SUPPORT ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A support assembly for supporting one or more objects in a dishwasher is provided. The support assembly may include a snap arrangement with snap fittings for snapping the snap arrangement onto a rack of the dishwasher. The support assembly may include a main frame having a first side and a second side, where the first side may be provided with a soft surface structure, and where the main frame may be foldably arranged to the snap arrangement to allow the main frame to be folded between at least a supporting position and a storing position. The soft surface structure of the first side may be arranged to support a portion of the one or more objects when the main frame is in the supporting position. The embodiments herein may also relate to a rack of a dishwasher and a dishwasher comprising a rack.

Claims

1. A support assembly for supporting one or more objects in a dishwasher, where said support assembly comprises a snap arrangement comprising snap fittings for snapping said snap arrangement onto a rack of said dishwasher, where said support assembly further comprises a main frame having a first side and a second side, where said first side is provided with a soft surface structure, and where said main frame is foldably arranged to said snap arrangement to allow said main frame to be folded between at least a supporting position and a storing position, where said soft surface structure of said first side is arranged to support a portion of said one or more objects when said main frame is in said supporting position.

2. The support assembly according to claim 1, where said main frame is arranged to be stored at said storing position to allow access to the rack.

3. The support assembly according to claim 1, where said soft surface structure comprises a set of protrusions in an elastic material.

4. The support assembly according to claim 1, where an angle (a) between said supporting position and said storing position is approximately 180 degrees.

5. The support assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a gripping unit frame, where said gripping unit frame comprises one or more gripping units where each gripping unit of said one or more gripping units is arranged to grip a respective stemmed portion of one of said one or more objects.

6. The support assembly according to claim 5, where said gripping unit frame foldable between at least a folded position and a gripping position.

7. The holding assembly according to claim 5, where each gripping unit has a gripping mode and a releasing mode where said each gripping unit is arranged to release said respective stemmed portion in said releasing mode, and where said each gripping unit is arranged to grip said respective stemmed portion in said gripping mode.

8. The holding assembly according to claim 7, where said each gripping unit comprises a first arm and a second arm and a flexible strip arranged between said first and second arms.

9. The holding assembly according to claim 8, where said flexible strip is arranged to at least partially enclose said stemmed portion of one of said one or more stemmed objects when said gripping unit is in said gripping mode.

10. The holding assembly according to claim 8, where said first arm and said second arm are rotably arranged at said gripping unit frame and where a tip of said first arm and a tip of said second arm are arranged to be closer to each other when said gripping unit is in said gripping mode than in said releasing mode.

11. The support assembly according to claim 1, where said support assembly is arranged to be snapped onto a lower rack of a dishwasher.

12. A rack of a dishwasher comprising a support assembly according to claim 1.

13. The rack according to claim 12, where said rack further comprises elongated tines foldably arranged to said rack to allow said elongated tines to be folded between at least an upright position and a folded position where said elongated tines are arranged to support items to be washed, such as plates, in said upright position, and where said folded position constitutes a position in which a main extension (e.sub.m) of said elongated tines are arranged to substantially coincide with an horizontal extension (e.sub.h) of said rack, where said tines are arranged to be in said folded position when said main frame is in said supporting position.

14. A dishwasher comprising a rack according to claim 12.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The various aspects of the embodiments herein, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a support assembly with a main frame in a supporting position,

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates the support assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 with the main frame in a storing position,

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a rack of a dishwasher comprising a support assembly according to some embodiments,

[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates the rack of the dishwasher illustrated in FIG. 3 where a gripping unit frame is in a folded position,

[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a gripping unit in a releasing mode, and

[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates the gripping unit illustrated in FIG. 5 in a gripping mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The embodiments herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. Disclosed features of example embodiments may be combined. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0029] Well-known functions or constructions will not necessarily be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a support assembly 1 for supporting one or more objects in a dishwasher. The support assembly 1 comprises a snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2 comprising snap fittings 9 for snapping the snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2 onto a rack of the dishwasher. The support assembly 1 further comprises a main frame 6 having a first side 6.1 and a second side 6.2, where the first side 6.1 is provided with a soft surface structure. The main frame 6 is foldably arranged to the snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2 to allow the main frame 6 to be folded between at least a supporting position and a storing position. The main frame 6 of the support assembly 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is in the supporting position. As can be seen, the first side 6.1 which is provided with a soft surface structure is facing upwards in FIG. 1. The soft surface structure of the first side 6.1 is arranged to support a portion of the one or more objects when the main frame 6 is in the supporting position.

[0031] The soft surface structure comprises a set of protrusions 8 in an elastic material. The elastic material may be a ThermoPlastic Elastomers (TPE). Such elastic material may be moulded over Polypropylene (PP). In such embodiments, the ThermoPlastic Elastomers (TPE) may provide elasticity and the PolyPropylene (PP) may provide structure and rigidity. Due to these features, support may be further improved. In particular, support for delicate items, such as wine glasses or champagne flutes, may be improved.

[0032] The snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2 may comprise a first bar and a second bar, each comprising snap fittings 9 allowing them to be snapped onto a rack of a dishwasher. The snap fittings 9 may comprise semi-circular apertures having radiuses essentially corresponding to radiuses of wires of a rack onto which the support assembly 1 is arranged to be snapped. The snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2, as well as the main frame 6, may be provided in a plastic material such as Polypropylene (PP) or Polyoxymethylene (POM).

