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US 2019/0099057 A1Published application
Retracting Dishwasher Rack System
AssigneeMidea Group Co., Ltd.
InventorsEric Scalf, Robert Digman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retracting rack for an appliance such as a dish washing appliance. The rack may be positionable between a stowed position and a deployed position. A spring may drive the rack towards the stowed position. A locking mechanism may be used to secure the rack in one or more positions.
Claims22
A dish washing appliance comprising:
- a dishwasher tub includes one or more rails having geared teeth;
- a dishwasher rack having at least one elongated shaft and one or more torsion springs connected thereto, wherein the dishwasher rack is positionable between a stowed position in the dishwasher tub and a deployed position, wherein the deployed position is different from the stowed position;
- wherein the at least one elongated shaft includes one or more geared wheels rotationally fixed to the at least one shaft, wherein the one or more geared wheels and the at least one shaft rotationally translate together along the geared teeth of the one or more rails between the stowed position and the deployed position;
- and
- wherein the one or more torsion springs are secured to the at least one shaft and wherein translating the dishwasher rack from the stowed position towards the deployed position rotates the at least one shaft and correspondingly increases the spring force of the one or more torsion springs urging the dishwasher rack to return towards the stowed position.
2 more elements
A dishwasher rack for a dish washing appliance comprising:
- a basket capable of occupying a stowed position the dish washing appliance;
- one or more elongated shafts connected to the basket having one or more geared wheels fixed relative to the one or more shafts, the one or more geared wheels rotationally engaging one or more rails with corresponding geared teeth;
- one or more torsion springs secured to the one or more elongated shafts;
- and
- when the basket and the one or more shafts translate from the stowed position thereby rotating the one or more shafts relative to the one or more rails, tension in the one or more torsion springs increases and urges the basket and the one or more shafts towards the stowed position.
2 more elements
A method of retracting a dishwasher rack towards a stowed position within a dish washing appliance comprising the steps of:
- providing a dishwasher rack having one or more torsion springs;
- positioning the dishwasher rack from a stowed position to one or more deployed positions;
- increasing the tension force of the one or more torsion springs when positioning the dishwasher rack from the stowed position towards the one or more deployed positions;
- and
- automatically retracting the dishwasher rack from the one or more deployed positions towards the stowed position.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.