DOMESTIC DISHWASHER

Abstract

A household dishwasher includes a dishwasher cavity, and first and second rollers which are rotatably mounted in a roller holder that is fastened to the dishwasher cavity. A support element supporting a receptacle for items to be washed is movably mounted relative to the roller holder with the aid of the first roller and the second roller in such a way that the receptacle is movable between a position in which the receptacle is inserted into the dishwasher cavity and a position in which the receptacle is extracted from the dishwasher cavity. The support element has an upper running area and a lower running area, with the first roller being spaced apart downward from the upper running area and running along the lower running area, and with the second roller being spaced apart upward from the lower running area and running along the upper running area.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A household dishwasher, comprising: a dishwasher cavity; a first roller; a second roller; a roller holder fastened to the dishwasher cavity and configured to mount the first roller and the second roller for rotation; and a support element for supporting a receptacle for items to be washed, said support element movably mounted relative to the roller holder with the aid of the first roller and the second roller in such a way that the receptacle is movable between a position in which the receptacle is inserted into the dishwasher cavity and a position in which the receptacle is extracted from the dishwasher cavity, said support element having an upper running area and a lower running area, with the first roller being spaced apart downward from the upper running area and running along the lower running area, and with the second roller being spaced apart upward from the lower running area and running along the upper running area.

16. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the support element is embodied in one piece.

17. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the support element is made from metal.

18. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the support element has a C-shaped profile.

19. The household dishwasher of claim 18, wherein the C-shaped profile includes a C-shaped section defining free ends and having an opening between the free ends of the C-shaped section, with the roller holder engaging into the opening.

20. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the first roller and the second roller each have a convex running area for guidance in the support element.

21. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the first roller and the second roller each have a running area with two radii for guidance in the support element.

22. The household dishwasher of claim 15, further comprising a third roller rotatably mounted on the roller holder, said third roller being spaced apart upward from the lower running area and running along the upper running area.

23. The household dishwasher of claim 22, further comprising a fourth roller rotatably mounted on the roller holder, said fourth roller being spaced apart downward from the upper running area and running along the lower running area.

24. The household dishwasher of claim 23, wherein the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are respectively arranged on corners of a trapezoid.

25. The household dishwasher of claim 23, wherein the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are respectively arranged on corners of a parallelogram.

26. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the roller holder is directly fastened to the dishwasher cavity.

27. The household dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the roller holder is welded to the dishwasher cavity.

28. The household dishwasher of claim 23, wherein the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller have a same diameter.

Description

[0044] Further advantageous embodiments and aspects of the invention form the subject matter of the subclaims and of the exemplary embodiments of the invention that are described below. The invention is described below in greater detail on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached figures,

[0045] in which:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a further general embodiment of a household dishwasher;

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a dishwasher cavity of a household dishwasher according to a first embodiment;

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the right side wall of the dishwasher cavity from FIG. 2, wherein the side wall is transparent in the region of a roller holder, which is fastened to the inner side of the side wall;

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a view of the roller holder of the first embodiment, here fastened to the inner side of the left side wall of the dishwasher cavity, together with a support element mounted such that it can move on the roller holder by means of rollers;

[0050] FIG. 5 shows a rolling movement of the rollers in the first embodiment;

[0051] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the right side wall of the dishwasher cavity from FIG. 2, (but) according to a second embodiment, wherein the side wall is transparent in the region of a roller holder, which is fastened to the inner side of the side wall;

[0052] FIG. 7 shows a view of the roller holder of the second embodiment, here fastened to the inner side of the left side wall of the dishwasher cavity, together with a support element mounted such that it can move on the roller holder by means of rollers;

[0053] FIG. 8 shows a rolling movement of the rollers in the second embodiment;

[0054] FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of support element and rollers; and

[0055] FIG. 10 shows an enlarged cut-out X from FIG. 9.