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates the support assembly 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 with the main frame 6 in the storing position. As can be seen, the angle a between the supporting position and the storing position is approximately 180 degrees. Thereby, the first side 6.1, provided with the soft surface structure, faces upwards to thereby support a portion of the one or more objects when the mainframe 6 is in the supporting position, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Correspondingly, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first side 6.1, provided with the soft surface structure, faces downwards to thereby protect the soft surface structure when the mainframe 6 is in the storing position. The second side 6.2 may be provided with a rigid surface structure and the second side 6.2 may be arranged to serve as a rigid floor for items to be washed when the main frame 6 is in the storing position.

[0034] Further, in embodiments where the soft surface structure comprises a set of protrusions 8 in an elastic material, these face upwards when the main frame 6 is in the supporting position and these face downwards when the main frame 6 is in the storing position. As a result, the support assembly 1 may provide good support for delicate items when the main frame 6 is in the supporting position and the support assembly 1 may provide access to the rack, and/or serve as a rigid floor for items to be washed, when the main frame 6 is in the storing position. Accordingly, a support assembly 1 is provided capable of providing support for both delicate items and heavy and bulky cookware such as pots and pans.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a rack 4 of a dishwasher 2 comprising a support assembly 1 according to some embodiments. The support assembly 1 comprises a snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2 comprising snap fittings 9 for snapping the snap arrangement 5.1, 5.2 onto the rack 4 of the dishwasher 2. The support assembly 1 comprises a main frame 6 having a first side 6.1 and a second side 6.2. The main frame 6 of the support assembly 1 illustrated in FIG. 3 is in the supporting position. As can be seen, the soft surface structure of the first side 6.1 provides support for a portion of an object 3, in the form of a wine glass.

[0036] The support assembly 1 further comprises a gripping unit frame 7. The gripping unit frame 7 comprises one or more gripping units 7.1 where each gripping unit 7.1 of the one or more gripping units 7.1 is arranged to grip a respective stemmed portion 14 of one of the one or more objects 3. Thereby, good support for stemmed objects 3, such as wine glasses or champagne flutes, may be provided, even in cases where a user handles the rack 4 in a rough way, or careless way.

[0037] The rack 4 further comprises elongated tines 10 foldably arranged to the rack 4 to allow the elongated tines 10 to be folded between at least an upright position and a folded position. The elongated tines 10 are arranged to support dishes, such as plates, in the upright position. In FIG. 3, the tines 10 are illustrated in the folded position. As can be seen, the folded position constitutes a position in which a main extension e.sub.m of the elongated tines 10 are arranged to substantially coincide with an horizontal extension e.sub.h of the rack 4. The tines 10 are arranged to be in the folded position when the main frame 6 is in the supporting position. Thereby, space is provided for the main frame 6 such that the soft surface structure of the first side 6.1 of the main frame 6 may support portions the one or more objects 3.

[0038] The gripping unit frame 7 is foldable between at least a folded position and a gripping position. In FIG. 3, the gripping unit frame 7 is in the gripping position.

[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates the rack 4 of the dishwasher 2 illustrated in FIG. 3 where the gripping unit frame 7 is in the folded position. As illustrated, the gripping unit frame 7 may be tilted upwards to the folded position to thereby provide space for other form of items to be washed than stemmed objects within the rack 4. Also, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the tines 10 of the rack 4 has been folded to an upright position in FIG. 4 in comparison to the tines 10 illustrated in FIG. 3. Thereby, flat items to be washed, such as plates, can be accommodated in the rack 4 when the main frame 6 is in the storing position. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the main frame 6 is arranged to be stored at said storing position to allow access to the rack 4 and the storing position constitutes a position in an outer portion of the rack 4.

[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the support assembly 1 may be arranged to be snapped onto a lower rack 4 of a dishwasher 2. Thereby, also the lower rack 4 of the dishwasher 2 may be utilized to accommodate delicate items such as wine glasses or champagne glasses in a safe manner.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 3, each gripping unit 7.1 of the gripping unit frame 7 has a gripping mode and a releasing mode where the each gripping unit 7.1 is arranged to release the respective stemmed portion 14 in the releasing mode, and where the each gripping unit 7.1 is arranged to grip the respective stemmed portion 14 in the gripping mode.

[0042] FIG. 5 illustrates a gripping unit 7.1 in a releasing mode. The gripping unit 7.1 comprises a first arm 13.1 and a second arm 13.2 and a flexible strip 17 arranged between the first and second arms 13.1, 13.2. The first arm 13.1 and the second arm 13.2 are rotably arranged with respect to the gripping unit frame 7 of the holding assembly.

[0043] FIG. 6 illustrates the gripping unit illustrated in FIG. 5 in a gripping mode. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the flexible strip 17 is arranged to at least partially enclose a stemmed portion 14 of a stemmed object 3, when the gripping unit 7.1 is in the gripping mode.

[0044] Also, as can be seen in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a tip 15.1 of the first arm 13.1 and a tip 15.2 of the second arm 13.2 are arranged to be closer to each other when the gripping unit 7.1 is in the gripping mode than when the gripping unit is in the releasing mode.

[0045] The flexible strip 17 and/or the first arm 13.1 and the second arm 13.2 may be provided in a soft material. The soft material may be a ThermoPlastic Elastomer (TPE).

[0046] Due to these features, gripping of a stemmed portion 14 of a stemmed object 3 may be secured, even in cases where a user handles a rack in a rough way.

[0047] It is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various example embodiments and the embodiments herein is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, combinations of features of disclosed embodiments as well as other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.