35. Other suitable mounting means which are capable of ensuring the proper positioning and securing of the upper spray box assembly 35 to the support structure of housing 11 may be substituted in place of the U- shaped

channel member

62 and 63 and the corresponding

screws

64 and 65 carried thereby by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the true spirit and scope of the invention.

With further reference to H0. 3 of the drawing and in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, when the lower spray box assembly 36 :is mounted in the housing 11 of dishwasher 10 a suitable metal cover member 69 is slideably positionedin the pair of opposed inwardly facing U- shaped

channel members

70 and 71. The center portions 70a and 71a of

channel members

70 and 71, respectively, are suitably secured such as by welding to the

center portions

62a and 63a of

U-shaped channel members

62 and 63, as best seen with reference to FIG. 4. The metal cover member 69 serves a function similar to that of

screens

67 and 68 in that it prevents the food particles dislodged from the dishes being cleaned from passing to the wash tank (not shown), a portion of which underlies the lower spray box assembly 36. As illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawing, metal cover member 69 carries a latch means 72 which cooperates with the corresponding vertically slideabledoor 14- or 15, which closes the respective compartment in which the aforesaid lower spray box assembly 36 is mounted, when the latter door is in the closed position to thereby retain the door in question in that position. With reference to upper spray box assembly 35, no such metal cover member 69 normally need be utilized. Thus, as is noted hereinabove with reference to the reasons previously set forth for the elimination of the U -shaped

channel member

62 and 63 insofar as upper spray box assembly 35 is concerned, the same holds truewith regard to the use therewith of

U-shaped channel members

70 and 71 That is, the latter mernbers70 and 71 may be eliminated or substituted for as so desired without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

insofar as thefunctionof the upper and lower spray box assemblies 35"and 36, respectively, in thedishwasher 10 is concerned, theracks 24 of soiled dishes 23 as they are fed into the dishwasher are engaged as previously described by one or more lugs 28 of a conveyor system (not shown) and are caused to move therewith with the racks 24 being slideably supported on L-shaped

channel support members

29 and 30. As best seen with reference to FIG. 2 of the drawings, lower spray box assembly 36 is mounted at a suitably distance below L-shaped

members

29 and 30. Similarly, upper spray box assembly 35 is mounted so as to be suitably spaced from the upper most portion of the articles which may be placed in the racks 24 for passage through the dishwasher 10. Wash water is fed into the respective upper or lower

spray box assembly

35 or 36 by suitable means such as the pipe 73 illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing which in turn is connected by suitable means (not shown) to an inlet opening 74 in the spray box assembly 36 as depicted in FIG. 4 of the drawing. With further reference to FIG. 4 and lower spray box assembly 36, it can be seen that the inlet opening 74 communicates with the manifold 43 while the latter communicates with the slots 58 provided in protrusions 57 of spray plate 38 from whence the wash water exits in the form of a spray. The same principle of water flow occurs in the upper spray box assembly 35.

When it becomes necessary to clean any contaminants which may have accumulated in upper spray box assembly 35 and/or lower spray box assembly 36, the operator of dishwasher 10 need only shut off the flow of water to the affected spray box assembly or assemblies by conventional controls (not shown), and then after having opened the appropriate compartment door unlatch the quick release fastener 59 whereby the corresponding spray plate 38 may be pivoted to its open position. For normal maintenance purposes, there is no necessity of removing the spray box assembly from the dishwasher E0. The operator by virtue of the access to the interior of the dishwasher 10 afforded by the full-width vertically slideable doors 14 and 15 is provided with sufficient freedom of movement to accomplish the task of efficiently cleaning the interior as well as the exterior of spray plate 38 and the other parts of the spray box assembly. As illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, the spray plate associated with upper spray box assembly 35 swings downwardly under the influence of gravity when its quick release fastener is unlatched while the spray plate 38 of lower spray box assembly 36 may be swung upwardly about hinge 56. Upon completion of the cleaning operation, the spray plate need only be closed back over its associated spray box and secured thereto by means of the latching of the corresponding quick release fastener. There is no need to remount and/or realign the wash spray water means after cleaning as in the case of prior art types of wash spray water means. It should be noted that with the spray plate 38 held in the closed position by the quick release fastener 59, the gasket 46 will be compressed by the spray plate 38 to such an extent as to effectively provide a watertight seal between the spray plate 38 and the spray box 37.

In general, the upper and lower spray plate and box are fabricated completely from stainless steel for corrosion resistance, including fasteners, hinges, etc. The size of the box, mating plate, location of slots and rows on the plate will depend upon the spray pattern, velocity and flow desired wherein spray pattern is defined by the fan shape of the spray, the longitudinal spread of each spray and the closeness of each spray. Spray pattern, velocity and flow may be selected for each category of rack conveyor dishwasher to provide optimum cutting force and cleansing spray to the dishes.

Thus, there has been provided a novel and improved spray box assembly for commercial dishwashers which has a construction which provides easier accessibility to the various component parts thereof for cleaning purposes than do prior existing types of spray head assemblies. Further the spray box assembly in accordance with the instant invention may be sanitized without-removal from the dishwasher and in considerably less time than heretofore possible with respect to prior existing types of spray head assemblies. In operation, the spray box assembly of the instant invention provides a pattern, velocity, and flow of spray which enables optimum cutting force and cleansing spray to be applied to the dishes. Finally,

the subject spray box assembly is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple to assemble, but yet is durable in use and reliable in operation.

