Dishwasher rack extender having connector pins
AssigneeTraex Corporation
InventorsLawrence L. Larson, Daniel P. Pesik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A glass and cup holding assembly for an automatic dishwasher includes a rack and a rack extender. The rack has side walls with an upper edge having spaced apart upwardly opening sockets. The rack extender has side walls with a lower edge defining connector pins each having a shaft, at least a portion of which tapers inwardly from the lower edge, and an enlarged head defining a catch surface. The pins engage the sockets such that the shaft is disposed within the socket and the head catch surface engages an underside of the upper edge of the side wall.
Claims12
A rack extender for a rack used to hold glasses or cups in an automatic dishwasher, the extender having a rectilinear frame with four side walls defining a first perimeter edge and a second perimeter edge, wherein the frame further includes:
- connector pins spaced apart along and extending from the first edge substantially perpendicularly to the plane defined by the frame, each pin having a shaft, having a tapered base, a cylindrical middle section and an enlarged head, the tapered hose having a generally frusto-conical shape tapering downwardly from the first edge to the middle section, the head having a generally semi-ellipsoidal shape defined by an elliptical arc, the head having a leading end and a catch edge extending outwardly from the middle section of the shaft, the leading end tapering to the catch edge.
An automatic dishwasher rack and rack extender assembly having frames and open grids within side walls and forming an array of compartments for holding glasses and cups, the assembly comprising:
- a rack with side walls having an upper edge with spaced apart upwardly opening sockets;
- and
- an extender having side walls having a lower edge defining connector pins each having a shaft, having a tapered base, a cylindrical middle section and an enlarged head, the tapered base having a generally frusto-conical shape tapering downwardly from the lower edge to the middle section, the head having a generally semi-ellipsoidal shape defined by an elliptical arc, the head having a lending end and a catch edge extending outwardly from the middle section of the shaft, the leading end tapering to the catch edge,
- wherein the pins engage the sockets such that the shaft is disposed within the socket and the catch edge engages an underside of the upper edge of the side wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.