A dishwasher has a housing (10) with a wash chamber (20) and a top wall (204) with a non-planar surface (214;214″) facing downwardly into the wash chamber, the surface having portions (216,218; 226,228) facing downwardly and facing in different horizontal directions (H1,H2; HX,HY,HP,HQ). Nozzles (402) mounted within the wash chamber spray a liquid upwardly within the wash chamber. The surface portions redistribute the upwardly-sprayed water in horizontal directions to provide a more uniform washing action. A portable dishwasher may have a fresh water reservoir (422) and a used water reservoir (430) mounted in the housing beneath the wash chamber. The used water reservoir may be removably mounted in the housing so that the user can remove used wash water by removing the used water reservoir. The portable dishwasher can be used at a location remote from a sink.

The embodiments are and include an apparatus, system and method for a liquid level monitoring dispenser for association with a liquid filled consumable. The apparatus, system and method may include: a receiver for receiving the consumable upon inversion thereof; at least one electrical contact within the receiver for communicative association with conductive strips on the consumable; a sensing module communicative with the at least one electrical contact and having associated therewith firmware for converting signals associated with the conductive strips and received at the electrical contact to an indication of the liquid level; a communications module for communicating the liquid level to at least a user display and over at least one network; a power module for powering at least the sensing module and the communications module; and at least one dispensing output in fluid communication with the consumable and capable of dispensing the liquid from the consumable to modify the liquid level.

A valve has a plurality of material inlet ports, a flushing inlet port, and an outlet port each connected to a respective supply of one of last two different liquid materials. A movable valve body in the valve has a passage and is shiftable between a plurality of positions in each of which a respective one of the inlet ports is connected to the outlet port via the passage. A controller moves the valve body between the positions such that, after each time the valve body is in a position connecting one of the material inlet ports to the outlet port and material has passed through the passage, the valve body is moved into a position connecting the passage with the flushing inlet port for flushing out the passage.

A dispensing apparatus for an appliance includes a housing assembly which defines a loading chamber and a dispensing chamber. The dispensing chamber is separate from the loading chamber within the housing assembly. The dispensing apparatus includes a corkscrew coil rotatably mounted in the loading chamber of the housing. A motor is coupled to the corkscrew coil. Additionally, there is a first door positioned at a first opening defined by the housing assembly at the loading chamber. The first door is configured to selectively open and close the first opening. A second door positioned at a second opening is defined by the housing assembly at the chute. The second door is configured to selectively open and close the second opening.

A method and dishwasher utilize one or more tubular spray elements that are both rotatable about longitudinal axes thereof and discretely directable by one or more tubular spray element drives between a plurality of rotational positions about the longitudinal axes thereof. Thus, through the provision of discretely directable tubular spray elements, fluid such as wash fluid and/or pressurized air may be focused in a wash tub, in many cases providing more efficient resource usage in the dishwasher.

A household dishwasher includes a washing chamber, a control apparatus for running a washing program from a number of washing programs, a metering system having a supply unit for receiving an individual dose of a first cleaning agent and supplying the individual dose into the washing chamber at a metering point in time while running the washing program, and an automatic metering apparatus for automatically metering a plurality of metering quantities from a supply of a second cleaning agent in the form of a solid material into the washing chamber at the metering point in time, and a sensor apparatus configured to detect a state of the metering system and to emit a sensor signal depending on the detected state of the metering system. The control apparatus runs the washing program depending on the sensor signal.

A dosing device or system for dispensing tablets, which can include at least one active ingredient for an automatic washing process, into an automatic washing machine, wherein the dosing device or system is for dispensing one or more, but not all, of the tablets at once into the automatic washing machine, and wherein the dosing device or system can be for dispensing only one tablet at once.

The embodiments are and include an apparatus, system and method for a liquid level monitoring dispenser for association with a liquid filled consumable. The apparatus, system and method may include: a receiver for receiving the consumable upon inversion thereof; at least one electrical contact within the receiver for communicative association with conductive strips on the consumable; a sensing module communicative with the at least one electrical contact and having associated therewith firmware for converting signals associated with the conductive strips and received at the electrical contact to an indication of the liquid level; a communications module for communicating the liquid level to at least a user display and over at least one network; a power module for powering at least the sensing module and the communications module; and at least one dispensing output in fluid communication with the consumable and capable of dispensing the liquid from the consumable to modify the liquid level.

A valve has a plurality of material inlet ports, a flushing inlet port, and an outlet port each connected to a respective supply of one of last two different liquid materials. A movable valve body in the valve has a passage and is shiftable between a plurality of positions in each of which a respective one of the inlet ports is connected to the outlet port via the passage. A controller moves the valve body between the positions such that, after each time the valve body is in a position connecting one of the material inlet ports to the outlet port and material has passed through the passage, the valve body is moved into a position connecting the passage with the flushing inlet port for flushing out the passage.

A dosing unit (100) for automatically dosing at least one detergent tablet (102) provided by a storage cartridge (110) for storing a plurality of detergent tablets (102), for use in an automatic dosing system (20) of a water-bearing household appliance (1), wherein the storage cartridge (110) comprises a container with a bottom side (112) forming an inclination angle with a horizontal direction when the dosing unit (100) is arranged as intended for use, wherein an outlet (114) is formed in the container at a lower end of the bottom side (112), such that detergent tablets (102) on the bottom side (112) move towards the outlet (114) driven by gravity (G), and wherein a dosing device (120) is attached to the storage cartridge (110) on the outlet (114), the dosing device (120) including a scoop (130) and a plug (140), wherein the scoop (130) is configured to separate a detergent tablet (102) from the plurality and transport the separated detergent tablet (102) to a receiving chamber (142) formed in the plug (140) when the scoop (130) is turned in a first turning direction about a rotational axis (X) that is parallel to the bottom side (112), and the plug (140) is configured to release the detergent tablet (102) from the receiving chamber (142).