[0056] In the figures, elements that are identical or have the same function are provided with the same reference characters unless otherwise stated.

[0057] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a general embodiment of a household dishwasher 1. The household dishwasher 1 comprises a dishwasher cavity 2, which can be closed off by a door 3, in particular in a watertight manner. To this end, a sealing facility may be provided between the door 3 and the dishwasher cavity 2. The dishwasher cavity 2 is preferably cuboid in shape. The dishwasher cavity 2 may be arranged in a housing of the household dishwasher 1. The dishwasher cavity 2 and the door 3 may form a dishwasher interior 4 for washing items to be washed.

[0058] The door 3 is shown in its opened position in FIG. 1. The door 3 can be closed or opened by pivoting about a pivot axis 5 provided on a lower end of the door 3. A loading opening 6 of the dishwasher cavity 2 can be closed or opened with the aid of the door 3. The dishwasher cavity 2 has a bottom 7, a ceiling 8 arranged opposite the bottom 7, a rear wall 9 arranged opposite the closed door 3 and two side walls 10, 11 arranged opposite one another. The bottom 7, the ceiling 8, the rear wall 9 and the side walls 10, 11 may be manufactured from a stainless steel sheet for example. Alternatively, the bottom 7 may be manufactured from a plastic material.

[0059] Furthermore, the household dishwasher 1 has at least one receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. Preferably, a plurality of receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14, for example three, are provided, wherein the receptacle for items to be washed 12 may be a lower receptacle for items to be washed or a lower basket, the receptacle for items to be washed 13 may be an upper receptacle for items to be washed or an upper basket, and the receptacle for items to be washed 14 may be a cutlery drawer. As additionally shown in FIG. 1, the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 are arranged above one another in the dishwasher cavity 2. Each receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13 14 is optionally able to be shifted into or out from the dishwasher cavity 2. In particular, each receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 can be inserted or moved into the dishwasher cavity 2 in an insertion direction E (arrow) and extracted or moved out from the dishwasher cavity 2 against the insertion direction E (arrow) in an extraction direction A (arrow).

[0060] Below, a first embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, 9 and 10.

[0061] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the dishwasher cavity 2 of the household dishwasher 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the household dishwasher 1 has an extraction apparatus 15 for extracting or inserting (one of) the receptacle(s) for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. The extraction apparatus 15 is attached to the inner side of one of the side walls 10, 11 of the dishwasher cavity 2. In the example of FIG. 2, the extraction apparatus 15 is attached to the inner side of the left side wall 10 of the dishwasher cavity 2. The household dishwasher 1 may have a further extraction apparatus opposite the extraction apparatus 15, which is attached to the inner side of the right side wall 11. The extraction apparatus 15 and the extraction apparatus opposite it together serve to extract or insert a receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. The household dishwasher 1 may additionally have further extraction apparatuses similar to the extraction apparatus 15, which are attached to the inner side of the side wall 10 and/or to the inner side of the side wall 11. The further extraction apparatuses may serve to extract or insert further receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the extraction apparatus 15 of the first embodiment has a roller holder 16, rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 and a support element 21.

[0063] The roller holder 16 is fastened to the dishwasher cavity 2. In particular, the roller holder 16 is fastened to one of the side walls 10, 11 of the dishwasher cavity 2. The roller holder 16 may, for example, be screwed, riveted or welded to the side walls 10, 11.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows the roller holder 16 fastened to the right side wall 11 of the dishwasher cavity 2. In this context, FIG. 3 shows a top view of the outer side of the right side wall 11 of the dishwasher cavity 2 in the first embodiment, wherein the side wall 11 is transparent in the region of the roller holder 16, which is fastened to the inner side of the side wall 11.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows a view of the roller holder 16, here fastened to the inner side of the left side wall 10 of the dishwasher cavity 2, together with a support element 21 mounted such that it can move on the roller holder 16 by means of rollers 17, 18, 19, 20.

