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US 7,000,620 B2Granted
Dishwasher float mounting bracket with retainer cover
AssigneeMaytag Corporation
InventorsChad M. Thomas, Brook J. Beaston, Michael C. Simmons
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMaytag Corporation
InventorsChad M. Thomas, Brook J. Beaston, Michael C. Simmons
Estimating the term…
A float mounting plate is provided for a dishwasher to limit the level of water in the dishwasher tub. The float has a stem extending downwardly through a stand pipe in the bottom of the tub and into a switch bracket which houses the water level control switch. A tab is provided on the switch bracket which is adapted to extend around the float stem, thereby slidably retaining the retainer ring of the stem for engagement and disengagement with the switch, and limiting lateral or horizontal movement of the stem. In one embodiment, the tab is integrally formed with the bracket, with a living hinge allowing the tab to pivot between open and closed positions. In a second embodiment, the tab snap fits onto the bracket to capture the float stem.
A float retainer for a dishwasher, the dishwasher including a tub, a float with a stem extending through a standpipe in the tub, the stem being adapted to engage and disengage a switch mounted in a switch bracket to control the water level in the tub, the float retainer comprising:
An improved switch bracket for housing a switch to control the water level in an appliance, the appliance having a float with a stem extending through a standpipe, the stem being adapted to engage and actuate the switch beneath the standpipe, the improvement comprising:
A method of retaining a float in a dishwasher tub for controlling the water level in the tub, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.