US 5,431,294 AGranted

Modular flatware basket assembly

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsRichard L. Stottmann, Thomas J. Binzer

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Abstract

A flatware basket for use in a modular basket assembly in a dishwasher includes a bottom wall bounded by upstanding, spaced apart side walls joined by end walls. A first upstanding cross wall joins the side walls midway between the end walls and includes horizontal openings. A handle includes alternating, depending fingers with inwardly facing ribs. The handle is mounted on the cross wall with the fingers overlapping the cross wall and the ribs received in the cross wall openings. A cover mounted on the handle moves between a vertical position and horizontal positions on either side of the handle. Another cross wall supports the cover in one of its horizontal positions and ribs support the handle in its other horizontal position. One of the basket side walls is planar and includes key holes in predetermined locations adjacent one end of the wall and buttons spaced from the wall at corresponding positions adjacent the other end of the wall so that two of the baskets can be connected with their planar walls abutting.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An open top rack assembly for use in a dishwasher, comprising:

a rack including a bottom wall formed of a plurality of spaced apart longitudinal rods;
side walls formed of a plurality of spaced apart upwardly extending rods bound by at least one circumferentially extending rod;
a plurality of spaced apart tines projecting generally upwardly of the bottom wall to support items to be washed, the space between said tines providing a first, larger clear space receiving a composite flatware basket assembly and a second, smaller clear space to receive a flatware basket;
said composite flatware basket assembly comprising a pair of complementary baskets, each basket having a bottom wall and a plurality of upstanding lateral walls, said bottom and lateral walls being substantially of an open mesh construction to support flatware items while permitting flow of liquid through that basket;
each of said baskets including integral means for releasably securing one basket to another basket, said integral means of each of said one basket cooperating with said integral means of said another basket to releasably secure said baskets in a side-by-side configuration to form said composite basket assembly;
said composite basket assembly being fitted within the first clear space provided by the space between said tines and each of said baskets being sized to fit individually within the second clear space provided by the space between said tines.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.