[0066] The rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 are rotatably mounted on the roller holder 16. They are preferably arranged paraxially in relation to one another with regard to their respective axes of rotation. The rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 serve to mount the support element 21 such that it can move relative to the roller holder 16.

[0067] The support element 21 serves to support the receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. The support element 21 is mounted such that it can move relative to the roller holder 16 with the aid of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 in such a way that the corresponding receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 can be moved between a position inserted into the dishwasher cavity 2 and a position extracted from the dishwasher cavity 2. The support element 21 can be extracted from the dishwasher interior 4 of the dishwasher cavity 2 in the extraction direction A (arrow) and inserted into the dishwasher interior 4 of the dishwasher cavity 2 in the insertion direction E (arrow).

[0068] The support element 21 may be a C-shaped rail (or C-rail) for example, i.e. a rail with a cross-section with a C-shaped profile. The support element 21 has an upper running area 22 and a lower running area 23. Preferably, the upper running area 22 and the lower running area 23 each have a concave section for guidance of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20.

[0069] The first roller 17 and the fourth roller 20as can be seen in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5are spaced apart downward from the upper running area 22 of the support element 21 and run along the lower running area 23 in each case. The second roller 18 and the third roller 19 are each spaced apart upward from the lower running area 23 and run along the upper running area 22. In the first embodiment, the first roller 17, the second roller 18, the third roller 19 and the fourth roller 20 are arranged on one of the corners of a (notional) parallelogram in each case.

[0070] The support element 21 is guided on its upper running area 22 by means of the second roller 18 and the third roller 19. In addition, the support element 21 is guided on its lower running area 23 by means of the first roller 17 and the fourth roller 20. In this context, the direction of movement of the respective running area 22, 23 and the rolling movement of the respective roller 17, 18, 19, 20 are aligned in each case, as shown in FIG. 5 by way of example for the case of the movement of the support element 21 in the extraction direction A (arrow). The direction of rotation of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 is marked with arrows. As a result, the support element can be effectively guided. In particular, a twisting of the support element 21 is prevented and a direct contact between parts of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 and running areas 22, 23 of the support element 21 which move in opposite directions is avoided.

[0071] FIG. 5 illustrates a rolling movement of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 5, the support element 21 is moved in the extraction direction A (arrow). Consequently, the upper running area 22 and the lower running area 23 of the support element 21 move in the extraction direction A (arrow). As shown in FIG. 5, the rolling movements of the first roller 17 and the fourth roller 20, which both roll over the lower running area 23, are aligned with the direction of movement of the lower running area 23. Moreover, the rolling movements of the first roller 17 and the fourth roller 20 are in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the upper running area 22, from which they are spaced apart. As shown in FIG. 5, the rolling movements of the second roller 18 and the third roller 19, which both roll over the upper running area 22, are aligned with the direction of movement of the upper running area 22. Moreover, the rolling movements of the second roller 18 and the third roller 19 are in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the lower running area 23, from which they are spaced apart.

[0072] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 clarify the relative arrangement of the support element 21 and the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20. In FIG. 9, a cross-section of the support element 21 and the roller 17 is shown. Moreover, the further roller 19 arranged to the rear is also indicated in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 shows the cut-out X from FIG. 9 in an enlarged view.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 9, the roller holder 16 is fastened to one of the side walls 10, 11, here the side wall 10. For example, the roller holder 16 is welded to the side wall 10 at welding spots 26. The roller holder 16 may further have axle elements 27 for the mounting of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20. In the example of FIG. 9, the support element 21 has a C-shaped profile, and it may be embodied in one piece for example. The C-shaped profile has a C-shaped section 28 and an opening 29 between the free ends of the C-shaped section. In this example, the roller holder 16 engages into the opening 29 of the C-shaped profile. To this end, the roller holder 16 has an element (for example the axle element 27) which can be introduced by means of the opening 29 of the C-shaped profile.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the rollers 17 and 19 run in a cavity formed by the support element 21. The roller 17 runs on the lower running area 23 of the support element 21. The roller 19 arranged further to the rear and shifted upward runs on the upper running area 22 of the support element 21. The roller 17 and the roller 19 each have a convex running area 30 for guidance in the support element 21. The convex running area 30 has an outer surface, which is represented as a curved line in its cross-section. As shown in FIG. 10 for the roller 17, this outer surface preferably has two radii R1 and R2 for guidance in a concave section (indentation) of the running area 23 of the support element 21. A section 31 of the running area 30 of the roller 17 which lies between the radii R1, R2 is spaced apart from the lower running area 23. The same applies for the roller 19 and the upper running area 22, accordingly.

