Dishwasher soil collecting circuit
AssigneeHobart Corporation
InventorTheodore F. Meyers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dishwasher such as a domestic dishwashing machine has a first recirculating path for recirculating wash and rinse fluids through nozzles which spray the fluid onto food ware items in the wash chamber of the warewasher. Fluid is also circulated from the wash chamber through a soil collecting circuit which conducts fluid to a soil collector which is separate from the wash chamber and recirculating path. The soil collector removes food soil from fluid passing therethrough and holds it for discharge into the dishwasher drain system when the fluids are drained from the dishwasher.
Claims23
In a dishwasher which utilizes multiple fluid fills for sequentially washing and rinsing food ware items during a complete cycle, said dishwasher having a wash chamber including rack means for receiving and supporting food ware therein and a sump at the bottom of said chamber for containing fluid therein;
- primary spray means including a wash pump operable in a recirculating mode for recirculating and spraying fluid onto food ware items to remove food soil particles therefrom and carry food soil particles to the sump;
- a drain system having a drain pump inlet adjacent the bottom of said sump, a drain outlet communicating with a drain, and a drain pump operable in a draining mode for pumping fluid and food soil particles therein from said pump to said drain outlet at intervals between successive fluid fills;
- and soil collector means for continuously collecting and removing food soil particles from fluid in said sump during said recirculating mode;
- the improvement comprising:
- (a) said soil collector means comprising a soil collecting circuit having a circuit inlet connected to receive fluid from said sump, a return outlet located within said wash chamber, and a portion, independent of said primary spray means and said wash chamber, in fluid communication with said circuit inlet and said return outlet;
- (b) said portion including a relatively fine screen soil collecting filter for removing food soil particles from fluid circulating through said soil collecting circuit to be retained within said portion during said recirculating mode, said filter having its upstream side in position to have collected soil particles flushed therefrom to said sump during said draining mode;
- (c) flow direction control means for establishing bi-directional fluid flow between said sump and said portion, said control means being operable for directing fluid and food soil particles in a first direction from said sump to said portion during said recirculating mode, and being operable for directing fluid and debris in a second direction from said portion to said sump during said draining mode;
- and
- (d) means for selectively controlling said dishwasher to operate said primary spray means and said drain system in either a recirculating mode or in a draining mode.
A method of washing soiled food ware supported on racks in a chamber of a dishwasher, comprising the steps of:
- filling a sump at the bottom of said chamber with a wash solution, thereby initiating a soil collecting cycle;
- spraying said food ware and flushing soil therefrom to said sump by pumping said solution under pressure from said sump through spray arms with a recirculating pump, thereby forming a soil laden solution in said sump;
- ingesting said soil laden solution from said sump during said soil collecting cycle and passing said soil laden solution through a soil collecting circuit independent of said recirculating pump;
- filtering soil particles from said soil laden solution in said circuit to collect and retain said filtered particles within said circuit thereby preventing reentrance of said filtered particles into said chamber during said soil collecting cycle and returning supernatant from said circuit for recirculation by said spray arms;
- and
- upon completion of said soil collecting cycle, emptying said circuit of collected soil particles into said sump for draining the solution and said soil particles therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.