Surge pressure vent for low noise dishwasher
AssigneeArk-Les Corporation
InventorsKenyon A. Hapke, Joel C. Bragg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vent for a dishwasher provides a valve with dual actuation, either to be electrically actuated according to a cycle of the dishwasher so as to close during periods of high noise generation, typically the wash cycle, and opened during the dry cycle, or to be actuated independently of the cycle under pressure differences such as may be caused by interruption of the dishwasher cycle and opening and closing of the dishwasher door such as may cause a pressure surge as the introduced cool air is rapidly heated in the interior of the dishwasher.
Claims11
In a dishwasher providing a sealable volume containing dishes during their washing, a vent comprising:
- a pressure actuable valve element movable between an open and closed state and positioned to block the passage of air from the sealable volume to outside the dishwasher in the closed state and to allow the passage of air from the sealable volume to outside the dishwasher in the open state, the pressure acutable valve element moving from the closed to the open state in response to a predetermined excess of air pressure in the sealable volume over the air pressure outside the dishwasher;
- and
- an electrical actuator movable between a first and second position and linked with the pressure actuable valve element so as allow free movement of the pressure actuable valve element between the open and closed state in response to the predetermined excess of pressure, when the electric actuator is in the first position and to hold the pressure actuable valve element in the open state when the electric actuator is in the second position;
- whereby absent an signal from the dishwasher actuating the electric actuator and absent excess of pressure in the sealable volume, noise emanating from the sealable volume is blocked.
In a dishwasher providing a sealable volume containing dishes during their washing, a vent comprising:
- an electrically actuable valve positioned to block the passage of air from the sealable volume to outside the dishwasher in a closed state and to allow the passage of air from the sealable volume to outside the dishwasher in an open state, the electrically acutable valve moving between the open and closed state in response to an electrical signal;
- and
- a pressure actuable valve positioned to block the passage of air from the sealable volume to outside the dishwasher in a closed state and to allow the passage of air from the sealable volume to outside the dishwasher in an open state, the pressure acutable valve moving from the open to the closed state in response to a predetermined excess of air pressure in the sealable volume over the air pressure outside the dishwasher;
- whereby absent an electrical signal from the dishwasher to the electrically actuable value and an excess of pressure in the sealable volume, noise emanating from the sealable volume is blocked.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.