[0075] During operation of the household dishwasher, the support element 21 supports a receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. A torque M can be exerted upon the support element 21 by (heavy) items to be washed in the receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 and/or extracting the support element 21 at an angle. This may lead to a twisting of the support element 21 in relation to its longitudinal axis, which is parallel to the extraction direction A (arrow).

[0076] In the embodiment described, the support element 21 is guided on the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 in such a way that, despite such a twisting of the support element 21, only areas moved in the same direction may come into contact with one another. Consequently, scratching and grinding noises on the support element 21 and a blocking of the rollers are avoided. A defined rolling-over movement of the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 is ensured. The support element 21 may be guided in a stable manner, with low noise and with little exertion of force on the rollers 17, 18, 19, 20.

[0077] A second embodiment is described below on the basis of FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0078] The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except for the arrangement of the four rollers 17, 18, 19, 20. In the second embodiment, the first roller 17, the second roller 18, the third roller 19 and the fourth roller 20 are arranged in the shape of a trapezoid. Only the features of the second embodiment which differ from those of the first embodiment are described below. A description of identical features is dispensed with.

[0079] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the right side wall 11 of the dishwasher cavity 2 according to the second embodiment, wherein the side wall 11 is transparent in the region of the roller holder 16, which is fastened to the inner side of the side wall 11.

[0080] FIG. 7 shows a view of the roller holder 16 of the second embodiment, here fastened to the inner side of the left side wall 10 of the dishwasher cavity 2, together with the support element 21 mounted such that it can move on the roller holder 16 by means of rollers 17, 18, 19, 20.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment the first roller 17 and the fourth roller 20 are spaced apart downward from the upper running area 22 of the support element 21 and run along the lower running area 23 in each case. The second roller 18 and the third roller 19 are each spaced apart upward from the lower running area 23 and run along the upper running area 22. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, the first roller 17, the second roller 18, the third roller 19 and the fourth roller 20 are arranged on one of the corners of a (notional) trapezoid 25 in each case.

[0082] Although the present invention has been described on the basis of exemplary embodiments, it can be modified in a variety of ways.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS USED

[0083] 1 household dishwasher [0084] 2 dishwasher cavity [0085] 3 door [0086] 4 dishwasher interior [0087] 5 pivot axis [0088] 6 loading opening [0089] 7 bottom [0090] 8 ceiling [0091] 9 rear wall [0092] 10 side wall [0093] 11 side wall [0094] 12 receptacle for items to be washed [0095] 13 receptacle for items to be washed [0096] 14 receptacle for items to be washed [0097] 15 extraction apparatus [0098] 16 roller holder [0099] 17 roller [0100] 18 roller [0101] 19 roller [0102] 20 roller [0103] 21 support element [0104] 22 upper running area [0105] 23 lower running area [0106] 24 parallelogram [0107] 25 trapezoid [0108] 26 welding spot [0109] 27 axle element [0110] 28 C-shaped section [0111] 29 opening [0112] 30 convex running area [0113] 31 section of the convex running area [0114] E insertion direction (arrow) [0115] A extraction direction (arrow) [0116] R1 radius [0117] R2 radius [0118] M torque