While only one embodiment of my invention has been shown, it will be appreciated that many modifications thereof may readily be made by those skilled in the art, some of which have been specifically mentioned hereinabove. I therefore intend by the appended claims to cover the above modifications as well as all other modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Iclaim:

1. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers comprising:

a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on said base, and having an open side opposite said base;

b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, and including means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern;

. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of said spray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern, said fluid discharge means further including a plurality of protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots;

d. means mounting said spray plate on said spray box for movement between a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in said closed position closing said open side in said spray box and in said open position providing access for cleaning purposes to said inner surface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interior of said spray box;

fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closed position to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box.

f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plate to provide a substantially fluidtight seal therebetween when said spray plate is latched to said spray box; and

g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluid to said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid entering said fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and being discharged from said fluid discharge means in said spray plate in the form of said prescribed spray pattern.

2. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth in claim 1 wherein;

a. said spray box further includes a manifold; and

b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposed side means, said opening communicating with said manifold.

3. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth in claim 1 wherein the major dimension of each of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots extends at substantially right angles to the major axis of each of said plurality of semicylindrical protrusions.

4. A wash spray box assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

a. said fluid is wash water;

b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to said spray box adjacent said open side thereof; and

c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by said spray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on said spray box.

5. In a commercial dishwasher at least one wash compartment, the improvement comprising wash spray water means mounted in said wash compartment and including at least one wash spray box assembly comprising:

c. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of said spray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern;

(1. means mounting said spray plate onsaid spray box for movement between a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in said closed position closing said open side in said spray box and in said open position providing access for cleaning purposes to said inner surface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interior of said spray box;

e.'fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closed position to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box;

f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plate to provide a substantially fluidtight sealed therebetween when said spray'plate is latched to said spray box; and

g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluid to said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid entering said fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and being discharged from said fluid discharge means in said sprayplate in the form of said prescribed spray pattern.

6. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein:

a. said spray box further includes a manifold;

b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposed side means, said opening communicating with said manifold; and

c. said fluid discharge means further includes a plurality of semicylindrical protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots.

7. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 6 wherein the major dimension of each of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots extends at substantially right angles to the major axis of each of said plurality of semicylindrical protrusions.

8. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein:

a. said fluid is wash water;

9. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein said wash spray water means further includes at least one other wash spray box assembly mounted in said one wash compartment in opposed spaced relation to said one wash spray box assembly.

Claims

1. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers comprising: a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on said base, and having an open side opposite said base; b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, and including means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern; c. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of said spray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluid dischArge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern, said fluid discharge means further including a plurality of protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots; d. means mounting said spray plate on said spray box for movement between a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in said closed position closing said open side in said spray box and in said open position providing access for cleaning purposes to said inner surface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interior of said spray box; e. fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closed position to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box. f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plate to provide a substantially fluidtight seal therebetween when said spray plate is latched to said spray box; and g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluid to said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid entering said fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and being discharged from said fluid discharge means in said spray plate in the form of said prescribed spray pattern.

2. A wash spray box assembly for use in dishwashers as set forth in claim 1 wherein; a. said spray box further includes a manifold; and b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposed side means, said opening communicating with said manifold.

4. A wash spray box assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said fluid is wash water; b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to said spray box adjacent said open side thereof; and c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by said spray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on said spray box.

5. In a commercial dishwasher at least one wash compartment, the improvement comprising wash spray water means mounted in said wash compartment and including at least one wash spray box assembly comprising: a. a spray box including a base, opposed side means supported on said base, and having an open side opposite said base; b. a spray plate having an outer surface and an inner surface, and including means for discharging fluid in a prescribed spray pattern; c. said fluid discharge means being formed in said outer surface of said spray plate and including a plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots arranged to provide said prescribed spray pattern; d. means mounting said spray plate on said spray box for movement between a closed position and an open position, said spray plate in said closed position closing said open side in said spray box and in said open position providing access for cleaning purposes to said inner surface of said spray plate and through said open side to the interior of said spray box; e. fastening means operative when said spray plate is in said closed position to releaseably latch said spray plate to said spray box; f. sealing means interposed between said spray box and said spray plate to provide a substantially fluidtight sealed therebetween when said spray plate is latched to said spray box; and g. fluid inlet means in said spray box for providing a source of fluid to said fluid discharge means in said spray plate, said fluid entering said fluid inlet means in the form of a stream of fluid and being discharged from said fluid discharge means in said spray plate in the form of said prescribed spray pattern.

6. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 whereiN: a. said spray box further includes a manifold; b. said fluid inlet means includes an opening in one of said opposed side means, said opening communicating with said manifold; and c. said fluid discharge means further includes a plurality of semicylindrical protrusions formed in parallel spaced relation in said outer surface of said spray plate, each of said protrusions including one of said plurality of groups of elongated fluid discharge slots.

8. In a commercial dishwasher as set forth in claim 5 wherein: a. said fluid is wash water; b. said sealing means comprises a continuous gasket secured to said spray box adjacent said open side thereof; and c. said fastening means comprises a hook-shaped member carried by said spray plate and engageable by a quick release fastener mounted on said spray box.